Is There Still a Considerable Difference? Comparing Residential and Commuter Student Profile Characteristics at a Public, Research, Commuter University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2014

Publication Title

College Student Journal

Volume

48

Issue

4

First page number:

613

Last page number:

628

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to compare the student profile characteristics, which were categorized as demographic, prematriculation, and matriculation, between traditional residential and commuter students at a public, research, commuter university. Using status attainment as the theoretical framework, the researchers employed a discriminant function analysis to examine how the student profile characteristics were classified (or discriminated) between the two student groups. The results suggested that compared to their residential student peers, commuter students were more likely to be Hispanic and to be in-state students. Residential students were more likely to be African American, possess a higher socioeconomic status, have parents with a higher level of education, accumulate more grossed credits, and use higher amounts of financial aid in the forms of work study, grants, and loans. When comparing the academic success measures (i.e., GPA, retention, academic standing), there were no differences between residential and commuter students. As national student enrollments continue to evolve and commuter institutions continue to admit more diverse student populations, additional research is needed to examine these evolving multifaceted student characteristics.

Controlled Subject

Public universities and colleges; Public universities and colleges--Evaluation; College students

Disciplines

Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Education Economics | Higher Education

Language

English

Publisher Citation

Gianoutsos, D. & Rosser, V. (2014). Is there still a considerable difference? Comparing residential and commuter students at a public, research-intensive, commuter university. College Student Journal, (48) 4, 613-628.


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