The US News Short List, separate from our overall ranking, is a regular series that amplifies individual data points in the hopes of providing students and parents with a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have the possibility of developing in specific areas. Be sure to explore The shortlist: College, The shortlist: the graduate school and The shortlist: online programs to find data that interests you in your college or graduate school research.

Given the large number of educational options in the United States, it is no surprise that many students stay close to home when choosing a University. In fact, about 56% of first-time full-time freshmen chose schools 100 miles or less from their homes, according to The American Freshman, a 2019 national survey by researchers from the United States. University of California-Los Angeles.

Other research suggests that income plays a role in whether a student stays near or attends college away from home, with people from higher-income families more likely to attend a more distant institution. . In view of the already significant college fees, staying close to home is often a good financial decision, as students can take advantage of tuition fees in public schools.

[See: 12 Ways to Prepare for Your Freshman Year of College.]

Among the 10 national universities – schools offering a full range of undergraduate programs major, as well as master’s and doctoral programs – which had the most freshman commuters in 2019-2020, an average of about 74% of freshmen lived off campus or commuted. Of the 316 ranked national universities that provided this data to US News in an annual survey, that figure was highest at California State University-Fresno, where 82% of freshmen lived off campus or commuted.

Among all ranked national universities that reported this data, the average was much lower, with around 20% of freshmen living off campus or commuting. Many colleges require that students live on campus during their first year, and some extend this requirement to four years of school.

The 10 national universities with the most commuters are a geographic mix, spread widely across the United States. In total, schools from California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Texas are represented on this list.

[Read: What to Ask About a College’s First-Year Experience.]

Below is a list of the 10 national universities with the highest percentages of freshmen living off campus or commuting for the 2019-2020 school year. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by US News to be ranked numerically, were not considered for this report. This data relates to the 2019-2020 academic year that began before the coronavirus pandemic, which may affect the number of students who choose to live off campus or commute in the next academic year.

Is your school not on the list? Access US College News Compass to find data on off-campus life and travel, comprehensive rankings and more. Subscribe to Additional Help from US News: College Admissions free email newsletter to receive expert advice twice a month.

US News polled over 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2020 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools have self-reported a myriad of data regarding their academic programs and student body composition, among other areas, making US News data the most accurate and detailed collection of academic facts and figures of its kind. While US News uses much of this survey data to rank schools in our annual ranking of top colleges, the data can also be useful when looked at on a smaller scale. US News will now produce data lists, separate from the overall rankings, intended to provide students and parents with a way to find which schools are excelling or have room to grow in specific areas that are important to them. Although the data comes from the schools themselves, these lists are unrelated and have no influence on US News rankings of Best colleges, Best graduate schools or Best Online Programs. The off-campus life and commuting data above is correct as of July 20, 2021.

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10 universities where most freshmen commute originally appeared on usnews.com