Over 300 students commute to Stonehill amid rising costs

By Tyler Salisbury 

In recent years, hundreds of students commute to Stonehill College each year, choosing to live at home to help with the costs and to manage personal responsibilities.  

According to data from the Assistant Director of Communications & Media Relations Liam Dacko, Stonehill had 341 commuter students and 2,193 residential students in 2024. In 2025, the numbers decreased to 306 commuters and 2,150 residential students. However, these numbers do not include any students studying abroad, living off campus, learning remotely, or actively doing internships that prevents campus living.  

While these numbers don’t show an increase in commuters, they show a steady group of students who rely on traveling to campus each day. 

For Arianna Campbell, a senior commuter from the class of 2026, transportation has been one of the most difficult parts of her college experience 

“My commute to Stonehill depends on my schedule and my mother’s schedule,” Campbell said.  

When her mother can, she drivers her to and from campus. When she isn’t, Campbell relies on Lyft, Uber, and public transportation. She said the process often involves many steps and extra costs. 

“When I can, I use Uber Ride Share to get a discounted ride to one of the designated spots closest to my home, then walk to the bus, take the bus, and walk home,” she said. “But Ubers and Lyft’s are costly. I’ve found a way to make it work barely.” 

Campbell said transportation costs and time restrictions have changed her experience at Stonehill. She builds her class schedule around her family’s availability, which has made balancing school and personal responsibilities more stressful.  

“I’ve had to make sure my class schedule works with my mom so I can get to campus, and she gets to work on time,” she said.  

Money was the main reason Campbell chose to commute instead of living on campus. Although transportation costs were more than she thought, she said residential housing was still the more expensive option. 

“Resident life seemed and is more costly,” she said. “Stonehill is close to my town, so I thought the commute would be manageable. I didn’t really account for the lack of public transportation.” 

Senior Tristian Sibug, an accounting major from Norton, has a different commute but also has similar financial reasons. He lives about 20 to 25 minutes from campus depending on traffic. 

“Overall, I do not mind being a commuter as it saves me a lot of money,” he said. “It could be a bit difficult during the winter season when the roads are slippery or when I had night classes because I still have to drive home instead of just going to a dorm, but I still do not mind it.” 

Data science and criminology major Ula Nguyen said commuting has influenced her daily routine and her involvement on campus. 

“The drive to the Washington gate is about 20 minutes, and then getting from the gate to a parking spot is another five minutes if I’m lucky,” she said. “there’s definitely a part of campus life that happens after 10 p.m. that I don’t really get to experience.” 

Freshman biology major Youanna Ibrahim said finances and family played a major role in her decision to commute. 

“The biggest factor to me choosing the commuter road was definitely my parents,” she said. “It was also a financially smart move because I didn’t want my parents paying too much for my tuition, so it felt like a win-win for us.” 

Students suggested improvements like expanded commuter parking, better snow removal and increased transportation for students that don’t have access to a car.  

“For Stonehill commuting, having a car is essential,” she said. “Public transportation doesn’t really help you get here,” Campbell said. 

Sibug said expanded or better commuter parking would make a difference. 

“They do have a good amount of parking spaces,” he said. “But I hope one day commuters do not have to be forced to park on Lot 17.” 

Even though the number of commuter students hasn’t increased, the presence of more than 300 commuters each year shows the importance financial considerations have on their college experience.