Community college students face transportation challenges

Attendance at Michigan community colleges is declining, and rising transportation problems could be a factor. Michigan community college enrollment fell from 208,000 students in 2016-17 to less than 160,00 in 2020-21, according to the Department of Education. During the same period, private transportation costs jumped more than 20%, the Consumer Price Index reports. Most community college students are lower income and more likely to lack reliable transportation, reports the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a nonprofit organization that studies access to public services.