Community Colleges Eliminate Friday Classes to Help Students Cut Gas Costs

Several two-year schools with large numbers of commuter students have reduced the length of their academic week from five days to four in an effort to reduce their students’ commute and help them save money on gas.

Making class sessions longer, these schools have been able to cancel classes one day a week, mostly opting for Fridays. This move has allowed their students, who are typically low-income and often work part-time jobs or support families while going to school, to eliminate one round-trip drive out of their weekly schedules.

Meridian Community College in Mississippi recently decided to extend its four-day week — already planned for the summer schedule — into the fall semester as well, according to a story in Inside Higher Ed (“Dropping a Day to Save on Gas,” May 19, 2008).

MCC president Scott Elliot told Inside Higher Ed that 90 percent of Meridian’s students drive themselves to class, and over half of those students commute an average of 30 miles round trip. By his initial estimates, based on earlier gas prices, which have continued to rise, these students will save at least $200 a semester on gas under the new class schedule.

The school plans to try the four-day-week schedule for at least one academic year before evaluating its effectiveness with focus groups and surveys.

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