From better understandings to proactive actions: Housing location and commuting mode choices among university students

•We model university students’ mode of commute and housing choices.•University students share a residence in exchange for other amenities.•University students jointly determine their housing and mode choices.•Integrated housing–transportation policies for students are recommended.

Reducing car dependence has become an important public policy issue. This manuscript examines the issue by focusing on university students, who have not been well studied in existing literature. It proposes a confirmatory framework for studies on university students׳ commuting mode and housing choice and their determinants. It also conducts a case study based on this framework to get more insights. This case study shows or re-confirms that when compared to the employees from the same university, university students are more likely to share a residence in exchange for rent affordability, bus proximity and short commute. They are also more likely to jointly determine their housing and mode choices. Transit pass subsidies significantly influence university students’ alternative transportation use. Female students or graduate students are less likely to use alternative transportation. Undergraduate students have a shorter commute and use alternative transportation more. The above provide new implications for integrated housing–transportation planning and group-sensitive policies to increase alternative transportation usage among university students.