1. Colleges with the Fewest Cars on Campus
American universities are changing the relationship between young adults and their
automobiles. Decades of youth have grown up feeling a surge of independence
when they acquire their own wheels. Nowadays though, undergraduates attending
top schools like Georgetown and UW-Madison are being required to keep their
cars off campus if special needs don’t dictate otherwise. Below are the top colleges
with the strictest undergraduate car policies as recently reported by US News &
World Report.
1. Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. prohibits on-campus students from
bringing their cars. However, the Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle --
yes, that’s GUTS -- connects the campus to Capitol Hill, Wisconsin Avenue, North
Arlington, and Metro stations. Washington’s Metro system makes it relatively easy
to trek home for Thanksgiving or escape for Spring Break.
2. Polytechnic Institute of New York University is another school that bans
undergraduates’ autos. That’s just practical policy in a crowded city with world-
class public transportation.
3. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a haven for those who abhor car traffic,
though parking permits are granted to certain commuters and students working off
campus. The school has a reliable bus system, various ride share programs, and
nighttime safety escorts. UW-Madison even has a “bike buddies” program to
initiate newcomers. The admirable network of bike paths includes convenient air
stations for fixing flats.
4. It’s little surprise that Boston University also tops the list of schools with limited
student parking. Just 2% of undergraduates can keep their cars on campus.
However, public transportation and university shuttles run through campus.
Students can also use the Boston subway and an ever-expanding network of bike
paths.
5. At the University of Pennsylvania, just 3% of the undergrads are able to keep
their cars on campus. Still, public transportation is readily available: with subway,
bus, rail, and trolley lines, students can have short walks to class. Additionally, the
school operates an extensive shuttle system and provides walking security escorts.
6. Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University lets 5% of its undergraduates keep their
autos on campus. Freshmen are prohibited from bringing cars on campus unless

2. they live more than one mile from campus. The school also operates nearby
garages for student use.
While these schools have more extreme policies than many others, more and more
students are finding that the opportunity to drive is a luxury reserved for time spent
back home. Still, many would say it’s a small trade-off for other freedoms of
college life.