Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 66.39
Liaison Michelle Patterson
Submission Date March 4, 2022

STARS v2.2

Washington University in St. Louis
OP-16: Commute Modal Split

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.08 / 5.00 Aamna Anwer
Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainabilty
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total full-time equivalent student enrollment:
16,459

Full-time equivalent of employees:
15,821

Part 1. Student commute modal split

Has the institution gathered data about student commuting behavior?:
Yes

Total percentage of students that use more sustainable commuting options as their primary mode of transportation:
95.35

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about student commuting:
The percentage indicated above is based upon the number of active parking permits assigned to WashU students as of November 2021, on the University's main campuses (Danforth, West, and North).
The date of November was chosen as it is the peak of parking permits distribution during the year: it is far enough in the fall semester so that wait-lists have been open, and before the spring semester which is when most studying abroad programs are taking place.

As a large majority of the student population lives on campus (all the first-year students and a large part of sophomores) or in nearby neighborhoods, driving alone to campus appears less convenient than most other modes of transportation.

The main campus demographic information was not available to us, so historic figures were used (2019). We believe this is a more conservative estimate than the true figure.

Part 2. Employee commute modal split

Has the institution gathered data about employee commuting behavior?:
Yes

Total percentage of employees that use more sustainable commuting options as their primary mode of transportation:
67.24

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about employee commuting:
The percentage indicated above is based upon the number of active parking permits assigned to WashU employees as of November 2021, on the University's main campuses (Danforth, West, and North campuses).
The date of November was chosen as it is the peak of parking permits distribution during the year, being far enough in the fall semester so that wait-lists have been open.

The main campus demographic information was not available to us, so historic figures were used (2019).

Optional Fields 

Percentage of students and employees that use the following as their primary mode of transportation:
Percentage of students (0-100) Percentage of employees (0-100)
Single-occupancy vehicle 4.64 30.16
Zero-emissions vehicle --- ---
Walk, cycle, or other non-motorized mode --- ---
Vanpool or carpool --- ---
Public transport or campus shuttle --- ---
Motorcycle, motorized scooter/bike, or moped --- ---
Distance education / telecommute --- ---

Website URL where information about student or employee commuting is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.