As an attempt to understand the experience of the commuter, a qualitative design was selected, with a phenomenological approach. Six commuter students, between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, were selected to participate in three separate interviews: two freshman, two seniors and two college dropouts.

Some of the findings suggest that the commuter students experienced a degree of marginality. Of four themes identified by Schlossberg, Rosenberg and McCullough three were apparent in the participants. These were: importance, appreciation, and attention. Also, three emergent themes developed in the course of the study: the interaction of the social and academic environments, lack of communication directed toward commuters, and commuters' approach to dealing with the lack of social engagement.

While this study was based on Tinto's model of attrition and Kalsner's reoccurring themes of student attrition, it sought to fill a void that exists in the research. It was proposed that the experiences of commuter students may lead to feelings of marginality that moves them toward a greater likelihood of attrition.

Additional data were collected from two focus groups designed to mirror the makeup of the interviewees. The collected data were transcribed and coded in a constant comparative approach.

The purpose of the proposed study was to investigate the experience of the commuter student attempting to integrate and adjust to the social and academic environment of higher education. Many students fail to make this adjustment and do not persevere in their education. This entails significant losses to the individual students, their institutions and society at large.