Leave Your Car at Home: 20 Most Walkable College Campuses

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Updated on December 15th, 2021

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It’s back to school season, and students are planning for another year of classes, friendships and researching the places where they want to continue their education. For students on the hunt, we decided to round up the best college campuses to maneuver without a car. After all, having coffee shops, restaurants and libraries within walking distance saves time and energy that can be used for studying.

Starting with the top 100 National Universities by U.S. News & World Report, we further graded each school based on the following metrics:

  • Walk Score: No car? No money for Uber or Lyft? No problem. Walking is free!
  • Transit Score: Public transit is cheaper than driving and many schools include unlimited transit passes in tuition.
  • Bike Score: Can you bike to class safely and without breaking a full-body sweat?
  • Drinking and Dining Score: If we’re being honest, college students eat and drink a lot.  
  • Grocery Score: Buying groceries is also more affordable than eating out.

New York’s impressive public transportation carried four schools to the top of the list, including New York University in first place. Ten of the twenty schools are on the East Coast, including  Northeastern University and Boston University in Boston, George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and University of Pennsylvania in University Park, Pennsylvania. Representing the West Coast is University of Washington in Seattle, University of California, Berkeley, in Berkeley, California, and University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Here’s the full list.

1. New York University, New York, NY

Walk Score: 100
Transit Score: 100
Bike Score: 87
Drinking and Dining Score: 100
Grocery Score: 100
College Rank: 30 in National Universities (tie)

2. Northeastern University, Boston, MA

Walk Score: 96
Transit Score: 100
Bike Score: 87
Drinking and Dining Score: 98
Grocery Score: 100
College Rank: 40 in National Universities (tie)

2. George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Walk Score: 97
Transit Score: 91
Bike Score: 89
Drinking and Dining Score: 99
Grocery Score: 97
College Rank: 56 in National Universities (tie)

 3. Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

Walk Score: 94
Transit Score: 100
Bike Score: 95
Drinking and Dining Score: 98
Grocery Score: 92
College Rank: 94 in National Universities (tie)

4. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Walk Score: 93
Transit Score: 71
Bike Score: 91
Drinking and Dining Score: 97
Grocery Score: 97
College Rank: 52 in National Universities (tie)

 5. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Walk Score: 90
Transit Score: 67
Bike Score: 99
Drinking and Dining Score: 98
Grocery Score: 77
College Rank: 28 in National Universities

 6. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Walk Score: 91
Transit Score: 79
Bike Score: 99
Drinking and Dining Score: 90
Grocery Score: 88
College Rank: 2 in National Universities

 7. Columbia University, New York, NY

Walk Score: 97
Transit Score: 100
Bike Score: 65
Drinking and Dining Score: 96
Grocery Score: 99
College Rank: 5 in National Universities (tie)

 8. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Walk Score: 86
Transit Score: 98
Bike Score: 98
Drinking and Dining Score: 95
Grocery Score: 68
College Rank: 8 in National Universities

9. Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ

Walk Score: 97
Transit Score: 62
Bike Score: 76
Drinking and Dining Score: 99
Grocery Score: 94
College Rank: 69 in National Universities (tie)

10. Yeshiva University , New York, NY

Walk Score: 97
Transit Score: 98
Bike Score: 61
Drinking and Dining Score: 95
Grocery Score: 100
College Rank: 94 in National Universities (tie)

11. Boston University, Boston, MA

Walk Score: 85
Transit Score: 80
Bike Score: 99
Drinking and Dining Score: 92
Grocery Score: 70
College Rank: 37 in National Universities (tie)

12. Fordham University, New York, NY

Walk Score: 97
Transit Score: 100
Bike Score: 60
Drinking and Dining Score: 93
Grocery Score: 100
College Rank: 61 in National Universities (tie)

13. Brown University, Providence, RI

Walk Score: 90
Transit Score: 72
Bike Score: 84
Drinking and Dining Score: 95
Grocery Score: 77
College Rank: 14 in National Universities (tie)

14. University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI

Walk Score: 84
Transit Score: 62
Bike Score: 98
Drinking and Dining Score: 88
Grocery Score: 87
College Rank: 46 in National Universities (tie)

15. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Walk Score: 81
Transit Score: 66
Bike Score: 99
Drinking and Dining Score: 96
Grocery Score: 51
College Rank: 5 in National Universities (tie)

16. University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Walk Score: 81
Transit Score: 84
Bike Score: 82
Drinking and Dining Score: 96
Grocery Score: 59
College Rank: 56 in National Universities (tie)

17. University of California, Berkeley, CA

Walk Score: 85
Transit Score: 67
Bike Score: 95
Drinking and Dining Score: 100
Grocery Score: 35
College Rank: 21 in National Universities (tie)

18. University of Texas, Austin, TX

Walk Score: 81
Transit Score: 72
Bike Score: 92
Drinking and Dining Score: 95
Grocery Score: 48
College Rank: 56 in National Universities (tie)

19. Yale University, New Haven, CT

Walk Score: 85
Transit Score: 54
Bike Score: 86
Drinking and Dining Score: 86
Grocery Score: 94
College Rank: 3 in National Universities (tie)

20. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Walk Score: 82
Transit Score: 55
Bike Score: 85
Drinking and Dining Score: 88
Grocery Score: 78
College Rank: 11 in National Universities (tie)

20. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Walk Score: 81
Transit Score: 74
Bike Score: 79
Drinking and Dining Score: 93
Grocery Score: 62
College Rank: 21 in National Universities (tie)

Methodology

Walk Score, Transit Score, Bike Score, Drinking and Dining Score and Grocery Score were provided by WalkScore.com. The final list was  determined by ranking the U.S. News & World Report’s 100 Best National Universities according to each metric, and then taking the average of all those rankings to rank order the top 20 best universities for students without cars. The scores above have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

If you are represented by an agent, this is not a solicitation of your business. This article is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional advice from a medical provider, licensed attorney, financial advisor, or tax professional. Consumers should independently verify any agency or service mentioned will meet their needs. Learn more about our Editorial Guidelines here.
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Anna Tegelberg

Anna, Redfin’s PR intern, is a rising university senior studying economics and politics. Anna’s dream home would be lakeside with a large outdoor patio and plenty of natural light. Redfin is a full-service real estate brokerage that uses modern technology to make clients smarter and faster. For more information about working with a Redfin real estate agent to buy or sell a home, visit our “Why Redfin?,” page.

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