Transportation Challenges and Hostel Conditions as Determinants Of Undergraduates’ Academic Performance in Federal Universities in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examined how transport and students’ hostel conditions affected their university academic performance. A cross-sectional survey research design was used, while both primary and secondary data were sourced. A sample of 1207 students was drawn from three out of six Federal universities in southwestern Nigeria. UI: 257; Unilag: 495; and OAU: 455 students were sampled. A structured questionnaire was designed to obtain information on the socio-economic, transport and housing conditions. The collected data were analyzed using a Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test. The result revealed that the distance of the hostel's location to the class (?2=14.04) determined students' academic performance. Only 13.4% of the first-class students lived at distance 4km and above. Contrarily, 81.8% of the students who were advised to withdraw lived 4km or above. Also, the hostels were not in the best condition for reading, while 51.8% prefer reading in the faculty library.  It was recommended that the frequency of campus shuttle service should be increased, and on-campus hostels nearer to the lecture halls should be provided.