In 1981, a study of the costs to students of commuting to community colleges in Illinois was conducted as an aid to analyzing student financial need policies, to helping students make informed decisions about college attendance, and to analyzing tuition policies related to student costs. A survey instrument was administered to 2,847 students from seven representative community colleges, requesting information on campus attended, time of attendance, commuting distance, number of trips made to campus, and costs of car pooling and using public transportation. The study revealed that: (1) the average cost of commuting was $1,160 per academic year for full-time students; $38l for students taking one course; and $624 for students attending two courses; (2) the average commuting cost for all students was $996 per year; (3) weekly commuting costs were $31.57 for students attending a main campus only; $21.18 for those attending an off-campus center only; and $37.67 for those attending both main and off-campus centers; (4) weekly commuting costs were $34.06 for day students, $15.77 for evening students, and $36.87 for those attending both day and evening courses; and (5) average commuting costs were $32.68 for those driving a personal vehicle, $8.93 for car poolers, and $13.07 for those using public transportation. Policy implications of the findings and the survey instrument are included in the report. (DAB)