Here's a study and 2 journal articles on persuasive student transit pass research at 35 colleges, by Donald Shoup and others at UCLA. Professor Shoup sums it up by writing: “To learn how Unlimited Access works we surveyed 35 universities that offered it during the 1997-98 school year. We found the average cost was $30 per student per year . . . [and] that student transit ridership increased between 71%-200% at different universities. At one school the number of vehicle trips to campus decreased by 26%. The reduction in vehicle trips reduced parking demand by 400-1,000 spaces. Because Unlimited Access allows students to get around without a car, the university financial aid budgets suggest it can reduce the cost of attending college by up to $2,000 a year.” Here's the 2001 study of 35 schools, a 2003 journal article on UCLA's BruinGo transit pass program, and a sum-up of the big study in the University of California journal Access.