Rising gas prices amid Iran War cause concern for Maryland students

Ashna Balroop
A sign for regular gasoline displays a price of $4.19 at an Exxon station on Baltimore Avenue in College Park, Maryland, on Mar. 27, 2026. (Sophia Parkins/The Black Explosion)

The Iran War’s influence on gas prices could have long-term consequences on commuters at the University of Maryland.

Since the start of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran last month, gas prices have risen to an average of $4 per gallon in Maryland as of Sunday, according to AAA. This contrasts with prices nearly a month ago, when the cost was roughly $3 per gallon.

Rising oil prices cause this increase in gas prices. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil flows through this waterway, according to The Hill.

Hasan Islam, this university’s student government association’s speaker pro tempore and a commuter student representative, said that the potential ramifications could negatively impact well-being and academic retention, which is the ability of a school to keep students enrolled from their admission to graduation.

“If people limit their car usage to the bare minimum— maybe showing up to class, maybe only going to work, and then not even [going to] a so-called third place, a social place where they can decompress and hang out— that’s going to affect people’s mental health,” Islam said.

Islam, along with commuting 20 minutes to the university for classes, also drives to Annapolis for his internship with the Maryland General Assembly.

Ali Shaalan, a sophomore computer engineering major from the Baltimore area, commutes one hour each way every day to campus. For him, gas cost roughly $120 every month before the war, and now he pays $195 for a full tank. 

“It’s not causing any major financial impact, but I know, for some students, that [price difference] can make a big difference,” Shaalan said. 

Shaalan said that none of the commuter students he’s talked to have called the rising prices a major financial issue. But if high gas prices continue, he said he would consider not attending classes until he has exams or participation grades. 

“Why spend the extra money if you don’t need to. It’s nice to be on campus and to be able to ask questions, but sometimes, is it worth the extra cost?” Shaalan said.

Shubh Agnihotri, a sophomore electrical engineering major and SGA’s co-director of the transportation and infrastructure committee, said that the association started a free SmarTrip initiative, and that many students who filled out their request form mentioned they would like to receive a card because of rising gas costs. 

“I know that some people, especially some graduates [students] who applied, are saying that they’re skipping lunch, skipping out of essential responsibilities, traveling less in general because they can’t afford to do so,” Agnihotri said.

Agnihotri said the university has a lot of responsibility to do better and support students who commute during this time, citing the Shuttle-UM system as an area of improvement. Shaalan also said expanding Shuttle-UM routes to areas with high concentrations of students could help some students deal with rising gas costs.

“You currently only have a couple of commuter-oriented routes,” Agnihotri said. “Many of them are just circulating around the inner campus, and that’s good for serving everyone who arrives on campus and is able to get to different places. But then that leaves the transit equity part out of it.”

The impact of higher gas prices are already being seen on campus, according to Agnihotri. 

“It hurts,” Agnihotri said. “It hurts students’ professional lives… everything about what someone is able to do because they don’t have the resources to get it done.”