In a bid to tackle the problem of how to stop students from low-income families attending university, one area of research has received far less attention. For those that do opt to pursue a degree course, the choice of university appears limited on many grounds, not least of all travel and living costs. In a report released in March, it came to light that students of parents from a low income demographic were increasingly opting to stay close to home.
The Sutton Trust Report Findings
The report examined several factors in relation to current students, examining distance and whether or not they decided to take up residency. But the report found what many had suspected for years –students of a middle-class background and the privately-educated were more likely to travel long distances to study. In contrast, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds of all ethnicities, and ethnic minorities in general tended to either stay at home and travel or choose establishments near to their home.
Students Increasingly Becoming Home Bodies
However, staying close to home was common amongst all students in the academic year 2014-15. Some 55.8%, that’s just over half, chose universities within 55 miles of their parents. Typically, this takes about an hour to travel by train or by car. Only 10% chose an institution of long distance (anything over 150) a journey of around 3 hours by car or train.
Despite this general trend, the difference between the economically advantaged and disadvantaged was the most striking:
- Students who studied at state schools were 2.6x more likely than students who were privately educated to live at home and travel in for lectures and study
- The lowest economic group were 44.9% likely to live at home while the highest earning economic group were only 13.1% likely to do the same
- There are regional differences too. Students from the north of England were far more likely to stay at home with the northeast being the most likely – they also cited money as the motivating factor
- Scottish students are also less likely to travel long distances, but this is likely down to devolution funding in Scotland where tuition is capped at a much lower rate
What About Ethnic Identity?
The report also noticed some key differences based on ethnic background. Since the higher rate of tuition came in in England, those of Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin were far less likely to travel than white students of any economic background. The Sutton Trust demonstrated that this group was 6 times more likely to study from home or find a university locally than any other group.
The Sutton Trust signed off the report with a call to universities to look again at the problem and instigate programmes of helping those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds to opt to study where is appropriate for their career choices.