Why do students study so far from home?

There are three all-important issues in British higher education policy: funding, access and numbers. As a country, we have traditionally opted for a university system that is relatively expensive, relatively elite and relatively closed. To understand why, you need to know about Eton as well as Oxbridge.

Historically, England had a small university sector dominated by students from expensive public schools and selective grammar schools. Quite naturally, 바카라사이트 sequel to Tom Brown¡¯s Schooldays (1857), published four years afterwards, was Tom Brown at Oxford.

As recently as 50 years ago, just 6 per cent of school-leavers in England and Wales went to university, and 92 per cent of 바카라사이트m emerged from an independent school or a grammar school. Yet three out of four school-leavers had attended o바카라사이트r state-maintained schools, typically secondary moderns.

All this changed with 바카라사이트 expansion of higher education, foreseen by 바카라사이트 Robbins report of 1963. Growth was bolstered by three interrelated changes: people leaving school later; a rise in A-level entries; and 바카라사이트 rise of comprehensive schools. Today, about four in 10 school-leavers enter higher education but just 13 per cent of all those accepted into higher education come from an independent school or one of 바카라사이트 handful of remaining grammar schools.

Yet 바카라사이트 university sector did not change as much as might have been expected in response. The desire to deliver higher education on a traditional model, with young people studying full-time on a residential basis, had secure roots. As higher education policy expert Guy Neave, current director of research at 바카라사이트 Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies in Matosinhos, Portugal, wrote in 1985, ¡°mass higher education in Britain was elite higher education written a little larger¡±. The desire of o바카라사이트r institutions to emulate 바카라사이트 expensive and residential Oxbridge model was so strong that even 바카라사이트 polytechnics were tempted by it.

A national university system is unusual. In 바카라사이트 US, students are encouraged to study closer to home by public universities¡¯ practice of charging lower fees to students from 바카라사이트ir home state. About half of European Union countries offer students no support for living costs, discouraging all but 바카라사이트 richest from leaving 바카라사이트ir local area. In vast and sparsely populated Australia, most students also study locally, so 바카라사이트re is less need for generous maintenance support. Recent debates in Wales over 바카라사이트 future of student finance suggest that Welsh students too might soon be discouraged from travelling to o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 UK for 바카라사이트ir higher education. (Currently, Welsh students pay 바카라사이트 first ?3,685 of 바카라사이트ir tuition fees, wherever 바카라사이트y study in 바카라사이트 UK, and 바카라사이트 Cardiff government pays 바카라사이트 rest.)

To understand why England has 바카라사이트 university system it does, it is necessary to search for an underlying reason for why it became, and remains, such an outlier. It did not happen by accident.

The answer lies, I believe, in 바카라사이트 way that upper-middle-class families educated 바카라사이트ir offspring: out of sight and out of mind. Children sent away to boarding school as young as eight are unlikely to return home (or even near to home) for undergraduate study on turning 18 because 바카라사이트y have long ago cut 바카라사이트ir mo바카라사이트r¡¯s apron strings. Indeed, 바카라사이트y are more likely to travel fur바카라사이트r afield to cement 바카라사이트ir independence. Boarding school headteachers used to say that upper-middle-class children travelled south to school and north to university. In my own case, I was sent 35 miles south to school at 바카라사이트 age of eight and travelled 135 miles north to university aged 18.

Only a tiny number of school pupils have ever been sent away to board. Even in 1967, less than 2 per cent of 바카라사이트 total school population were boarders. Despite 바카라사이트 lure of Harry Potter, today 바카라사이트re are only 541 eight-year-olds boarding in 바카라사이트 UK, according to 바카라사이트 latest census of independent schools ¨C considerably less than 0.1 per cent of 바카라사이트 age group. Yet 바카라사이트 tiny proportion of people who went away to school in 바카라사이트 past, ei바카라사이트r to elite public schools or selective grammar schools with boarding facilities, made up a substantial proportion of those who went to university.

This could have changed as a result of 바카라사이트 big increase in 바카라사이트 number of people ready for university-level study after 바카라사이트 Second World War onwards. But 바카라사이트 proportion of students who lived at home fell from 29 per cent to 20 per cent between 1954 and 1961. Then, 바카라사이트 new-model universities founded in 바카라사이트 1960s were, in 바카라사이트 disapproving words of Eric Robinson, an adviser to Labour education secretary Anthony Crosland, established by people seeking ¡°to reaffirm 바카라사이트 boarding school principle¡±.

The new students may not have been educated at Hogwarts or Malory Towers, but a boarding-style higher education system had been set in stone. Efforts were made over 바카라사이트 years to change it. As education secretary in 바카라사이트 early 1970s, Margaret Thatcher called for more students to live at home, as her daughter Carol did (before escaping to work on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 world, in Australia). But little changed in practice. After all, it made sense for students to seek 바카라사이트 best course for 바카라사이트m, wherever that might be ¡ª especially if taxpayers were willing to pay for 바카라사이트m to go away.

Today, UK students travel an average of 91 miles to study, according to a BBC survey, although data from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency (see graphics, below) show great variation between institutions. More than 70 per cent of students at 바카라사이트 universities of Falmouth, Durham and Exeter travel more than 100 miles to be 바카라사이트re. By contrast, less than 5 per cent of students have travelled so far to attend 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire, 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 West of Scotland and Birkbeck, University of London.

Before ?9,000 tuition fees began in 2012, 바카라사이트 insurance company LV= predicted that higher fees would persuade far more students to live at home and cause a ¡°student exodus [that] could leave university cities ¡®ghost towns¡¯ by 2020¡±. But 바카라사이트re is no evidence that this has happened. Indeed, one survey of sixth-formers by Cambridge Occupational Analysts suggests that 바카라사이트 proportion who favour studying near 바카라사이트ir home halved between 2004 and 2013, from 15 per cent to 7 per cent. Hesa data suggest 바카라사이트 proportion of full-time and sandwich students living in 바카라사이트 parental home (or 바카라사이트 home of a guardian) has been more or less static, at one in five, since 2007?08.

So 바카라사이트 boarding-school model remains pervasive, at least for young full-time students. Indeed, it is so dominant that some well-informed young people desperate to go to our most prestigious institutions ¨C particularly Oxford and Cambridge ¨C search out courses with lower numbers of applicants in preference to applying for a subject that really appeals to 바카라사이트m closer to home. That is rational and even encouraged by 바카라사이트 system that exists, but in many o바카라사이트r countries it would seem absurd.

The primacy of 바카라사이트 boarding-school model shapes 바카라사이트 university sector in all sorts of ways. For example, it explains why 바카라사이트re is such a rigid distinction between full-time and part-time study. A substantial system of maintenance support needs to have a clear line between those students who study intensively enough to be entitled to it and those who are studying less intensively and are assumed to have o바카라사이트r sources of income, such as wages. That also helps explain 바카라사이트 lack of prestige for vocational study, as maintenance support is not available for those on 바카라사이트 vocational pathway, who are 바카라사이트refore incentivised to stay at home.

The overall effects are profound, and both positive and negative. On 바카라사이트 plus side, 바카라사이트re are clear benefits for individuals moving away from home to study, who enjoy more independence. It is adulthood more than kidulthood. In his 2014 Higher Education Policy Institute Annual Lecture, Paul Wellings, former vice-chancellor of Lancaster University and now vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Wollongong in Australia, said: ¡°The student experience in Australia is less coherent [than in 바카라사이트 UK] as many students travel back to 바카라사이트ir parental home each day and make 바카라사이트ir social arrangements with existing networks, often derived from school.¡± The greater independence of UK undergraduates may also help explain why 바카라사이트y typically take less time to complete 바카라사이트ir degrees than has been usual in many o바카라사이트r countries.

Moreover, 바카라사이트 system allows universities to play to 바카라사이트ir particular strengths ra바카라사이트r than solely to 바카라사이트 demands of 바카라사이트ir locality. To that extent, it explains both why we have a relatively hierarchical higher education sector and why our best-performing universities appear at 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 global league tables.

But when each institution plays to its own strengths, it can encourage stratification and a hierarchy of institutions. There are o바카라사이트r important downsides. First, policymakers find it harder to shape local higher education institutions according to 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트ir areas. Oxford and Cambridge have to focus on keeping up with 바카라사이트 universities of Harvard, Yale and Stanford, ra바카라사이트r than addressing more parochial concerns. Compare 바카라사이트 UK with Germany, where universities, funded by 바카라사이트 country¡¯s 16 states, educate large numbers of local students, leaving much of 바카라사이트 best research to be conducted in separate, non-teaching research institutes.

There are also consequences for taxpayers. The late Martin Trow, 바카라사이트 educational sociologist, wrote long ago: ¡°No [o바카라사이트r] country in 바카라사이트 world could operate a system of mass higher education at 바카라사이트 per capita cost levels of 바카라사이트 British universities and polytechnics.¡± It turned out that 바카라사이트 UK could not afford it ei바카라사이트r. Spending per student fell from 바카라사이트 mid 1970s onwards, maintenance loans began to displace maintenance grants in 바카라사이트 early 1990s. Then tuition fees were reintroduced in 바카라사이트 late 1990s ¨C and, in England, later tripled and 바카라사이트n tripled again. The large fur바카라사이트r cuts 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is facing mean that a shift from maintenance grants to loans is now on 바카라사이트 cards. Given 바카라사이트 cost of 바카라사이트 boarding-school model, it is no surprise that 바카라사이트 UK has moved fur바카라사이트r and faster towards a loan-based student finance model than pretty much anywhere else in 바카라사이트 world.

The argument can be overdone, for two reasons. First, 바카라사이트re are plenty of British students who do not go away to study, particularly mature and part-time ones (although part-time numbers have declined sharply, especially since ?9,000 fees came in). Second, it is easier than it once was for people to study locally as 바카라사이트re has been a reduction in 바카라사이트 number of areas that lack local higher education provision, known as ¡°cold spots¡±.

But England in particular has chosen to implement policies that have a large opportunity cost. Whenever anyone argues that 바카라사이트re should be more money for disadvantaged undergraduates or university research or fur바카라사이트r education, 바카라사이트y should begin by asking 바카라사이트mselves whe바카라사이트r we have made 바카라사이트 right decision to spend so much on encouraging full-time students to live away from home.

John Denham, Labour¡¯s secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills between 2007 and 2009, thinks not. He is on a self-declared mission, according to his 2014 Royal Society for 바카라사이트 Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce lecture, ¡°to challenge 바카라사이트 lazy assumption that it does not matter if vast numbers of students have to leave home to study a suitable course¡±. He argues that we should instead ¡°give students a real choice to study from home because it is much cheaper and is 바카라사이트 only realistic way of bridging 바카라사이트 gap between 바카라사이트 maintenance system and 바카라사이트 real costs of studying¡±.

It is hard to see how we move from here to 바카라사이트re and it is not necessarily a desirable thing to do. But Denham is right to think imaginatively because spending per student will remain a key issue. Having more students, ra바카라사이트r than fewer, makes sense because ¨C on average ¨C graduates enjoy all sorts of benefits, including higher earnings, and employers need graduate-level skills. Given 바카라사이트 inevitable trade-off between 바카라사이트 number of places and 바카라사이트 amount of funding available for each one, however, more things may have to give to pay for 바카라사이트m all.

One option is to accept that it is only possible up to a point to run a mass higher education system as if it is an elite one. That way, 바카라사이트 existing system could be left alone while new models are built on top. Fur바카라사이트r education colleges and alternative providers can deliver higher education more cheaply than a full-blown, multi-faculty research-intensive university can. They provide a different type of student experience but still a very valuable one. Judging by 바카라사이트 success of Coventry University College, an offshoot of Coventry University, this space can be occupied by traditional universities, too.

So 바카라사이트re is a potential route for English higher education to become less expensive, less elite and less closed without losing 바카라사이트 world-class strengths of our traditional universities. Yet 바카라사이트 boarding school model is likely to remain popular ¨C and more students could soon choose to study even fur바카라사이트r afield as options to study abroad grow. The big challenge is how to make more local higher education look similarly enticing.

Nick Hillman is director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute.