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Access, choice and participation in higher education

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  • Gibbons, Stephen
  • Vignoles, Anna

Abstract

Geographical distance between parental home and college poses a potential barrier to higher education entry, and could be a deciding factor when choosing between institutions. Some students may be constrained in their education choices because they cannot afford to leave home, or have personal or cultural reasons to remain close to their family. This paper provides quantitative evidence on these issues using administrative data on a cohort of university entrants in England, which includes both individual and school level information. Our findings are that geographical distance has little or no impact on the decision to participate, but has a strong influence on institutional choice. Institution attendance probabilities fall with distance from home, with an elasticity of -1. Small, but behaviourally important differences between demographic groups have implications for the sorting of students across institutions. There are also implications for the spatial distribution of human capital, because the quality of students’ education is linked to the quality of institutions that are close to home.

Suggested Citation

  • Gibbons, Stephen & Vignoles, Anna, 2009. "Access, choice and participation in higher education," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 23656, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:23656
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    Cited by:

    1. Andy Dickerson & Steven McIntosh, 2013. "The Impact of Distance to Nearest Education Institution on the Post-compulsory Education Participation Decision," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(4), pages 742-758, March.
    2. B. Cesi & D. Paolini, 2011. "University choice, peer group and distance," Working Paper CRENoS 201101, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    3. Berardino Cesi & Dimitri Paolini, 2014. "Peer Group and Distance: When Widening University Participation is Better," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 82, pages 110-132, December.
    4. Diogo Lourenço & Carla Sá & Orlanda Tavares, 2017. "Pushed Away From Home? Spatial Mobility Of Prospective Higher Education Students And The Enrolment Decision," FEP Working Papers 593, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    5. Sørensen, Elise Stenholt & Høst, Anders Kamp, 2015. "Does distance determine who is in higher education?," MPRA Paper 74517, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Wales, Philip, 2010. "Geography or economics? A micro-level analysis of the determinants of degree choice in the context of regional economic disparities in the UK," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 33550, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. Umut Türk, 2019. "Socio-Economic Determinants of Student Mobility and Inequality of Access to Higher Education in Italy," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 125-148, March.
    8. Philip Wales, 2011. "Geography or Economics? A micro-level analysis of the determinants of degree choice in the context of regional economic disparities in the UK," ERSA conference papers ersa10p1046, European Regional Science Association.
    9. Sevilla, Almudena & Borra, Cristina, 2015. "Parental Time Investments in Children: The Role of Competition for University Places in the UK," IZA Discussion Papers 9168, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. May Yee Melissa Lau, 2020. "Effects of Marketing Mix on Students’ Selection of Transnational Top-up Degrees in Hong Kong," International Review of Management and Marketing, Econjournals, vol. 10(5), pages 27-34.
    11. Gibbons, Stephen & Vignoles, Anna, 2012. "Geography, choice and participation in higher education in England," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 98-113.

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    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • R0 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General

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