Fair access, achievement and geography: explaining the association between social class and students’ choice of university

Abstract

This quantitative study is concerned with what determines prospective university students’ first choice between universities of different status. The results suggest that examination performance, going to an independent school and fear of debt independently affect students’ decisions. Social factors and students’ perceived level of information on universities had no independent effect at this stage of decision‐making. There were considerable differences between two geographic areas considered in the study, with a large decrease in the probability of attending a high‐status institution in the locality with no such local institution. This particularly affects high‐achieving students, with an estimate suggesting an increased probability of 18% of going to a high‐ranking institution where such an institution is local for such students. If these findings apply similarly to other areas, the results suggest a ‘postcode lottery’ in higher education.

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