The greatest increase in commuter student numbers came during the last significant acceleration in university participation during the mid-1990s, not long after the creation of new universities out of the former polytechnics. The importance of ensuring that all students have an equally fulfilling and enriching time, regardless of where they live, will become even more pressing if the sector is to continue widening access beyond the middle classes. And not living in halls can make socialising difficult, taking part in extra-curricular activities, or making connections for group work and studying. A lack of adequate common rooms and locker facilities can leave commuters feel they lack a “home” on campus. Inconvenient timetabling of taught sessions is more disruptive to commuters. University courses and social environments may also not be best suited to the pace and rhythms of life for commuter students. Delays, cancellations and traffic can lead to missed classes and waste precious available study time, particularly if students are working part-time to make ends meet. Travel has been proven to cause stress and challenges for all workers, and students are no different. They can include financial difficulties, given the high costs of public transport and motoring, and many commuters may choose not to live in increasingly expensive halls of residence for financial reasons in the first place.
The challenges faced by commuters who do not live with their fellow students or must travel long distances are many and varied. Universities with higher proportions of commuter students are more likely to have lower student satisfaction rates, and almost one in ten commuter students say they wouldn’t have gone to university if they could make their decision again, which is higher than for any other group. Universities in post-industrial towns and large, diverse cities where living costs are increasing - particularly London - are most likely to have large numbers of commuter students.Ĭommuter students are also more likely to be from a disadvantaged or underrepresented group: they tend to be first-in-family students, to come from a lower-income household, to be mature students and to have an ethnic minority background.Ĭommuters are also more likely to struggle whilst studying. In my research with the vice-chancellor of the University of Greenwich, Prof David Maguire, we found that at ten universities, students living in the parental or guardian home make up the majority of full-time undergraduates, including City University London, the University of Wolverhampton and the University of Bradford.
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