Rise in 'commuter students' due to living costs
Some young people are staying at home while attending university as they cannot afford to move.
Rise in 'commuter students' due to living costs
Bethany Fearne, a law student, said she was still taking part in university activities such as the Colour Run even though she lived at home.
Going to university has long been seen as a milestone that means leaving home and beginning an independent life.
But for an increasing number of students, the reality is different: they say they will remain at home and travel in for seminars because of the cost of living.
Ucas figures show that in 2017, 535,090 people said they planned to live at home during their university course, compared with 748,060 in 2026 - a rise of 39.8%.
Bethany Fearne, a second year law student, said it was "significantly cheaper" to stay at home in Sittingbourne and drive to Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) than to live on campus.
She said she felt living away from university "made no difference" to how involved she was in university life.
"I don't feel like I miss out at all," she said. " I get involved in activities like the Colour Run."
Ez Spring, who studies sports therapy, spoke about the benefits of being a commuter student
Ez Spring, a second year sports therapy student, drives 40 minutes each way to university and says there are advantages to living at home.
"When I am driving, it's a nice time to relax before attending classes," she said.
"I can stay at home with my family and keep my job."
According to Ucas figures, more than 81,000 UK 18-year-olds said in their accepted university application this year that they intended to live at home.
Dr Susan Kenyon, principal lecturer in politics at CCCU, said: "We have seen this trend across many years now in higher education. "
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said the steady rise in commuter students was connected to the cost of living.
"Aside from tuition fees, the single biggest cost is rent where you can pay up to £1,000 a month depending where you live," he said.
"Even if you receive the maximum maintenance loan rate, it may not be enough to cover both rent and other daily expenditures."
Hillman said there were both benefits and drawbacks to being a commuter student.
"If you live at home, you are more likely to keep your network of family and friends, and other support network," he said.
"However, you may be not immersing in campus life experience.
"Some universities are adapting to this commuter student trend by reducing on-campus attendance to three days a week and offering hotel-style accommodation."