Close to home or far afield? Study shows UK's student travel habits

Cornish students lead the pack, journeying an average of 178 miles to their chosen institutions — the longest distance in the country. Meanwhile, students from Stoke-on-Trent stay closest to home, travelling just 41 miles on average.

In 2023, the 12,280 students from Cornwall collectively covered two million miles to attend university. Despite over half (57%) staying within the South West or South Wales, their average travel distance remains significant.

The University of Plymouth was the most popular destination for Cornish students, welcoming 2,235 attendees, followed by the University of Exeter (1,120) and the University of the West of England in Bristol (950).

Some students went even farther afield, with a few travelling 688 miles to the University of the Highlands and Islands in Inverness.

Devon and Somerset students also tend to travel far, with average distances of 129 miles and 121 miles, respectively. This trend reflects the challenges of accessing higher education in rural and coastal areas.

Counties where students travel the furthest:

• Cornwall – 178 miles average
• Devon – 129 miles average
• Somerset – 121 miles average
• Suffolk – 117 miles average
• East Sussex – 117 miles average

At the other end of the spectrum, Stoke-on-Trent students take advantage of their central location. Of the 6,305 students from the city, a significant number stay close by — 2,090 attend Staffordshire University, and 1,445 choose Keele University, just five miles away.

Counties where students travel the shortest:

• Stoke-on-Trent – 41 miles average
• Leicester – 43 miles average
• Kingston upon Hull – 46 miles average
• Middlesbrough – 49 miles average
• Hartlepool – 49 miles average

Geography and access to nearby institutions play a key role in university choice. In Scotland, 81% of students from the Highlands stay local — the highest proportion in the UK.

This is largely due to policies allowing Scottish students to attend local universities tuition-free. Other areas with a strong preference for local study include Tyne and Wear (70%) and the West Midlands (67%).

By contrast, counties such as Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Suffolk show much lower rates of students staying local, with only 3.1%, 3.4%, and 4% of students, respectively, opting for nearby institutions. These figures highlight the regional disparities in university access and student mobility across the UK.

Professor Sarwar Khawaja, chairman of the executive board at Oxford Business College, commented on the findings: "Going to university is a big step, but for students from Cornwall, it’s an even bigger step — travelling almost 200 miles to study on average.

"There are increasingly more options for students, and many people have made the most of what is on their doorstep and chosen to study close to home.

"The rise of distance or virtual studying since the pandemic has meant that people in remote parts of the country like the South West now have easy access to higher education."