The chart illustrates changes in the percentages of five determinants of the university choice of students in a particular school in the UK between 1995 and 2005.
Overall, most students placed emphasis on the suitability of degree courses in both years. Additionally, close distance to parents’ house, teaching quality, along with suitable degree courses showed an increase, while the remaining factors followed a downward pattern, with good sports and social activities displaying the most dramatic decline over time.
Looking first into the degree courses that were compatible to students’ needs, this reason dominated among others, with disproportionately high figures in both years, at 35% and about 37%. Following a similar uptrend, teaching quality gained its influence in terms of university choice, slightly rising from 15% in 1995 to roughly 18% after a decade. Favourable distance to parental homes also displayed an increase over time, but with a far greater magnitude in comparison to the previous factors. Specifically, its figure roughly doubled from 10% to approximately 22% over 10 years, eventually securing the second-highest rank in 2005.
In stark contrast, the remaining factors underwent a downtrend. Students had used to prioritize quality of resources in 1995, making it the second-leading reason, at over 20%. Yet, it declined by about 5% throughout the years. Meanwhile, the attention to good sports and social activities diminished remarkably by roughly four times. The figure was nearly 20% in the first year, after which it plummeted to just above 5% by 2005, making it the least favourable factor.