The pie chart below illustrates possible reasons that encouraged students to make university or college decisions in the UK in 2008 and 2017.
Overall, suitable degree courses were the main reason in both years that made students choose a particular university. Moreover, the importance of many criteria, such as sport and activities, reputation of the institution, soared in 2017.While other factors like suitable degree course, quality of teaching and proximity to parental home became less and less persuasive to attract students to a school.
In 2008, more people tend to consider suitable degree courses and they payed the least attention to the sports and activities with only 7 percent.
In 2017, suitable degree courses were the most reasonable reason, with 32%, which is 6% lower than in 2008. On the other hand, sports and activities became valuable reasons in order to attract students to join a specific university with 17%, just the third place among all different reasons.