The pie charts illustrate the 5 different aspects of choosing a college or university in the UK. Overall, the “suitable degree courses” category showed dominance in both years. The biggest increase and decrease were observed in the categories of “close to parental home” and “good sports and social activities,” respectively.
In 1987, “suitable degree courses” held the lead with 35%. “Quality of resources” was considered important, accounting for 21%, followed by “good sports and social activities” with a share of 19%. While “quality teaching” made up 15%, the “close to parental home” section represented only 10%.
After two decades, “suitable degree courses” maintained the top position, increasing to 37%. There was a sharp decrease in the section of “good sports and social activities,” accounting for 6%, while the “close to parental home” saw a huge increase, representing 22%. Besides, there was a 3% increase in the section of “quality teaching,” whereas “quality of resources” faced a 4% decrease.