The pie charts compare the proportion of students who chose a particular university in the UK for five different reasons in 1997 and 2007.
Overall, suitable degree courses remained the dominant reason for choosing a universiy in both years. By contrast, good sports and social activities became far less popular, whereas proximity to parental home experienced the most notable growth.
In 1997, suitable degree courses accounted for 35% of student’s choices, making it the most common reason for selecting a university.This was followed by quality of resources and good sports and social activities, which represented 21% and 19%, respectively. Meanwhile, quality of teaching made up 15% of response, whereas proximity to parental home was the least cited factor, at only 10%.
By 2007, suitable degree courses remain the most popular consideration, standing at 37%. The proportion of students choosing a university due to its proximity to parental home more than douple to 22%, making it the second most common factor. Quality of teaching also increase slightly to 18%, while quality of resources declined to 17%. Meanwhile, good sports and social activities experiencedd a significant decrease from 19% to just 6%, becoming the least important reasons.
