The pie charts compare the percentage of students who chose a particular university in the UK for various reasins in two different years. Overall, the largest percentage of students chose the university for its suitable degree courses in both years.
In 1987, the most important reason for students choosing a particular UK university was suitable degree courses, which accounted for 35%. The quality of resources was the second most common factor at 21%, followed by good sports and social activities with 19%. Meanwhile, quality of teaching represented 15%, while proximity to parental home was the least significant reason, at only 10%.
Compared to 1987, students’ priorities in 2007 changed in several ways. Although suitable degree courses remained the leading factor and increased slightly to 37%, the proportion of students selecting universities close to their parental home rose sharply to 22%. In addition, quality of teaching became more important, climbing to 18%. By contrast, the quality of resources declined to 17%, while good sports and social activities experienced a dramatic decrease, falling to just 6%.