51ÊÓƵ

The proportion of stay-at-home students has risen over the years challenging the traditional view that students that stay local miss out. Here are some pros and cons to consider when deciding whether to move away or stay put. 

Moving away for university

Leaving home and moving away to university can feel exciting and daunting in equal measure. Here are a few things to think about: 

Pros

• It could broaden your horizons and give you a more diverse view of the world 
• You’ll have more choice when selecting a course and type of university
• You’ll meet new people and expand your social circle 
• Depending on your area of study, you could increase your networking potential  
• You could have a greater sense of independence and increase your life skills 

Cons

• Being away from home can be emotionally challenging 
• Studying away from home is usually more expensive 
• You’ll be responsible for building new support networks, some people find this easier than others
• Academic pressures can be harder to deal with away from familiar surroundings 
• No matter how good you are with change, there will be a period of adjustment establishing a new routine

Staying local for university

Staying local will suit some people and their circumstances more than others. Here are several things to consider: 

Pros

• There isn’t the emotional challenge of moving away 
• It is a more affordable option for your family and gives you a chance to save money
• You could use your local knowledge to find work to help with tuition fees 
• You’ll be able to keep at least some of your existing support networks 
• It’s usually easier to adapt to a change in routine in a familiar place

Cons

• You might be limiting your options both to make new friends and experience new things
• You might have fewer choices of what to study, depending on your local universities
• Your friends could move away to university leaving you feeling more isolated 
• You could feel less independent than your peers who do move away 
• You might have less freedom to live how you want to if you’re staying with family members 

How to Choose

As a first step, decide what is important to you from the pros and cons and do some research on the different options available to you. 

Some tools that could help you include: 

• – our search tool can help you come up with a shortlist based on various factors such as distance from home, university size, wellbeing services. Generate multiple shortlists based on different ideas you might have
• University league tables – compare and contrast 130 UK universities using various criteria 
• Regional guides – discover more about your local region or what moving to a new region might hold 
• Student city guides – what could your local city or potential new city offer
• Campus universities in the UK – find out more about campus v city university experience home and away

Our advice articles on choosing a university will provide more information to help you.  

What if I change my mind about where to study?

If you change your mind, don’t worry, this happens more often than you might imagine. You can review your choices on your UCAS hub and find alternative options via Clearing. 

Clearing opens on the same day your results are published, although if you have time, do some research on what alternative options you’d prefer. 

Read our guide on how Clearing works for more information.