More applicants consider living at home as cost of living bites

Up to a third of school-leavers in England are considering living at home if they get into their preferred university following next week’s exam results, according to a study.

The Sutton Trust, which published the report analysing data tracking more than 11,000 young people in England who took A-level exams and other qualifications this summer, said it was concerning that the cost of education and living were affecting young people’s life choices.

The findings show that 20 per cent of the “Class of 2023” plan to live at home during term time if they get into their preferred university, while a further 14 per cent have not yet decided if they’ll move to their university.

Experts have termed this year’s cohort the “unluckiest generation of all” as they are facing both a return to pre-pandemic grading and a cost-of-living crisis.

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Researchers found that young people who plan to live at home were disproportionately more likely to be disadvantaged – either those whose families had reported using a food bank in the past year or those whose families were behind with their housing payments.

The report, which is the first to use findings from the second wave of the Covid Social Mobility and Opportunities (Cosmo) study, found that among students who plan to live at home, about one fifth said it was because they could not afford to live away.

Almost half (46 per cent) said the main reason was that they wanted – or needed – to remain near their families.

Maintenance loans are set to rise by 2.8 per cent in England this year, but the sector has warned this amounts to a real-terms cut at a time of high inflation.

The research also found that young people from working-class families were much less likely to want to go to a Russell Group university than those whose parents hold professional or managerial positions.

The Cosmo study is led jointly by the UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO), the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies and the Sutton Trust.

“It is concerning that young people, more likely to be from less-well-off backgrounds, are curbing their educational choices because of worries about the cost,” said Jake Anders, associate professor and deputy director of CEPEO and Cosmo’s principal investigator.

Dr Anders said living at home will be the right choice for some students, but it should be a choice – not something they feel they must do because of financial challenges.

“Student support has not kept up with the rising cost of living; this should be urgently addressed so we do not close down opportunities, especially to those who are already likely to have fewer,” he added.

The report also examined attitudes to higher education among the Class of 2023, finding that almost three-quarters (73 per cent) felt that doing a degree leads to a better paid job.

However, less than half (48 per cent) viewed student loans as a good investment, which the authors said suggested a negative view of the debt involved with higher education, reflecting recent discourse and changes to repayment terms.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com