title: Does Living Closer to a University Increase Educational Attainment? A Longitudinal Study of Aspirations, University Entry, and Elite University Enrolment of Australian Youth.
abstract: Geography remains a critical factor that shapes the development of aspirations, attainment, and choice in young people. We focus on the role of geography on university entry and aspirations due to the increasing requirement in society for a higher education qualification for access to prestigious positions in society. Using a large representative longitudinal database (N = 11,999; 50 % male; 27 % provincial or rural; 2 % Indigenous) of Australia youth we explore the association between distance to a university campus and the critical attainment outcomes of university entry and enrolment in an elite university as well as critical predictors of these outcomes in access to information resources (i.e., university outreach programs) and university aspirations. In doing so, we provide new insight into distance effects, and the extent that these are due to selection, cost, and community influence. Our findings suggest that distance is significantly associated with both university expectations and entrance, with an especially large impact upon young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. However, we also find little evidence that distance is related to attending a university led information session. Our conclusion is that distance effects cannot be fully explained by selection in terms of academic achievement and socioeconomic status, and that anticipatory decisions and costs are the most likely drivers of the distance effect.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Positive Psychology and Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, 25a Barker Road, Locked Bag 2002, Strathfield, NSW, 2135, Australia. philip.parker@acu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Philip D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jerrim
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Economic and Social Research, London, UK.
authors.forename: Jake
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Anders
authors.affiliation: School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.|School of Geography and Geosciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Astell-Burt
mesh_terms: D000076363:Academic Success; D000293:Adolescent; D001240:Aspirations, Psychological; D001315:Australia; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Distance effects; Institution choice; University aspirations; University entry