Living and Studying at Home: Degrees of Inequality

This book is about students who live at home and commute to university rather than moving into student accommodation during term time. It is based on a case study of an old Scottish university that has traditionally had a low proportion of commuting students. The impact of commuting is examined through a social justice lens since commuting students are more likely to be from a lower socioeconomic background, be mature, be from minority ethnic communities and be disabled. We explore the measures which may be needed to tackle the negative outcomes often experienced by commuter students. These include more flexible timetabling, suitable social spaces and the routine availability of online learning resources in addition to face-to-face teaching. Economic inequalities might be addressed through targeted travel grants and subsidised accommodation. Based on case study findings, we argue that there is a need for financial, cultural and pedagogical change within universities so that the needs and interests of commuter students become a central rather than peripheral concern.