The Road to University from 6-18: university decision-making insight report available to purchase

How the ‘Road to University’ report will help you understand university decision-making:

  • Further improve your knowledge and understanding of how young people make decisions about university and what influences them
  • Assist your marketing, recruitment and outreach teams to approach student recruitment in a smarter and more effective way using independently generated national insight which is available to them right now
  • Attract students to your institution by using this insight to inform your strategies for this and future academic years.

University decision-making report

We are updating this research, commencing in April 2022, looking at decision-making amongst 14 to 18 year olds.  See here for more details about joining the new project.

More about the university decision-making project

This research project, completed in April 2018, was based on an online quantitative survey of 1,788 young people and 18 in-depth interviews with young people from the ages of 6 to 18 in the UK.  It explores how 6- to 18-year-olds view university, including their aspirations, decision-making and influencers.

As well as the full research findings, insights and evidence from the primary research project, the full 122-page report includes an executive summary, practical recommendations, a review of the existing literature with full references, and case studies about young people aged 6 to 18 which contextualise the project findings.

 

Report contents include:

  • What understanding and knowledge of university do children and young people have?
  • How the path to university is shaped over time. At what ages tipping points and triggers are happening and decisions made
  • What, and who, influences thinking at different stages of childhood and adolescence
  • What the motivations are for going to university
  • The demographic differences across the findings

Project partners

This project was developed in partnership with a number of clients who helped to shape the research design through our collaborative University Futures model. With thanks to:

  • Bournemouth University
  • Lancaster University
  • Hertfordshire University
  • Higher Education Progression Partnership (HEPP)
  • London School of Economics (LSE)
  • Manchester University
  • University of East Anglia
  • University of Portsmouth
  • University of Salford