No revolution yet

When it comes to choosing a university or college, social and environmental performance are still not a high priority for our respondents, with a range of factors from reputation to location being more important drivers.

The starkest comparison is with nightlife: 10% of respondents under 19 rated this as very important compared to only 3% making the same claim for performance on environmental issues. It’s hardly surprising that students want to have a good time, but sobering to learn that nearly a third of students still gave environmental factors no significance at all in their choice.

Global development issues fare similarly, though they’re more significant to older respondents. 3% of under-19s and 10% of over-30s rated institutions’ seriousness of intent on development issues as very important in their choice of where to apply.

Reputation matters

Reputation is still king, especially for younger respondents. Two-thirds of under-19s claim league tables were important or very important in their choice of course, compared to half of over-30s. For overseas students this is even more important: 76% of African and 84% of Far Eastern students identified it as of high significance.

The same is true of the overall performance of universities and colleges, and the reputation of both the course and the institution, with younger students and those from overseas giving these a higher significance
in their choice.

Promoting responsibility

Are higher education institutions telling applicants enough about their sustainability work? A solid third of all respondents reckoned they had received no information from their chosen institution on its environmental and social policies or performance. A substantial 42% would like to receive more information than they currently do.

'Put yourself in the shoes of the adults of tomorrow...
it’s the only way to see how to successfully educate them.'Pardeep Chohan, 19, Mander Portman Woodward College, Birmingham