Bethany Fearne, a second-year law student, remains actively engaged in university life despite choosing to live at home in Sittingbourne and commute to Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU). She attends campus events such as the Colour Run, challenging the assumption that students who do not relocate miss out on the full university experience.
The traditional image of university as a rite of passage involving a move away from home is shifting rapidly. An increasing proportion of students are opting to remain with their families and travel to campus instead, driven primarily by escalating accommodation and living expenses.
The scale of this change is striking. According to figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas), 535,090 people stated they intended to live at home during their university course in 2017, compared with 748,060 in 2026—a rise of 39.8%. More recently, Ucas data published in September 2026 showed 612,690 UK students aged 18 to 20 who applied before the January deadline said they intended to live at home, up 8% year on year. This year alone, more than 81,000 UK 18-year-olds indicated in their accepted university applications that they planned to live at home, marking the highest level in nine years.
Fearne explained that staying at home was substantially more affordable than living on campus. She rejected the notion that commuting diminished her engagement with student life, saying she felt no sense of exclusion from university activities.
Why are more students choosing to live at home?
The primary driver is financial pressure. Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, identified accommodation costs as the single largest expense after tuition fees.
Aside from tuition fees, the single biggest cost is rent where you can pay up to £1,000 a month depending where you live. Even if you receive the maximum maintenance loan rate, it may not be enough to cover both rent and other daily expenditures.In England, the maximum maintenance loan for students living at home is set at £9,118 for 2026/27, yet this often falls short of covering all living expenses when combined with other financial obligations.
According to Ucas-style application data for 2026, 44.6% of UK 18-year-old applicants had at least one university choice where they intended to live at home, up from 43.2% the year before. This trend reflects what experts increasingly describe as a cost-of-participation issue rather than a purely lifestyle choice.
What are the experiences of commuter students?
Ez Spring, a second-year sports therapy student, drives 40 minutes each way to university and views commuting as offering distinct advantages.
When I am driving, it's a nice time to relax before attending classes. I can stay at home with my family and keep my job.For Spring, the arrangement allows her to maintain family connections while continuing employment, something that would be more difficult if living independently on campus.
Hillman acknowledged that commuting presents both benefits and drawbacks.
If you live at home, you are more likely to keep your network of family and friends, and other support network. However, you may be not immersing in campus life experience.The trade-off between financial stability and full immersion in campus culture remains a central consideration for many students.
How are universities responding to this trend?
Institutions are beginning to recognise commuter students as a distinct group requiring tailored support and engagement strategies. Dr Susan Kenyon, principal lecturer in politics at CCCU, confirmed that this pattern has been evident across higher education for several years. Higher-education groups in 2026 noted that universities are increasingly treating commuter students as a distinct cohort because of their specific engagement and support needs.
Some universities are adapting their delivery models to accommodate this shift. Hillman noted that institutions are reducing on-campus attendance requirements to three days a week and offering hotel-style accommodation options. These changes reflect an institutional acknowledgment that the traditional five-day residential model no longer suits a significant portion of the student population.
What does the data reveal about the broader picture?
The rise in home-living students extends beyond those applying to university. According to Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) data for 2024-25, 450,865 full-time higher-education students were living in their parents' homes during term time. This figure underscores the scale of the phenomenon across the entire student population, not merely among new applicants.
Commentary published in April 2026 indicated that both Ucas and Hesa figures were already demonstrating a clear long-term shift toward students choosing to live at home during full-time study. The trend is linked to broader affordability concerns and sustained pressure on student accommodation demand across the United Kingdom.
What happens next?
Ucas will publish fresh admissions-cycle data following the 2026 application round, which will indicate whether the rise in home-living applicants continues. The 2026/27 student finance system will continue to determine maintenance support levels for students living at home, with the maximum loan rate in England remaining at £9,118. These figures will be crucial in understanding whether the financial pressures driving this trend show signs of easing or intensifying in the coming academic year.
