Mature students and commuter students are both considered to be among the student characteristics that are most likely to indicate risks to equality of opportunity, and as such are included in the Office for Students (OfS) Education Equality of Opportunity Risk Register (EORR). The challenges facing mature and commuter students often intersect with other student characteristics that have been identified as risks to equality of opportunity.

While mature undergraduate students benefit from having made an active choice to return to study, they are more likely than younger students to be from groups that are underrepresented in higher education and can face different barriers in accessing and succeeding in their studies. For example, mature students are less likely to be aware of the financial support to which they might be entitled, can feel less confident than younger students in the higher education environment, be more likely to have caring responsibilities or be in work, and may be restricted to accessing educational opportunity within their geographical region (OfS, 2021). However, while mature students are more likely to commute to their place of study, which can create its own barriers, not all mature students are commuter students, and neither are all commuter students mature students.

There are multiple definitions of commuter students including those based on distance or time taken to travel from their accommodation to their place of study, or on whether they have moved away from their pre-higher education home address. Overall, around one-quarter of students live at home and commute to their place of study although there are regions and institutions where this proportion is much higher. As with mature students, young commuter students are also more likely be from groups that are underrepresented in higher education, have family or carer responsibilities and be the first generation in their family to attend higher education. They too may be restricted to accessing educational opportunity within their geographical region. There is also evidence to suggest that commuter students are less likely to have good outcomes, are less engaged and less satisfied with their educational experience (Thomas and Jones, 2017: Maguire and Morris, 2018).

The traditional university model catered for a student body that largely consisted of young full-time live-in students, and its curriculum, delivery and support systems tended to reflect this. However, higher education institutions are increasingly aware that mature and commuting students have different needs. In this event we are going to:

• consider the challenges facing mature and commuting students
• learn how evaluators are analysing institutional data to understand their learning journey
• hear how colleagues are working to support them access, succeed in and progress from higher education
• explore strategies for the future.

Our Speakers

Dr Liz Thomas is professor of higher education at the University of York, and has been researching student diversity, experiences and equitable outcomes for twenty-five years. She is committed to using research to improve policy, practice and equity. In 2023-24 Liz worked with a number of institutions to develop a whole provider approach to student success. In 2024-25 she worked with the Technological Higher Education Association Ireland and the seven technological higher education providers to explore whole provider and whole sector approaches to enabling commuter student engagement and success. Liz has published several articles on commuter students

We will also be hearing a number of practice examples from colleagues across the sector who are supporting mature and commuter students, and evaluators who are helping us to understand their learning journeys.

Suggested Reading

Office for Students (2021) Insight Brief: Improving opportunity and choice for mature students

Thomas, L. (2019) ‘I am just happy doing the work…..’ Commuter student engagement in the wider higher education experience Higher Education Quarterly

Maguire, D. and Morris, D. (2018) Homeward Bound: Defining, understanding and aiding ‘commuter students Higher Education Policy Institute Report 114

Thomas, L and Jones, R. (2017) Student engagement in the context of commuter students The Student Engagement Partnership

OfS Equality of Opportunity Risk Register