A brief history of why students go away to university

By Keith Vernon. In many other countries, it is much more common for students go to their nearest university, which often involves staying in the home town or city. But in England in particular, there is a strong historical precedent for going away to university.
A lot of this is based on the fact that until the 1830s, there were only two universities in England – Oxford and Cambridge. So if you wanted a university education, you had to go to these remote (to many) destinations – which developed a complex system of colleges and tutors to house and look after the undergraduates. More...