The Effects of Geographical Distance on the Decision to Enrol in University Education

This study uses data on a large sample of Swedes born in 1967 to investigate whether geographical distance between the area of residence and the nearest university influences individuals decisions to enrol in university education. Models that control for results on intelligence tests obtained at the age of 13, parental education and parental occupation predict a small but significantly negative effect of distance on the likelihood of starting a university education. If distance is related to the costs of investing in university education, then the result might suggest that the educational policy to decentralise higher education to some extent has been successful in reducing the costs of making this investment.