Residential living at university has been prevalent since the 15th Century, originally as a way to instil discipline and promote a moral education amongst students.
University College London’s founding in the 1820s as the first non-residential UK university disrupted this tradition. However, debates around the correct model of living have continued ever since.
The Robbins Report in 1963 described the “educational and social advantages of living away from home” and it was often understood that the desire to live in halls was to emulate the “Oxbridge ideal.”
The rise of 1960s plate glass universities, with new on-campus halls led the way for the expected “way of being” for university students.
As recently as 2019 the Augar Report stated “leaving home to go to university is a deep-seated part of the English culture.”
Clearly not much has changed.
Across my time as a student and working in higher education, it was always apparent that space is crucial to the student experience for commuter students where they don’t have a residence on campus.
Whilst the debate around commuter students has shifted in recent years with the introduction of commuters into the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register, more holistic support is needed.
In fact, making space for commuter students is not just about their teaching and learning but it’s also about accommodating their extracurriculars and social lives.
As rising numbers of commuter students challenge the historical ideas of what students should look like, how can institutions make space for commuters on campus?
The rest of the student experience
Arriving at university, it became clear I was one of two commuter students in my cohort of around 200 and that this was going to create problems for me.
The extra curricular student experience was defined by student society socials and trips, socialising in halls and consuming alcohol on nights out.
It was awkward when the first question I’d always get asked in first year was “what halls are you in?”
Skip forward to my final year dissertation, I investigated the barriers to social engagement for commuter students at Leeds University.
My research findings from six interviews with current commuter students found participation in social activities was difficult for many for financial, transport, religious and other reasons.
We respectively think a lot about supporting commuter students’ experience of teaching and learning on and off campus but the student experience isn’t just limited to the classroom.
Issues included last trains home being too early, spaces of engagement centred around halls, hidden costs to participate such as additional meals or transport and hygiene barriers (sleeping on sofas and not having their toiletries).
Commuter students have often been invisible in the way institutions treated them, and we struggled to find each other due to the stigma, with constant questioning by peers “don’t you feel like you’re missing out?”
Rush hour socials
As a student, finding people to support the creation of the Leeds University Commuters’ Society was challenging.
From my own experiences of imposter syndrome and othering, it was essential to create a society to address the needs of this group and advocate for further inclusion.
I founded the Leeds University Commuters’ Society to find others with shared experiences, to share travel tips, support wellbeing and hold “rush hour” socials.
Through my dissertation research, I also explored commuter students’ sense of belonging. I found commuter students who worked for the university in part-time roles, such as ambassadors, had a stronger sense of belonging and pride. The society also boosted feelings of belonging for the students, and some had found lifelong friends on their course who they didn’t realise were commuter students.
Finding space
The pandemic shifted working patterns for many staff, plus the opening of a new building on campus freed up space. The society campaigned for a common lounge for commuter students.
The Student Ideas Fund granted us £5000 to create the lounge, originally on a two-year pilot basis. The lounge contains a refurbished social area with a games table, TV, kitchen, lockers and private study space.
The kitchen offers students the opportunity to save money on lunches and evening meals, as students previously relied on eating out or consuming to feel comfortable in a cafe.
The lounge is now a permanent feature of campus and is visited on campus tours and mentioned at open days.
Where there’s space in residential halls, the University of Leeds team are consulting with commuter students about opening a commuter hotel, offering stays between 1-14 nights, at budget prices.
Commuter students would then be able to participate in a range of activities like attending society socials, concerts, theatre, sports events, and staying the night before a morning exam.
By giving commuter students a space, either a common room, lounge or even a temporary bed for a night in a hotel, it gives them autonomy and agency to fully participate in the wider student experience.
They can participate in the things that make university enriching without being at a disadvantage.
The narrative around commuter students has shifted significantly since the Robbins and Augar report with commuters being included in more Access and Participation Plans in England. However, cost of living pressures are pushing even more students to consider commuting and more still needs to be done.
Making spaces on campus for commuter students is one way of enabling them to have a more enriching and wide-reaching student experience.
Institutions could find spare spaces to give to commuter societies, advertise them as commuter lounges or utilise spare rooms to offer short stays for commuter students. Above all, listening to what commuter students want is the best way of including and further supporting this group.
This blog is part of our series on commuter students. Click here to see the other articles in the series.