University Graduates

Do most students in the USA move away to university?

It's an odd feature amongst European countries that, here in the UK, the majority of university students move away to university; in Italy, for example, most choose to enrol with the local university and continue to live with their family. I was curious whether university students in the USA generally move away to university/college, stay at home or whether it's about half and half. Thank you to all who help.

Public Comments

1. I went online.
2. It is half and half here.
3. Most kids will go to college somewhere in their own state. Lets say a few hours away. I'd say thats about average. Probably a couple hors drive away from home. There are also kids who go in their own cities, go to a nearby or far away state or even study abroad. Its all about what you want to do. but on average I'd say most kids stay in state within a few hours of home
4. daa whats a university
5. Last year about 69% hs graduates went away to college
6. Well, it really depends on each student's particular circumstances. Most schools here in the US offer what's called "in-state tuition" for applying students who have lived in the same state as the university for a certain amount of time (I believe it's a minimum of one year for most). So it may cost significantly less to go to one's local school. However, the paticular degree program they wish to pursue may only be offered at a university in another state. In that case, if the student can obtain funding either through their parents or financial aid, they may choose to go out of state. And sometimes, it's the school itself that matters more to the student, like going to Harvard or Yale, as opposed to a state university. A sizable chunk of the Ivy League's student body is made up of non-local scholars, and to my knowledge they do not differentiate between in-state and out of state when charging tuition. Then there's the matter of independence. Many students start college at the age where they are asserting themselves as adults, and wish to leave the nest. So whether they go to a local college or not, they'll still move to a location closer to the school, be it in the dormatories or a nearby apartment. However, this may not be an option for those who are strapped for cash, and they have no choice but to remain at home while finishing their degree. And some would prefer to stay, as they're not quite ready to venture out into the world on their own (not to mention home-coooking beats the questionable fare they dish out in the cafeteria any day). But I couldn't give you any exact statistics, because it varies so much from state to state and school to school.
7. Id say that most college and university students do live on campus; however, here in the USA, there a are specifically designed institutions that revolve around the commuting student. In fact most of the community colleges located through out the entire country are strictly commuter colleges do to the cheaper tuition and lack of available space for housing the students - also because the enrolled students typically live close to them since its within you "community." America is also rather large in size and has many institutions through out all 50 states, making it difficult to commute. For instance, a few of my friends study at colleges/universities in Boston Massachusetts, to Los Angele's California, and even to Miami, Florida. For them to travel from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to these distant places it would be nonsensical, and essentially would require a personal air craft that must travel at outrageous speeds unprecedented by what is currently available. So living on campus becomes a necessity in order to study at these institutions. Also traveling to some Institutions even within their state could take 3+ hours going one way (as it is in my case). Hope this clears some questions up for you. A lot of times its difficult to really imagine the size of the USA along with the numerous and specialized colleges and universities that are available (this is in no way an attempt to glorify the size of my nation, but to rationalize why students often study on Campus and away from their homes).