Should I stay or should I go? Determinanten der räumlichen Distanz zwischen Schul- und Hochschulort

While there are numerous studies on the influence of study opportunities on the decision to attend higher education, studies on determinants of school leavers’ regional mobility are comparatively rare. This article addresses the question which factors influence the geographical distance between school location and university. For the analyses, we employ a mobility measure of geographical distance (in kilometres) between the university and the school where the university entrance qualification was obtained. Using theories of rational choice, we develop a theoretical framework that integrates several mechanisms explaining mobility. Based on a data set from the German Panel Study of School Leavers, we estimate a Poisson regression with robust standard errors. Our results show that, controlling for opportunity structures, a higher socioeconomic status, better grades, a higher willingness to take risks, a qualification from a general school and the desire for an attractive place to study promote mobility, whereas higher anticipated monetary and non-monetary costs reduce mobility.