Does distance from home influence student's performance in higher education?

What is it about?

This paper examines whether one of the determinants of academic performance in higher education is the geographical distance separating the place of study and the place of family residence. Twelve years of data on students from a public university are utilized to estimate a model of relative academic performance, with an instrumental variables two-stage least squares estimator to account for possible endogeneity bias. The results indicate that distance is a negative determinant of academic performance and provide a new factor to take into account in reflexions over the impact of the spatial organization of higher education institutions.

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Why is it important?

Distance is thus a relevant variable in the context of higher education, apt to impact the reorganization of national systems in a variety of ways. One of its many effects runs from the identified link between institutional proximity and higher education participation. Limiting geographical accessibility runs the risk of damaging the prospects of those who will enter higher education only if they are able to attend a nearby institution. But does the influence of distance stop when individuals enter higher education, or does it continue and be sufficiently relevant to be reflected in their academic performance?