Commuting to class: an ethnography of commuting students' experience of higher education.

There is an increasing trend in UK higher education (HE) for students to commute for university study, with nearly one quarter of students living at home whilst studying for a degree (Donnelly & Gamsu, 2018). The Department of Education (2019) has called for improved understanding of this group, but a lack of agreement in the sector around what defines a 'commuter student' has proved problematic in this endeavour. Although commuting and widening participation (WP) issues intersect, discussions around commuting students' experiences of HE have been overshadowed by WP discussions and lack the criticality needed for a more robust understanding of this student group. This study will comprise a multi-sited ethnography across three universities in the North of England to explore commuting students' experiences of HE. Using go-along interviews whilst accompanying students during their commute will provide an empirical understanding of commuting students' experiences in travelling to campus and the impact this has on their academic and social activities. The Bourdieusian concepts of field, habitus and capital will provide a theoretical framework for analysis in
order to understand the ways commuting students construct a sense of belonging in HE between peers, their institution, and their identity as a university student. Institutional policies will be compared across the three universities in order to assess the impact these have on commuting students' experience in both their academic and social spheres.