University location and the regional gap in university education

Abstract

For centuries, the University of Copenhagen was the primary institution of higher education for Icelandic students. The establishment of the University of Iceland in 1911 transformed the structure of educational opportunities in Iceland and allowed prospective students in Reykjavík and adjacent areas the opportunity to live and study at home. In other regions of Iceland, however, university students continued to leave their home communities for study and only a minority of those students returned after graduation. As a result, there is a considerable gap between educational levels in the Reykavík capital area and other regions of Iceland.
In the period 1987–2008 several universities were founded, merged and renamed in Iceland. In the capital area, the private Reykjavík University and the Academy of Arts were established on the basis of earlier institutions, while the University of Education was merged with the University of Iceland. Outside the capital area, the University of Akureyri was established in northern Iceland, Bifröst University in the southwest and two agricultural schools in the north and southwest became universities. However, the public University of Iceland continues to be the largest institution of higher education with about 68% of all university students in the country.
The proportion of residents with a university degree differs substantially between the Reykjavík capital area and other regions of Iceland. This regional education gap can in part be traced to more diverse educational opportunities in the capital area, but various other economic, social, cultural and geographical factors are also important. Research has thus shown that the geographical location of universities can have a substantial effect on the residential choices of university graduates. This research focuses on the impact of Icelandic universities on levels of university education and the education gap between different regions of the country.
The regional impact of Icelandic universities is assessed on the basis of census data and survey results. About 28% of capital area residents and 12–14% of other residents graduated from universities in Reykjavík. The proportion of graduates from regional universities is highest 13% in Akureyri and 7% in other northern areas. A substantial majority of university graduates are from the University of Iceland. The proportion of University of Iceland graduates is highest in the capital area but lowest in Akureyri where a similar proportion graduated from the University of Akureyri.
In the capital area and the surrounding exurban regions, Reykjavík University has the second largest share of university graduates, while the University of Akureyri has the second largest share in the northern regions. A substantial majority of graduates from universities in Reykjavík and from Bifröst University reside in the capital area but graduates from other universities are more dispersed. Graduates from the University of Akureyri are roughly equally divided between the capital area, Akureyri and other regions. Graduates from the regional universities are more likely to live outside the capital area but the main impact on educational levels is found with respect to the University of Akureyri, in Akureyri and other northern regions.
Future research should examine the careers of graduates from different universities and the extent to which they are employed in their fields of study. The employment of graduates from universities in Reykjavík and other regions should in particular be evaluated in the context of regional labour market differences. Conversely, the economic and social impact of restricted educational programmes at regional universities on local communities should be examined in more depth.
Neither the government nor the Icelandic universities have formed an explicit policy of decreasing the education gap between the Reykjavík capital area and other regions of the country. Nevertheless, regional differences in the supply of university programmes are to a considerable degree determined by government funding. Larger and more comprehensive programmes at regional universities would be the quickest way to raise educational levels outside the capital area.