Children who decide to study for a degree when they are under-10 are twice as likely to get into a more competitive university, according to research.
A survey by university application body UCAS revealed that the younger students decide higher education is for them, the more likely they are to go to a "higher tariff" establishment which demands better or more qualifications.
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Mary Curnock Cook, UCAS Chief Executive said: “This report is clear: the earlier children set their sights on university, the more likely they are to go.
"We need to reset the barometer reading for progression to HE to a much earlier age – ten or younger.
"Having a focus on university helps provide the rationale for working hard and doing well at GCSEs which is the strongest predictor of success in higher education."
The survey, which questioned 16,000 applicants, also revealed that young people from the most advantaged areas are more likely to focus on university at a young age than their more disadvantage peers.
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Of those who did not apply to a higher tariff university, almost half said they thought the entry requirements were too high. More said they would have applied if they had known they had a chance of getting in.
Just over 40 per cent of applicants said they believed none of the more selective universities offered courses they were interested in.
UCAS claimed this indicated a lack of understanding of career pathways from more "academic-sounding" degrees.
For the least advantaged students who did not apply to higher-tariff universities, a quarter said they felt the cost of living would be too high.
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The survey also asked students about the relationship between their higher education choices and employment, with advantaged applicants 50 per cent more likely to think university was important for securing a job.
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