More than a quarter of graduates in the UK this year are expected to move back in with their parents after finishing university, it can be revealed.

This so-called ‘boomerang generation’ will be among three million adults who have returned to the family home for various reasons.

Up until now adults who lived with their folks into their 20s and beyond were often thought of as failures.

But new research published by Mintel suggests that the stigma no longer applies, with 27% of graduates planning to return to the family fold.

With increases in tuition fees on the cards from 2012, graduates are likely to feel economic pressures even more, which means the number returning to their parents’ homes could rise still further.

Indeed, although the cost of further education here will only rise in line with inflation, those opting to study elsewhere in the UK could see hefty hikes.

Statistics provided by Mintel show that 41% of the three million UK adults living with their parents said they went back in order to save money.

More than a third (or 34%) admitted that they did so because they were between jobs or university terms.

Meanwhile, three in 10 returned because they couldn’t afford to pay the mortgage and one in 10 did so after a relationship break-up.

Mintel said 13% lived with their parents because they liked availing of home comforts such as free dinners and getting their laundry done.

Most of those moving back, or 68%, are aged between 20-23, with 28% falling within the 24-35 age bracket.

Perhaps surprisingly, 196,000, or 4%, are 36 or over.

Ina Mitskavets, Consumer and Lifestyles Analyst at Mintel, said that boomerang children did not return to the homestead just for financial reasons.

“As more and more young people return to the nest, the stigma attached to doing so dissipates and it’s no longer a last resort, but an accepted part of life for many,” she said.

“Poor job prospects and the rising cost of living means that living independently is increasingly out of reach for the UK’s young adults.

“Living back at home with mum and dad offers today’s Boomerangs an opportunity to live more comfortably than they might otherwise have done while also saving money and clearing some debts, with over half (56%) of the comeback kids saying they are financially better-off as a result.”