New study reveals 70% of University Students feel lonely

A new study has revealed the scale of loneliness among students, as 70% in university halls say they have felt lonely or isolated.

A new campaign launched by PfP Students, Room to Belong, is highlighting the growing crisis of loneliness and isolation among university students.

One in three students in halls of residence (33%) are lonely or isolated at university often, with 37% also feeling that way occasionally.

The findings also show that 43% of students in halls feel isolated where they live, while 44% find it hard to make friends where they live. When choosing where to live, 79% of both current and prospective students (who were due to begin this academic year) said access to mental health or wellbeing support would help.

Forty-one percent of students say the design or layout of their accommodation makes it harder to meet people, and more than half (51%) report the cost of their accommodation limits social activities.

Rachel Horrobin (20), a third-year Psychology student, describes the feelings of loneliness she has experienced during her studies.

Rachel said: “In my first year, I was isolated because no one in my flat wanted to speak to me. I felt really alone all the time. When it got to January, when I moved back in after Christmas, I remember thinking I just don’t want to live here anymore. I want to be gone.

“I really wish that my experiences were part of the minority, but it’s just not the case. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve met that have had a good experience at university that wasn’t lonely and terrifying and scary.

“People don’t really tend to reach out anymore. With a lot of my friends, their issues with feeling alone and isolated are because they live with a large group of people who don’t speak to them.”

Rachel says technology may well be playing a role in the issue. She added: “The fact that I have my phone means I can use it to just reach all my friends back home. Especially within the first year.

“I was terrified to make new friends, so I just relied on the fact that I already had some, and I didn’t really bother reaching out much because I knew I already had some people, but I didn’t realise living so far away from them would be such an issue.”

Rachel also talked about how cost of living pressures, as well as university fees, impact students today when it comes to meeting others.

She added: “For the last three months, I’ve been quite stressed because I’ve been trying to look for work because I need money to be able to live. Paying for drinks and a club is super expensive. So none of us really tend to go out.

“It is so awful knowing that I’ve got all of this debt waiting for me as soon as I get out. And I’d rather do something with my time to make sure that I can get that good degree so that I’ve earned it and that the money’s worth it.

“Which means I spend all of my time in the library doing all of my assignments and getting everything done, which means most of my socialising now is ‘do you want to go to the library with me?’”

Students who reported feeling lonely or isolated often gave the following reasons:

• “I struggle to meet people outside my flat/room” – 45%
• “I spend most of my time studying or working” – 39%
• “I don’t know anyone I live with” – 29%
• “Noise or environment puts me off socialising” – 26%
• “Not feeling part of a community” – 25%

While most students agree their accommodation offers good communal spaces (63%), 70% continue to experience isolation – showing that physical spaces alone are not enough to build a genuine community. Seventy-nine percent said access to mental health support would be helpful when choosing where to live at university.

It was an issue on the mind of those due to start university this academic year too, with a huge 63% of prospective students saying they were worried they would feel lonely during their studies.

PfP Students – a leading property manager for student accommodation – is launching its Room to Belong campaign to urge fellow managers or providers of student halls to prioritize wellbeing and inclusion by embedding mental health support into the very fabric of student living.

The campaign is specifically calling for every UK hall of residence to have at least one member of staff on hand 24/7 so students have someone to talk to or help at any time – something PfP Students is committing to itself. PfP Students is also aiming to have all frontline staff across the UK Mental Health First Aid trained.

Eamonn Tierney, Managing Director of PfP Students, said: “The perception is that all students arrive at university, make friends instantly, and settle straight into their new lives. Our research shows a very different reality: most students experience some level of loneliness or isolation.

“Students are telling us clearly that where they live directly affects how they feel. As accommodation providers, our job is to listen and act. Halls of residence should be more than a room for students. They should be communities that nurture connection, wellbeing, and academic success.

“Above all else, we need to be there when they need us, which is why we will have a 24/7 on-site presence in all the halls we manage so that at any given point every student has someone to speak to. Today, we call on the rest of the sector to join us in this commitment.

“Moving to university is often a young person’s first experience of living independently, usually in an unfamiliar part of the country – or a different country altogether – where they know no one at all. Providers have a responsibility to help students integrate, build bonds, and thrive so they don’t feel alone and can be the best version of themselves during this key stage of their lives.”

Rachel added: “The people at the reception desk downstairs in my building are wonderful, extremely friendly people.

“One lady last year offered me a hug, gave me ice cream from the work freezer, and sat with me while I talked after I’d just broken up with my boyfriend. I go down now just because I want to chat with them. Having those people to speak to every morning was the reason why, after living here last year, I came back this year.”

For more than 15 years, PfP Students has partnered with universities, landlords, and accommodation providers to deliver expert facilities management tailored to the unique needs of student life. Its mission is to create and maintain environments that help students thrive – both at home and in the classroom – and a big part of this is investing time and resources in giving students opportunities to connect.

88% of PfP Students’ residents would describe their accommodation as good or very good to a friend or relative compared to 76% living in other halls. PfP Students also supports the #BehindEveryDoor campaign – launched in 2022 by Student Roost, it gives students access to over 14,000 tailored local mental health support services with a simple scan of a QR Code – which are on every bedroom door – via Chasing the Stigma’s Hub of Hope platform.