University students’ experience of loneliness

Student led research into student loneliness and isolation and the compounding effects of the cost of living crisis

All working groups meeting - 16 January 2026

This meeting - to meet working group colleagues and help shape the student research 10-11.30am

• 10.00 - Welcome and introductions purpose of this session
• 10.15 - Recap aims and progress of the project;
• 10.20 - Sharing findings from the student peer research - questions
• 10.40 - Breakout rooms to discuss university specific findings and areas for action
• 11.15 - Sharing back
• 11.25 - Preparation for next session and close

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Student peer researchers at each university

• SOAS - Sara Al-Mashalawi, Thomas Montgomery
• RHUL - Kenzie Salem, Anna Laricheva
• University of Surrey - Abbie Fluck, Aneesa Rahman
• LSE - Adam Kalam, Rui Yi Ang

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COLIF managers/key contacts for the project at each university

• SOAS - Beth Worku-Dix and George Walker
• LSE - Ross Jones
• RHUL - Emily Gow
• University of Surrey - Julia Warsap

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Neighbourly Lab Project Team

• Marnie Freeman - Director - marnie@neighbourlylab.com
• Rebecca Nichols - Researcher and Project Manager - rebecca@neighbourlylab.com
• Rahaf - rahaf@neighbourlylab.com
• Helen MacIntyre - Researcher - helen@neighbourlylab.com

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Reminder: the aims of the project

• To provide insight into student loneliness at university, how the cost of living crisis is compounding experiences of loneliness
• To develop solutions to address this issue

Phase 1: Context setting and research design

July to September 25

Four phases of the project

Phase 2: Student experience deep dive led by peer researchers

October to Nov 25

Phase 3: Sharing learning and co-designing solutions to addressing student loneliness

Nov to Jan 2025

Phase 4: Reporting and sharing learning more widely

Feb 2025

• September - First working group meetings for each institution
• October 10 - All working groups - meeting and helping to shape the student research
• January 16 - All working groups - presentation and discussion of research findings
• January 30 - Co-designing solutions and planning next steps as a community of practice

Working group meetings

Peer Researchers’ experience

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Exploring the Peer researcher role

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Understanding different research methodologies

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Asking great questions

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Listening skills

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Understanding the role of the discussion guide and note taking

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Carrying out the intercepts and in depth interviews

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Making sense of what we heard

Sense making, clustering into themes

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Coming to the working group sessions and sharing what we have learnt

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Moving forward into collaboration

We invite you to:

• Practice active listening
• Ask questions / seek clarity
• Participate and give others the chance to too
• Be open to different points of view
• Be sensitive to what people are sharing
• Keep it informal and relaxed
• Be aware of power dynamics in the room

Interviews

• Focus on experiences of social connection and loneliness at uni, enablers and barriers, included questions on cost of living impact
• 211 in total
• 54 international students
• 38 with a disability

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Data collection

Possible additional data collection

• To field test and build out ideas (developed at 30th session) with an additional set of students
• Early - Mid February

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Definitions and terminology

Measures:

• Happiness
• Life satisfaction
• Worthwhile
• Anxiety
• Autonomy

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Loneliness is ‘a subjective, unwelcome feeling of lack or loss of companionship, which happens when there is a mismatch between the quantity and quality of the social relationships that we have, and those that we want’ (Perlman and Peplau, 1981)

Wellbeing encompasses mental health, physical health and social wellbeing - enables optimum functioning and flourishing

Mental health describes a spectrum from mental illness to mental health. Good mental health characterised by positive feelings, healthy responses to emotions, +ve connections with other people and community

Neighbourly Lab, Campaign to End Loneliness, What Works Centre for Wellbeing

See Student Minds and the What Works Centre for Wellbeing archive

While we are presenting, please think about and note:

• What stands out?
• Does anything surprise you?
• What would be the easiest thing for your university to change?
• Can you identify two to three challenges that you would like to focus on for the co-design workshops on the 30th january?

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Student Experiences of loneliness

• Feeling isolated and disconnected from others - on the outside and don’t belong
• Homesickness and/or break with social networks and support
• Lacking meaningful, easy, understanding, supportive relationships

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• I’m the only one
• Comparing self with others
• Socialising is effortful and tiring
• Feeling socially awkward
• Feeling judged
• Stigma around sharing feelings of loneliness

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• Sadness, low, anxious
• Discomfort
• Frustration

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Contexts for student loneliness - and some important threads

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• Cost of living
• Communications, reaching, engaging
• Inequalities (marginalised groups)
• Everyone within the university plays a part in creating an effective coordinated response
• Culture of the universities

• Societies, social groups and events
• Academic
• Accomodation
• Infrastructure
• Wellbeing support

Social groups, societies, events

Opportunities to think about:

How the current set up of groups and activities/ societies and events could be adapted, so membership and participating is more inclusive for students

How to change funding for and costs of participating societies so that they are more inclusive

• Majority engaged
• To varying degrees
• Minority did not (15-25%)

• Opportunity to meet others/make friends
• Coming together around shared interest,culture, identity
• Regular structured engagement, support
• Ease transition to uni

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Culture and dynamics

• Social activities ‘not for me’
• Alcohol
• Undergraduate- focused
• Cliquey/alienating
• Socially pressured/ awkward/unsatisfying
• Exclusive
• Create cultural silos

Practical barriers

• Lack of info and entry points after welcome week
• Limited spaces
• Cost (sports)
• Timing (commuters)
• Time constraints

All universities are providing a range of options for participation but students are facing many barriers to uptake

Academic contexts

Opportunities to think about:

How the academic environment can build in social connection opportunities

How the academic staff can play a role in preventing loneliness among its students

• Departments

Societies

Convivial events (food!)

• Kind and supportive academic staff members
• Teaching approaches
• Small groups and cohorts BUT

• Varied experiences +ve, -ve, neutral (Inconsistency suggests opportunity)
• Context where come together ‘naturally’ and regularly with others with common interests and are ‘in it together’

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Course structure and composition

• Large groups and cohorts
• Few contact hours
• course but also cost of commuting
• Heavy/unpredictable workload
• Placement year
• Undergraduate vs postgraduate
• Feeling marginalised

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Role of academic staff

• Lecturing without interaction
• Inaccessible staff who do not support social connection (via teaching or advice)

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Despite being at the heart of student life, academic contexts are often not fostering social connection

Accommodation

Opportunities to think about:

How the student accommodation can be supported to build in social connection opportunities

How accommodation can play a role in preventing loneliness

How those living outside of halls can be brought together

• Halls as a main site for forming close relationships and networks quickly - especially useful for first years
• Proximity and shared space means unavoidable, natural, low effort, repeated interaction
• Catering means opportunity for low cost shared meal
• Opportunities for spontaneous social activity
• Easy access to campus based societies, events, social spaces etc
• BUT those living at home have support from existing networks

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Social dynamics

• Not all halls/flats are sociable
• Self-catering removes a social opportunity
• Feelings of exclusion if comfortable with ‘social norms’ of flatmates
• Can create cliques or silos that limit broader connections and bridging between groups

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Living at a distance

• Cost can force to live at home and/or further away
• Commuters are more lonely
• Distance, cost, safety means lack access to many societies and events
• Reduced opportunities to make/maintain relationships

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Students living outside halls and/or at a distance find it a common cause of disconnection . Those living ‘in’ can also experience barriers to connect more widely

• Some living on in uni or private halls on campus or close by
• Others living further away in private accommodation or at home
• Post grad students often have ‘own lives’ so living away not always such an issue

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Physical infrastructure - Places

Opportunities to think about:

How our common spaces could be configured for better connection between students?

How might we design interventions/activities to fit around those students who commute in for lectures/ seminars?

How we can better use digital platforms to engage with students and prevent loneliness

• Accessible bumping spaces for low key meeting up or meeting new people
• Venues for coming together at events or with others like me
• Spaces for structured interactions (sports, study)
• Right atmosphere can support organic socialising
• Proximity, navigable routes

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• Lecture theatres impersonal?
• Cost makes cafes and pubs exclusive
• Overcrowding and noise can send students elsewhere
• Layout - furniture
• Knowing what is available – inc signage
• More distant halls or split campus

Despite a large array of university spaces, they are not always as acting as good social infrastructure, helping student mix and meet

• Libraries, study areas
• SU, social hubs/common room, cafes, open spaces with general seating, hallways
• Departmental or society rooms, faith spaces
• Gyms and sports parks
• Outdoor informal spaces
• Off campus theatres, parks pubs, parks

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Physical infrastructure - Transport

Opportunities to think about:

How we might help mitigate the transport costs incurred by students

How might we design interventions/activities to fit around those students who commute in for lectures/ seminars?

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• Reliable transport links and shuttle buses enable access and attendance
• Shared journeys can help build social connection

Barriers

• Cost
• Timetables e.g. if infrequent or end early
• Distance and safety
• Consume time and energy

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Transport costs are a key cause of disconnection for commuter (poorer) students

• Transport needed for those who live at a distance and for those on split campuses

Implications

• Impacts attendance for social and academic activities
• Removes opportunities for spontaneous, repeated interactions with a range of university peers
• Limits possibilities for travelling elsewhere to socialise

Wellbeing/mental health support

Opportunities to think about:

How the wellbeing offer can be leveraged to destigmatise and normalise loneliness

How wellbeing can be a preventative measure, reaching students before crisis point

• Counselling
• Wellbeing hubs and events
• Chaplaincy
• Personal tutors or departmental pastoral staff
• Peer mentors

• Awareness and availability of support is helpful in itself
• Low pressure WB spaces/events offer useful info and opportunities for wider connection
• Useful for commuters, neurodiverse, international students
• Avoid stigma when have group events not labelled as MH support, counsellors at social events, regular pastoral contact

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Access and barriers

• Students not always aware of what is on offer
• Complex processes, criteria for help, time taken to access support
• Social needs not always taken seriously - secondary to academic
• Failing to coordinate support across contexts?
• Support badged as for mental health comes with a stigma
• Events and support not necc frequent enough or timetabled to be accessible to all

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Implications

• Determination needed
• Giving up and intensified loneliness
• Help never received (short courses)
• Failing to address lower level needs can mean intensification of difficulties

Low awareness and/or barriers to accessing support contribute to loneliness and mental health challenges

Communication, outreach and engagement

Opportunities to think about:

How comms to students can directly address and normalise loneliness?

How students could be supported to play outreach and connecting roles, so that ‘everyone’ knows someone?

How we can better use digital platforms to engage with students and prevent loneliness?

• Welcome fair, events, intro sessions and lectures
• Staffed stands at other times
• University, SU websites, emails, social media
• Societies’ social media
• Posters
• Departments - comms and social
• Volunteering
• Word of mouth and group chats

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• Effective publicity for social groups, activities, support
• Welcome week important for finding out about range of groups, opportunity to interact with organisers
• Physical comms important
• Active participation/ engagement helps you keep connected and in touch

Uneven or complex

• Over-focus of information/engagement during welcome week
• Information not getting through despite a range of channels
• Over-reliance on some methods (e.g. Instagram) excludes
• Some platforms not user-friendly, e-newsletters get lost
• Fragmented comms, complicated processes, lack of responsiveness are unwelcoming and make finding and access effortful - can lead to disengagement

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Unequal access

• Challenges for all but particularly for commuter students and international students
• Failure to reach/engage those who are shy, socially anxious, more introvert

Communication can feel inconsistent and lead to disengagement

Cost of living - ’If I had more money, I would be more social’ (RHUL student)

Opportunities to think about:

How transport costs can be offset for commuter students?

How more free/low cost/accessible opportunities for socialising can be provided to redress inequalities? �How the costs of being in societies can be addressed?

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• Most are affected but variation
• Some struggling to cover food and rent, and experiencing significant social exclusion
• Others money aware
• A few with no impact

Key costs

• Basics - Food, rent, transport
• Socialising (including societies!)

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• Solidarity of being in it together

Choices and impacts

• Double bind of needing to work part-time alongside study
• Limit social participation sometimes severely
• Can result in gradual exclusion/ missed opportunities to deepen social connections. OR fracturing of social groups along financial lines
• Skipping meals
• Transport costs impact finances and social participation (esp commuter students) - prioritise campus visits for lectures or saving money by watching lectures online (e.g. daily £11 TfL).
• Mental load of financial strain - causing stress and anxiety

Inequalities

• Some international students
• Commuter students living at a distance
• Those on intensive courses (no time for p/t jobs)

Versus

• Some international students
• Those living in halls with ‘bundled’ costs for food (shared meals), bills etc
• Those living on or close to campus
• Those living at home and/or with family support and/or studentship
• Those who can budget and/or who can socialise more cheaply

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There is a damage to participation and social relationships for those affected

CREATE LESS LONELY ENVIRONMENTS TO ENCOURAGE CONNECTION, BELONGING AND MINIMISE NUMBER WHO BECOME SEVERELY LONELY

REACH, ENGAGE AND SUPPORT THOSE WHO ARE SEVERELY LONELY

• Begin with brief input from your student peer researchers about
• what they think are standout findings from the research at your university
• and what action they most want from the university to address loneliness (5 minutes)
• Then group discussion:
• In light of findings you have heard, do you agree about what stands out as requiring action?
• What will be the easiest things to improve on?
• What is going to take more work?
• Who needs to be involved
• How can the university work collaboratively and meaningfully with students to address loneliness together?

Single university breakout rooms (35 minutes)

We will then come to plenary so please be ready to feedback from your group

Between now and our meeting on 30th January, please think about all the insights we have shared and opportunities there are for change. This is so we can come ready to co-design solutions with other colleagues in the working group and to come up with draft action plans. They can be high level as we will be transferring them onto post-its.

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Please think about ideas around

• Social groups, societies and events
• Accommodation
• Academic contexts
• Infrastructure: transport, places to mix and meet, digital
• Wellbeing and support

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Within this please think about the threads: Student background and inequalities; Cost of living; Role of everyone; Comms/reaching/engagement; Specific university context and culture

Working group homework: individual ideas

Thank you!