S09E06: Wellbeing and the class of 2025
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Who are the students in the class of 2025 and what are their wellbeing concerns?
Hello and welcome to Accommodation Matters. It's the busiest time of year for student accommodation, and everyone's working so hard to turn around thousands of rooms ready for the next cohort. But who are this year's students? What do they want? Every cohort is slightly different. They've had different experiences, they've had different expectations, and it's fair to say that the world is changing rapidly all around us. So how on earth do we meet the needs of the class of twenty five? Well, fortunately we have the applicant index to guide us and more importantly, an expert panel here in the studio to share their wisdom.
Hi, I'm Rebecca O'Hare, Assistant Director for Residence Life and the Accommodation Office at the University of Leeds.
I'm Nick Hillman, I'm director of HEPI, the Higher Education Policy Institute, which is an Oxford-based think tank.
I'm Becca Hayhurst, I'm head of resident experience at Unite Students.
So Nick, can I come to you first to talk about the survey data and its implications? So last year we saw some real downturns in applicant social and academic confidence. And this year things seem to have got back on track. What do you make of this?
Well, I I I think there are some real positives this year, as you rightly say. And of course it shows the value of a longitudinal survey like this one, because I think it's wonderful that you've been doing this survey now for a number of years. So you can build a picture of how different cohorts differ from one another. And I think there are is across the sector actually a number of reasons for positivity this year. And my explanation for it, which other people may have better explanations, is that I think COVID is now finally working its way out of the system. So people coming up to university this autumn did normal GCSEs, if we can put it like that, normal uh A levels, and had Yes, they did have their secondary school experience in their early phase disrupted by COVID, but less so than their older brothers and sisters.
So I hope we're getting back on an even keel. And I think that might explain some of the more positive elements of this year's data. So I think there are grounds for hope, but but we shouldn't be naive, should we? Because when you look, for example, I'm sure you want to come onto this, the proportion of students who It is still worryingly high, and there are some worrying signals in there too.
Mm, yeah, and we'll definitely get into that later, yeah. Nick, what has stood out to you this year in the Applicant Index? What was one of the the biggest takeaways for you?
Well, as you said, some of the main indicators seem to be moving slowly in a positive direction. But I think one of the interesting things about the analysis this year is looking at different groups of students. And it does look as if international students in particular are feeling more positive and free school meal kids, uh home students from poorer backgrounds are feeling um still their life's pretty tough. We've been talking at HEPI for a while now about a sort of bifurcation of the student experience. How I I know it was never quite like this, but there was a time when when you went to university, if you were rich or poor, your experience had a lot in common. And what I'm worried about, uh partly for positive reasons that we've expanded access to higher education is.
we cannot guarantee that all students are having a very similar experience. And I think that that comes through, even though this is a survey of applicants, people who haven't even arrived at university yet. It comes through in their expectations of what to what to expect. And I think that's something the universities and those who work with universities, including accommodation providers of course, need to bear in mind.
Mm-hmm. I think that was really interesting this year and we were looking at some of the data and thinking, Oh, things are quite good, you know, th things are great with applicants and then you take the international students out and then you think, Oh, no, no, it's not quite
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Who are the students in the class of 2025 and what are their wellbeing concerns?
0:04–5:32
2
What does the 2025 Applicant Index reveal about student confidence and post‑COVID optimism?
5:32–10:21
3
How are community, loneliness and the transition to a new city affecting student wellbeing?
10:21–15:46
4
What role can student accommodation play in reducing loneliness and building belonging?
15:46–21:19
5
How is the rise in part‑time work during term time reshaping student life and wellbeing?
21:19–26:13
6
How can accommodation providers adapt spaces and services for students who work alongside study?
26:13–31:25
7
What bold or ‘wacky’ ideas could dramatically improve student wellbeing and community?
31:25–36:18
8
What are the key take‑aways and future actions for universities and accommodation providers?
36:18–40:08
More from Unite Students Accommodation Matters
S09E05: Joint venture partnerships
S09E04: Refurbishments: Future-proofing student accommodation
S09E03: What does student satisfaction look like in 2025?
S09E02: Compassion - Student wellbeing’s newest buzzword
S09E01: Designing community in student accommodation
Bonus episode: What we know about the Class of 2024