The Covid-19 Pandemic has put significant strain on the mental health of students within higher education. According to recent Office of National Statistics research, almost two-thirds (63%) of students have said their mental health and well-being had deteriorated since the start of the autumn 2020 term.

Students whose living arrangements had changed since the beginning of this term said their well-being and mental health had deteriorated (71%, which was statistically substantially higher than students whose living arrangements had remained the same (62%).

In the same period, a third of students (33%) expressed dissatisfaction with their academic experience, and more than half (57%) expressed dissatisfaction with their social experience; this was a similar proportion as January 2021. Over a quarter (26%) of students reported feeling lonely often or always. This is compared with just 8% of the adult population.

The matter is at the forefront of the higher education agenda with the Government and integral higher education bodies including Universities UK and The Office for Students all issuing significant recent student health and wellbeing guidance and initiatives to best support students’ physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

This event will address the most pressing issues for the wellbeing and safety of higher education students’ that have emerged as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The event will discuss the means of supporting students by providing, health, wellbeing and hardship support, assessing effective safety and wellness policies and protocols, and making sure that students have the technology and capability to access learning.

Read the guest blog post: Tackling student loneliness during remote education delivery.

Access the research paper: Policy 'Meandering': The Influence of Mental Health and Well-being in Educational Policies.