A NEW study has revealed the scale of loneliness among students as more than half 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 are lonely or isolated at university often, with 37 per cent also feeling that way occasionally.

The findings also show that 43 per cent of students in halls feel isolated where they live, while 44 per cent find it hard to make friends where they live.

When choosing where to live, 79 per cent of both current and prospective students said access to mental health or wellbeing support would help.

Forty one per cent of students say the design or layout of their accommodation makes it harder to meet people, and more than half report the cost of their accommodation limits social activities.

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

• ‘I struggle to meet people outside my flat/room’ – 45 per cent;

• ‘I spend most of my time studying or working’ – 39 per cent;

• ‘I don’t know anyone I live with’ – 29 per cent;

• ‘Noise or environment puts me off socialising’ – 26 per cent;

• ‘Not feeling part of a community’ – 25 per cent.

While most students agree their accommodation offers good communal spaces, 70 per cent continue to experience isolation - showing that physical spaces alone are not enough to build genuine community.

Seventy-nine per cent 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 per cent 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 prioritise wellbeing and inclusion by embedding mental health support into the very fabric of student living.

The campaign is specifically calling for every UK halls 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 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’.