Mental health decline, miscommunication, increasing academic pressure… We have observed a number of alarming trends in the higher education sector over the past few years. And it’s not over. Student loneliness statistics have never been higher. Social isolation is increasing in higher education. What does the situation look like and how can we help students?

What do we mean by “social isolation”? 

Oxford Reference defines social isolation as “a condition in which an individual lacks connections to family, friends, or others and lacks access to a social support system. Socially isolated people are more vulnerable than others to many conditions, including psychosocial problems and complications when they experience conditions that render them housebound”.

Loneliness is a common problem among higher education students, especially for those who are beginning their first year. This feeling is often linked to homesickness, anxiety, and depression.

"Loneliness is among the most compromising feelings a person can experience," explains Matt Glowiak, PhD, LCPC, a licensed professional counsellor in Illinois. "Because many negative feelings associated with it are internalised, many students do not readily speak to the issue, as they feel embarrassed or ashamed."

There are many reasons why students might experience loneliness: 

• Leaving home and having to develop new friendships can be challenging
• Social media is sometimes a huge contributor to student loneliness
• Online gaming and other online escapes will easily get in the way of connecting with others

Some key stats about the situation in Europe 

• In the EU, the share of 18-25 year olds who report feeling lonely is four times higher in April-July 2020 than in 2016¹
• In Iceland, 27% of students feel a lack of contact with many students²
• In the UK, 59% of students often feel lonely³
• In the Netherlands, 70% of international students struggle with loneliness⁴

How to prevent and cope with student loneliness?  

• Create supportive campus communities: research has shown that the more active students are in outside activities, the better their academics will be⁵. You can encourage them to participate in the campus life by designing residential life programmes, promoting student clubs and establishing mentorship programmes.
• Offer accessible mental health services and counselling on everything from mindfulness to coping skills. Group settings can help students normalise their feelings and develop connections with others.
• Use technology to engage your students: develop virtual communities and design hybrid learning experiences to accommodate different preferences and needs
• Encourage faculty to be approachable and supportive, promoting office hours and open communication to help students with academic and personal concerns
• Provide training for staff members on reconising signs of social isolation and referring 
• Give tips and resources to the students’ parents: discuss reasonable expectations, hear them out instead of trying to fix things, stay in contact, etc. 

Do you want to know more about the student crisis? 

📢 Join our webinar on November 20th at 11am GMT. Together with our partner the University of Birmingham, we’ll talk about how to address this crisis and best support students during challenging times. Register here.

💡 For more stats and resources on the topic, visit our website.

¹ European Commission, July 2021

²  eurostudent.eu, January 2022

³ BBC News, June 2022

⁴ NL Times, February 2022

⁵ National Center for Education Statistics