Unite/Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) Unite Students Applicant Index 2023

The report is based on a survey held in May this year with 2,141 respondents who were planning to start university in the 2023/24 academic year. The sample has been constructed and weighted to be broadly representative of the applicant population as a whole. The index provides a cohort score out of 100 (a high index score is indicative of a positive response) to 36 questions covering nine themes; finance, social, community, wellbeing, resilience, sustainability, learning, employment and independence. A HEPI webinar discussion on the report findings can be accessed here.

The full report can be found here

At-a-glance:

• This year’s applicants have a greater level of confidence and wellbeing compared to last year’s. The cohort is less anxious, though levels of anxiety have not dropped back to pre-pandemic levels. They are more likely to feel that their activities are worthwhile and more likely to report feeling loved (p18)
• Black students have a higher overall wellbeing score than any other ethnic group, driven by a higher level of happiness, higher feeling of being loved and a stronger belief that they are capable of making decisions. Applicants from socio-economic groups C2DE have lower wellbeing scores (p19)
• Overall resilience scores are higher than in 2022. This year’s applicants are a little clearer about their goals and more likely to take on short term discomfort for long term gain. Care experienced and estranged applicants, LGB+ applicants, neurodivergent applicants and those with a mental health condition have lower scores in this area (p25)
• Mental health issues are the most common disability, relating to just under a fifth (19%) of applicants, roughly comparable with last year (20%). Mental health conditions are much more likely among LGBTQ+ applicants, with over a third of LGB+ (36%) and half of Trans applicants having a mental health condition (p20)
• One in five (18%) applicants with a disability say they have no plans to disclose to their university. They are more likely to be applicants with a mental health condition and/or to be neurodivergent (p20)
• Almost a third of respondents reported that they had missed some school or college because of mental health issues. This proportion is higher among LGBTQ+ applicants. While it was most common to miss a week or less, 1 in 14 of all applicants had missed over 20 days of school because of their mental health (p24)
• Despite the cost of living crisis, financial confidence is higher than it was last year. This year’s applicants are also more likely to believe that they have family and friends that they can reach out to for financial support. However, responses on finance were less optimistic for certain groups, including those in lower socio-economic groups, women and black and Asian applicants. More than a third said that financial issues are affecting their mental health, rising to 44 per cent of applicants in lower socio-economic groups (p13)
• Social confidence is higher than it was last year. Current applicants are more positive about their relationships with friends, family and other students, and more likely to think they have people they can turn to in a crisis. However, half of applicants are anxious about fitting in at university. This anxiety is more acute among applicants who are female, White, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, and those with a mental health condition (p14)
• Most applicants (81%) believe they will be safe at university. However, less likely to feel safe are Black (72%) and Asian (75%) applicants (p23)
• Compared to last year, this year’s applicants scored more positively on academic confidence, although more than a third (35%) believe they will struggle to keep up with others on their course. Female applicants score more positively than male applicants in this area. Applicants from minority ethnic groups score somewhat lower, as do less well off applicants (p28)
• New questions on living independently show overall confidence is relatively high but not universal. One in ten applicants are not confident about making decisions for themselves; 14% are not confident about living independently; and 20% do not know where to go to register with a GP. Applicants from fee paying schools, those from more affluent households and those who have undertaken paid work in the last year feel more confident about living independently (30)
• Scores on sustainability have decreased, perhaps surprising given that Generation Z are assumed to be passionate about climate change. Only 58 per cent believe their actions have an impact on tackling climate change (p27)

Implications for governance:

The Unite/HEPI survey provides universities with a useful snapshot of the range of perceptions of applicants who are due to enrol in the autumn.

One implication of the findings is that some groups – such as C2DE, LGB+ and trans, care leavers, estranged students, ethnic minority students, neurodivergent and/or those with a disability or health condition - may need more input or target support in areas like induction, developing a sense of belonging, reassurances about safety, mental health and wellbeing and academic challenges.

While responses to the questions on wellbeing look more positive than in last year’s report, there is still a sizable minority of applicants reporting mental health issues. This raises the prospect of intakes with higher academic support requirements, as well as wellbeing and mental health needs, both of which have resource and workforce implications.

In the HEPI webinar discussion on the report, Professor Nona McDuff, Pro-Vice Chancellor for student experience at London Metropolitan University, emphasised the importance of connecting up academic and professional services to ensure students are supported holistically.

Panel member Samantha Bronheim, union affairs officer at Manchester University Student's Union and a governor at the university, said that academic tutors need support and training to be able to handle and signpost students who come to them with wellbeing issues.

As in previous years, universities are grappling with the difficulties of planning, with a sizable number of students choosing not to declare their health issue. The most common reasons given for non-disclosure are that applicants do not think it will make a difference, or are not formally diagnosed. However, a few think it will affect their chances of getting a place or don’t want their family to know - points on which universities can reassure them.

According to the report, lower scores in many of the themes for LGBTQ+ and trans applicants suggests there is a further need to create and communicate a welcoming and inclusive environment. This is also true for black and Asian applicants who are less likely to feel they will be safe on campus. Equally more work may need to be done to engage with care experienced and estranged applicants, who are least likely to believe that there will be people like them at their chosen university. Webinar panel members highlighted the importance of co-creating any support strategies or initiatives with the student groups themselves.

Governors will note that more than around a fifth of applicants do not feel confident about access to external support such as healthcare or registering with a GP. These are concerning findings given the sizable numbers reporting mental health issues. More information, advice and guidance could be put in place to address this. Only 64 per cent are confident about managing conflict with housemates, which suggests an opportunity to help develop these skills, or ensure signposting to services that can help, as part of the transition and settling in period for those moving into halls or shared housing.

Despite cost of living pressures, applicants feel more positive than those last year about their finances. It may be that this optimism diminishes quite quickly once the reality of living on a budget starts to bite, however. Universities and governors are well aware of the impact the cost of living crisis has had on students and many have put measures in place to try and mitigate the worst effects.

More student than ever are getting part time jobs to try to make ends meet. While there are some concerns that too much paid work can be detrimental to studying and wellbeing, the Unite survey points to a number of positives emerging from experiences of employment. Applicants who have had paid work are more likely to feel confident that they will cope with living independently, have higher expectations of being part of a community, have higher resilience scores and are more optimistic about their future employment prospects. Governors may wish to consider to what extent and in what ways their institution supports students seeking paid work while studying.