New students defy expectations as they look forward to independence with confidence

Unite Students’ 2025 Applicant Index finds that 2025/26 starters are arriving at university ready to move away from home and find their independence as they balance studying, socialising and work.

• 74% feel confident about living independently at university
• 72% want to be active in the student community
• 16% say that moving away from home is a top motivation for going to university, an increase of 5 percentage points versus 2019
• 70% are confident they’ll get the job they want after graduating
• 89% of students expect to work during term-time

London, 8 June – New research, revealed today by Unite Students and conducted in partnership with Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), challenges the prevailing post-COVID view that students are worried about going to university and the challenges they may face in doing so.

Unite Students’ 2025 Applicant Index

Instead, the 2025 Unite Students Applicant Index highlights that the students starting university this year are more resilient than in recent years, have confidence in their ability to manage finances, show a desire to live independently, and whose wellbeing has surpassed pre-COVID levels for the first time since the pandemic.

Why go to university?

Gaining life experience and independence has long been seen as a key part of the rationale for going to university, however, this has waned in recent years as cost-of-living pressures and concerns about student debt have pushed more students to focus on the long-term career benefits of getting a degree. This year’s findings suggest that this trend is beginning to reverse.

When looking at the motivations for going to university, gaining a higher level of education (44%), needing a degree to get their preferred job (39%), and interest in their chosen subject (33%) remain the most popular reasons, however, they are all in decline versus 2019. Conversely, 29% say that they are motivated to go to university to gain more independence (+2% versus 2019), and 16% say that it is so that they can move away from home (+5% versus 2019).

Regarding jobs, there is also significant confidence here, too. Seven in ten (70%) say that they are confident of getting the job that they want after university, whilst a further 71% believe that they have the skills and experience that employers want.

Joe Lister, CEO, Unite Students, said, “The UK has a world-renowned higher education sector that has played an essential role in educating and developing successive generations of young people. This is a significant moment, not only for their education but also for their independence and adult identity. These first months away from home can set the tone for their adult life. It is for all these reasons and more that I am reassured by this year’s Applicant Index results.

“Students starting higher education this autumn will be more independent than those that came before them and their overall wellbeing higher. Having seen my three daughters benefit from their own experiences in higher education, I believe in the power of an on-campus education where they have been able to grow, extend their horizons and make friends and networks that will last throughout their lives.”

Finding a new confidence

After falling in 2024, student’s financial confidence has returned to levels seen in 2023. The number that are confident in their ability to budget and manage their money (62%) has risen 5 percentage points, whilst those that say that they have enough money to cover all their costs whilst at university (48%) has also increased (+2%).

In line with this, students display a high level of confidence in their ability to live independently and handle issues on their own. Almost three quarters (74%) of students say that they feel confident about living independently at university, whilst a further 77% say that they are confident making decisions for themselves and 73% agree that they can handle study and accommodation issues on their own.

Moreover, this is the first year since the COVID pandemic that student wellbeing has been higher than pre-pandemic levels. Wellbeing is measured according to the ONS Standard Wellbeing Measures (life satisfaction, life worthwhile, happiness, and low anxiety), and this shift encapsulates how these new students are approaching university more assured and ready to find their way in the world.

“What we’re seeing is a new cohort of students that are not just surviving post-COVID, they have a self-assuredness and resilience that should give them, universities and parents confidence” said Becca Hayhurst, Head of Resident Experience, Unite Students.

“What is important is that universities and accommodation providers deliver the infrastructure and support that lets this independence flourish. It’s for exactly these reasons that are expanding our Resident Ambassador initiative to create vibrant communities in our halls that help forge social bonds and lifelong friendships.

“We are also very aware of the infamous ‘Wobble Week’ that students experience in their first term, which is why we continue to invest in our Support to Stay programme that gives new students the information and assistance they need to settle in and find that sense of belonging that is a springboard for the rest of their time at university.”

Striking a balance between work and play

The report paints a clear picture of the balance that students are now having to strike between studying, socialising, and working.

When thinking about their lives at university, 72% agree that they want to be an active part of the student community and 74% agree that they expect to feel welcome at university. Moreover, 82% say that they are looking forward to making friends from different backgrounds, whilst building skills such as confidence and independence (30%) and making new friends (30%) are the topmost things that students are looking forward to.

On the studying front, we see a mixed picture that captures some of the natural apprehension that applicants experience before starting university. More than four in ten (41%) say that they think they will struggle to keep up with other students on their course, yet more than twice as many (83%) are confident that they will complete their course and a further 82% believe they will learn the skills and knowledge needed for their course.

The data also shows how students expect to undertake paid work whilst they study. More than a fifth (22%) expect to work up to 8 hours a week during term time, with a further 32% expecting to work up to 16 hours per week.

Becca said, “We see first-hand just how hard students work, both in and outside of the lecture hall, whilst also making the most of the wider student experience that university offers. Students are approaching striking this balance with a sense of pragmatism, and this is something that we are very conscious of supporting by ensuring that our halls have the spaces they need to study, recuperate and socialise so that residents can get the most out of their time.”

Notes to Editors

This year’s report is available to download here from 12.01am on Tuesday 8 July 2025.

Now in its fourth year, The Applicant Index 2025, conducted in collaboration with the Higher Education Policy Institute, is the only report that provides year-on-year tracking of applicant’s attitudes and experience across nine themes.

The Applicant Index is based on a survey of 2,331 higher education applicants planning to start an undergraduate degree or degree apprenticeship in the 2025-26 academic year.

The nine key themes include finance, social engagement, community, wellbeing, resilience, learning, employment, independence and sustainability. The survey uses the NRS Social Grade system for socioeconomic categorisation and is weighted by gender and sexuality, socioeconomic group, school type and age to ensure a representative snapshot of the applicant population.

For Unite Students’ enquiries, please contact the press office on 0117 4506300 or email: press.office@unitestudents.com

About Unite Students

Unite Students is the UK’s largest owner, manager, and developer of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA).

With more than 150 properties in 23 leading university towns and cities, Unite Students is home to around 70,000 students, living predominantly in en-suite study bedrooms with rents covering bills, insurance, and 24-hour security.

Driven by a common purpose: to provide a ‘Home for Success’ to live, work and invest, Unite Students is committed to raising standards in the student accommodation sector with the support of over 60 university partners.

Founded in 1991 in Bristol, the Unite Group is an award-winning Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange.

For more information, visit Unite Group’s corporate website www.unitegroup.com or the Unite Students’ site www.unitestudents.com.

About HEPI

HEPI was established in 2002 to influence the higher education debate with evidence. We are UK-wide, independent and non-partisan. We are funded by organisations and higher education institutions that wish to support vibrant policy discussions, as well as through our own events. HEPI is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity.