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Higher Education blogs

‘Creating meaningful change’: A Living Black at University Conference

The Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University is delighted to announce that the Living Black at University Conference will be taking place in Newcastle on Tuesday 7th March 2023. This free one-day event is open to universities, accommodation providers, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) leads in the sector.

What new research is Unite Students working on in 2023?

Jenny Shaw explores what 2023 brings for Unite Students, including new research and resources to share with the Higher Education sector.

Supporting students in accommodation over the winter break

As the winter university break approaches, so does the inevitable narrative of students ‘returning home for Christmas’ – but what does that mean for those who remain in accommodation over the holiday? We explore some of the reasons why students stay in their accommodation over the festive season, best practice for inclusive operations and communications, and how Unite Students is supporting students over this period.

What are student accommodation marketing’s latest trends?

Jenny Shaw hosts two experts as they share their thoughts on marketing to students, including current data trends, the impact of cost of living, and the use of social media.

Meet our 3 regional Heads of Operations

We caught up with our three Head of Operations to find out about their journey into the student accommodation sector, how they manage operations across their patch, and their priorities for this academic year.

How can we reduce harm from student risk-taking behaviours?

What does the Higher Education sector need to know about student risk-taking behaviours, and how they can support students and reduce harm? Our expert sector panel speaks to Jenny Shaw.

5 sustainability lessons from Global Student Living Live 2022

For the first time since 2019, Global Student Living Live returned to the conference circuit, with this year’s event focused on sustainability in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA). Unite Students were in attendance to hear about everything from smart tech to bug burgers – so here are our key takeaways from the event.

Student accommodation: Home or hotel?

Accommodation Matters is back - and we’re kicking off the new series by looking at the intersection between student accommodation and the hospitality sector.

Support to Stay: Supporting student mental health at scale

Student mental health support is a shared challenge across the Higher Education sector, and a holistic, collaborative approach is fundamental to addressing it. Unite Students’ new student support framework, ‘Support to Stay’, aims to join up our student support services with those of our university partners.

Interview: Scotland’s changing student accommodation sector

In her 18 years in the Higher Education sector, Jo Blair has worked her way up to become one of Scotland’s foremost purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) experts. As she moves into a new role as Head of Quality and Standards at Unite Students, we caught up with her about her new role, her experiences working with the Scottish government, and what the future holds for the Scottish PBSA market.

How can we use data to improve Black students’ experience?

The July meeting of the Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University explored how knowledge and data could be better harnessed to meet the needs of Black students and staff.
09/08/2022
Podcasts

Preparing for 2022’s new students

Our latest episode of Accommodation Matters explores the findings of our recent applicant survey in more detail, including what this means on the ground, what the sector is doing to prepare for their arrival, and some areas of focus for the future.

What do we know about the UK’s postgraduate students?

The UK’s postgraduate population exploded during the pandemic – but who are they, and what are some of the policy pressures around this demographic? This blog has been kindly contributed by Dr Diana Beech, Chief Executive Officer of London Higher – the representative body for over 40 universities and higher education colleges in London.

What your university needs to know about the class of 2022

Who are 2022’s applicants, and what do they need at university? With a view to starting to answer to these questions, Unite Students is delighted to share our inaugural Applicant Index report, available for download now.
19/07/2022
Blogs

In Conversation with… Dr Alexis Brown

The latest episode of our In Conversation mini-series stars Dr Alexis Brown, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Higher Education Policy Institute. She shares her thoughts on what the Higher Education sector's current challenges are, part-time and lifelong learning opportunities, and student wellbeing, as well as her own experiences of studying in the US and the UK.

Living Black at University: Meet the Commissioners

The Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University launched in April to effect sector-wide change in improving Black students’ accommodation experience. Representing sector bodies, charities and universities who are already running projects to improve the Black student experience, here are the Commissioners making this work happen.

Widening access to Higher Education through student accommodation

This is the story of our role in making the Unite Foundation’s amazing work possible.

What you need to know about postgraduate accommodation

Who are the UK's postgraduates? What do they want from their accommodation? And what are the challenges they face in accessing it? We delve into the topic of postgraduate accommodation with help from expert sector guests.

Interview: A more collaborative approach to student support

In January, Becca Hayhurst joined the organisation as our new Head of Student Support. We caught up with Becca to find out how she’s finding her role, what she’s been up to since joining, and details of our new student support strategy.

Living Black at University Commission: themes from our first meeting

The Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University recently held its first in-person meeting in Birmingham, on the topic of integration – here are some of the key themes that emerged from the meeting.

How can we better prepare students for university living?

Data shows that students’ expectations for university life don’t meet with their experience. So what can the Higher Education sector do to bridge the gap and better reflect the reality of student living to prospective applicants?

In Conversation with… Hillary Gyebi-Ababio

Jenny Shaw speaks to Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, outgoing Vice President for Higher Education at the National Union of Students (NUS), about students, community and her time at NUS.

‘In Conversation’: A new Higher Education podcast mini-series

This summer, Unite Students is launching ‘In Conversation’: a podcast mini-series, showcasing in-depth discussions with 3 Higher Education sector experts about their experiences, sector insights, and what they anticipate for the future. Jenny Shaw, Higher Education External Engagement Director and series host, shares more.

Belonging: How we’re creating room for everyone at Unite Students

A sense of belonging is essential to a positive working and living experience, underpinned by factors including equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and wellbeing. As such, Unite Students is shifting away from the phrase ‘EDI’ and towards new language which more precisely captures the holistic nature of inclusion.

HEPI Annual Conference: 6 takeaways for student accommodation

Jenny Shaw, Higher Education External Engagement Director, attended the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI)’s annual conference on 9th June – here are her key takeaways for the student accommodation sector.
07/06/2022
Podcasts

What can UK accommodation providers learn from overseas PBSA?

What does student accommodation look like in different markets, and how does the UK’s provision differ from the US and Australia? Learn more from the lively, informative discussion in this month’s episode of Accommodation Matters.

What you need to know about the widening student gender money gap

Following on from our recent cost of living research, Vivi Friedgut – Founder and CEO of Blackbullion – explores an unexpected finding from their Student Money & Wellbeing report, published this year.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2022: Being there for estranged LGBTQ+ students

Family estrangement is sadly all too common for LGBTQ+ students. For Mental Health Awareness Week 2022, Fiona Ellison - Director of the Unite Foundation - shares what the Foundation is doing to support estranged and care experienced LGBTQ+ students, and what Higher Education institutions can do to support their mental health and wellbeing.

What’s next for the future of student mental health?

We take a deep-dive into current student mental health trends, the latest thinking in the student support sector, and what this means for the future of student mental health.

5 ways to help students feel they belong in their accommodation

In the second of a two-part series, Jenny Shaw – Higher Education External Engagement Director at Unite Students – offers her insights into helping students to feel a sense of belonging in their accommodation.

Doing more for Muslim students in UK student accommodation

With the number of Muslim students in the UK likely to grow in the coming years, we look at what challenges they face, and how we’re supporting our Muslim community at Cambrian Point, Cardiff, to celebrate Ramadan.

Supporting LGBTQ+ students at National Student Pride

Unite Students was proud to be a Gold Sponsor of National Student Pride, the UK’s biggest LGBT+ student event, last weekend (8-10th April). Here’s what we did at the event, why we did it, and what we’re doing to support LGBTQ+ students and employees here at Unite.

“It’s a bit scary”: Risk, belonging and higher education

A new Social Market Foundation report, sponsored by Unite Students, outlines how social patterning can influence prospective students' choice to go to university. Jenny Shaw, Higher Education External Engagement Director at Unite Students, outlines how the risk of not belonging can also affect the choice to go to university, and the impact that familiar, trusted careers advice can have on this.

What does the cost of living crisis mean for students?

The current UK cost of living crisis is affecting everyone, and students are no exception. Three experts share what the sector needs to know about the current situation, including our new survey data on the topic.

Accommodation Matters S04E02: The rising cost of living

Our latest episode of Accommodation Matters delves into the big topic of the moment - the cost of living crisis, and what it means for students and their accommodation.

Leading the sector: My ASRA manifesto

Sarah Reynolds, Area Manager at Unite Students, is the new chair of ASRA. Here, she outlines her sector experience, why she put herself forward for the role, and what her plans are for ASRA.

What does student accommodation look like for Gen Z?

Adapted from a presentation given at the 2022 ASRA Conference this week by Pin Yiong and Victoria Simmons, intrapreneur Ericka Yabut outlines some of the key characteristics of Gen Z, how this drives what they want from student accommodation, and what we’re doing to accommodate this.

Combatting loneliness through our Winter Wellbeing campaign

Jenny Dalzell – Student Support Manager at Unite Students – shares some insights from our recent Winter Wellbeing campaign against loneliness.

How has the LGBTQ+ student experience changed over time?

Unite Students is proud to share that we are sponsors of National Student Pride for 2022. As part of LGBT History Month, founder Tom Guy and colleague Celine share their experiences of being LGBTQ+ students at university 14 years apart, what has changed since then, and why National Student Pride was founded.

Accommodation Matters S04E01: Living Black at University

Accommodation Matters is back for 2022 with a new season! In this first instalment, we share the highlights of our Living Black at University launch event and discussion panel.

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