Research, insight & updates

On the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first official pride march, we’ve caught up with two of our LGBTQ+ employees to understand what working at Unite Students in 2022 means for them.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

In June, we welcomed nine interns to Unite Students as part of our partnership with 10,000 Black Interns.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Growth in student numbers in the UK shows no sign of abating. Students need homes, and many live in Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs), putting pressure on local housing. With HMOs in London containing an average of 2.5 people, a new 1,000-bed student accommodation scheme would potentially free up 400 homes. This is the scale of the problem that purpose-built student accommodation providers could solve.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the social, economic and cultural achievements of all women. Here, five Unite Students employees provide an insight – in their own words - into their experiences of gender equality.

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

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 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.

Third-year Journalism student David shares, in his own words, how his university experience has been influenced by his race.

With the second term in full swing, we spoke to some of our Resident Ambassador Champions to find out more about some of the events that Resident Ambassadors have run so far this academic year, and what they’ve got planned for the year ahead.

Today, Unite Students has published ‘Living Black at University’, major new research looking into Black students’ experience in UK student accommodation, commissioned by Unite Students and carried out by Halpin Partnership. Here’s an overview of what you need to know about the report, and where you can find out more.

Designed to support sustainability within our buildings, business and the wider communities in which we operate, Positive Impact provides an opportunity to work closely with our university partners on community initiatives.

Kerry Watson, Student Support Manager, shares some insight into loneliness and how we’re aiming to tackle it over January and February.

We caught up with Leeds-based Residence Life Warden Jan Spalek about his experience of living alongside students at Clarence Dock Village, his insights into creating community through student events, and the clamour for in-person events following the disruption of Covid-19.

The latest episode of Accommodation Matters is now live, and this month, we’re sharing a very special episode: a takeover by the Unite Foundation, in which the panel discusses the university experiences of estranged and care-experienced students.

We look back over some of Unite Students' most-read articles of 2021 and what they say about Higher Education's priorities across the year.

Jenny Shaw, our Higher Education External Engagement Director, attended and spoke at this year’s Property Week Student Accommodation Conference. Here are her key takeaways from the event – as well as three insights we shared.

2021 marks Unite Students’ 30th anniversary. From humble beginnings in Bristol to the UK’s largest provider of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), based in 25 cities across England, Scotland and Wales, it’s been quite a journey. We've put together a list of 30 milestones we’re most proud of over the last three decades, and spoken to three former residents to find out what it was like to live with us and what they’ve gone on to do since graduating.

Ahead of the launch of our net-zero carbon pathway, James Tiernan - Head of Energy and Environment at Unite Students - shared some of our plans for decarbonising hot water at CUBO’s Winter Conference 2021.

In our feature series A Day in the Life Of…, we introduce some of our people on the front lines at Unite Students, working to make students’ accommodation experience the best it can be. Chaquile Damoah, a London-based Service and Sales Advisor, tells us more about his role, as well as some stories from his time on reception.

Our latest episode of Accommodation Matters is now live. This month, we’re taking a deep dive into the role of parents within Higher Education, how this has changed over time, and what this means for students, universities and accommodation providers.

15-19 November is Transgender Awareness Week. Garnet Fox, Service and Safety Advisor in Liverpool, shares their experience of being a trans employee at Unite Students, the current risks they face, and the very real consequences that discrimination can bring.