Whether your child is exploring university options, preparing to go or has recently started, you may be wondering how easily they'll make friends and settle in. Findings in new research about loneliness and belonging at university may surprise you.

The first few hours at university can be very different from one student to another. One might be welcomed straight into a Freshers' event, while another arrives to an almost empty corridor and barely meets anyone until the following day. Even students who've been looking forward to university for months can find saying goodbye unexpectedly difficult.

Students also arrive with their own expectations. Some may have spent years hoping to attend a particular university, while others might be adjusting to an unexpected change of plans. Their personality, background and previous experiences will also influence how they approach making friends. For parents, saying goodbye can be emotional too. But those first impressions don't tell us everything about how a student will experience university life.

Loneliness isn't necessarily something that begins at university. The Advance HE research pilot published in April 2026 gathered responses from more than 5,500 incoming undergraduates across 15 English institutions. A subsequent HEPI analysis found that 14.2% of UK-domiciled undergraduate respondents reported often feeling lonely, while a further 36.3% felt lonely some of the time. The 2026 Student Academic Experience Survey offers a different perspective. Of more than 10,000 full-time undergraduate respondents, 66% agreed that they felt a sense of belonging at their university, including 20% who strongly agreed.

Although the surveys measure different experiences, they offer two useful reminders for parents. Some young people are already experiencing loneliness before university begins, and meeting people doesn't automatically mean feeling a sense of belonging.

Your child might get along well with their flatmates but feel isolated on their course. Equally, they might have made good friends through their studies but struggle to find people to socialise with outside lectures. Feeling comfortable in one part of university life doesn't necessarily mean feeling that everything else is going well.

If your child hasn't started university yet, it's worth thinking about where they've previously felt most comfortable socially. Do they tend to make friends through shared interests, working alongside others or spending time in smaller groups? When researching universities or attending open days, you can use this knowledge to ask how students get to know one another on their course, whether peer mentoring schemes are available and what alternatives there are to large social events.

Some universities also offer early-arrival or transition programmes for students with additional support needs, helping them become familiar with their surroundings and prepare for university life. If your child might benefit from this, it's worth asking the university's disability support team what programmes are available, who is eligible and how to apply.