According to Universities UK’s Minding Our Future report, the number of students who drop out of university because of mental health problems has more than trebled in recent years. Another report, by the IPPR, highlights that 94 percent of universities have seen a sharp increase in the number of people trying to access support services. It’s clear that we could all be doing a lot more to improve student wellbeing.
Today, I’m pleased to announce that Student.com is supporting Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity. The aim of our partnership is simple: to help the UK’s student accommodation providers, large and small, prioritise mental health.
Our partnership draws on Student Minds’ expertise in mental health training and resources, and Student.com’s UK landlord network. In the UK, we list more than 150,000 beds across almost 700 properties in over 60 towns and cities, and we encourage every landlord we work with to get involved in the opportunities we’ll be creating with Student Minds.
Since day one of Student.com, peace of mind — one of our company values — has been at the core of our mission to help students find their perfect student rooms. We’re firm believers in the positive impact that a safe and supportive home can have on a student’s academic life and overall student wellbeing. Our accommodation partners know this just as well, if not better, than we do.
In fact, mental health is a top priority for a growing number of our accommodation partners. We’re proud to join the ranks of Global Student Accommodation and CRM Students — both are existing supporters of Student Minds and are passionate about all-things student wellbeing. And there are plenty of other examples of providers, such as Fresh Student Living and Campus Living Villages, to name a few, who deliver impactful wellbeing initiatives — from fundraising to roundtables, resources and research.
On a national-level, there’s definitely room for us to do more. We look forward to helping providers with existing initiatives share their experiences and best practices through our network, inspiring other landlords across the country to help transform the state of student mental health.
Later this year, our partnership will see us host the UK’s first mental health conference specifically for student accommodation providers. The conference will draw on findings and recommendations from Student Minds’ Student Living Report, funded by the UPP Foundation. We’ll also be surveying our network of accommodation providers to gain further insights into the mental health-related challenges they face.
I’m incredibly excited about what we can achieve by collaborating with Student Minds and our accommodation partners. By working together to raise awareness and tackle problems, I’m confident that we will help make a positive difference.
– Luke Nolan, Founder and CEO, Student.com
If you work for a student accommodation provider and would like to join our Wellbeing Mailing List, simply drop an email to: wellbeing-network@student.com