15/07/2024 Higher Education blogs Applicant Index 2024: Joe Lister’s foreword Joe Lister, Unite Students’ Chief Executive, shares his thoughts on our 2024 Applicant Index[...]

Joe Lister, Unite Students' Chief Executive, shares his thoughts on our 2024 Applicant Index report - and how he's seen some of the findings play out within his own family.

This is a challenging time for young people taking their early steps into adult life. We are all of us living through a period of change in which political and financial issues continue to unfold across the globe, some of which have already escalated into conflict. What is more, for many of this year's applicants the Covid pandemic affected their learning and social development at a critical time, their early teens.

Against this backdrop the decision to go on to higher education, and the preparation for that transition, seems to be less straightforward. This year's Applicant Index - which tracks the attitudes and needs of higher education applicants - illustrates some of these tensions and concerns, but it also provides evidence of a resilient and pragmatic cohort of new students who are already taking strategic decisions in the face of challenge. This year we have invited applicants to tell us in their own words about the impact of the financial situation and the Covid pandemic on their lives and decisions, and these comments can be both challenging and moving.

I see these tensions playing out for my youngest daughter who has just finished her A-levels. Unlike her older sisters, going to university does not feel like a straightforward choice for her and she has been weighing up her options carefully. Compared to my other daughters the decision seems to be much more complicated and uncertain, and the data presented in this report shows that she is far from alone.

Overall financial confidence is lower among this year's applicants, and a greater proportion say that financial issues are affecting their mental health. The cost of living while at university is a particular concern for them, as it is for us. However, there is some upside to this: applicants are already taking steps to address the challenge, with the majority of them working part time, and this has led to a greater confidence about their employability.

This year we have seen a further rise in those who have missed school or college due to their mental health. This sits alongside a drop in academic and social confidence compared to last year. There is also a persistent fear among applicants that they won't fit in at university, and yet we know that a sense of belonging is important for both learning and wellbeing. It is clear from the data that some groups of students already feel at a disadvantage before they even start their course, and the differences between socioeconomic groups are especially striking.

These inequalities, not all of which are obvious, require careful attention from us all. It may be made easier by the greater propensity of applicants to share their data with the higher education sector this year. This is particularly the case for the higher rates of sharing sexuality data, which speaks of a higher level of trust and the expectation of an inclusive approach.

The Applicant Index has been designed to provide useful insights for all those working with applicants and students to support positive change. I know from my conversations with university leaders that our Insight programme has already inspired some ground-breaking initiatives across the UK. Above all, I hope its impact will be felt by new students themselves, and it is with this in mind I am delighted to present this year's report.

Download the 2024 Applicant Index now.

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