15/07/2024 Press releases Research reveals new optimism among university applicants for post-graduation job prospects This year’s university applicants are more confident about[...]

• Two in five university applicants say they are very confident about landing the job they want after graduating, while 63% of this year's university applicants are confident they will get the position they desire
• However, 36% of applicants reported being absent from school due to their mental health
• The Unite Students 2024 Applicant Index asks students about their lives before they attend university and is a unique snapshot into the needs, wants and level of preparation among school-leavers heading to university this autumn.

This year's university applicants are more confident about their job prospects after graduating than at any other time since the pandemic, according to new research.

The Unite Students 2024 Applicant Index - a UK survey which asks students about their lives before they attend university and tracks changing attitudes year-on-year - reveals two in five (40%) strongly agree they are confident about getting the job they desire after graduation, up six percentage points (pp) from last year. In total, 63% are confident about their employability after graduation, up from 61% in 2023.

This is likely due to this year's cohort having more work experience - 52% of 2024 applicants believe they have a lot of work experience compared to 47% in 2023. A substantial majority (70%) have been in paid part-time work over the last two years, a 2pp rise from last year (68%).

The confidence in employability has risen despite a year-on-year rise of 6pp in school absences due to mental health, and applicants being less confident about their general life skills.

More than a third (36%) of applicants say they have been absent from school due to their mental health, with almost one in ten having been absent for four or more weeks. Among those who have been absent because of this, 43% of them think they will likely miss lectures at university.

When it comes to specific practical life skills like cooking, laundry, cleaning and relationship skills - such as managing conflict or helping a friend in distress - this year's cohort are less confident than last year. The latter may reflect 2023's cohort spending more time at home during the pandemic.

Half of this year's applicants say they have learned practical life skills from their parents. More than two-thirds (69%) feel confident about their independence (including self-assurance related to starting university and accessing support).

There is also a 5pp increase in UK applicants making sacrifices to live more sustainably (53% compared to 48% in 2023). Unite Students is committed to becoming net zero carbon across its operations and developments by 2030.

Over a quarter of all UK applicants - 27% - identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Pansexual or Non-Binary. Two-thirds say they will share this information with their university, compared to just over half in 2023. Unite Students aims to be a leader on student inclusion, wellbeing, and success through its student support framework, 'Support to Stay'.

Building on the launch of its successful student support team in 2015, Unite Students updated its framework and in 2022 announced Support to Stay, which aims to provide students with a supportive living environment, whatever difficulties they are experiencing.

Unite Students employs some residents as resident ambassadors. Earning the national living wage, they support other residents by working to build an inclusive community in their student accommodation property. The company also offers wellbeing support for its residents and partners with mental health services, Health Assured.

The annual index is based on a representative, weighted survey of 2,190 university applicants planning to start an undergraduate degree in the 2024-25 academic year. It covers finance, social, community, wellbeing, resilience, learning, employment, independence and sustainability themes and provides insight into the needs, wants and level of preparedness of the new cohort of first-year students.

The report, which started in 2022, is published by Unite Students in partnership with the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI).

Joe Lister, Chief Executive of Unite Students, said:

"For the third year running, we are proud to publish this unique index about university applicants - which provides a voice to applicants before they start university.

"It's great to see the growing confidence applicants have in obtaining the job they desire after graduating. This is a strong, positive indication that school leavers continue to believe that university will help them achieve the best outcome for their futures.

"However, mental health is of vital importance and remains one of our top priorities. Our Support to Stay framework provides students with a living environment to fulfil their potential. We take pride in our properties providing a Home for Success, where students feel they can belong and thrive."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For further information, please contact Unite Students press office on 0117 4506300 or email: [email protected]

About Unite Students

Unite Students is the UK's largest owner, manager, and developer of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) serving the country's world-leading higher education sector. We provide homes to 70,000 students across 153 properties in 23 leading university towns and cities. We currently partner with over 60 universities across the UK.

Our people are driven by a common purpose: to provide a 'Home for Success' for the students who live with us. Unite Students' accommodation is safe and secure, high quality, and affordable. Students live predominantly in en-suite study bedrooms with rents covering all bills, insurance, 24-hour security and high-speed Wi-Fi.

We are committed to raising standards in the student accommodation sector for our customers, investors, and employees. Our Sustainability Strategy includes a commitment to become net zero carbon across our operations and developments by 2030. It includes our Sustainable Construction Framework, which outlines our approach for reducing embodied carbon.

Founded in 1991 in Bristol, the Unite Group is an award-winning Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, visit Unite Group's corporate website www.unitegroup.com or the Unite Students' site www.unitestudents.com.

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