London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Apr 26, 2025

UK university students struggle with stress as uncertainty grows over return date

UK university students struggle with stress as uncertainty grows over return date

Failure to include campuses on Covid roadmap is leaving young people ‘in limbo’, say vice-chancellors

The government is putting the mental health and wellbeing of young people at risk by refusing to set a date when students can return to university campuses, university vice-chancellors and students have warned.

Universities still haven’t been told when the government will allow them to resume face-to-face teaching for about 1 million students who have been forced to learn remotely during lockdown.

Vice-chancellors – who spent last month expecting that campuses would be allowed to fully reopen on Monday, at the same time as pubs and gyms – now fear that students are being left out of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, leaving universities “in limbo”.

In a joint letter with the National Union of Students and the mental health charity Student Minds, shared with the Observer today, they call on the government to “make and communicate its decision” in order to provide students with “certainty” and support their health and wellbeing.

Professor Julia Buckingham, vice-chancellor of Brunel University and president of Universities UK, which represents university vice-chancellors, said students who have been learning remotely are being treated “very unfairly” compared with other groups of young people who have been allowed to resume face-to-face learning.

Edinburgh University students protest over lack of support during the pandemic.


“Our students seem to have been left out,” she said. “We’re very concerned about how this is impacting on their mental health and wellbeing. We know many are struggling with financial hardship, because of course there aren’t the part-time jobs they normally have. And there is good evidence that their feelings of isolation and loneliness have increased. This is obviously contributing to their anxiety levels, at this very tense time of year, when everyone’s worried about exams. I feel desperately sorry for students right now.”

She said the way the government has behaved – making no mention of when students could return to universities in its announcements about the loosening of restrictions this week – was “very disappointing”. “I find it quite extraordinary that from Monday we can all go on a self-catering holiday anywhere in England but students can’t return to their own self-catering accommodation.” She pointed out that the reopening of both schools and further education colleges for face-to-face teaching has taken place and was prioritised in the roadmap. “We do feel left behind.”

The government had previously announced it would “review” whether all university students would be allowed back for in-person teaching “by the end of the Easter holidays”. “To me, Easter finished last Monday evening,” said Buckingham. She had been hoping universities would be given a week’s notice by the government that campuses would be allowed to open on 12 April. “Students do need warning if they’re going to come back to campus – they have to book travel arrangements. Staff need warning too. The longer we wait, the more challenging this is for everyone and the less opportunity there will be for students to get the support they need.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said the government was “committed to getting all students back into university as soon as the public health situation allows”, adding that some students on specific practical and creative courses had started returning to campuses in March.

The Observer understands that a decision on the issue is likely to be announced by the end of this week.

Buckingham urged the government to allow students to return.

“Please bring back students,” she said. “Please recognise the very, very difficult time they’re having and please support them. They have responded to extraordinary challenges over the past 12 months and I think they have been remarkable. I think the government owes it to them, now, to support them in the best way possible – and that is to allow them to come back to campus and get on with their learning.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Alberta's Push for Independence Raises Questions About Canada's National Unity
Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein accuser, dies by suicide
"China has survived for five thousand years, most of it without the United States as a market, and it can easily continue to survive without the U.S. market for another five thousand years — no problem," said a China analyst.
Elites vs. America: How Democrats Lost the Plot and the People
Pam Bondi Details Wisconsin Judge’s Actions Before Arrest: 'Can't Make This Up'
Not Child’s Play: How Competitive Gaming Became a Global Economic Empire
California Surpasses Japan to Become the World’s Fourth-Largest Economy
Peter Navarro: The Man Behind Trump’s Tariff Madness
Milwaukee Judge Arrested on Allegations of Aiding Undocumented Immigrant’s Escape
Former U.S. Congressman George Santos sentenced to eighty-seven months for wide-ranging fraud
Trump administration moves to BAN essentially ALL artificial food dyes in the USA food supply at RFK Jr.'s direction
Woman slaps man at sports game and gets herself and husband beat up
Pope Francis: head of the Catholic church who pushed for social and economic justice
China do not pay these tariffs - you pay it. This is new 145% tax you pay to the US government.
Nightlife in the streets of Manchester
In God We Profit
Cultural Battles in the Vatican: The Candidates in the Battle for the Holy See and Pope Francis's Testament
Global Leaders Pay Tribute to Pope Francis Following His Death
Wild Chimpanzees Observed Bonding Over Alcoholic Fruit
US Federal Reserve Chair Issues Warning on Tariff Impact
UK Prison Officers Demand Electric Stun Guns Amid Safety Concerns
China, China, China!
Australian National Charged as Mercenary for Fighting in Ukraine
Israel Considers Limited Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Facilities Amid Diplomatic Efforts
Prince Andrew Joins Royal Family Attends Easter Sunday Service at Windsor Castle
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
Trump is assembling a coalition of Western leaders aligned with the MAGA vision, strengthening a unified front for global change
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Here’s a police officer with a brilliant gift for swift education
"Some complain that we put thousands in prison. In reality, we set millions free."
This is Vienna, Austria in 2025.
Boeing Jet Returns to US from China Amid Tariff War
Canadian Federal Election: Candidates' Positions on US-Canada Relations and Donald Trump
Resentencing Hearing for Menendez Brothers Who Killed Their Parents Delayed Amid Legal Disputes
Australian Woman Gives Birth To Stranger's Baby In IVF Mix-up
US Sets Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Brokerage
Italy Introduces 'Sex Rooms' in Prisons for Inmates
California Launches Legal Challenge Against Trump Administration's Tariffs
"Groundless": China Dismisses Zelensky's Claims It's Supplying Arms To Russia
UK Psytrance Festival Cancelled Amid Local Protests Over Noise Concerns
French Far-Right Writer Renaud Camus Denied Entry to UK
UK Police Force Updates Search Policy for Trans Individuals in Custody
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meets with Donald Trump to Discuss EU-US Trade Tensions
Canada's Federal Party Leaders Engage in Final Debate Ahead of General Election
Ukraine and US Sign Outline of Minerals Deal
Fast Food Chain Refuses to Apologize for Online Comment About Katy Perry's Space Voyage
New York Attorney General Letitia James Faces Criminal Referral for Alleged Mortgage Fraud
Mark Cuban admits support for Trump executive order: ‘Gotta be honest’
US Senator Meets with Deported Immigrant in El Salvador Amid Custody Dispute
×