Students report that peer support can reduce stress levels at university

Students who do not feel a sense of belonging at their university experience nearly double the stress levels compared to those who feel more at home, according to a recent study by YouGov and Studiosity.   

In the Student Wellbeing Survey 2024, released in May this year, 30 per cent of students who do not feel at home at university experience constant stress, compared to 16 per cent of those who do feel they belong. Overall, 61 per cent of students felt a sense of belonging at their university, while 20 per cent do not.   

Isabelle Bristow, managing director for UK and Europe at Studiosity commented that “being able to connect with peers and be part of the academic community is a critical part of university life and a facilitator of student success and wellbeing, with personalised peer mentoring correlated with lower reported stress."

Most students in regions like the UK (22 per cent), Australia (23 per cent), and New Zealand (23 per cent) found it difficult to ask other students questions when they started their degrees. Some 40 per cent of students expressed a desire for access to a senior mentor. 

Almost three quarters of all female students (73 per cent) don’t have a student mentor, yet 42 per cent would like one. There is a lower percentage of male students who do not have access to a mentor (62 per cent), yet 31 per cent still reported that they would like to have someone that could advise them. 

Specifically, 57 per cent of international students expressed a desire for a mentor, creating an 11 per cent need deficit from those who actually have one. Additionally, 52 per cent of students who are constantly stressed would like to have a senior mentor.  

The survey, representing 149 higher education institutions, was part of global YouGov research involving 2,422 students from the UK and 10,189 responding students from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, Singapore, and the UAE. 

How can you study in the UK?
Scholarships available in the UK for international students
Working on a student visa in the UK 

On average 30 per cent of students reported feeling stressed weekly, with slightly higher rates reported in Australia and the UK (both 33 per cent).  

Daily stress was significantly higher in the US at 25 per cent and Canada at 26 per cent. 

Among the UK cohort 21 per cent said they were stressed daily, and 18 per cent reported feeling that way more than twice a day. When asked about the causes of their stress, 29 per cent of students pointed to a lack of time to balance other commitments and 22 per cent reported it was due to preparation for their exams and assessments.   

This issue of time management was reported by 67 per cent of students in Australia and 66 per cent in the UK. For male students aged 18-25, challenging course content was the main source of their stress. This was echoed in Singapore, where 59 per cent of students reported on the same issue.  

Integrity and plagiarism rules were reported as challenges for 10 per cent of international students, compared to five per cent of domestic students. Financial pressures also played a part, with nine per cent of students feeling stressed about paying for their degree.  

Ms Bristow also stated, “with seven out of 10 students in employment, and nearly one quarter of all students working full-time, it is not surprising to find that the biggest cause of study stress is time pressures, significantly over and above financial pressures.”  

Read the global research in detail here.