No place like home? Understanding the accommodation experience of care-experienced and estranged students

Over the weekend HEPI published blogs on public engagement with research and educating for the AI economy.

This blog was kindly authored by Sarah Ead, ​​​​Head of Insight at Global Student Living and Fiona Ellison, Co-Director at Unite Foundation.

It is the sixth blog in HEPI’s series with The Unite Foundation on how to best support care experiences and estranged students. You can find the blog on a #HomeAtUniversity here; the blog on the University of Nottingham’s work on access for care leavers here; the blog on inclusive winter planning here; the blog on what data can tell us about care experienced and estranged students here; and the blog on thinking beyond admissions in access and widening participation work.

For most students, moving into university accommodation is a milestone marked by anticipation, nerves, and the promise of independence. But for care-experienced and estranged students (those who have grown up in public care or are living without family support), the accommodation experience holds far greater weight. Home is more than a place to live; it is the foundation of safety, stability, and belonging. A new joint report from the Global Student Living and the Unite Foundation reveals how these students navigate the housing journey and the unique barriers they face.

Drawing on GSL Index responses from 44,894 students across the UK and Ireland, including 663 care-experienced and 1,003 estranged domestic students, the report uncovers both successes and stark challenges. It also highlights the pivotal role accommodation plays in students’ well-being, sense of community, and ultimately, their likelihood of remaining in higher education.

A complex and overlapping vulnerability profile

The report reveals that care-experienced and estranged students are significantly more likely to belong to other groups associated with vulnerability. They are more likely to identify as LGBTQIA+, be part of an ethnic minority, live with a disability, or be neurodivergent.

These overlapping identities increase the pressures of university life, particularly in settings where students manage social dynamics, finances, and adult responsibilities, often without family support.

Attitudinally, both groups also differ from the average domestic student population. They report greater challenges with motivation, commitments, and budgeting, and a stronger preference for quiet environments over large social gatherings.  These factors influence both how they choose accommodation and how they experience it once they arrive.

Accommodation choice: limited options and lower support

Where many students weigh up a range of factors when selecting accommodation, care-experienced and estranged students are more likely to report having no choice at all. Reasons include limited availability, late applications due to instability, and personal circumstances that require specific features such as parking, pet-friendly, accessibility, or mental‑health-related needs.

Financial independence further shapes decision-making. While 42% of domestic students rely on parents or guardians to fund accommodation, just 20% of care-experienced students and 10% of estranged students do the same. Instead, both groups depend heavily on student loans, bursaries, and employment income.

The move-in experience: where gaps are most acute

One of the clearest themes is that the most significant disparities emerge before and during move-in.

While booking satisfaction is broadly similar to the national average, both care-experienced and estranged students report markedly lower satisfaction with the overall moving-in experience.

Care-experienced students give significantly lower ratings on arrival information and welcome events, while estranged students feel less welcomed by peers. These findings suggest that the earliest moments can be filled with uncertainty, stress, or isolation.

The report argues that clearer, more personalised arrival communication and flexible move-in options could make a meaningful difference.

Wellbeing and struggles: a heavy burden

Wellbeing is a major area of concern. Using the MHI‑5 mental‑health measure, care-experienced and estranged students score well below the domestic average.

Both groups are also significantly more likely to say their accommodation has a negative impact on their well-being.

The most striking struggles include:

• depression and other mental health issues;
• financial insecurity;
• loneliness and difficulty making friends;
• conflict within accommodation; and
• alcohol or substance misuse

For estranged students, ‘having enough money to get by’ is ranked as their number one struggle, affecting 59% compared with 33% of all students.

Social experience and barriers to involvement

Despite wanting to participate more in extracurricular activities, many students face personal barriers such as anxiety, low confidence, or financial pressures. Estranged students are more likely to say they’re ‘just at university to study’, reflecting both mindset and circumstance.

Conflict also appears more frequently, with over a quarter of both groups reporting regular social conflict, around 10 percentage points higher than average.  Yet their desire for connection remains strong, particularly in accessible, low-pressure formats.

Staying or leaving: a tipping point

Care-experienced and estranged students are almost twice as likely to stay in their current accommodation for another year, reflecting the value of stability. But for those who plan to leave, affordability and academic withdrawal are major drivers.

Most concerning is that around one in three students in both groups have seriously considered dropping out, far higher than the national average (19%). Accommodation, therefore, becomes not just a place to live but a key factor in academic survival.

Towards more supportive, stable homes

The findings from No Place Like Home? make clear that universities and accommodation providers have substantial opportunities, and responsibilities, to improve outcomes for care‑experienced and estranged students. The most significant gaps appear before and during the point of arrival, where unclear information, limited personalisation and weaker welcome experiences disproportionately affect these young people. Targeted, trauma‑informed approaches such as assisted arrival channels, early check‑in, flexible arrival windows and closer collaboration with university named contacts can quickly close these gaps. The Blueprint developed by the Unite Foundation, along with sector tools such as CUBO and GSL’s Closing the Gap, already provide practical models of what tailored support can look like.

Yet the report also underlines that good accommodation is about more than move‑in logistics: it is central to student well‑being, financial stability and retention. With one in three care‑experienced and estranged students seriously considering withdrawing from university, expanding financial flexibility, strengthening mental‑health outreach and increasing choice in tenancy models are no longer ‘enhancements’ but core components of an equitable student experience. Practical steps – ranging from flexible payment plans, hardship support, personal housing plans and year‑round accommodation guarantees – can significantly reduce the instability these students face. Embedding these recommendations across PBSA providers and universities not only supports those at greatest risk; it also builds a more resilient, inclusive accommodation ecosystem for all students.

To hear more about the report and the recommendations that PBSAs & Universities can embed GSL and the Unite Foundation are running a free webinar on Thursday 19^th March at 12:30.

A full copy of the report is available here.