WEEKEND READING: The COVID-19 pandemic is no longer impacting undergraduate students entering university – or is it?

Dr Michelle Morgan, Dean of Students, University of East London,  Debbie Holley, Emeritus Professor, Bournemouth University and Dr Thandwie Gilder, Researcher, Advance HE.

When COVID-19 resulted in the UK entering lockdown in March 2020, it marked the start of a pandemic the like of which the country hadn’t seen since the Swine Flu outbreak in 2009, which, unlike COVID-19, only affected one-tenth of the population swiftly and was not as deadly.

The impact on students who were in study during the pandemic is ongoing, with legal action taking place and many student group claims being settled out of court.

The COVID-19 school and college experience of incoming undergraduate students in 2026/27

The global COVID-19 pandemic lasted just over 3 years and ran from March 2020 to May 2023, when the World Health Organization declared that it was no longer a global health emergency. Students entering directly from school/college in September 2026 would have chosen their GCSE subjects during the continuation of the pandemic in 2020/21.

Is the COVID-19 pandemic no longer impacting on students entering university in 2026?

Teaching and examination processes in schools and colleges, and social restrictions, officially reverted to pre-pandemic status in 2022. The UK COVID-19 Inquiry highlights that the pandemic caused profound, long-lasting disruptions to children and young people, driven by steep rises in mental health struggles, severe educational losses, and social isolation. The Education Policy Institute reports that by 2025, disadvantage gaps for children and young people in education are wider than before the pandemic at every phase, and particularly in the early years.

Within higher education, there is a sense that the pandemic is in the past and our pre-COVID-19 approaches have resumed normality and are still appropriate. But is this the case? What is the legacy experience and impact of undergraduate students entering university in 2026, especially those who have entered straight from school or college?

This is one of the many questions that the first national pilot of the Pre-arrival Academic Questionnaire, funded by the Office for Students Innovation Fund, led by the University of East London, JISC and Advance HE explored with incoming undergraduate students across 15 universities participating in Phase one.

So what has the Pre-arrival Academic Questionnaire found?

The findings

Who was in study during the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges?

Of the 5,545 undergraduate respondents who completed the PAQ, 74% were in study during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main challenges experienced by respondents are listed in Table 1. Loss of social engagement with friends at school and college was cited first.  The other relate to learning ability and technical access.  The positive experiences were it enabled flexible learning (42.0%) and increased digital skills (34.0%).

We know that social engagement is important in helping students settle into university.  When asked about relationship concerns on entry, those who had been in study during the COVID-19 pandemic were notably more likely to say that they were very concerned or concerned about getting on and fitting in with fellow classmates (39.1% and 44.9% respectively) than those who had not (30.0% and 36.2%).

What was important in last place of study to help settle and fit in

When asked about what was important in their last place of study that helped them settle and fit in, relationships and connections were very important to both those in and not in study during the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who had been studying during the pandemic, meeting people I felt I could get on with and support from family and friends was higher in importance than for those who had not.

       * differences are significant

When asked what was ‘most’ important, for those in study during the pandemic it was meeting people I could get on with, and for those not in study, it was support from teachers.

Loneliness in the last place of study

Those in study during the pandemic were more likely to report being lonely ‘some of the time’ and ‘often’ than those who were not (see Table 3). Lacked companionship was most cited for ‘Some of the time’, and for ‘often’ it was felt lonely.

Approaching a teacher for support in last place of study

Respondents were asked if they had approached a teacher for support in their last place of study. Of the fourteen options provided, the top eight are listed in Table 4. Response rates are higher for those who had been in study during the pandemic than those who had not. Advice on coursework was not dissimilar between the two groups, but study stress and mental health challenges are notably higher amongst those who had been in study during the pandemic.

         * differences are significant

Study style preference

When asked about study preference, those who had been in study during the pandemic were notably more likely to say they preferred to study in person (84.0%) than those who had not (77.3%). Of those who had not been in study, 17.4% cited hybrid preference compared to 14.0% who had.

Assessment preference

During the pandemic, changes to school and college examinations and grading occurred, with coursework becoming the primary form of assessment. Standardised grading and test conditions officially reverted entirely back to pre-pandemic benchmarks by summer 2023. Respondents were asked about their assessment preference. The preference for both was individual assessment, at 41.4% for those who had been in study during Covid-19 and 38.0% for those who had not.  A mix of different types of assessment was the same for both, at 28.5%. For both those in study and not, assessment by examination was the preference for only 3.0%. 

When asked the reason for this, the main reason for both groups was forgetting what I have learnt (see Table 7).

* differences are significant

Attendance levels and reasons for low attendance in last place of study

Respondents were asked what their attendance had been like in their last place of study. For those who had been studying during the pandemic, 100% attendance levels (online or in person) were lower than those who had not.

When asked the reason for levels of attendance below 99%, the main reason was experienced a lot of illness for both groups, although much higher for those in study during the pandemic than those who were not (see Table 6).

            * differences are significant

Implications

Universities are doing a lot of excellent work in supporting students in terms of mental health and wellbeing. The Student Minds University Mental Health Charter has really helped facilitate this.

Also, there is greater awareness of helping to create an environment that supports a ‘sense of belonging’ to reduce loneliness. However, as the findings in this blog highlight, being involved in clubs and societies is not high on students’ lists in helping them settle and fit into their studies. It is their course, and finding people they can get on with that are important.  The blog belonging is in the eye of the beholder explains why we need to think differently about what it means to a diverse student population, and this includes students who were in study during the Covid-19 pandemic

The basic findings above highlight that universities still need to be mindful of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, not just on learning and assessment, but also in terms of continuing low levels of attendance and loneliness, as the Every Story Matters: Children and Young People report from the  UK Covid-19 Inquiry explains. This blog has not done a deep dive into the impact by student characteristics, but we know that “understanding inequalities and potential lingering effects are important pre-requisites for targeting support effectively to begin to address these challenges” ( Economics Observatory). However, rather than seeing these experiences as a deficit on entry, there should be an integrated holistic approach by universities.

Where next? Designing hybrid learning for a post-pandemic generation

The argument is no longer how do we move teaching online? but how do we design learning for a generation whose educational experiences were fundamentally disrupted?

While emergency remote teaching has ended, its influence on today’s students has not. By 2026, many undergraduate entrants have experienced significant periods of disrupted schooling, altered assessment practices and reduced opportunities to develop confidence in face-to-face learning. National Pre-arrival Academic Questionnaire (PAQ) findings demonstrate that many students continue to report concerns around social connection, study confidence, attendance, assessment anxiety and wellbeing that can be traced to their educational experiences during the pandemic. We also know that student attendance in school, college and higher education continues to be an issue.  Notions of hybridity as a theoretical underpinning for design post-Covid learners were collated into the Hybrid Learning Spaces book.

For higher education, this shifts the conversation beyond digital delivery towards intentional learning design. Rather than asking whether learning should occur online or on campus, educators need to consider how different learning spaces can complement one another to support engagement, belonging and academic success.

• Design for connection before content. Students consistently identify relationships with peers, approachable staff and opportunities to meet people they can relate to as central to successful transition.
• Provide structure and predictability. Many students report losing study routines during the pandemic. Consistent module layouts within the virtual learning environment, clear weekly learning pathways, regular formative feedback and transparent expectations can reduce unnecessary cognitive load and help students develop effective study habits.
• Offer flexibility without sacrificing engagement. Students value the convenience of digital resources but continue to express a strong preference for in-person learning. Hybrid learning is therefore most effective when digital activities enhance, rather than replace, opportunities for active participation, discussion and practical learning.
• Recognise attendance as a learning design issue rather than solely a student issue. Attendance patterns cannot simply be viewed through the lens of compliance. Students’ decisions to attend are influenced by wellbeing, belonging, perceived value and confidence. Learning activities that require participation, interaction and meaningful contribution provide stronger reasons for attendance than content transmission alone.

Ultimately, hybrid learning should no longer be viewed as a temporary response to crisis but as an opportunity to redesign higher education around flexibility, inclusion and purposeful engagement. The challenge for educators is not simply to integrate digital technologies into existing practice, but to create coherent learning ecosystems in which physical and digital environments work together to support diverse learners. As universities continue to welcome cohorts whose educational journeys were shaped by the pandemic, learning design must remain responsive to their evolving needs while preparing them for an increasingly digital and uncertain future.