2 UNITE STUDENTS | APPLICANT INDEX REPORT | 2023 This autumn sees the thirteenth cohort of new students arriving at university since I first came into the student accommodation sector in late 2010. Many things have remained the same over those years; most new students are keen to make new friends, they expect a rounded student experience and have a strong desire to belong. They are looking towards the future, in the sense that employability is front of mind, but also through the causes that they care about and the world they want to create. But the world around us has changed in the intervening years - technologically, economically and socially. The student body is significantly bigger, more diverse and more international than it used to be. Students are now coming to university just a few years after their lives and their education were significantly disrupted by Covid. The Applicant Index provides tracking, and endeavours to make sense of the impact these changes have on university applicants. At the time of writing the cost of living is front of mind for most families in the UK and beyond, and it is no surprise that this is having a continued and meaningful effect on university applicants. This year’s applicants have a higher level of budgeting skills than last year’s cohort and there is a sense that they are beginning to adapt to a reality that was still very new this time last year. The majority of applicants have already undertaken paid work and this seems to have provided them with valuable additional skills and benefits, but the Student Academic Experience Survey 2023 has shown that over- reliance on paid work can be detrimental to student wellbeing and study. I’m particularly mindful of those who do not have family and friends to fall back on. They are particularly vulnerable in a difficult financial climate, and I am determined that we will continue to provide financial and community support to care experienced and estranged students through the Unite Foundation. It is encouraging to see a small bounce-back in student wellbeing this year, but this sits within a context of a downward trend. Although the proportion of applicants with an existing mental health condition has not gone up this year the fact remains that one in five are affected, and for many new students this has already affected their education. The level of anxiety among applicants is a particular concern, and the fact that half are anxious that they will not fit in at FOREWORD Richard Smith Chief Executive at Unite Students