Resilience 30 I am willing to take on short ‑ term discomfort for long ‑ term gain Figure 25: Breakdown of responses to Resilience theme questions 3% 7% 19% 28% 43% Strongly disagree Moderately disagree Neutral Moderately agree Strongly agree I have a clear idea of my goals 4% 8% 16% 28% 44% I always meet deadlines 6% 11% 20% 26% 38% If I do badly at something, I don’t like to try again * 25% 21% 20% 16% 18% Questions in this section draw on previous research and scholarship on resilience, including the 2017 report “Exploring the Positive Case for Resilience” (McIntosh & Shaw) 1 . Compared with last year, fewer applicants say they are willing to accept short ‑ term discomfort for long ‑ term gain, with agreement down 4 percentage points. There has also been a fall in strong agreement with “I have a clear idea of my goals” and “I always meet deadlines”. As in previous years, international applicants show higher agreement across all statements, which is unsurprising given they plan to study overseas. In terms of ethnicity, Black and Chinese applicants (UK and international combined) are more likely to say they have a clear idea of their goals. Applicants from socioeconomic group A are also more likely than those in groups C2, D and E to say they always meet deadlines. Groups more likely to agree “if I do badly at something I don’t like to try again” include care‑experienced and estranged applicants, applicants with a disability, mental health or neurodivergent condition, and LGBTQ+ applicants. As discussed in Unite Students’ 2017 report, cited above, resilience is not distributed equitably across the student population. Rather, it is shaped by identity and prior experiences. Higher education and accommodation providers working towards more compassionate communications and processes may wish to take these findings into account, especially when delivering difficult messages. Resilience has softened, with fewer applicants showing confidence in goals, persistence and deadlines. * For this question, agreement indicates a negative response; the score for this question was reversed when calculating the index score Appendices Introduction Resilience Thematic analysis Applicant Index Report 2026 Belonging, equity and inclusion The Resilience score measures applicants’ ability to plan and work towards their goals and to recover from setbacks. 65 Down 1 from 2025 Back to contents