Creating student connection and belonging

While university years are often romanticized as the “best years of your life,” the reality for many students is much less rosy. The issue of student mental health challenges is well-known. What is less frequently discussed is the issue of student loneliness.  

The Mental Health Commission of Canada defines loneliness as a “feeling of sadness or distress due to social isolation or lack of meaningful connections, which can impact mental health.” A June 2025 World Health Organization (WHO) report identified loneliness as a “major public health challenge” with significant societal consequences. The WHO report argues that all sectors must address the need for stronger social connections. 

In today’s column, I consider the university sector’s role, discussing how loneliness impacts students and why this should matter to universities. I then provide suggestions for how we can take steps to support student connection and belonging on our campuses. 

Why student loneliness and student connection should matter to universities 

A 2021 Statistics Canada report found 23 per cent of 15 to 24-year-olds report always or often feeling lonely, while a 2024 American study found 24 per cent  of 18 to 29-year-olds reported feeling frequently or always lonely. Specific to university students, a 2025 American study found many college students report feeling isolated (28 per cent), left out (23 per cent), and lacking companionship (21 per cent). Student loneliness is not a new issue: a 2016 study found that almost two-thirds of Canadian university students felt very lonely at least once in the prior year. But the problem may be growing: research on Canadian K-12 students finds that student “loneliness is pervasive and increasing,” and a similar pattern may exist for post-secondary students. 

Student loneliness can reflect a lack of social connection. Universities are often large places that can be challenging to navigate. Large class sizes, online classes, and demanding schedules can make it difficult for students to make meaningful connections with their classmates, instructors, and other members of the campus community. 

Social connection matters for student mental health and wellbeing; studies find individuals reporting loneliness report higher mental health challenges. Social connection also matters for student success. In Relationship-Rich Education: How Human Connections Drive Success in College, Peter Felten and Leo M. Lambert write:  

“Decades of research demonstrate that peer-to-peer, student-faculty, and student-staff relationships are the foundation of learning, belonging, and achieving in college. Students’ interactions with peers, faculty, and staff positively influence the breadth and depth of student learning, retention and graduation rates, and a wide range of other outcomes, including critical thinking, identity development, communication skills, and leadership abilities.” 

Further, student social connection matters for alumni relations, as students who are connected to their universities during their programs may be more likely to stay connected after they graduate. 

Fostering student connection at universities 

The WHO report argues that creating social connection requires advocacy, policy, community, and individual and relationship strategies. Here is what this might look like in the university context 

• Advocacy: Raise awareness amongst the campus community about the problems associated with social dislocation and the value of social connection. This can be as simple as raising the topic with colleagues and students, or as developed as a campus awareness campaign involving social media, events and other activities. Possible action: talk with your students about why social connection matters to their education and wellbeing, and share resources on student loneliness (such as the University of Alberta’s student resource on isolation/loneliness). 

• Policy: Develop strategies to promote student social connection. This could be university-wide or within faculties or departments. Possible action: talk with your colleagues about how your unit can collectively create opportunities for student connection  

• Community strategies: Strengthen campus social infrastructure, including shared spaces and campus activities. The goal is to improve opportunities for students to interact and connect with others. Possible actions: encourage your students to engage in campus activities, share information with students about department talks, and when attending events make a point to introduce students you know to each other.  

• Individual and relationship strategies: Human literacy skills training comes into play here. The WHO report writes, “Training individuals to make and maintain high-quality relationships and interactions will increase their chances of improving their social contacts, networks and social support.” This can be built into your courses — see my previous columns on fostering student teamwork skills and building student intercultural skills. Beyond this, instructors can use classroom time to create opportunities for interaction. Possible actions: arrive to class early and introduce yourself to individual students, particularly those sitting alone. Learn and use student names to show you see them as individuals. For active learning classroom activities, encourage students to work with students they don’t know.  

Student connection is part of human-centred higher education 

Drs. Felten and Lambert write: “higher education must act so all students experience welcome and care, become inspired to learn through interactions in and out of the classroom, cultivate constellations of important relationships, and use those relationships to explore the big questions of their lives.” This human-centred approach to education supports the position, shared by Christie Schultz and me in October’s column, that universities should serve as “sites of human flourishing — places that support humans to live in alignment with their own values and aspirations.”  

Student connection is foundational to achieving human-centered universities.