82% of university students back in term-time digs

More than four in five university students in England were living in their term-time address last month, figures show, suggesting the government’s instruction for students to stay in one place is being widely ignored, writes Will Hazell for iNews.

While many students appear to once again be mixing in their term-time accommodation, universities are still banned from providing face-to-face teaching except for in certain subjects. However, a survey of 1,400 students by the Office for National Statistics in April suggested that 82% were living at the same address as they were at the start of the autumn term anyway, up from 76% in March.

Most students in England, apart from those on key courses like nursing and medicine, were told not to travel back to term-time accommodation as part of the third national lockdown. The universities minister, Michelle Donelan, justified the delay by saying the “mass movement” of young people across England could spread COVID-19 and force many students to self-isolate again in their rooms.
Full report on the iNews site