Hidden students: Why UK HE must support student carers

There are an estimated 10.6 million unpaid carers in the United Kingdom. The university student population is diverse, and it is therefore likely that a proportion of the student population have caring responsibilities.

These individuals are termed ‘student carers’ and are those enrolled in university who provide unpaid support to a family member or friend who could not manage without this care due to illness, disability or mental health issues. The definition excludes parents of typically developing children.

Carers have been identified as both under-represented and disadvantaged within universities. They are also four times more likely to drop out of university compared to students without caring responsibilities.

The benefits associated with university participation extend beyond academic achievement. For example, university creates opportunities for independence, social connection and future employment.

Yet, for student carers, caring responsibilities can compromise academic performance, mental and physical health and engagement with the broader student experience. For example, student carers report missing placement hours, work experience or extracurricular opportunities, all of which can influence future employability.

These challenges are intensified for students on vocational courses with rigid timetables or mandatory placements. While flexible and online learning may help, this rarely replaces the full breadth of university participation.

Despite these challenges, many student carers do not disclose their caregiving status due to concerns about stigma and a lack of awareness that any support is available. Even when they do disclose, support is often informal and inconsistent, depending on the understanding of individual members of staff or that of the university they are studying at.

Existing research on student carers often fails to include their voices. Too frequently, studies rely on the views of university staff or institutional documents rather than hearing directly from student carers themselves.

As a result, the real challenges these students face can be misunderstood or overlooked, and the support provided may not reflect what they actually need. To create meaningful and effective change, student carers must be actively involved in shaping the conversation about their support.

Research findings

Our research into the experiences of student carers across multiple universities in the UK revealed a clear pattern: existing systems are falling short. It highlighted how caregiving responsibilities negatively impact their university experience.

Unpredictable caring demands and time constraints often lead to poor attendance and academic performance, with many carers prioritising care over university opportunities. This prioritisation influences decisions even before starting university, such as choosing courses close to the person they care for, and limits engagement in social and extracurricular activities.

Mental health challenges, including stress, anxiety and low mood, were common among student carers we spoke to and linked to the pressures of balancing dual roles.

Participants expressed feelings of hopelessness, lack of control and guilt, underscoring the need for deeper understanding of these complexities.

When seeking support, student carers faced time-consuming and fragmented processes (for example, lengthy application processes), inconsistent academic flexibility (for instance, differences in the support available between courses and members of staff), and a lack of standardised support (for example, limited formal support available for carers).

What should universities do?

There is an increasing emphasis on ensuring equality of opportunity for under-represented students, such as carers, with universities required to demonstrate how they are achieving this through access and participation plans.

In this research, five key recommendations were identified that can help universities better support student carers:

• Provide formalised and consistent support packages: Support for student carers must move beyond ad hoc adjustments. Universities should develop structured, formalised support packages, similar to those available for students with disabilities, but tailored to the distinct needs of carers.

These packages could include reasonable adjustments to attendance and deadlines, access to remote learning and flexibility around placement requirements or timetables. Crucially, support must be proactive rather than reactive, reducing the need for repeated disclosures or stressful case-by-case negotiations.

• Deliver staff training on student carers and their needs: All university staff, both academic and professional, should receive training to understand who student carers are, what kinds of responsibilities they have and how these responsibilities may affect their studies.

This training should emphasise the impact of inconsistent responses, the risks of stigma and the importance of empathy and flexibility. Awareness-raising must extend beyond frontline staff to include senior leadership, ensuring that institutional culture shifts alongside policy development.

• Promote support clearly and make it easy to access: Information about available support should be clearly visible and accessible to all students, not buried in complex systems or hard-to-navigate webpages. Application processes for support should be streamlined, and universities should minimise demands for complex evidence. Promoting this support visibly and proactively is essential, not only to current students but to prospective students considering whether they can manage university alongside their caring role.

• Identify student carers on enrolment: Universities should include a clear and sensitive question about unpaid caring responsibilities during the enrolment process, distinct from questions about parenting. This would allow early identification of student carers, enabling timely and proactive support without the need for repeated disclosures. This would also help universities gather data to understand the scale and needs of this often-hidden group.

• Facilitate peer support opportunities: Universities should create opportunities for carers to connect with each other. This could be through in-person groups, online communities or one-to-one mentoring. These peer networks can provide emotional support, reduce feelings of isolation and offer practical coping strategies. Facilitated peer support also signals institutional recognition of their experiences and the unique pressures they face.

Including carers

Student carers have long been overlooked in discussions about widening participation and retention. As universities renew their commitments to equity and inclusion, this group must be recognised and supported.

Dr Jessica Runacres is a senior lecturer in research practice at the University of Staffordshire, United Kingdom. One of her research focuses is on the experiences of carers, especially student and dementia carers, and the impact of social support. Her work in this area emphasises inclusive methodologies and the importance of understanding the lived experiences of those in caregiving roles. Dr Daniel Herron is a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Staffordshire, UK. His work centres on engaging with diverse carer groups to explore their lived experiences and develop proactive approaches that support their well-being and help them flourish. Dan specialises in qualitative and inclusive methodologies, collaborating closely with various carer groups, using creative methods like photovoice and photo elicitation, and designing research that removes obstacles to participation.

This article is a commentary. Commentary articles are the opinion of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of University World News.