Presentation
Research has shown that student success is largely impacted by a sense of belonging, and barriers to student retention and engagement in university are widely publicised.
At the University of East London, Residential Life exemplifies practice-based strategies to challenge these barriers and promote inclusive engagement. This session will highlight key practice within student accommodation to illustrate effective approaches for fostering belonging.
When applying to live on campus, students may join a Living Learning Community: Environment and Sustainability, Social Justice, or Mental and Physical Wellbeing. This promotes peer networks, skill development, and resilience among students.
Alignment with frameworks like the Mental Health Charter signals principled practice with assessments highlighting Residential Life’s collaborative, cohesive support as excellent practice. This session will offer concrete examples of how these collaborations have been developed and the benefits of them. Waiving the advance rent fee and providing comprehensive, holistic support for Young Independent Students further underpins Residential Life’s removal of economic barriers for financially vulnerable students, which has resulted inincreased satisfaction and attrition.
By embedding inclusivity throughout social and administrative processes, this model is transferable, offering universities a framework to address social and economic barriers, deepen belonging, and lead on equity and wellbeing.