Loneliness in college
Students often hear the college years described as “the best four years of your life.” All too common are the stories of college students who meet their eventual spouses, make lifelong friendships, travel to study in different countries and develop networks that lead to success in graduate school and careers. College can be a time of exploration during which students discover new interests, develop skills and build relationships that shape their futures.
For some students, however, this period is not as joyful or fulfilling as expected. Instead, it can be marked by deep loneliness, isolation and a loss of direction.
Consider the story of Kara. (Names in this article have been changed to protect identities.) As you read about Kara, you might ask who in your church, place of work or social network has faced similar experiences.
Kara is not unique. Even in a classroom full of peers, many students feel invisible. Or they sit at a cafeteria table with friends and feel lonely. Our students’ experiences mirror what national data shows. According to a 2024 study by the American Psychiatric Association, 30% of American adults who responded reported feeling lonely at least once a week in the previous year. Like Kara, students often miss class or meals, retreat into social media or video games, and struggle silently with feelings of isolation.
So, how can we help? This question isn’t just for colleges — it also challenges churches, families and communities. We know that personal experiences influence students’ struggles with loneliness, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and societal changes. At Westminster, we recognized that traditional methods of fostering connection, such as orientation programs, residence hall events, student activity fairs, and common first-year courses, were not as effective in helping students find their place and their people. Our research revealed instead that 30% of students lacked confidence in meeting new people or navigating new environments, and 30% of students questioned their ability to learn and achieve academically in their new educational setting. More than 50% of students reported low confidence in overcoming challenges. Together, these data affirmed our belief that initiatives focusing on belonging and connection would make a meaningful impact for students experiencing loneliness in college.
College students and loneliness
Loneliness in college is more than just an emotional struggle. It also affects mental health. The American College Health Association consistently reports a strong link between loneliness and high levels of anxiety among college students. On our campus, faculty and staff are encouraged to use an early alert system to report students who display symptoms associated with overwhelm, anxiety and depression. Like many institutions, we have experienced an increase in alerts in recent years, particularly related to mental health behaviors. Even alerts that are submitted for academic reasons reveal underlying stress, anxiety or other mental health concerns for students.
Loneliness can be even more pronounced for students from minoritized backgrounds. First-generation college students, students of color and those with disabilities often feel an added layer of isolation, making it imperative that strategies center on a sense of belonging. These students may bring doubts about their belonging, value and abilities that stem from past educational experiences marked by exclusion or bias. Students may also question whether they belong when they are the only person with their cultural background on campus or in the community.
Walking along with students
How have our data and experiences reshaped how we address student loneliness, knowing that loneliness in college can be both a cause and a consequence of many challenges that students face? Our strategies may sound similar to those used by churches with their congregants and community members.
This small act of hospitality – walking alongside students – has made a profound difference. Antonio’s approach is increasingly typical in our work. As noted, students report difficulty connecting with others, particularly those who are new to them. Students are often nervous about entering an unfamiliar office, especially when they do not see themselves fitting in with the function or people of that office. Whether we encounter a student in crisis, someone struggling academically or a young person facing food insecurity, the key is making a personal connection. We also see this approach at work in churches, offering resources and relationships.
Therefore, we engage students with what we call the “warm handoff,” which reflects a deeper principle: hospitality is about walking with people and inviting them in, not just pointing them in the right direction.
Students walking with one another
Westminster staff members are not the only ones engaging with students to confront loneliness. Students are engaging with one another. Our student-led campus programming council offers a diverse range of activities on campus each week. Bingo, trivia, concerts, food-truck days and similar events bring students into a social setting that promotes fun, connection and relaxation (although our competitive students do not always find trivia relaxing!). Students also embark on mission trips or educational travel experiences together, often leading to personal growth and transformation. They engage in meaningful projects as service-learning opportunities. Through sustained, meaningful work, they find they can connect with themselves and with others. Whether college-initiated or student-led, these activities allow lonely students to develop bonds with their peers and also with communities far beyond Western Pennsylvania.
These hospitality, belonging and connection efforts reshaped Kara’s experience in her second semester. Specific warm handoffs included connections with campus counselors, weekly meetings with the dean and an introduction to student organization leaders. As a result, Kara has formed new friend circles who support her love of animals and travel and has joined student clubs. She speaks of feeling like she matters, and she appears to be happy. Kara is actively working with a trusted advisor to overcome her fear of public speaking. Despite the speed bump early in the semester, she is proud of her academic accomplishments.
Introducing ComPASS
These examples of student needs are not hyperbole, and they likely resonate with what you see in your own congregations. About one-third of Westminster’s students are eligible for Pell Grants with demonstrated financial need. A growing number of students also have home addresses outside Pennsylvania, meaning their health insurance may not cover medical services near campus. At Westminster, we have expanded support systems to address students’ broader needs. We created a food pantry, established a textbook lending library and hired a staff member to connect students with essential services. This staff member operates much like a social worker in managing the most complex student cases. These initiatives, known as the Comprehensive Program for Achieving Student Success (ComPASS), recognize that loneliness frequently intersects other challenges, including financial hardship and mental health struggles.
The name of our coordinated program is no accident. Like a compass that helps travelers navigate to a desired destination, Westminster’s ComPASS program is designed to give students the direction they need to achieve milestones toward success. Although ComPASS is still in its infancy, we have learned critical lessons as we strengthen the ways we provide coordinated care for students, including our students who experience loneliness in college. We are learning from our students’ experiences and asking new questions.
Questions to assess your community’s connections
We offer these questions to invite you to reflect on how you support one another in your churches, families, workspaces and social situations.
- What have been your successes in addressing patterns of loneliness in your congregations? We have found that certain strategies are effective for all students. Others may work for students like Kara but not for other students. What have you observed in your own congregations?
- At Westminster, Antonio is a natural connector, with an ease that contributes to his effectiveness in working with students. Who are the natural connectors in your congregation? (They may not be those with such formal titles as “senior pastor.”) Where no natural connectors exist, how do you teach people to develop this skill? How do you prepare them with knowledge and skills to connect other congregants to internal and external resources?
- We naturally focus on the loneliness our students feel, but we also recognize the growing loneliness that comes with being the providers of hospitality and care. For example, our faculty and staff report higher personal loneliness. In what ways do your churches’ support structures support those providing care to congregants? Are you checking in with those care providers to assess their sense of loneliness or isolation?
- How can colleges and churches work together to address loneliness in our respective populations, which often overlap?
Loneliness is a complex challenge, and even Vivek Murthy, a former U.S. surgeon general, referred to it as a national epidemic in 2023. The same year, the World Health Organization named loneliness as a “global public health concern” and announced the WHO Commission on Social Connection and the start of “a three-year global effort to mobilize awareness, action and much-needed support for the solutions to tackle social isolation and loneliness.” But loneliness is not insurmountable. We can create communities where everyone feels they belong with intentional hospitality, personal connection, and a commitment to walk alongside others.
