Students of faith need more than a prayer room

When faith and higher education are discussed in the same sentence, it is often presumed that what will follow will be negative.

But our latest report, Have faith in higher education, emphasises the importance of faith for students and for wider society, especially in improving outcomes and as a driver for student charity and advocacy.

Why faith matters to students

While students with no religious belief remain the largest group, the proportion has declined.

In 2024–25, 44 per cent of students reported that they had no religious belief, compared with 49 per cent in 2019–20. In contrast, approximately 50 per cent of higher education students reported having a religion or belief. This broadly matched the findings of the survey commissioned for our report, which found that 52 per cent of students at university or college agree that faith is important to them.

The reason why this matters is that, when universities and colleges understand that faith is important to students, they can identify areas in which faith sensitivity will be important to improve outcomes. A good example is mental health support. Nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that faith is helpful for students in coping with their mental health.

Where faith is important to students, it also acts as a source of values. Interviews conducted for this report revealed how faith encourages a love of learning among students. Faith-based concepts such as striving for excellence in all one does and accountability support this.

Wider society

But faith doesn’t only benefit individual students – it also drives a commitment to charity and social activism.

For example, half of the Muslim students who responded to the survey said that they engage in charitable work. Of the Muslim students involved in the charity, 91 per cent said that they were motivated by their faith. People of all faiths benefit from their charity, as case studies in the report show how faith-based student societies support local communities and raise money for social causes around the world. Charity weeks, which are largely run by student societies, have helped raise over £20 million since its inception.

The same is true for social activism. Among Muslim respondents involved in activism, 88 per cent said that their activism was driven by their faith, as was the activism of 75 per cent of respondents of other faiths. Causes for which faith-based student societies have worked towards include interfaith dialogue and supporting access of underrepresented groups to attend higher education, such as Muslims.

Research has shown that, when higher education institutions have a higher proportion of Muslim students or staff, they have, on average, smaller attainment gaps between Muslim students and those with no religion or belief.

Some of the recommendations in our report are designed to further support the contributions of faith-based student communities. These include the establishment of an interfaith engagement fund by the Department for Education to finance sustained interfaith engagement. Another is cooperation between institutions and their faith-based societies already engaged in widening access initiatives to support more people from underrepresented communities into higher education.

Room for improvement

Student life in general has been under the spotlight a lot lately.

In the wake of the Milburn interim report into why one million young people are not in education, employment or training (NEETs), higher education experts are wondering what lessons there are to be learned for the sector. Even for those young people who are employed, concerns have repeatedly been raised about the student loans system. Many young professionals have been making their monthly repayments, while the amount that they owe continues to grow.

But for students of historically marginalised communities or backgrounds, there are additional challenges. That is why frameworks exist to promote more inclusive environments in higher education, including for gender (Athena Swan Charter) and racial equality. These challenges extend to faith-based communities, as faith has often been treated as a security risk in relation to radicalisation and extremism. Often, these challenges are intersectional.

Our report looked at the issues faced by students of faith throughout their educational journey, from access to higher education through to employment. Only 24 per cent of students believe that their institution does its best to attract potential students of faith. Some of the provisions for students to practise their faith have been missing from campuses too, such as provision for dietary requirements, prayer spaces, and timetabling around periods of religious significance.

For example, a 2019 study found that universities have on average only one prayer space for every 3,524 students. In terms of employment prospects, only 30 per cent of students responding to the survey believe that their institution provides sufficient support for students of faith looking for employment.

Our report posits that, when faith is recognised properly within universities and colleges, educational outcomes will improve. The evidence shows that faith is important to a significant number of students. So, if their faith and ability to practise their faith is supported, they will not have to choose between practising their faith and attending class. Higher attendance at in-person lectures often results in better grades, and improved educational outcomes are key to the development of a highly skilled workforce. So, the knock-on socioeconomic effect on wider society will be significant.

The report homes in on where there is room for improvement, calling for greater faith literacy in higher education so that the needs of students of faith are met. This includes allocating proportionate spaces for students of faith to practise their beliefs, greater engagement by leadership with their chaplaincies and faith-based student societies and support for the work of chaplains. The latter provides pastoral care to students of all faiths and none, with over a third of university chaplains saying non-religious students were one of the main groups they worked with most closely.

Higher education is one of the most formative stages of a person’s life for those who undertake it. This also matters for all of society, because the qualifications people leave with often determine their employability and ability to give back as taxpayers.

Their experiences in charity and activism help to develop young people as active citizens. The more universities and colleges can understand and nurture the important connection between many of their students and their faith, the better the quality of their life and the realisation of their potential.