How Do You Cope with Homesickness at University?

Homesickness is a common challenge many students face when they start university. Being away from familiar surroundings, family, and friends can feel overwhelming, but there are ways to make the transition easier. Building a routine is crucial—keeping busy with classes, societies, and social events can help distract from the feelings of missing home. Staying connected to loved ones through calls or video chats offers comfort while maintaining a sense of closeness. Personalising your new space with photos, favourite items, or reminders of home can also make your accommodation feel more like your own. Don’t hesitate to seek support; university wellbeing services and student-led groups can provide a listening ear or practical advice.

Did you suffer initially from homesickness at uni? What are some of the ways you found that helped with that?

Reply 1

ash210

Make friends, explore new things, learn a hobby

Reply 2

YSJstudents

Official Rep

Original post by CCCU Students

Homesickness is a common challenge many students face when they start university. Being away from familiar surroundings, family, and friends can feel overwhelming, but there are ways to make the transition easier. Building a routine is crucial—keeping busy with classes, societies, and social events can help distract from the feelings of missing home. Staying connected to loved ones through calls or video chats offers comfort while maintaining a sense of closeness. Personalising your new space with photos, favourite items, or reminders of home can also make your accommodation feel more like your own. Don’t hesitate to seek support; university wellbeing services and student-led groups can provide a listening ear or practical advice.
Did you suffer initially from homesickness at uni? What are some of the ways you found that helped with that?

Hi!
This is such an important topic that so many students struggle with!
I have struggled with homesickness throughout the whole of university - even sometimes now in my third year! University is such a big life change, it's completely normal to feel homesick.

Some things I do to combat this...

Make your new room feel like yours - putting up decorations and photos can help you feel like you have a piece of home away from home.

Call home regularly - this is not always seen as a positive thing but I believe keeping in touch with home can be a massive help when battling homesickness.

Throw yourself into university life - get involved with as much as possible, whether this is societies or sports clubs, getting involved can help you make friends and settle in to your new home.

Hope this helps! Faye 🙂

Reply 3

Chester Student

Official Rep

Original post by CCCU Students

Homesickness is a common challenge many students face when they start university. Being away from familiar surroundings, family, and friends can feel overwhelming, but there are ways to make the transition easier. Building a routine is crucial—keeping busy with classes, societies, and social events can help distract from the feelings of missing home. Staying connected to loved ones through calls or video chats offers comfort while maintaining a sense of closeness. Personalising your new space with photos, favourite items, or reminders of home can also make your accommodation feel more like your own. Don’t hesitate to seek support; university wellbeing services and student-led groups can provide a listening ear or practical advice.
Did you suffer initially from homesickness at uni? What are some of the ways you found that helped with that?

Hi there,

There are some great ideas to cope with homesickness here!

I love decorating my space with photographs, lights, and blankets. Getting involved in university life and creating a structured routine is also something that helps me a lot.

Something that hasn't been mentioned but that I think is useful is planning out trips to return home. This helps to give me something to look forward to. For example, planning to visit friends and family that I haven't seen in a while or attending a Christmas event gets me excited for that time to come and helps get me through harder times.

I hope this helps,

Isabella
Fourth-Year Geography with a Year Abroad Student

Reply 4

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by CCCU Students

Homesickness is a common challenge many students face when they start university. Being away from familiar surroundings, family, and friends can feel overwhelming, but there are ways to make the transition easier. Building a routine is crucial—keeping busy with classes, societies, and social events can help distract from the feelings of missing home. Staying connected to loved ones through calls or video chats offers comfort while maintaining a sense of closeness. Personalising your new space with photos, favourite items, or reminders of home can also make your accommodation feel more like your own. Don’t hesitate to seek support; university wellbeing services and student-led groups can provide a listening ear or practical advice.
Did you suffer initially from homesickness at uni? What are some of the ways you found that helped with that?

Hi!

I also was quite homesick when I started uni, so I thought I could post some of my tips that really helped me when I was first starting out!

1- Try and keep yourself busy. Have a look and see if there are any societies that you might want to join as these are great ways of keeping yourself busy and also making friends at the same time. Try and make plans with your friends or just go on walks or go out by yourself! I found this really helpful as it really took my mind off feeling homesick.

2- Call family and friends. I think this is a great way of stopping yourself from feeling homesick as you get to catch up with everyone and you don't feel like you are missing out. You don't have to call them all the time, but keeping in regular contact can be quite helpful.

3- Try and plan visits home. I liked knowing when I was next going to be going home, or when when my family/friends were going to come and see me. I think having a plan in mind helped me to stop worrying about when I would be able to go home as I always knew when I would next be able to!

4- I know people have said it already, but making your room feel homely can really help as it feels more like you room, rather than just a room you are staying in for a bit.

I hope some of these are helpful!

Lucy -SHU student ambassador 🙂

Reply 5

Chester Student

Official Rep

The ideas that have already been suggested are all really great and I would definitely agree with the suggestion of sticking up loads of photos of your friends and family and pets all over your room. Another idea that I found helped me was to bring items from my room at home, cushions and throws from my bed, even the duvet set. It might help you feel 'at home' by recreating the space. Planning visits home and arranging to meet your friends at home then is another good tip.
One thing I would suggest though is to make sure you integrate yourself in university life, join societies, go out with your university friends, don't isolate yourself there because you will feel more homesick - getting involved and making a uni life will keep you busy and take your mind off missing home.
Hope this helps!
Jess
PhD English
University of Chester

Reply 6

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

Dear Student,

Yes, I experienced homesickness when I first started university, as many students do. Being away from home and adjusting to a new environment can be overwhelming. However, I found several strategies that helped me manage these feelings. Joining clubs and societies was one of the most effective ways to meet new people and build connections. It kept me busy and gave me a sense of belonging. Additionally, I made sure to participate in various campus events and activities, which provided opportunities to interact with others and feel more engaged in the university life. The Students' Union also played a vital role in my adjustment process. They offered a range of support services, organized social events, and provided helpful advice for students facing homesickness. Lastly, staying connected with family through regular calls and video chats offered emotional comfort, reminding me that I wasn’t alone despite being far from home.

I hope this helps you.
Thanks & Regards,
Student Ambassador, Coventry University

Reply 7

Kingston Eve

Official Rep

Original post by CCCU Students

Homesickness is a common challenge many students face when they start university. Being away from familiar surroundings, family, and friends can feel overwhelming, but there are ways to make the transition easier. Building a routine is crucial—keeping busy with classes, societies, and social events can help distract from the feelings of missing home. Staying connected to loved ones through calls or video chats offers comfort while maintaining a sense of closeness. Personalising your new space with photos, favourite items, or reminders of home can also make your accommodation feel more like your own. Don’t hesitate to seek support; university wellbeing services and student-led groups can provide a listening ear or practical advice.
Did you suffer initially from homesickness at uni? What are some of the ways you found that helped with that?

Hey @CCCU Students - what a great idea for a thread!

I definitely felt some initial homesickness whilst I was at university - I had moved from Belfast to London, and although it wasn't a great physical distance, the culture felt very different. Whenever I felt homesick in first year, I liked to phone my family back home for a quick chat about how things were going; it was nice to hear their voices, and we often made plans for things to do together when I returned home at Christmas/during summer.

Although I often felt homesick in those first few months, I will admit that the feeling wore off as my first year continued. Homesickness is often temporary, and getting involved in your course/university life in general can make those feelings pass even quicker. Consider joining a society or volunteering with a local organisation to meet new people and give yourself something concrete to do outside of university workshops/lectures. 🙃

Eve (Kingston Rep).

Reply 8

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

Original post by CCCU Students

Homesickness is a common challenge many students face when they start university. Being away from familiar surroundings, family, and friends can feel overwhelming, but there are ways to make the transition easier. Building a routine is crucial—keeping busy with classes, societies, and social events can help distract from the feelings of missing home. Staying connected to loved ones through calls or video chats offers comfort while maintaining a sense of closeness. Personalising your new space with photos, favourite items, or reminders of home can also make your accommodation feel more like your own. Don’t hesitate to seek support; university wellbeing services and student-led groups can provide a listening ear or practical advice.
Did you suffer initially from homesickness at uni? What are some of the ways you found that helped with that?

Hi there! Homesickness is completely normal, and I definitely felt it when I first started university. What helped me the most was staying busy—getting involved in societies, clubs, and events was a great way to meet people and keep my mind off missing home.
I also found that personalizing my space with photos and items from home made my room feel more comfortable and familiar. Regular video calls with family and friends really helped too it was a nice way to stay connected without feeling too far away.
Another thing that worked for me was creating a routine. Having a structure, whether it’s for classes, workouts, or just daily walks, gave me a sense of stability. And don’t forget to talk to others many students feel the same way, and sharing your feelings can make a big difference.
You’ll find your rhythm with time, and it gets easier as you settle in. Hang in there you’ve got this! 😊

Second year applied biosciences student
Coventry University Student Ambassador.

Reply 9

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by CCCU Students

Homesickness is a common challenge many students face when they start university. Being away from familiar surroundings, family, and friends can feel overwhelming, but there are ways to make the transition easier. Building a routine is crucial—keeping busy with classes, societies, and social events can help distract from the feelings of missing home. Staying connected to loved ones through calls or video chats offers comfort while maintaining a sense of closeness. Personalising your new space with photos, favourite items, or reminders of home can also make your accommodation feel more like your own. Don’t hesitate to seek support; university wellbeing services and student-led groups can provide a listening ear or practical advice.
Did you suffer initially from homesickness at uni? What are some of the ways you found that helped with that?

Hi @CCCUstudents

What a good idea for a thread. Homesickness is so common at university. All the advice given by other reps is brilliant!

I certainly felt homesick even as a mature student attending university when I moved over 200 miles from down South to study in the Northwest knowing only two people. It might not feel like much consolation at the time, but you won’t be the only person feeling like this.

These would be my top tips:

Get involved - Although it is important you have some time to yourself and don’t burnout, it is good to join in things you know you will enjoy or fancy trying, you will often feel like you are going slightly out of your comfort zone in the first year of university. Whether that is saying yes to an impromptu hang out after class, or trying something new like a society. Societies are a fantastic way to meet like-minded people as you know you will have a shared interest whether that is tabletop games, Taylor Swift, or racing cars (yes all genuine societies at my uni) there’s something for everyone. Additionally, some unis (like mine) hold social events for students feeling a bit homesick or down, so keep an eye out for these, it can be comforting to know you aren't the only student who's missing home and chat about it!

Keep in touch - Although you will be busy attending classes, perhaps adjusting to moving out for the first time, and socialising with other students, regular catch-ups with friends and family back home can be good especially when you are feeling homesick. You could even plan some fun things for when you see them in your holidays. I always find a video call a nice way to catch up whether it is 5 minutes or 50 minutes.

Feel at home - Make sure you make your house/room feel like home whether that is bringing your favourite photos and posters from home, or decorating your room in your style, it is important that you feel comfortable wherever you are living. For example, I have a collage of my family and lots of photos of friends in my room, have a blanket a friend bought me for uni, and treated myself to some new cushions & storage units so my room was less cluttered and felt homely.

Explore your area - It can be easier said than done with all your classes, but it is great to get to know where you live and the surrounding area. For example, in university cities, you can usually do lots of things for free such as visiting art galleries, museums, and parks. Additionally, many places offer student discounts whether you fancy going shopping, catching a film (I hear Wicked is very good), seeing a live music gig, or grabbing some tasty food!

I hope this helps. Enjoy your studies!

Lucy 😊
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)

Reply 10

WrexhamUniReps

Official Rep

Original post by CCCU Students

Homesickness is a common challenge many students face when they start university. Being away from familiar surroundings, family, and friends can feel overwhelming, but there are ways to make the transition easier. Building a routine is crucial—keeping busy with classes, societies, and social events can help distract from the feelings of missing home. Staying connected to loved ones through calls or video chats offers comfort while maintaining a sense of closeness. Personalising your new space with photos, favourite items, or reminders of home can also make your accommodation feel more like your own. Don’t hesitate to seek support; university wellbeing services and student-led groups can provide a listening ear or practical advice.
Did you suffer initially from homesickness at uni? What are some of the ways you found that helped with that?

Hi,

Homesickness is a real issue for many students while they are at University.

A few tips to help combat homelessness:

1) Make regular contact at home, this helped me feel better as I still felt in the loop as to what was going on back at home.
2) Try to keep yourself busy at University, this helps to make you feel settled in your new environment.
3) Put yourself out there at Uni, I know this one can be super hard but I feel that this is a really important one as it can help you to develop within new opportunities.

I hope this helps,

Matt
Wrexham Uni Reps