Alcohol-Free Halls: Understanding UON Student Resident Experiences and Motivations

Description

The University of Northampton has recently been successfully accredited by SOS-UK for their drug and alcohol impact work. As part of the university’s ongoing harm reduction work in this area, alcohol-free halls have been introduced as an option to all new students joining the university. However, although currently over-subscribed and popular, little is known about the motivations of students selecting such accommodation and the impact on their university experiences. As such accommodation is beginning to be rolled out at other universities, it is important to understand whether such contexts have an impact on university integration, belonging, wellbeing and academic performance. To explore this, an online questionnaire including open-ended questions (N=20) was distributed and analysed using Thematic Analysis. Findings provide in-depth insight into the impact this type of accommodation has on resident students’ sense of belonging, social integration, academic engagement and the student experience. Findings will contribute to the University’s Drug and Alcohol Impact Project (Research and Policy strand) and inform ongoing UON work to enhance student belonging. It will also provide recommendations for future research, informing related university interventions, practise and policy within the wider Higher Education sector.

Period	25 Jun 2026
Event title	UON Annual Research Conference 2026
Event type	Conference
Degree of Recognition	National