Moving to university is intense, and it can be really quite frightening. But the thing that perhaps frightens people the most is whether or not they will be able to make friends at uni, and how to do it. Granted, one of the easiest ways to make friends at university is to chat to those people in your halls. It’s a natural way of meeting people at uni as you’re surrounded by them all the time. But what if you’re not living in halls, or simply don’t feel like you fit in or get on with flatmates? Or what if you just want to expand your social circle and meet people at uni that you don’t live with?
Anxiety and stress take up enough of your time at university in academia, making friends shouldn’t be added to that list as well. Luckily, as students who has felt all of the above at some point in my educational career, we understand the struggle. We’ve got a great list of where you can start, whether you worry you have no friends at uni, or just want to know the best ways to meet others outside your student halls.
12 ways to make friends at university
We’ve all been there…wanting to make friends but realising it gets harder the older you get. At school, it felt much easier. There were classmates or neighbours’ kids or family friends that we could hang out with. But now you might be in a totally new city where you don’t know anyone, or feel like the odd one out living at home, but luckily uni is still a great place to make new friends. From Freshers and beyond, here are the best ways to make friends at uni – in a totally natural way too.
Why not also read our article on friends capturing university life too to see friends in their natural environments.
1. Go to Freshers’ Week events
Freshers is one of the most exciting times for first years, and whilst you may assume that Freshers Events are all boozy raves and events that involve you stumbling home dressed as a zebra at 3 am. This is not always the case. There are always plenty of Freshers Events around that are both boozy and not boozy, and both types are a great way to meet new people. Whether you stumble across someone also dressed as a Zebra on the way into Walkabout, or maybe meet someone who loves Stephenie Meyer books as much as you at the murder mystery night in your local student union cafe.
2. Join student societies
Likewise, Freshers is the best time to join a few (or a load of) societies. There’s bound to be at least a society that gets you excited, so why not join in? Societies tend to meet once a week, sometimes more for sports societies, and are great places to meet new people that have similar interests. If there isn’t a society that aligns with things that you’re already interested in, why not join one for something you’ve always wanted to try? Okay there may not be a Quidditch society, but if you grew up wanting to be Santana from Glee, you can always try out for Cheerleading or for the Musical Theatre society! Check out our list of the weirdest university societies that you can join in UK universities.
3. Download Bumble BFF
The new(ish) addition to the well-known dating app, Bumble BFF is a dating app for those just looking to make new friends and meet new people. Bumble BFF allows you to set your age limit and distance, and, like normal Bumble or Tinder, you then start swiping away. Once you match with someone, you have 24 hours to talk to them. So get swiping and get messaging – it really works! Especially in university cities that are full of Freshers all trying to find their new best friends too. Discover more apps for making friends in our guide here.
Now, hear me out on this one! If you’re single and you are open to dating people, it can be a great way of getting to know people. Even if things don’t work out romantically, it can be a good way of getting to know the people living around you. It can allow you to meet friends of friends and expand your social circle, if done right. A good place to start could be Hinge or Bumble.
4. Speak to people in lectures and tutorials
The whole point of university, as much as we resent to admit it, is to learn. So why not make the most of your lectures, tutorials and study sessions? When you’re in these sessions, sit next to someone rather than on your own, and simply spark up a conversation. It may sound daunting, but even just a “Hi, how’re you, I’m Millie,” is enough to get something started – although you should be sure to use your name, not mine… You’re going to be seeing these people quite a lot, so it makes sense to get to know them.
If you’re not sure how to start up a conversation, why not take a leaf out of the Mean Girls book and ask to borrow a pen? Or maybe ask if they read the pre-reading. There are lots of options, just pick one, and start chatting!
5. Visit communal spaces
Around campus, there will inevitably be some communal spaces – cafes, atriums with seats, smoking areas – visit these spaces as much as possible. There will be plenty of other people there, some of whom you may recognise from other places within the university. Start up a conversation, introduce yourself, make an effort and make new friends! It’s intimidating, for sure, but it’s certainly worth it in the end.
You can also head to communal study spaces or libraries to hang out. You might not be able to talk as loudly but it’s still a good place to familiarise yourself with other people who hang out or study there too. You’ll end up saying hi to people you see often and then maybe engage in some conversation and then that could lead to friendship. In any case, getting out of your student room – even if it’s just to study – can feel good and like you’re part of a wider community of students.
6. Join Facebook groups
You can do this before you even move to university. There will inevitably be Facebook groups set up for your university Freshers, as well as for your course and even for your halls of accommodation. Join as many of these pages and groups as possible and interact. If someone posts saying there’s an event they want to go to but they don’t have anyone to go with, tag along! If there are people asking questions that you have the answer to, reply to them and help them out. Add people who seem to be your sort of people on Facebook and drop them a message – it’s an easy, and relatively chill way to meet new people and make friends outside of student halls.
7. Don’t be afraid of the group chat
Within those Facebook groups, a few group chats will likely start. There’ll be one for your course, one for the societies you’re in, and one for each module. Don’t be afraid of the group chat. They can be intimidating when there are so many people within them, but talking in group chats is a surefire way to make friends pretty quickly without having to put yourself out there as much. Eventually, you can start smaller groups wherein you can really get to know one another properly!
8. Ask for people’s socials
Most importantly, when you do meet someone somewhere that you want to befriend, ask for their socials! It is very hard to be friends with someone if you’ve not got any way of contacting them again after meeting them. Get their Instagram or Snap, or even their Facebook. That way, once whatever event or lecture that you met them in is over, you can arrange to hang out again. Things like Instagram also allow you to see more about what the person is like.
9. Volunteer
Whether it’s at uni or at a local community organisation, volunteering can be a great way to make friends at uni outside your student halls. It’s also a good way to boost your CV and do something that either feels good for your values or can be beneficial for a future career (or both). It’s one of the easiest ways to meet others at any time during your studies, so works for making friends at uni after freshers too. You could look at what volunteering roles are available at uni at a starting point, or check local sites and stores.
10. Find a student job
This is probably the most typical and natural way adults make friends. Meeting people at work is easy to do because you have something in common to talk about together and you typically spend a good chunk of time together. There are usually lots of student jobs going at university, whether that’s research assistants, peer mentors and ambassadors, content creators and so on. But you could also look at elsewhere like the student union, local cafes and bars, or even sign up to a temp agency.
11. Start a new hobby
What do you like? What are you interested in? University can be the first time in your life where you aren’t confined to being friends with people through circumstances. In school, friends are often accumulated from going through the same life goals together. However, these friendships can often lead us to feel weighed down if they are not the right fit for your growing life. At 18 or whenever you’re starting uni, it is normal to not know who you are yet. But your interests are what make you shine and thrive at university.
Hobbies are possibly another great way to meet people while you’re at uni, where you also have something in common to talk about but it’s not forced. Think dance classes, art workshops, theatre groups, coding classes, learning a foreign language and more. It’s probably the best way to make friends at uni with like-minded people too as you’re both clearly into the same thing.
12. Join a gym
This might not be for everyone, and if you’re a stranger to the gym this can feel extra daunting, but it is actually a common way people make friends at uni. There’s usually particular gyms that other students join – sometimes that’s a uni gym or just a local gym in popular student neighbourhoods. If you aren’t too comfortable using the gym, or want the best way to meet people, then I would recommend going to some of the classes. There’s all sorts to try like spin, toning, pilates, yoga and more.
13. Pub quizzes and themed nights
Finally, the most common way of meeting new friends at university is through alcohol. Even if heavy drinking isn’t for you, just going to your local pub for the weekly pub quiz with a few friends can cut it. Going to the pub or the club does not have to be about drinking. Doing it all sober is becoming more admirable, especially with the price of drinking these days! I think the best piece of advice I could give you for this is to not worry about it too much. If you can handle loads, good for you. If you’re like me, and you can’t – that is also okay. The right people wont give you grief for that.
Themed nights are also a great way of finding friends through your mutual interests. I enjoy attending an emo night! I absolutely love it! Alongside drag nights with my friends and making the most of the 2 for 1 deals.
Worried about having no friends at uni?
Believe it or not, so many students are worried at being lonely at uni. It’s a common issue, where research shows that nearly all (92%) students felt lonely at least once in the year, and 43% of young people reported worrying about their peers judging them for admitting it. So, despite the irony of it, you’re not alone in feeling alone if you have no friends. And fortunately, there are lots of ways you can get out there and meet people. You might not meet lifelong besties, but even just some degree of social interaction doing things you enjoy can be beneficial. Plus, you never know they might actually become lifelong besties after some time?
People often wonder if it’s easy to make friends at uni outside of student halls, especially how to do so after Freshers’. That’s the week where everyone gets VERY familiar with lots of parties, club nights and basically not sleeping for a week before classes start. But there are ways to do so if Freshers’ isn’t really your thing or it’s long gone.
Remember that making friends at uni outside of student halls doesn’t happen overnight and it can take a bit of time before you fully find your tribe at university. However, if you are struggling with your mental health at uni, then be sure to reach out for help. Here is a list of places you can access mental health support in the UK.
Last Updated on December 1, 2024
Published on September 28, 2022
