BackgroundLoneliness is detrimental to mental health, with university students at higher risk of feeling lonely than other population groups. However, little research has explored interventions to reduce loneliness among students. This review identifies the characteristics and effectiveness of interventions targeting university/college students.MethodsPsycINFO, Medline, ASSIA and Web of Science were searched from inception using keywords linked to ‘loneliness’, ‘intervention’ and ‘students’. Relevant peer and nonpeer‐reviewed English‐language articles on studies implementing an intervention with loneliness as an outcome and investigating undergraduate or postgraduate students at a higher education institution were included for quality analysis and narrative synthesis. Risk of bias was assessed at both study level and at outcome level.ResultsTwenty‐eight articles were included, comprising 25 quantitative and three qualitative studies, covering 37 interventions, most implemented in the United States. Interventions were based on psychoeducation, social support groups, increasing social interaction or reflective exercises. The age of the participants (n = 2339) ranged from 17.62 to 25 (mean age 20.63) years. Evidence from the RCTs suggests that most interventions influenced loneliness outcomes, but the magnitude of the benefit is unclear. Across quantitative studies, 80% (16/20) of interventions based on either social support groups, increasing social interaction or reflective exercises, and 50% (7/14) of interventions based on psychoeducation were deemed effective in reducing loneliness. Most interventions measured quantitatively were delivered in a group setting, of which two thirds were considered effective in reducing loneliness scores, regardless of intervention.ConclusionsUniversities have a choice of interventions to help reduce loneliness among students either on campus or virtually. Ones promoting social connectedness appear to be more successful. More high‐quality studies in a larger number of countries are needed, taking vulnerable student groups into consideration.

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BackgroundLoneliness is detrimental to mental health, with university students at higher risk than other population groups. However, little research has explored interventions to reduce loneliness among students. This systematic review identifies the characteristics and effectiveness of interventions targeting students at university or college. MethodsPsycINFO, PubMed, ASSIA and Web of Knowledge were searched from inception using keywords linked to ‘loneliness’, ‘intervention’ and ‘students’. Relevant peer and non-peer reviewed English-language articles on studies implementing an intervention with loneliness as an outcome and investigating undergraduate or postgraduate students at a higher education institute were included for quality analysis and narrative review. Risk of bias was assessed at both study level and at outcome level using the revised Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials (ROB2) and the risk of bias in non-randomized studies of interventions (ROBINS-I).Results22 articles were included, comprising 18 quantitative and four qualitative studies covering 29 interventions. The large majority of studies were conducted in the United States. Interventions were based on psychoeducation, social support groups, increasing social interaction, or reflective exercises. For quantitative studies, 80% of each of the interventions based on either social support, increasing social interaction or reflective exercises, and 30% of psychoeducation interventions reduced loneliness scores significantly. 21 out of 25 interventions measured quantitatively were delivered in a group setting, of which 62% significantly reduced loneliness scores, regardless of intervention.ConclusionsUniversities have a choice of interventions to help reduce loneliness among students either on campus or virtually. Ones promoting social connectedness appear to be more successful. More high-quality studies in a larger number of countries are needed, taking vulnerable student groups into consideration.