“Empty nesters” are getting real about what it’s like having their adult children leave home for university – and 83% report feeling extreme grief, according to new research by Unite Students.The feelings are strong, and they are valid. After almost two decades of raising your child, knowing their whereabouts (most, if not all, of the time), you are suddenly left with an empty bedroom and no end of worries about how they’re getting on – and most crucially, whether they’re keeping safe.Calls and texts might go unanswered as they dive headfirst into the social fest that is Freshers week. Then the weeks turn into months, with scattered catch-ups and home visits here and there, and you realise this is the new normal. Not wanting to detach completely, two-thirds (67%) of parents admit to using an app to track their child’s location once they leave for university, according to Unite Students’ 2025 Empty Nester Survey.Interestingly, da