University students have faced a challenging year, and the academic experience has been widely discussed. But higher education is much broader than just what happens in the lecture hall, with the benefits of the university experience coming from participation in extra-curricular activities, work placements and other enrichment activities, as well as meeting new people and participating in university social life. This year, with limits on in person activities, the risk of "Zoom fatigue" after a long day of lectures and students perhaps apprehensive about taking part in social activities with new people online, access to these activities has also looked very different. This brief explores the participation of undergraduate students in wider university life during the pandemic, and how this is influenced by the socio-economic background of students. A second report, "The University of Life" [see ED613210] accompanies this brief, which highlights how extra-curricular activities can help students to develop valuable 'life skills' which previous Sutton Trust research has shown are highly valued by employers.