5 minutes read5 minutes readSummary:
- In 2025, people aged 15 to 24 accounted for 119,033 of the 334,151 new STI diagnoses in England, according to UKHSA’s report of 2 June 2026.
- Better2Know’s booking data shows that the median age of people testing at our UK clinics is 37, and that 9% are under 25.
- Test after every new partner, screen at the start of a relationship, and use condoms as the default. From 14 days after a new partner, the Better2Know Peace of Mind screen tests for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea and Syphilis.
Freshers’ week brings new people, new freedoms and new partners. None of that is a reason for alarm, but it is a good reason to know a few things before term starts, because the infection most often diagnosed in young adults usually causes no symptoms at all.
Chlamydia is the clearest example. There were 151,163 diagnoses in England in 2025, and 74,917 of them were in people aged 15 to 24, according to UKHSA’s report of 2 June 2026. With Sexual Health Week running from 14 to 20 September and freshers’ weeks filling the rest of the month, here is what every student should know: how common these infections are, the three habits that cover almost every situation, and how to get tested discreetly away from home.
What do students need to know about STIs before term starts?
The first thing to know is that STIs are common in your age group and that the most common of them is usually silent. People aged 15 to 24 accounted for 119,033 of the 334,151 new STI diagnoses in England in 2025, according to UKHSA, and most people who have Chlamydia do not have any symptoms, according to the NHS.
The second is that testing is a routine part of being sexually active rather than an admission of anything. BASHH, the UK’s professional body for sexual health, advises a test at the start of a relationship, then once a year and after any change of partner, in its 2023 testing guidance.
The third is that it is easy to do quietly. The Better2Know Peace of Mind screen checks for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea and Syphilis from 14 days after a new partner, either at a clinic in your university city or with a home test kit that arrives in plain packaging.
How common are STIs among young people?
UKHSA’s 2025 report puts the England total at 334,151 new STI diagnoses, 8.3% fewer than in 2024, and about 36% of them were in people aged 15 to 24. Chlamydia makes up most of that share, with 74,917 of the 151,163 Chlamydia diagnoses, about half, in 15 to 24-year-olds.
The fall in diagnoses came alongside a fall in testing. Chlamydia test coverage among women aged 15 to 24 dropped from 17.7% in 2024 to 16.0% in 2025, and the number of tests among young men fell by 8.9%.
Part of the reason Chlamydia spreads so easily is that it is silent. UKHSA’s National Chlamydia Screening Programme estimates that around 70% to 80% of people with Chlamydia are unaware they have it, so it passes between partners who all feel perfectly well. Left untreated it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility, according to the NHS. Our post “Can I still have an STI if I feel fine?” explains why a lack of symptoms is not a result.
What are the three rules for the new term?
- A test after every new partner. That does not mean the morning after, because a test taken that early cannot rule anything out. Better2Know’s Peace of Mind screen can be taken from 14 days after the incident you are worried about, which is its incubation period. Syphilis antibodies can take longer to appear, so if Syphilis is a particular worry, BASHH advises a further test 12 weeks after the last exposure. If you have symptoms at any point, test straight away.
- A screen at the start of a relationship. When a fling turns into something more, the moment to test is before you stop using condoms, and BASHH’s advice is that both of you test at the start of the relationship. Doing it together takes the awkwardness out of asking, and our guide to raising testing with a new partner, published on 18 September, has the words for that conversation.
- Condoms as the default. The NHS advice has not changed: use condoms for vaginal or anal sex, and a condom or dam for oral sex. Condoms help prevent Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea, but they give less protection against infections passed by skin contact, which is why rule 1 still applies even when you have been careful. “3 STIs you can catch even if you use a condom” covers those, and “First time sex: a guide to staying safe” starts from the beginning.
How can you get tested discreetly away from home?
You can do it without involving anyone at your university. Better2Know has private clinics in hundreds of locations across the UK, including Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol, Nottingham and Edinburgh, with many same-day and next-day appointments. Most take around 10 to 15 minutes, and you can choose to remain anonymous.
If you would rather not be seen at all, the Peace of Mind home test kit checks the same three infections from a finger-prick blood sample and a urine sample. It arrives in plain packaging, so nobody in halls knows what it is, it is dispatched the same day for weekday orders placed before 4pm, and it comes with a pre-paid return envelope; results take 2 days. If you need an answer today, the Instant Peace of Mind Screen gives a result within 30 minutes at selected clinics.
Your results go to your secure online patient area, and if anything is found we arrange a doctor’s consultation and help you get treatment. If you are not sure which test fits your situation, our guide “Which STI test do I need?” compares the options.
What Better2Know’s data tells us
Better2Know’s booking data shows that the median age of people testing at our UK clinics is 37, and that 9% are under 25. In England, 15 to 24-year-olds accounted for more than a third of new STI diagnoses in 2025. The two figures measure different things, who books a private test with us and who is diagnosed across all services in a slightly different age band, but read together they make a simple point: the age group with the most to gain from a routine test is a small minority of the people who book one.
“Most of the students I see have come in because of a symptom or a scare, often weeks after the event. The habit I would like every fresher to build is the opposite one: a routine test a fortnight after a new partner, whether or not anything feels wrong. Chlamydia is usually silent, so how you feel tells you very little. The test is a small errand, and an untreated infection is not.”
FAQs
Do I need an STI test if I have no symptoms?
Yes, if you have had a new partner since your last test. Most people with Chlamydia have no symptoms, according to the NHS, and many people with Gonorrhoea have none either, so a test is the only way to know where you stand. Book it for 14 days or more after the last time you were at risk, and if you develop symptoms before then, test straight away.
How soon after freshers’ week can I get tested?
From 14 days after the incident you are worried about, which is the incubation period on Better2Know’s Peace of Mind screen and on our Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea tests. A test taken earlier can pick up an infection but cannot rule one out. Laboratory results take 2 days, the Instant Peace of Mind Screen gives a result within 30 minutes in clinic, and for Syphilis BASHH advises a further test 12 weeks after the last exposure. Our post “How long do STI test results take?” explains the timings for other tests.
Can I get a home STI test kit sent to my halls?
Yes. The Better2Know Peace of Mind home test kit is posted first class in plain packaging, so the parcel gives nothing away, and weekday orders placed before 4pm are dispatched the same day. You take the samples yourself, a finger-prick blood sample and a urine sample, return them in the pre-paid envelope, and read your results in your secure online patient area.
Final thoughts
Three habits make the year simpler: test after every new partner, screen at the start of a relationship, and use condoms as the default. The national figures show why they matter for your age group in particular, and the silence of Chlamydia shows why waiting for symptoms does not work.
If you have had a new partner and it has been 14 days or more, book the Better2Know Peace of Mind screen at a clinic near you or with a home test kit. Prefer to talk it through first? Our Patient Care Team is available 24/7 on 020 7099 0955.
