All university students in England will not be allowed to return to campus until mid-May at the earliest, the Government has confirmed.

The Department for Education (DfE) expects all remaining students to be able to return to in-person teaching on campus when further easing of restrictions on social contact indoors is confirmed, which will be no earlier than May 17.

But progression to the next stage of the road map will be dependent on a review of the latest data and the impact of other restrictions being eased this month.

The decision came after university leaders in England intensified calls for students to be allowed to return to campus as soon as possible as seminars and lectures will be largely coming to an end at many universities by mid-May.

Most students in England – apart from those on critical courses – were told not to return to campus as part of the lockdown announced in January.

University students on practical courses, who require specialist equipment and facilities, began returning to face-to-face teaching on March 8.

It is estimated that around half of university students in England are currently not eligible to return to in-person teaching.

In a written ministerial statement, universities minister Michelle Donelan said all remaining students will be advised not to return to face-to-face lessons on campus until mid-May at the earliest.

She said: “The movement of students across the country poses a risk for the transmission of the virus – particularly because of the higher prevalence and rates of transmission of new variants.

“Students who have returned to higher education settings should not move back and forward between their permanent home and student home during term time unless they meet one of the exemptions.”

On returning, all students and staff are encouraged to take three supervised tests – three to five days apart – at an asymptomatic testing site on campus.

After this, students will also have access to home testing kits throughout the summer term, the DfE said.

Ms Donelan added: “The Government and I recognise just how difficult and disruptive the last year has been for students.

“However, the road map is designed to maintain a cautious approach to the easing of restrictions, to ensure that we can maintain progress towards full reopening. By step three, more of the population will be vaccinated, and there is also more time to increase testing to reduce risk further.”

In a recent letter to Boris Johnson, Professor Julia Buckingham, president of Universities UK (UUK), which represents vice-chancellors, said it was “illogical” to open shops, gyms, spas, zoos, theme parks, libraries and community centres on April 12 but not allow students to return to campus.

She wrote: “This is another blow for those students who have been studying online since early December, and you will be aware of many studies highlighting the impact on students’ mental health, wellbeing and development.”

A parliamentary petition calling for students to be allowed to return to university at the start of the summer term has more than 5,700 signatures.

In a statement issued on Monday, Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, vice president for higher education at the National Union of Students (NUS), said uncertainty about reopening campuses had caused “distress” among students who she said had been “consistently treated as low priority”.

She said: “Students have missed out not just on huge swathes of education and hands-on experience this year, but on huge parts of campus life, on top of now learning from cramped homes and bedrooms.”

But the University and College Union (UCU) has called for university courses to stay online until September.

Ahead of the announcement, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “After a year of dithering and delay from ministers, it now looks like they have belatedly listened to our demands and will keep learning online until at least May 17.

“But restarting in-person activities in mid-May, with only weeks of the academic year left, makes absolutely no sense as most lectures and seminars will already have finished.”

Recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests that around three-quarters of students (76%) are living at the same address as they were at the start of the autumn term.

Students who need additional mental health support, or who do not have access to appropriate study spaces in their vacation accommodation, are allowed to return to term-time accommodation.

Ms Donelan said: “We have asked providers to consider opening facilities to support those who have returned to their term-time accommodation alongside those who have resumed in-person teaching and learning; this is to safeguard students’ wellbeing and to prevent isolation and mental ill health.”

The DfE will make an additional £15 million of funding available for student hardship this academic year, she added.

The minister said: “I realise that a delay to a return to university may cause some students to face additional costs.”