Going away to university is often seen as the best stage of life. Full of opportunity, independence, and friendship. But for many, this time can become difficult, exacerbated by the lack of support available for short-term residents.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) shared factors contributing to students having poor mental health, which include:
- moving away from home
- academic and financial pressures
- absence of familiar social and emotional support networks.
“60% of surveyed students said their mental health suffered as a result of money worries.” – National Student Money Survey 2024
Add in drinking culture, social pressure, the cost-of-living crisis, and the logistics that come with living between two addresses and GPs, it’s no wonder that university student mental health is an increasingly talked about topic.
- “Students disclosing a mental health condition to their university has increased rapidly from under 1% in 2010/11 to 5.7% in 2021/22.” Student mental health in England: Statistics, policy, and guidance, House of Commons Library, 2024
Mental health conditions reported by students in 2021/2022 over seven times higher than a decade earlier – Student mental health in England: Statistics, policy, and guidance (2024) House of Commons Library.
How to choose a University that is right for you
When choosing a university or higher education institute to study at, it’s important to check out the student support available. Alongside academic commitments, looking after your wellbeing will be a huge part of student life.
- “78.3% of participants felt that counselling helped them to stay at university, at least to a limited extent.” The impact of psychological distress and university counselling on academic outcomes: Analysis of a routine practice-based dataset, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2023
Here are some tips on what you should research and what to look for, prior to applying for a University:
- Have a look at the Student Union and general university websites to see what wellbeing services are offered to students.
- Look at their social media pages and website to see if there’s any regular events about supporting mental health and wellbeing.
- Speak to student ambassadors at open days to understand more about the social culture and student life.
- Does the university/Student Union offer a counselling service?
- What is the support for Disabled and Neurodivergent students like? Do you need a medical diagnosis to access these services?
- Does the Student Union/university signpost to financial support services?
Visiting the university, its campus, and local area can be useful to get a feeling of the space, academic staff, and student life. Universities often include the support they offer to students in their brochure, website, and other marketing materials.
It’s good to know what the wider student population is offered in terms of accessibility and support. Some specialist services can have restrictions when it comes to diagnostic criteria and thresholds.
- “57% of survey respondents self-reported having a mental health issue in 2022. However, only 24% of those students had a diagnosis.” Student Minds, 2023
Make sure to check out the NHS providers (e.g. Talking Therapies) and charity support in the area too:
- Are there student specific support services offered by non-university organisations like NHS providers or charities?
- Do you need to be registered with a local GP to access local services?
- Is the in-person support at a location that’s easy to get to from the student area?
- How involved are academic tutors with the wellbeing and student support services?
This website is a good place to start your research on local mental health services: How to find local mental health services – NHS
Whilst academic tutors and wellbeing student services can offer support, university-based services are not always equipped to support students with more complex mental health needs. Should you need to access services and support via a GP, finding out what is available beforehand can be very useful to work out which area/GP is best to have as your primary address.
How to Prepare for University Life
Going to university can be a real culture shock, especially if you are moving away. Here’s some tips I would give my younger self:
- Get a cookbook catered to student cooking. Knowing a few easy cheap recipes (bonus if you can meal prep and freeze them) is very useful when your schedule gets busy. My NOSH for Students cookbook is well loved to this day.
- Check out educational tools to get more comfortable with budgeting and finances. I recommend the free app Your Juno. It’s like Duolingo but for personal finance and you earn virtual avocados through quizzes and daily streaks.
- Household chores like laundry is always a good one to practice before going away. Getting the basics of how to sort your clothes for different washes and making sure you have a laundry bag for carrying your clothes to the machines, will come in handy.
Reframing University
Like all new things, it may take some time to find your people, to settle, and get into the routine of things. It is a big life change after all. Getting involved with a Club or Society that’s about your interests can be a great way to find like-minded people outside your academic course.
See this life chapter as a new adventure. There will be mountains to climb, ups and downs, and some let-downs. The good news is that this is just one step in your life journey. Many graduates I have spoken to who have had negative moments in their student experience, have still gone on to have fulfilling lives. Enjoy this chapter whilst you can, it’s just making sure to look out for your wellbeing and health too.
Megan is our Delivery & Strategy Lead: Co-Production & Community Engagement.
Seeking Support
It is important that you seek support if you are feeling your mental health is declining or you can no longer cope.
On top of local support, you can also access national charities and helplines:
Mental Health Crisis line – 24/7
Tel: 0800 915 4644
SMS texting for people who are deaf or hard of hearing: 07717 989 024
Nightline Association – for students
Visit the Nightline website to see if your university or college offers a night-time listening service. Nightline phone operators are all students too.
https://www.nightline.ac.uk/want-to-talk/
Papyrus Hopeline UK
For under 35s struggling with suicidal feelings, or people concerned about a young person who might be struggling.
Weekdays 10am-10pm, weekends 2pm-10pm and bank holidays 2pm–10pm
0800 068 4141
SMS – 07786 209 697
Samaritans – 24/7
Call: 116 123
Email: jo@samaritans.org
SANEline – every day from 4.30pm to 10.30pm
Tel: 0300 304 700
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)
Call 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to midnight every day
Or visit the webchat page
Shout UK – Crisis text line – 24/7 text service support
SMS: 85258
For a full list of crisis support service in Surrey and nationally, please visit our Crisis Support page.
Enjoyed reading this blog?
If you’d like to read more about how to prepare for university life from people with lived experience of University, why not read Chris’s blog on What I wished I had known before going to University?
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