News20 February 2025
Today, TASO has published a new report highlighting the concerning growth of student mental health difficulties, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community. We found that reported mental health challenges have tripled since 2018, which we estimate equates to approximately 300,000 UK undergraduates.
The report analyses mental health trends by demographic factors such as gender, sexual identity, gender identity, ethnicity, educational background, and socioeconomic status, using data from the Student Academic Experience Survey (SAES). It also examines the impact of mental health on student retention and academic engagement, emphasising the urgent need for targeted support.
Key findings
LGBTQ+ students
LGBTQ+ students report higher rates of mental health difficulties compared to their peers. 30% of bisexual students and 29% of lesbian students report mental health difficulties. Two of the groups facing the worst mental health outcomes are non-binary students (over half report mental health difficulties) and trans students (around 40% report mental health difficulties). However, it should be noted that these two groups include small sample sizes.
Other trends
- Female students are twice as likely as male students to report mental health difficulties (22% vs. 11%), with the gap widening from previous years.
- State-educated students report significantly higher levels of mental health difficulties compared to their privately educated peers.
- Students from areas with lower higher education participation rates are more likely to experience mental health challenges.
- Over one in four students considered dropping out of university between 2021 and 2024, with mental health difficulties being the leading reason in 2024, far outstripping all other reasons, including financial difficulties.
Recommendations
To address these growing challenges, the report outlines several recommendations for policymakers and higher education providers:
- Policymakers should take a public health approach to student mental health. Alongside effective referrals to NHS and clinical services, higher education providers should maintain wellbeing support for its broad and preventative benefits.
- Higher education providers should ensure effective mental health support for LGBTQ+ students and women, who face higher risks. This may involve targeted initiatives.
- Higher education providers must ensure mental health support is effective for disadvantaged students, who face greater challenges. State school students also report higher difficulties, suggesting the need for stronger public mental health services for children.
- Policymakers should apply lessons from LGBTQ+ students’ relatively positive experiences at university to support their freedoms and sense of belonging in workplaces and society. Though LGTBQ+ students report higher mental health challenges to their peers, their wellbeing tends to improve over the course of their higher education.
- Higher education providers should track rising student mental health difficulties using the best available data and respond effectively.
- Higher education providers should evaluate the effectiveness of their mental health and wellbeing interventions.
- Since mental health is the leading reason for student dropouts, higher education providers should integrate mental health support into retention initiatives and evaluate its impact on student success.
Please contact us at info@taso.org.uk if you have any issues accessing the report or if you would like the report in a different format.