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Student Mental Health Insight & Benchmarking
Annual mental health research, sector benchmarking and actionable insight to support service planning
Understand your students. Benchmark your services. Make evidence-based decisions.
Student mental health remains one of the most significant challenges facing higher education. Universities are experiencing increasing demand for support services while operating in increasingly constrained financial environments.
The Student Mental Health Insight & Benchmarking service provides access to one of the largest annual studies of student mental health in the UK and Ireland, helping institutions understand student wellbeing, benchmark against the sector and identify opportunities to improve support services.
Built on research involving more than 6,500 students and recent graduates across 140+ universities, the service provides robust evidence to support strategic planning, business cases and service enhancement.
In depth, benchmarked insight into your students’ mental health
Annual sector-wide research
Access findings from one of the largest student mental health studies in the UK and Ireland, conducted annually since 2020.
Institutional Benchmarking
Compare your students against national averages, mission groups, regional competitors or a bespoke university comparison group.
Bespoke Institutional Reports
Receive a tailored report focused on your university's students, experiences and support services.
Longitudinal Trend Analysis
Track changes in student mental health, wellbeing and service perceptions over time.
Student Service Evaluation
Understand awareness, utilisation and perceived effectiveness of your wellbeing and mental health services.
Student voice and feedback
Capture qualitative insight from students about their experiences and support needs.
Cohort-level reporting
Analyse results by demographic groups, student characteristics and other key cohorts.
Transition and belonging insight
Explore the impact of transition to university, belonging, community and social connection on student wellbeing.
Service awareness and engagement
Identify which support services students know about, access and value most.
Emerging themes research
Analyse data by subject area, student characteristics, demographic groups and other key cohorts.
Identify disengaged student groups and opportunities for targeted interventions, communications and programme design.
Strategic reporting dashboards
Present findings in a format suitable for service leaders, executive teams and institutional committees. Support investment decisions, staffing discussions and service reviews with robust benchmark data.
Frequently asked questions
How many students take part in the research?
The study includes responses from more than 6,500 students and recent graduates across over 140 universities in the UK and Ireland.
How does benchmarking work?
Institutions can compare results against national averages, mission groups, regional peers or bespoke comparison groups selected to meet strategic requirements.
What themes are covered in the research?
Themes include mental health status, wellbeing, transition, belonging, financial wellbeing, social media, service awareness, service effectiveness and other emerging issues affecting students.
Can we analyse specific student groups?
Yes. Reports can include analysis by demographic groups and other student cohorts to help identify differing experiences and support needs.
How can the data support service planning?
Many institutions use the findings to inform strategy development, service reviews, resource allocation and business cases for investment.
How often is the research updated?
The study is conducted annually, with new benchmark data and trend analysis released each year.
Can we gather feedback on our own support services?
Yes. The research includes questions relating to awareness, usage, effectiveness and perceptions of institutional mental health support services.
Is historical trend data available?
Yes. Benchmark data is available from 2020 onwards, allowing institutions to understand changes over time.
Get in touch
Discover how Student Mental Health Insight & Benchmarking can help your university better understand student wellbeing, evaluate support services and make evidence-based decisions.
