There is a growing recognition that the psychological, inner lives of students matter as much to their studies as does their intelligence, if they are to succeed in their studies and later into life. Stories of student suicides continue to grab the attention of the public and the press, and the government has recently announced the formation of a taskforce to address this challenge. Statistics show that after nearly three decades of consistent falls in the rate of suicide, this trend has reversed for young people in recent years, undoing much of the hard-won progress and forcing students’ friends, families, and peers to confront the most unspeakable tragedy.

Despite this, we know too little about the picture of student mental health at a national level, and who is most affected by mental illhealth.

Analysing a large dataset, created by surveying thousands of students each year for several years, we can understand the demand for services better, understand those are are struggling, and – we hope – better understand how to help.

The project was jointly led by the Policy Institute at King's College London and Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO).