College: Mental Health Statistics

Mental health comes in various forms and can affect anyone. With college students, mental health is often affected by grades, the different lifestyle that college brings, and the social pressure to fit in and be part of a social group. Below, find some of the most recent statistics surrounding college students and mental health. These statistics have been put together by One Life Project Inc research and research done by the World Health Organization and the National Suicide Lifeline.

In 2022, over three-quarters of college students (77%) experienced moderate to serious psychological distress.
35% of students were diagnosed with anxiety; 27% had depression.
Trauma, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, bipolar disorders, and substance use disorders are other mental health conditions affecting college students, and typically are greatly under-reported
Almost 9 in 10 students (89%) who face academic challenges say they that those challenges affect their mental health.
In 2023, 41% of students said they often feel isolated from others and are scared of making new friends.
College athletes, especially in women's sports, experience heightened levels of negative mental health symptoms like anxiety, trouble sleeping, mental exhaustion, and feeling overwhelmed.
Many transgender students and students that are part of the LGBTQ+ community struggle with acceptance and fitting in while they are in college.
Shockingly, just 40% of students think their school is doing enough to support student mental health. and only 30% of students feel their school has adequate resources for students.
79% of students report that they have experienced high stress levels within the last 30 days.
54% of students experience loneliness, with 30% saying it affects their mental health and school life.
12% of students intentionally injure themselves at least once a year.
Close to 10% of college students report being diagnosed with PTSD or a stress disorder.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students and young people, followed only by accidents/accident injuries.
82% of college students display some kind of warning sign that they are thinking about suicide.
For every person that dies by suicide, 280 people decide not to go through with a suicide attempt.
50% of humans will experience a mental illness in our lifetime.
64% of students drop out of college because of mental health problems.
About 75% of mental illnesses appear and show signs by age 25.
During COVID-19, 90% of students experienced negative mental health symptoms.
Since COVID-19, college mental health has gotten three times worse than prior to COVID-19.
48% of students believe that COVID-19 impacted their education and long term mental health.
Between 2 and 9% of college students are diagnosed with ADHD.
77% of college staff report wanting more education and training on student mental health and how to assist students as well as recognize warning signs of suicidal ideation.
72% of college students state that music was the number one way that they are able to relax and calm anxiety.
36% of students diagnosed with depression will drop out of school.
Since the 1970s, suicide rates within colleges and universities has tripled.