Colleges reveal the scale of the suicide and mental health crisis among young adults

The scale of the mental health and suicide crisis among young adults has been laid bare in new research published by the Association of Colleges (AoC) today.

In an AoC survey of English colleges*, released on World Suicide Prevention Day, almost a third of colleges reported at least one death by suicide within the previous year.

Two-thirds (75%) of colleges each recorded more than five attempted suicides within the previous 12 months. Almost a third (30%) of colleges reported between 10 and 14 attempted suicides within the last year, while 13% reported over 30 attempts within their colleges.

Findings differed slightly between the age groups of students. Almost two-thirds (74%) of colleges said there had been a significant or slight increase in the proportion of students aged between 16 and 18 demonstrating suicide ideation in the last 12 months, and around 61% reported an increase in attempted suicide in the same age group.

Just over half (51%) of colleges said there had been an increase in the proportion of students aged 19 and above demonstrating suicide ideation in the last 12 months, and 38% reported an increase in attempted suicide in the same age group.

Almost half (49%) of colleges reported an average of up to 10 mental health-related A&E referrals within the previous year, but more than a quarter (28%) of colleges reported more than 10 referrals.

The survey suggests that colleges believe there is a strong link between the cost-of-living crisis and rising poverty and young people’s mental health. Around 82% of colleges cited home circumstances as the joint-highest influence on student mental health with social media, and 75% cited the cost-of-living crisis and the energy crisis.

The survey shows that while colleges are responding by increasing their mental health resources – 68% of colleges did so this year, with 30% of colleges retaining funding at the same level – local plans and services aren’t meeting the needs of college students. More than 30% of colleges are not involved with their local suicide prevention plan, and 65% of colleges stated that they do not have joint provision with their local NHS system.

Jen Hope, AoC Mental Health Lead and Area Director for the Midlands, said: “Our annual mental health survey often has shocking findings, but this year’s results on suicide are beyond upsetting. The findings put the mental health crisis gripping our young people and adults into sharp focus and demonstrate the urgent need for action from both national and local government in ensuring colleges have access to the funding, resources and external services they need to support students.

“We are yet to see what the new Children’s Mental Health Bill involves for college students, but we urge the government to take these findings seriously and ensure that the appropriate level of support is provided to colleges, who are doing all they can with extremely limited resources. All too often the focus on mental health support from government is on schools, but our survey shows that college students deserve and need more support as well.

“The survey clearly shows that as well providing additional support specifically for mental health, the government needs to take the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, and rising poverty extremely seriously.

“The recommendations we had for the government in our mental health policy paper published earlier this year still stand: the government must fund colleges to develop and deliver a whole-college approach to mental health and wellbeing, ensuring services are inclusive and sustainable. The systems and partnerships within education, health and employment must be aligned and fostered to support students through their educational journeys and beyond.”

Peter Mayhew-Smith, Group Principal and CEO, South Thames Colleges Group, and Chair of the AoC Mental Health Reference Group, said: “This data maps out the deep and wide chasm in student wellbeing, and shows that both the scale and severity of the mental health casework being dealt with by colleges across the country have risen. The data on suicide and suicide ideation, in particular, should cause the government and policy makers to sit up and think seriously about the resources colleges desperately need to support our young people.

“We have experienced many ‘global perma-crises’ as a society, and the findings show the shockwaves these events have sent through our young people, and the direct impact they have had on their lives.

“This report makes it impossible for policy makers to look away from the issue, and clearly demonstrates that we need a much better strategic response. The forthcoming legislation must deliver a new system; it’s a matter of life and death.”

Ben Knocks, Vice Principal, Weston College, said: “The pressure on colleges regarding student mental health is increasing year on year. The staff in our support services and within curriculum do an outstanding job ensuring our learners are safe and feel supported whilst they study with us.

“However, we simply do not have the resources we require or the referral points from outside agencies that guarantees that learners get the support they need and in a timely manner. Roughly two-thirds of our full-time learners are accessing our welfare service and even though I am grateful that here at Weston, we have seen significant investment in this area over recent years, I am concerned that as a whole, colleges across the country simply do not have the budgets available to them to put in place the right levels of support.”

Polly Harrow, Assistant Principal Safeguarding and Inclusion, Kirklees College and DfE's FE Student Support Champion, said: "The AoC Mental Health Report is an invaluable document which keeps the FE sector informed about critical issues affecting our students. As we face increasingly challenging times supporting our students’ health and wellbeing, it is so important that we have transparency and integrity in acknowledging what the reality of what student lived experience can be.

"My current work as FE Champion has been helped immensely by the information gathering which has already been carried out, and further enquiries are planned to augment this significant work and give an even richer narrative reflective of the issues the sector deals with on a daily basis."

Other findings on student mental health

Disclosure of mental health issues

Overall, there was a slight decrease in the proportion of colleges who cited either a significant or slight increase in the disclosure of mental health issues, however the numbers are still significantly high. This year, 90% of colleges said there was either a significant or a slight increase in the disclosure of mental health issues among 16 to 18-year-olds, compared with 95% in 2023, and 86% said there was either a significant or a slight increase in the disclosure of mental health issues among students aged 19 and above, compared with 91% last year.

Provision within colleges

Counselling provision has changed with a significant increase in the use of external provision, from 36% in 2023 to 58% of colleges paying for the use of external counselling services in 2024. The percentage of college-employed counsellors is slightly lower, dropping from 68% to 63% of colleges this year – colleges typically employ one full-time and two part-time counsellors, and typically engage an average of four trainee counsellors and five other mental health professionals.

More colleges are also now engaged with their local mental health support team, with only 24% currently not engaged, compared with 47% last year.

There has been a significant investment in staff development over the last 12 months, with 96% of colleges training staff in mental health first aid (MHFA), 70% of colleges training staff in suicide first aid, up from 61% last year, and 79% of colleges training staff in trauma-informed approaches.

*71 colleges responded to the survey, which represents almost a third of all colleges in England. The full report can be read here.