Jay Ruderman
According to the CDC, 4 in 10 students have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, 2 in 10 seriously consider attempting suicide, and nearly 1 in 10 attempt suicide. The increasingly difficult proposition of affording one’s college education, heated debate over political issues, the pervasiveness of harassment and bullying on social media, and waves of bigotry such as the current surge of antisemitism on campuses are just a sampling of the various current issues that could affect students’ mental health and wellbeing.
Yet higher education institutions are falling short on delivering essential mental health resources for students. Only 29% of colleges have a counseling center that is accredited, and just 28% conduct formal wellness screenings of their students. Forty-four percent of institutions do not have a fully staffed counseling center open year-round, and 13% lack a website that consolidates information about the school’s mental health services. This is all according to survey responses from administrators at more than 250 colleges in a first-of-its kind yearlong initiative led by the Ruderman Family Foundation and The Princeton Review.
The project aims to raise awareness surrounding the shortage of resources on college campuses that promote students’ mental health and wellness, and to set a new standard for the resources which academic institutions offer in that realm. This initiative reflects the Ruderman Family Foundation’s commitment to working with our partners to help expand access to mental health services and programs in the higher education community.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, the Ruderman Family Foundation partnered with The Princeton Review to survey college administrators nationwide about the availability and extent of their mental health services and wellness resources for students. Students at more than 200 colleges and universities also participated in a survey about their school’s mental health and wellness services. The data collected in this process has been uploaded to their institutions’ profiles on The Princeton Review, and information about schools’ mental health and wellness services is also featured in the annual Best Colleges guidebook.
In a third survey cycle, The Princeton Review polled nearly 11,000 applicants and their parents on whether having information about a college’s mental health and wellness services would affect their consideration of the school.
