Uni and mental health: Inequalities and support

Four university students with a range of disabilities

We are raising awareness around inequalities that can occur at uni and where to go for support if you experience this.

  • Almost half of LGBTIQ+ disabled students (47%) have been the target of negative comments or conduct from other students as shown in this Stonewall report.
  • Students who report a disability have lower degree results overall and lower rates of employment after graduation than non-disabled students as documented in the Office for Students report.
  • There are persistent inequalities in access, experience and success for Black as well as Asian and minority ethnic students* in higher education, across multiple levels of study.
  • Due to deep rooted historic and structural barriers there is a 23.4% attainment gap between white and black undergraduate students obtaining a first class or 2.1 degree.

*We recognise that not everyone likes the term BAME. It covers a wide range of people with a diverse range of needs, and it can be problematic to put all those people into a single group. However, it can be a useful term to show that people who aren’t White British can face specific issues and challenges because of their ethnicity. We use BAME here as a shorthand term but acknowledge people can find it unsatisfying or prefer to use a different term to describe themselves.

This campaign was co-produced between students at the University of Sussex the Mental Health Foundation. It has been funded by Office for Students.

Need support?

Switchboard LGBTQ+ - UK National LGBTQIA+ helpline for more than 47 years. Open daily 10 am to 10 pm. Call 0300 330 0630.

Scope - the helpline provides free, independent and impartial advice and support on issues that matter to disabled people and their families: 0808 800 3333 (UK).

@baatn_network is the UK’s largest independent organisation to specialise in working psychologically, informed by an understanding of intersectionality, with people who identify as Black, African, South Asian and Caribbean.

Student Minds are the UK’s student mental health charity. Find out about their support programmes and resources.

Visit Student Space - a new programme set up to support students through the coronavirus pandemic.

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