New Delhi: More than one in three students surveyed across India’s higher-education system said they had felt like outsiders on their campuses, while 9% reported having experienced suicidal thoughts, according to findings from a nationwide survey conducted by the National Task Force constituted by the Supreme Court to examine student mental health and suicide prevention. The findings cover more than 2.43 lakh student responses and point to concerns extending beyond academic pressure to belonging, institutional support and access to counselling.
The 34% figure is significant because feeling disconnected from an institution is not an academic performance measure. It concerns whether students feel accepted, heard and able to seek help when they face difficulties. The survey also found that only 56% of respondents said they trusted their institution’s administration to handle serious issues fairly, while nearly 32% said their institutions did not provide counselling services.
The survey was conducted as part of the work of the National Task Force on the mental health concerns of students and prevention of suicides in higher educational institutions. The Task Force was constituted by the Supreme Court in March 2025 under the chairpersonship of former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd.) S. Ravindra Bhat. Its work has involved collecting information from students, faculty members, parents, mental-health professionals and institutions.
The scale of participation matters when reading the latest findings. More than 2.43 lakh students responded, providing the Task Force with a large body of first-hand information about their experiences in higher education. The survey does not mean that the reported percentages represent every student in India, but the size of the response makes the findings relevant to the wider discussion about how institutions support students.
The survey also identifies academic pressure, uncertainty about employment and concerns about career choices among the issues students commonly face. These pressures can overlap. A student worried about examinations may also be worried about employment, financial circumstances or whether they belong in an institution where competition is intense.
For colleges and universities, the findings raise a practical issue: having a counselling service on paper is not the same as having a support system that students actually use. If nearly one-third of respondents say their institutions do not provide counselling services, the question extends to staffing, accessibility and awareness as well as the existence of a formal facility.
Trust is another part of the problem. Only 56% of students surveyed said they trusted their administration to handle serious issues fairly. That leaves a substantial proportion who either did not share that confidence or did not express it in the survey. An institution can have grievance committees and student-support mechanisms, but their effectiveness depends partly on whether students believe approaching them will lead to a fair response.
The Task Force’s work has also recognised that student well-being cannot be separated from the broader environment in which students study. Its earlier work examined factors including academic pressure, discrimination based on caste, tribe, religion, disability and gender or sexuality, as well as financial hardship. The Task Force has collected institutional information on student composition, mental-health services, vacant positions, grievance mechanisms and other support systems.
That wider approach is important because students do not experience college only through classrooms and examinations. Accommodation, finances, relationships with faculty, peer groups, discrimination, career uncertainty and access to help can all affect how secure a student feels within an institution.
The survey findings also place responsibility on institutions rather than students alone. Telling young people to cope better with pressure does not address a shortage of counselling services or a lack of confidence in institutional grievance systems. Colleges and universities have to examine whether their support structures are accessible, adequately staffed and trusted by the students they are intended to serve.
The National Task Force has already published an interim report and continues its work following the Supreme Court’s directions. Its website states that the Task Force is examining student, faculty, parent, mental-health professional and institutional perspectives to develop policy and support frameworks for higher education.
The latest survey figures therefore offer more than a snapshot of student distress. They provide institutions with measurable areas to examine: whether students feel they belong, whether counselling is available, whether administration is trusted and whether students facing serious difficulties know where to turn.
The National Task Force’s final recommendations are expected to build on the evidence gathered through its surveys, institutional data and consultations. The latest findings were reported on September 29, 2026, with the Task Force continuing its work on student mental health and suicide prevention in higher educational institutions.
