About this framework

Illustration of a female student walking across a street

Mental health is foundational to all aspects of university life, for students and staff. First published in 2020, our guidance asks all universities to adopt mental health as a strategic priority.

Who is this framework for?

This guidance is for senior leaders to help them put in place a strategic approach to mental health and wellbeing in their universities.

It might also be of interest to staff working in student support and wellbeing in universities, and for anyone who cares about mental health in higher education.

How to use this framework, online or as a pdf

Publication

Stepchange: mentally healthy universities

Download this report as a pdf

You can use this website to explore the framework and links to other resources.

You can also download this framework as a pdf, as it was first published.

Working alongside other frameworks and guidance

This framework overlaps and works with other guidance and charters for mental health in higher education.

The University Mental Health Charter

The University Mental Health Charter was created by Student Minds. It was made in partnership with leading higher education bodies, including Universities UK, and thousands of staff and students.

Suicide-safer universities

We have published a series of guidance for universities to prevent and respond to student suicide.

You can explore the full guidance on the publication page.

Explore the guidance