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    30 Free mental health support resources for uni students

    By Sara Murray
    Book open Reading time: 5 mins

    Looking after your mental health at uni is vital to staying healthy and happy throughout your student years. However, we know that keeping well is easier said than done.

    If you're struggling with your mental health as a student at university, know that you're not alone. Between studying, making friends and thinking about your career path, it can be an intense time. Many students find that they need support at some point in their degree.

    We've pulled together 30 mental health resources you can access for free, whether you need medical support, someone to talk to, or practical tips for staying on track.

    A group of students walking down a staircase on a university campus

    Free counselling services for students in the UK

    Counselling and therapy can be very beneficial for many people in managing their mental health. These kinds of services can be expensive, but luckily, there are opportunities to get free counselling in the UK as a student. If you think you could benefit from counselling or therapy, we recommend speaking to your doctor about your options as a starting point. You can also consider:

    • NHS talking therapies. You can either self-refer to NHS talking therapies via the website, or you can ask your GP for a referral.
    • University counselling services. Most universities offer some free mental health support services, including counselling. To find out what's available at your university, visit the Student Space directory.
    • The Mix. The Mix is a charity offering short-term mental health support to young people up to the age of 25.
    • Black Minds Matter. Black Minds Matter is a charity that provides free, culturally appropriate one-to-one talking therapy for Black people in the UK.

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    Phone support hotlines and listening services

    When you're feeling low, talking to someone can offer a lot of relief. If you are comfortable sharing, we recommend letting people in your life know that you're struggling with your mental health. Try telling a family member, friend, or trusted university contact. If you want to speak to someone anonymously about how you feel, there are several confidential listening services you can phone for support:

    • Samaritans: Dial 116 123. Samaritans is a confidential support service open to anyone who wants to talk. It's available 24/7.
    • Nightline. Nightline is a listening service operated by students, for students. To find the number for your local area, visit the website.
    • Switchboard: Dial 0300 330 0630. Switchboard is a national LGBTQIA+ support line operated by members of the community. It's available from 10am–10pm daily.
    • NHS 111: Dial 111. If you think you need medical help and it's not an emergency, you can call NHS 111 for support 24/7.

    Crisis support hotlines

    If you are having suicidal thoughts or thinking of harming yourself, phone a crisis support hotline for immediate support. The operators are trained professionals who can help you feel safe and get the help you need:

    • Papyrus Hopeline: Dial 0800 068 41 41. This line provides suicide prevention support to anyone under the age of 35 and is available 24/7.
    • National Suicide Prevention Helpline: Dial 0800 587 0800. The line is available to anyone from 6pm–midnight every day.
    • CALM: Dial 0800 58 58 58. CALM is a hotline for anyone affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts, and it's open daily from 5pm–midnight.
    • Emergency Services: Dial 999. Use 999 only in case of emergencies, or if you or anyone you know is at serious risk of immediate harm. The line is operated 24/7.

    Once you feel safe, we recommend speaking with a medical professional as soon as possible to get further support.

    If you are worried about a friend, family member or someone else in your life and think they may be having harmful thoughts, these hotlines can also help you figure out your next steps in supporting your loved one.

    Text, email and message hotlines

    If you'd rather not speak to someone on the phone, or if you think you'd express yourself better in writing, you can get immediate mental health support via text, WhatsApp, email or webchat:

    • TextSHOUT to 85258. SHOUT operates a 24/7 mental health text support service.
    • WhatsApp CALM at +442045876634. This is the same CALM suicide prevention hotline as mentioned above, but also available to message via WhatsApp daily from 5pm–midnight.
    • Papyrus Hopeline via text, email and webchat. Papyrus's 24/7 young people's suicide prevention hotline can also be reached in the following ways if you'd prefer not to speak over the phone:

    Helpful websites

    If you're looking for tools and resources to help you manage your mental wellbeing, you're in luck. There's a wealth of support out there available for free if you know where to look. We recommend starting with the following websites:

    • Student Minds. Student Minds is the UK's student mental health charity, and its website offers opportunities to sign up for workshops near you, a support directory and lots of advice and guidance for staying well.
    • Mind. Mind is a nationwide charity for mental health support, with a website that provides an online peer community, as well as plenty of information and advice.
    • CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). CALM is focused on helping people end their misery, not their lives. The website is full of helpful tools, resources and advice.
    • Every Mind Matters. Every Mind Matters is the NHS's online resource hub for mental health support. There are Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) videos, anxiety-easing email subscriptions you can sign up to and practical tips for looking after your mental health.

    Apps for keeping well

    Are you looking for low-effort ways to keep your mental health on track? Downloading an app may be the way forward. There are plenty of meditation and mindfulness apps available when you search the App Store, but many of them encourage you to pay a premium. We've focused our list on science-backed options that are completely free.

    • Lungy. This interactive app uses your smartphone to provide audiovisual breathing exercises.
    • Eating Disorder Support. The Eating Disorder Support app has plenty of resources, advice and guidance on topics like identifying risks, seeking treatment and recovering from eating disorders.
    • Sorted. Sorted offers Positive Mental Training audio programmes based on scientific research.
    • Calm Harm. Calm Harm uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques to offer support for resisting self-harm.
    • Sleepio. Sleepio is available for free through your NHS account in many areas. This science-backed sleep improvement programme is designed to treat insomnia and help you rest better.

    Tailored support

    Sometimes, you need support that's tailored to your identity, condition or background. It can be soothing to know that someone else just gets it. Here are a few organisations offering support that's designed to help with specific situations:

    • MyPlus Students' Club. MyPlus is an organisation supporting students and graduates with disabilities and long-term health conditions, helping them to build careers and find jobs.
    • Voice Collective. Voice Collective supports young people who hear voices, see visions or have sensory experiences that others don't.
    • Muslim Youth Helpline. The Muslim Youth Helpline (MYH) is a charity offering relief and culturally sensitive support to young British Muslims.
    • OCD Action. This charity helps people affected by OCD, with a helpline, forum and supportive resources.
    • Beat. Beat is the UK's eating disorder support and recovery charity. It helps those affected by eating disorders and their families and friends.
    • Anxiety UK. Anxiety UK is a national charity supporting people who have anxiety.


    If you think you may have an undiagnosed condition, believe you need professional medical help, or are experiencing intense or long-term anxiety, stress or low mood, we recommend seeking medical support.

    You can get in touch with your GP, visit the NHS website or call 111 for immediate assistance.