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For the third consecutive year, college students are indicating decreased incidences of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, as reported by the country’s largest survey of student mental well-being.

The 2024-2025 Healthy Minds Study, conducted yearly by the Healthy Minds Network based at the University of Michigan, gathered feedback from over 84,000 students across 135 colleges and universities, as well as over 9,000 faculty and staff from 22 institutions—the second consecutive year of surveying campus personnel.

Results from students indicate continued declines, with severe depression falling to 18% in 2025 from 23% in 2022, and suicidal thoughts reducing to 11% this year from 15% three years prior.

“These ongoing reductions suggest that this is not merely a temporary pause. Whether it’s owing to distance from the pandemic, enhanced institutional support, or other factors driving this transformation, I believe this provides an encouraging counterpoint to what appears to be continual news regarding young people’s struggles with mental health,” stated Justin Heinze, associate professor of health behavior and health equity at U-M’s School of Public Health and a co-principal investigator of the study.

The study, which commenced in 2007, is online-based, confidential, and monitors mental health patterns and student behaviors over time through inquiries related to mental and emotional health, substance use, mental health service utilization, and more.

While positive trends are evident, levels of flourishing, or psychological well-being characterized by self-respect, purpose, and optimism, slightly declined to 36% after reaching 38% in 2024. Nonetheless, even with this reduction, more than half of students still indicated feelings of loneliness.

Funded by collaborations and participating universities and colleges, the study offers extensive data to aid institutions in identifying mental health priorities for students, benchmarking performance against peers, and assessing effective programs while informing fresh services and advocacy initiatives. The insights also support national evaluations by researchers and policymakers aiming to understand trends and enhance campus mental health systems, ultimately benefiting students, staff, families, and broader communities.

Key discoveries for students demonstrating improvement over time comprise:

• Moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms decreased from 44% in 2022 to 37% in 2025, while severe depression rates fell from 23% to 18%.
• Moderate-to-severe anxiety symptoms diminished from 37% in 2022 to 32% in 2025.
• Students contemplating suicide in the previous year reduced from 15% in 2022 to 11% in 2025.
• Students experiencing high levels of loneliness declined from 58% in 2022 to 52% in 2025.

The usage of mental health services has remained steady over the past four years, with approximately 37% of students receiving therapy or counseling in the preceding year, and 30% utilizing psychiatric medication. Among those showing symptoms of depression or anxiety, 60% received clinical mental health support. The primary barriers to mental health services include lack of time, financial issues, and a preference to manage challenges independently or with family backing.

“While access to mental health services overall appears to be consistent with previous years, the positive outcome is that students are accessing an increasingly varied array of resources,” noted Daniel Eisenberg, a professor of health policy and management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and a co-principal investigator.

“Digital and mobile services are evolving swiftly and have become popular among students. A significant challenge going forward will be guiding students in understanding their many options and assisting them in finding resources that align well with their needs and preferences.”

Insights from the study’s report on faculty and staff reveal:

• 16% met the criteria for depression and 17% exhibited anxiety signs.
• 27% reported feeling overwhelmed by work to a high or very high extent.
• 47% indicated having one-on-one discussions with students regarding mental health in the past year.
• 81% believe student mental health is significantly worse now compared to the beginning of their careers.
• 37% accessed therapy or counseling in the past year, 35% utilized psychiatric medication, and 71% received some form of clinical treatment.

The faculty data illustrates broader implications for the mental health climate on campus, stated Sarah Ketchen Lipson, a co-principal investigator and associate professor of health law, policy, and management at the Boston University School of Public Health.

Approximately half of the faculty and staff surveyed reported engaging in discussions with students about mental health, with most acknowledging deteriorating trends. However, about half do not feel confident identifying a student in distress.

“These results highlight both the essential role that faculty and staff play in supporting students and the opportunity for institutions to offer training and resources that will enhance their ability to respond,” Lipson said. “Incorporating training into existing commitments where faculty and staff time is utilized also conveys an important message from the institution that mental health is integral to its overall mission.”

Sasha Zhou, an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health at Wayne State and a co-principal investigator, remarked that while student mental health is improving on the whole, some demographics continue to struggle more and utilize treatment services less.

“These disparities have been persistent over the past decade, underscoring that more work must be done to bridge the gap in mental health support,” she emphasized. “Emerging studies indicate that affinity-based peer support initiatives, integrated psychoeducation within curricula, and adaptations of social/emotional learning strategies show promise in aiding the mental health of underrepresented or overlooked students.”

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