The significant increase in mental health conditions among young adults aged 16-24 over the last ten years (BMJ, 2025), coupled with the compounding effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, has pushed for a critical re-evaluation of current university structures. Navigating contemporary socio-economic pressures in modern day Britain, demand that higher education institutions embed inclusive practices targeting student retention, attainment and well-being, while simultaneously provided a psychotically safe space for personal growth.

While academic support and student welfare has traditionally occupied space within institutional objectives, the concept of belonging now demands equal status alongside curriculum development, pedagogy, research impact and partnerships. Current research consistently suggests that creating a strong sense of institutional connectedness directly correlates to student retention, graduate outcomes and mental well-being. However, for students from marginalised and underrepresented communities to thrive, universities must provide explicit, nurturing structures that encourage growth and development, rather than expecting individuals to navigate systemic complexities of higher education.

When reflecting on the student lifecycle from ages five to 18, primary, secondary and FE structures provide immediate access to well-defined pastoral teams, visible role models and temporary respite from external vulnerabilities. However, on entering higher education institutions, these localised support systems disappear and are replaced with centralised university-wide hubs, transitioning proactive, familiar care to reactive, centralised systems that can feel overwhelming.

Alongside this, managing independent study, caring responsibilities, entering the workforce or adapting working hours to accommodate learning, and new or changing financial responsibilities to support their studies and families, adds to the already increasing mental load.

This psychological weight, is exacerbated by the unfamiliarity of the university ecosystem itself.

Moving away from home to unfamiliar cities, adapting to new cultures and practices, and trying to navigate the ever growing university campuses, while trying to decode university hierarchy that ranges from doctoral students, PGTAs, lecturers, module and course leads, professors, heads of department and deans, creates further cognitive overload. Students also need to adjust mindsets to understand that universities are sub-divided into “schools” and “colleges” that have little resemblance to the institutions they have just graduated from!

So it’s not surprising that when crisis hits, students choose not to navigate complex institutional systems, and instead they either reach out to the most approachable, familiar member of staff available, or begin to quietly disengage.

To prevent student disengagement and improve retention and graduate outcomes, structured student support through personal tutoring must form a core component of the student experience. However, this responsibility needs to be equitably distributed across the institution to include academics, line managers, heads of department and deans. I would also argue that to truly understand the diversity of the student body, and the hardships and challenges they face, directors and members of the senior leadership team that form the university executive board should also take responsibility for pastoral support of students. Drawing on a wider institutional pool would not only expands support capacity, but would also enrich students’ access to a diverse range of professional expertise.

An effective personal tutoring model would therefore combine this pastoral care with academic progression advice, and intentional personalisation of the student journey. The implementation of structured weekly check-ins during the critical Autumn Term, and gradually transitioning into monthly or bi-monthly check-ins as students settle into university life, would also provide a vital safety net and reduce student anxieties in the transition to higher education. When combined with end-of-year progression and target reviews, this pastoral framework can provide vulnerable students with the scaffolding needed to secure academic progression, while fostering a genuine sense of institutional care for their wellbeing and achievements, resulting in a true sense of belonging.

BMJ, 2025. Quarter of young adults in England have a mental health condition, data suggest. BMJ, 389, p.r1351. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.r1351