NTF survey finds 34% higher education students felt like outsiders on campus

About 34 per cent of students surveyed across higher education institutions said they felt like outsiders on campus to varying degrees, according to findings from a nationwide survey conducted by a Supreme Court-appointed National Task Force (NTF).

The survey, conducted as part of the task force’s work on student mental health and prevention of suicides in higher educational institutions, received responses from more than 2.43 lakh students. About 67 per cent of the respondents belonged to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class categories.

The findings are expected to form part of the NTF’s final report, which is scheduled to be submitted by Oct 31.

Survey highlights distress among students

According to the survey, around 15 per cent of students recalled experiencing a period during the previous six months when they felt overwhelmed or distressed, or experienced low mood or anxiety continuously for several weeks.

Around 9 per cent reported experiencing suicidal thoughts often or very often during the previous year.

The survey also found that 56 per cent of students said they trusted their institution’s administration to handle serious issues fairly.

At the same time, around 32 per cent said their institutions did not provide counselling services.

Academic and career concerns among issues reported

Officials involved with the task force said students reported concerns related to academic choices and employment.

The broader consultations also identified issues including demanding academic schedules, attendance requirements and academic or clinical workload in medical and allied fields, intense competition in engineering institutions and inadequate academic support in some state universities.

Students also reported concerns around practical training, faculty shortages and supervision in different disciplines.

The task force has also examined social and institutional factors affecting students, including discrimination, academic pressure and gaps in support systems.

A senior official said responses to several survey questions, including open-ended responses, were still being analysed.

The official also cautioned that the current sample was not representative and that the observations should therefore be treated as preliminary and tentative.

The emerging findings, however, point to the need for standardised student-support systems, faculty training, measures to reduce stigma, crisis-management protocols and regular monitoring of student wellbeing, according to the official.

NTF examining student wellbeing across institutions

The National Task Force was constituted by the Supreme Court in 2025 to examine mental health concerns and student suicides in higher educational institutions and recommend preventive and institutional measures.

Alongside the student survey, the task force has conducted institutional visits and consultations with students and other stakeholders.

So far, it has held 30 meetings across 19 institutional sites in Delhi-NCR, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam and West Bengal, covering different types of institutions and disciplines.

The task force has said that the institutional visits are also not representative because of the limited number of institutions covered.

Its final report is expected to provide recommendations based on the survey, consultations, institutional assessments and other evidence examined by the panel.