UGC panel calls for uniform mental health policy across higher education institutions

India’s higher education regulator has proposed mandatory staffing norms and institutional mechanisms to strengthen mental health support for students across colleges and universities.

According to officials, a University Grants Commission panel has recommended a counsellor-to-student ratio of one counsellor for every 500 students in larger institutions and one for every 100 students in smaller ones.

The panel has also called for regular awareness programs on stress and anxiety as part of a broader effort to reinforce student support systems.

The proposals are part of the UGC panel’s draft guidelines titled UGC Guidelines on Uniform Policy on Mental Health & Well-Being for Higher Educational Institutions, which apply to universities and colleges nationwide.

“The HEIs shall establish a dedicated Mental Health & Well-being Centre with all required physical infrastructure. The infrastructure will include dedicated rooms/spaces that will provide privacy while making or waiting for appointments,” the draft recommendations said, while also stressing the need for periodic awareness programs on stress and anxiety.

On record-keeping and data protection, the guidelines state that “The Centres will have facilities for documentation of sessions held, which will be coded or anonymized for storage. Clinical records may be destroyed as per the rules of the HEIs after a period of one year after the student graduates, as per norms.”

The panel further noted that “Data related to service utilization may be stored. Contact details for the center need to be visibly displayed throughout the campus, and the details available on the website as well.”

The UGC constituted the committee following the Supreme Court’s directions dated July 25, 2025, which asked for a uniform mental health policy for higher educational institutions across the country.

The panel is headed by Rajinder K Dhamija, director of the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Delhi.

Under the draft framework, the UGC has been assigned a central role in overseeing and supporting the rollout of a uniform mental health policy in all higher educational institutions.

Monitoring will be carried out through a dedicated portal called MANASSETU, which will collect annual reports and feedback from institutions.

The data will be used to assess whether key objectives, including improved student well-being and a reduction in attrition or loss of life, are being achieved.

“The UGC will also support continuous capacity-building initiatives, recognize evidence-based interventions, and collaborate with the National Research Foundation (NRF), ICMR, ICSSR, and WHO, among others, to develop effective strategies and interventions,” the recommendations said.

The panel added that “by reviewing policies annually and identifying challenges in their adoption, the UGC will also ensure that mental health policies translate into tangible outcomes on the ground. Each HEI is expected to establish a dedicated Mental Health & Well-being Centre (MHWBC), with appropriate infrastructure to provide private and accessible services.”