UGC Issues Guidelines for Mental Health and Well-Being in Higher Educational Institutions

On 13-1-2026, the University Grants Commission (‘UGC’) circulated the UGC Guidelines on Uniform Policy on Mental Health & Well-Being for Higher Educational Institutions (‘HEIs’). These guidelines form a comprehensive step toward strengthening mental-health support systems across educational institutions.

Background:

In Sukdeb Saha v. State of Andhra Pradesh 2025 SCC OnLine SC 1515, the Supreme Court examined an appeal concerning the tragic death of a 17-year-old student and the request to transfer the investigation to the CBI. While addressing the case, the Division Bench reflected on the broader societal issue of increasing student suicides linked to educational pressures. Recognizing the urgent need for preventive, remedial, and supportive measures, the Court issued comprehensive directions for developing a national framework for mental-health protection and suicide prevention across educational institutions.

Read more on SC’s Guidelines to protect mental health of young students

In response, the UGC formulated a policy aligned with the UMMEED Guidelines, the Manodarpan Initiative, and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, ensuring a unified and holistic approach to mental-health promotion within the higher-education ecosystem.

Mental Health:

Mental health is shaped by a complex interplay of biological, psychological, social, and structural factors. It evolves across the lifespan based on personal experiences, environments, and vulnerabilities. A complete state of mental well-being implies more than freedom from distress, it reflects efforts towards flourishing, that includes an individual’s ability to live with purpose, establish meaningful relationships, and function effectively in personal, academic, and social spheres.

Mental health concerns are a major public health issue in India:

• 1 in 10 Indians (approximately 10.6%) experiences mental health conditions.

• 7.3% of youth aged 18—29 live with severe psychiatric conditions.

• The suicide rate for ages 15—29 is 15.72 per 100,000 population.

• According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 7.6% of all suicides occur among students.

For young people, the transition to college brings major shifts in emotional regulation, identity formation, communication, and social skills. Without adequate support, these pressures can severely impact mental health.

According to the World Health Organization (‘WHO’), mental health is defined as “a state of mental wellbeing that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their communities.”¹ Mental health is therefore not merely the absence of illness but a dynamic and holistic state that influences how individuals think, feel, interact, and function.

To help students navigate these complexities, HEIs has aimed to provide emotional support, guidance, and opportunities for social connectedness. Such support is essential for helping young adults discover their strengths, align with suitable academic pathways, and prepare for life beyond structured academic systems.

Key Takeaways UGC’s Guidelines for Mental Health:

1. UGC has designed these guidelines aligned with NEP 2020, Viksit Bharat 2047, and UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health & Well-being)

2. The objective of these guidelines is to:

   • Build a sustainable psycho-social support ecosystem integrating promotion, prevention, early identification, and intervention to create inclusive and empathetic campus environments.

   • Ensure translation of guidelines into practice through evidence-based interventions and measurable outcomes across HEIs.

   • Establish a dedicated Mental Health & Well-being Centre (‘MHWBC’) and a Mental Health & Well-being Monitoring Committee to enable early detection and timely management of mental-health concerns.

   • Sensitize students, faculty, and staff through awareness programmes, advocacy initiatives, and well-structured capacity-building efforts.

   • Strengthen family—institution partnerships to provide psychosocial support and create referral linkages with community mental-health services.

   • Develop a structured accountability framework through monitoring, compliance checks, and annual reporting mechanisms.

3. These guidelines apply to students, faculty members, and non-teaching staff across all HEIs. The framework emphasizes institution wide integration, covering:

   • Academic environments

   • Administrative systems

   • Residential and hostel settings

   • Extracurricular spaces

4. Mental health will extend beyond the operations of the MHWBC and become a shared responsibility among all stakeholders.

5. UGC holds a central role in regulating, monitoring, and strengthening mental-health initiatives in HEIs. Its responsibilities include:

   • Track compliance and implementation progress through a dedicated digital portal, MANAS-SETU.

   • Analyse qualitative and quantitative data like feedback, annual reports, and outcome indicators.

   • Assess the achievement of objectives such as improved well-being and reduction in student attrition or loss of life.

   • Collaborate with NRF, ICMR, ICSSR, WHO, and other authorized mental-health establishments (‘MHEs’) to promote research and develop evidence-based strategies for improving mental health in HEIs.

   • Identify, recognize, and disseminate effective interventions and institutional best practices to guide and inspire HEIs nationwide.

6. The HEIs will strengthen efforts towards mental health by:

   • Identifying and effectively utilizing existing resources such as helplines, ministry-provided funds, and UGC-recommended tools.

   • Establishing a campus ecosystem that fosters positive mental health, including mechanisms for addressing harassment, discrimination, and crises.

   • Promoting life-skills development and ensure student engagement and family involvement in mental-health promotion.

7. Key institutional responsibilities of HEIs are outlined:

   • HEIs will establish a MHWBC with private counselling and waiting spaces, maintain coded/anonymized session records, destroy clinical files one year after graduation, store service-use data, and display Centre/MHP contact details across campus and online.

   • HEIs will be required to form a Mental Health & Well-being Monitoring Committee. They will appoint mental-health professionals, faculty mentors (1:500), and peer supporters (1:100), and run a 24×7 helpline integrated with Tele-MANAS.

   • Institutions will collaborate with NMHP/DMHP for outpatient care, counselling, medication, outreach, inpatient support, suicide prevention, stress management and life-skills training, and inform stakeholders about Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. They will have to allocate funds, update the UGC portal regularly, and conduct short- and long-term research on psychosocial challenges.

8. The MHWBC will be responsible for screening, identifying, and addressing emotional, psychological, academic, and behavioural concerns.

9. Its functions are to:

   • Organize sessions for students, faculty, staff, and parents.

   • Provide trainings (e.g., gatekeeper training) to help faculty:

     ▪ Identify student distress

     ▪ Respond constructively

     ▪ Address academic anxieties

     ▪ Improve classroom and mentoring practices

   • Facilitate parent—child bonding, include MHPs in student orientation, and conduct family meet-and-greet sessions.

   • Identify stressors, socio-emotional difficulties, and life-skill gaps; provide immediate interventions and referrals.

   • Report serious concerns immediately to the Monitoring Committee.

   • Access limited to MHPs and authorized institutional personnel; follow ethical and legal guidelines for information-sharing.

   • Collaborate with external experts, medical colleges, district hospitals, Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, and DMHP facilities.

   • All research must follow institutional ethical-clearance protocols.

   • If in-person counselling on campus is limited, MHWBC must provide students with detailed lists of nearby government-aided mental-health facilities.

   • Display Tele-MANAS, UGC Anti-Ragging Helpline, Women’s Helpline, and other emergency contacts through campus signage and digital platforms.

10. To ensure the delivery of high-quality mental-health services, Mental Health Professionals will be appointed from following categories:

    • Psychologists

    • Clinical psychologists

    • Psychiatric Social Worker

    • Psychiatric Nursing

    • Psychiatrist

11. Each professional will fulfil the prescribed qualifications and registrations and possess a minimum of one year’s experience with adolescents and youth.

12. Chapter 4 of the guidelines suggest activities for students that can promote mental health on campus, as under:

    ⮚ First-Year Students:

    • Conduct 3—4 workshops in the first semester introducing MHPs and the MHWBC. Hold sessions on adjusting to college life, self-regulation, and stress management.

    • Provide workshops on social-skills and communication-skill development.

    • Train students to identify distress signs, recognize emotional red flags, and seek help appropriately.

    ⮚ Second- and Third-Year Students:

    • Workshops on study motivation and effective learning habits.

    • Sessions on digital literacy and online safety.

    • Life-skills workshops covering coping, relaxation techniques, and time-management.

    ⮚ Final-Year Students:

    • Activities focused on resilience-building and adaptability for life after graduation.

    • Workshops to strengthen communication skills and interpersonal functioning.

    ⮚ General Student Activities:

    • Group sessions on life-skills, resilience, and managing grief.

    • Activities promoting self-awareness, including self-check-ins and self-care practices.

    • Sessions addressing normalized deviant social-media behaviours and the misuse of “psychology speak.”