Which universities are great at supporting emotional wellbeing of students?

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DD is looking at studying economics or data science. She has good predicted grades (A*, AA.) and a decent applicant profile. She is autistic, dyslexic and has had some difficulties around her metal health that mean finding a university that is best for her emotional well-being will be much more important than finding the ‘best’ university for her predicted grades. At the moment, she does not want to travel too far from our hometown (Cambridge, she says up to 3 hours away) but would like to try living away in halls (maybe halls for all three years?) She enjoys several hobbies- choral singing, martial arts and is a Christian and would like to keep these up through clubs, Christian union etc. Knowing her, I strongly suspect these activities will provide her social outlet, rather than structured social mingling, at least at first.

I would love to hear about any universities that have been great at supporting young people’s emotional well-being and neurodivergence, either through formal support or just how the university is structured. And also anything else we might need to consider in supporting her or that she might want to think about.

I think that newer universities will be better at supporting students that more traditional ones. So the ex poly types. That is definitely the case in my city. However, she will need to be able to ask for help herself and know who to ask because you won't be able to do it for her. This is where a few people I know have come unstuck. Also not what you asked but make sure she can feed, and look after herself 7 days a week without thinking about it before she goes or that will add to the stress of starting uni.

Thank you. We did wonder about looking at newer universities or at the post 1960 campus universities.She’s actually surprisingly independent and I’m not concerned about her ability to look after her herself independently, but as you say knowing where and how to seek help might be a sticking point. This is why we would like somewhere that has a proactive well-being service that is very prominent.

I think we are quite good at York supporting students with these needs.

Look at the student satisfaction survey for individual institutions. And yes look for a well set up and professional wellbeing service. If you go to open days they should have stalls out. I’m not sure it’s particularly to do with the age of the institution.

If she is going into halls it should be easy enough to find out what provision they have available within the accommodation service

Oxford was excellent as the small size of each college means they know the students well. York was less personalised, but DD was also a lot more independent by then so might not have needed as much signposting.

AFAIK, not many places outside Oxbridge will give uni/halls accommodation for 3 years, though she may find private halls that will.

If she can't ask for help herself then it is going to be a huge struggle for her. There should be lots of information about where and who to ask for help but if she cant contact someone then she won't be able to access it and you won't be able to do it for her because she is an "adult". You could maybe wait a year or two or see if there is a way to employ a personal assistant to help her with things like this whilst she is at uni? Also worth looking into dsa (disabled students allowance) and see what help she could get with that, which could include someone to help her access the support that she needs.

This is why we would like somewhere that has a proactive well-being service that is very prominent.

Could you clarify what you mean by proactive?

OP says she has no concerns about her DD's ability to live independently, so she doesn't sound as though she needs day to day support. In terms of having a "proactice" service, HE doesn't really work like that when there are so many young people who might need their support.

Yep. Proactive isn't a thing at uni.

I’m a mature student at Nottingham Trent. Constantly amazed at just how much support there is on offer should it be required. Constantly being reminded about it too. Not just MH support, but employability, conferences and events etc etc. Facilities are always really busy preparing something!!!
A cousin’s DC is at Hull and is receiving counselling arranged via the university. They really love the small campus, friendly community feel there.
Friends with ND daughter at Lincoln says the same.
As with all places, the help is there but it probably varies as to how much you have to ‘reach out’ to access it. Also, with those grades, your DC would probably get into a RG uni and I don’t have much experience of that.

For all they need to reach out for help, but only she’ll know if the uni feels right so go to plenty of open days.

For economics at top unis everyone applying will have grades predicted or in hand that exceed those that are required and even then lots will get rejected, friends daughter had all 9’s at GCSE plus AAA and was rejected from LSE, KCL, UCL as were her friends who had 3 A*.
Maybe look somewhere which has an easy commuting route home, and enjoy going to all the open days of courses that she likes the sound of as they are all very different at each university.
good luck in finding the perfect fit.

Since she has a diagnosis - she will be able to apply for support through DSA.

University of Bath I would describe as proactive in its support for neurodivergent students. Look at their website.

Thank you. I guess by proactive, I mean a wellbeing and disability service that publicises themselves and makes it clear who to speak to and where they can be reached if students are experiencing difficulties. And especially a disability service that is clear about the help neurodivergent students can access and has opportunities for ND students to connect with each other. I know of other students who have been offered mentors and regular well-being check-in and so I think this is a thing at some universities, I just don’t know which.

Just to be clear, she absolutely does not need assistance living independently. She already manages her own money, takes public transport to the local city, plans are own hobbies and plans healthy food. She is very good at managing her own study schedule and highly motivated in terms of learning and work ethic. However, I have seen the enormous difference and available and supportive well-being service has made to her since she’s been at (a huge) college, compared with a much patchier experience in school.

Thanks to people who have mentioned particular universities. Bath, York and Lincoln have been mentioned by her college as well as on here. And we’ve found that Essex offer 3 years in halls.

Some unis will offer all 3 years in halls for those that want it, it really depends on the demand they have from first years and the numbers of rooms.
Useful to look for halls which have a concierge/reception on site as they are often a good way to access support. Also have a think about whether she would want a studio to herself or a one of a cluster of rooms which share a kitchen, some share bathrooms too. She may want her own space, or the priority may be to be with others and not isolated.

My goddaughter is autistic and was well-supported at York.

Leicester was pretty good, added bonus is that it was affordable to rent a bedsit privately if they prefer not to be in shared in later years. Avoid Warwick, I know three youngsters who have crashed out with mental health issues from there, no support apparently

My pal has a v intelligent ND DD who is at York and has found their support to be excellent. Despite the distance from their home, her DD has really thrived there and York seem to have nailed the provision for ND students.

York was on our ‘maybe’ list for an open day, but I’ll definitely encourage her to put it on the list. I know the campus and town there and could see her there.

if she’s happy for you to act as an
advocate, sign a consent to sharing information form. This allows you to reach out on her behalf. That’s assuming that she lets you know she’s struggling first!
Oh and don’t go anywhere near Bristol. My daughter went there and mental health support was woeful.

Winchester and St Mary’s Twickenham may be good fits if they offer the right course.

That’s is incredibly helpful to know. Thanks so much. I think this could make a huge difference to her.

My daughter has similar issues and is at Southampton university where the help has been very visible. As others have said, you do have to proactively seek help yourself and my daughter has not done this (actively her choice). But for example she was recently ill (a bug rather than mental) during exam week and she was in touch with someone from
the department who alerted the wellbeing team to check on her (and they did). If she chose to access the service I feel confident that she would get support.

We also chose somewhere no
further than 2 hours away.

Southampton is a decent university for most subjects and although the town itself is not pretty, the campus is nice and the town is very student orientated.

With regard to halls, I think most people have had enough of halls by the end of the first year and my daughter can’t wait to live in a normal house so I wouldn’t restrict yourselves to places with
three years in halls.