Student Welfare and Support Services Reports 2024/25 published

The number of students accessing the Counselling Service was 2,850 (8.7%) in 2024/25, consistent with demand in 2023/24 (9%) and waiting time performance remained broadly stable over the three-year period (34% of students were seen within 5 working days, compared with 37% in 2023/24 and 35% in 2022/23).

555 students across 19 colleges were supported through the College Counsellor Scheme, which provides accessible counselling and workshops via on-site counsellors employed by the Counselling Service. 458 students engaged in groups or workshops across more than 50 Counselling Service programmes (up from 383 students attending more than 30 programmes in 2023/24), including workshops on mindfulness and bereavement, and a new neurodiversity group.  

Student feedback remained strong, with 95% of survey respondents rating their overall experience as good or very good (up from 92% in 2023/24), and 99% rating their counsellor as good or very good at listening and understanding (up from 92%). In line with previous years and national trends, anxiety was the most commonly reported issue, affecting 27% of students seeking support.

Staff across the collegiate University continued to make good use of Mental Health Awareness: Responding to Students in Distress training, with 824 attending this year. This bespoke, role-based, programme enhances knowledge and skills, strengthening confidence in the University’s welfare practice.  

124 new student peer supporters were trained and supervised by an experienced staff team during 2024/25 (consistent with 123 in 2023/24). The Peer Support Programme provides accessible and proactive, peer and community-based activities and support within college and departmental student communities. 

In 2024/25, the Disability Advisory Service held records for 7,700 students (including those who declared a disability or made an enquiry with DAS), representing 24% of the Oxford student population (versus 23% in 2023/24). Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) and mental health conditions continued to account for the largest proportions of registrations. Student Support Plans, which are intended to remove barriers to teaching and assessment and give students equal opportunity to fulfil their academic potential, were in place for 52% of DAS users. 

A new online neurodivergence screening tool, enabling students to explore their strengths and challenges across cognitive areas, was launched in Michaelmas term 2024. 378 students completed the Do-It Profiler during the academic year, with 275 subsequently referred for further assessment and 252 receiving a formal SpLD diagnosis.

356 students accessed in-house SpLD tuition, receiving an average of around 8 hours of support per student. One-to-one specialist mentoring with support targeted at those with more complex or sustained needs related to mental health, autism, or ADHD was provided to 260 students.

The Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service continued to provide timely and trauma-informed support to students affected by sexual harassment, sexual violence, and domestic abuse, coercive control and stalking. Demand for support rose in 2024/25, with 201 new student referrals; an increase from 179 referrals in 2023/24. Average waiting times for an initial appointment, however, fell to 6.3 days, compared with 8.5 days the previous year. Reports involving a current partner increased, with domestic abuse cases rising from 16% to 22%, while reports involving an ex-partner more than halved, decreasing from 20% to 8%. 

The number of new students completing the Consent for Students online training programme increased from 33% in 2023-24 to 38% in 2024-25 and there was a significant expansion of prevention and training activity. New Harassment and Sexual Misconduct training for students is being developed for the 2026-27 academic year. Healthy Relationships and Consent Workshops were delivered across 15 colleges (up from eight colleges in 2023/24). A total of 89 student facilitators were trained and subsequently delivered workshops reaching at least 1,301 students and training provision also reached 486 staff during the year – more than double the previous year.

During 2024/25, Student Welfare and Support Services led and coordinated the development and publication of a dedicated webpage as a single comprehensive source of information, which sets out the University’s approach to preventing and responding to harassment and sexual misconduct involving students, bringing together policies, procedures, guidance, and key information relevant to both students and staff.