About the Peer Support Programme

What is peer support?

Peer support is a way for students to support other students, offering a more informal way to access support for the challenges you may encounter during your time at Oxford. 

Peer Supporters are trained student volunteers who can offer supportive conversations to other students. They are not counsellors and do not provide therapy, but can help you think about next steps if you need more support.  

Trained Peer Supporters: 

• Contribute and engage to a supportive and collaborative student community 
• Offer a listening ear to your peers, as part of your college, department or divisional welfare provision 
• Learn interpersonal skills including active listening, assertiveness and diversity awareness  
• Promote and create welfare and wellbeing spaces in your college, department or division 

Peer Supporters are an important part of the University's wider approach to student wellbeing and work alongside college, departmental and university welfare services.  

Students often find peer support helpful because it: 

• Offers support from someone who understands the realities of student life 
• Can reduce feelings of isolation 
• Makes it easier to talk about wellbeing or mental health concerns 
• Can be a good first step if you are unsure where to start

History of the programme

The Peer Support Programme at Oxford was developed in the early 1990s, in recognition of the important role students play in supporting one another during their time at university. Since then, the programme has become an integral part of Oxford’s welfare provision.  

There are hundreds of Peer Supporters active across 37 colleges, 6 departments and 1 division, offering student-led support within everyday university life. 

We have Peers of Colour, Peers of Faiths, Disability Diversity Peers, Rainbow Peers and Coffee Ambassadors.

Get involved

If you are interested in becoming a Peer Supporter you can read more information about the training process. 

If you are looking for support, you can find out how to contact a Peer Supporter. 

Staff interested in learning more about the programme can visit the Peer Support pages on the Education and Student Support area of OxIntranet.