Gaps and Challenges in University Support Systems

University support systems have achieved significant results in enhancing students’ mental health and academic performance (Hong et al, 2022). But notwithstanding the progress, these interventions continue to face a myriad of limitations (Alvarez et al, 2022). The National Union of Students (NUS) conducted an empirical survey in 2023 and found that 50% of students had no knowledge of mental health resources at their institution. Other students who participated in the survey cited two major barriers to access: (a) long wait times at the support offices, and (b) a lack of culturally competent staff to address sensitive issues (McKay & Meza, 2024).

Student feedback at the University of Sunderland, London, indicates a desire for more visible promotional activities on the availability of support services from resolute professionals. The feedback further highlights need for greater support during transitions such as exam periods, induction, and even graduation. Marshall et al. (2023), however, found that institutions often lack robust evaluation systems to measure the effectiveness of support services.

In addition to lack of effective assessment tools to measure results of support services, staff burnout has emerged as an impediment to realizing goals of support initiatives. For example, academic mentors, counsellors, and mental health advisors work under high caseloads, which reduces their ability to provide personalized support to university students (Vanthoch Soth, 2025). Institutions must therefore address these human capacity issues to sustain delivery of quality services.