Recommendation 73

Students in Scotland, as with so many groups, faced unprecedented challenges over the course of the pandemic. Whilst we welcome the investments the Scottish Government has made in student wellbeing and mental health during this period, we have heard evidence of structural underfunding that predated the pandemic, long waiting lists and poor triaging of mental health inquiries. This is, in turn, pushing the provision of student mental health support onto academic staff, many of whom report facing challenges of their own, and may not be appropriately trained. The Scottish Government should look again at the provision of mental health services to university students, including by reviewing current triaging processes related to mental health inquiries, to ensure that students are being quickly directed to the appropriate services and support providers. The Scottish Government should also consider whether further investment may be needed in order to shorten mental health support waiting lists for university students (in the same way it has recently done for college students and staff through an additional £4.4 million of mental health support), thereby also reducing pressures on higher education academic staff. International students Benefits to UK and Scottish students