The University of Edinburgh has been ranked 61st out of 80 universities in mental health league table

The University of Edinburgh has been ranked 61^st out of 80 institutions in British universities’ first-ever mental health league table.

In the table compiled by mental health charity Humen, Edinburgh scores as ‘very poor’ on three of the five measurements: ‘satisfaction’, ‘engagement’ and ‘awareness’ surrounding mental health services.

‘Service provision’, which measures the proportion of uni staff who have received mental health training and the number of students per designated mental health staffer, is said to be excellent.

A spokesperson for the University of Edinburgh told The Edinburgh Tab: “We question the claims resulting from this league table, which is based on a limited Freedom of Information request and a survey of a very small group of students”, adding that supporting students’ mental health is an absolute priority.

Edinburgh Uni scores lower than Bath, Glasgow, UEA, Liverpool and Cardiff, whilst outperforming Bristol, Nottingham and Newcastle.

The survey reveals that across the UK, nearly half of students (47%) find that mental health issues have a negative impact on their university experience.

Humen’s 2022 University Mental Health League Table was compiled by conducting a year-long study of over 7,200 students who shared their experiences at university, and by gathering data on mental health budgets and staff training. These have been combined to give each uni a total mental health score.

The University of Reading ranks highest (62.5), followed closely by Oxford (60.4), Central Lancashire (60.0) and York (59.1).

Birmingham University takes the bottom place (32.3), just below Lancaster (33.7) and Bedfordshire (35.9).

Whilst it has exposed shortcomings in mental health services at many universities, some have criticised the league table and its methodology. Humen says that a maximum of 80 students per university were allowed to contribute to the survey, for instance, which some academics say is too few to rule out statistical anomalies.

Humen says it wants its ranking to make universities consider mental health support just as much as they value academic performance. The league table will be produced annually going forward.

To read the full report, click here.

In full, a spokesperson for The University of Edinburgh told The Edinburgh Tab:

“Supporting our students’ mental health and ensuring their safety and wellbeing is our absolute priority. We know that this has been a very challenging time for our students and we are continuing to invest in services to support them.

The methodology used in compiling this ranking does not take into account the full range of health and wellbeing support we offer to our students, which is extensive. Mental health is a complex area and we question the claims resulting from this league table, which is based on a limited Freedom of Information request and a survey of a very small group of students.

We regularly engage with our students to make them aware of the support we offer and to signpost them to additional sources of help. We listen to all views and encourage students to use our official reporting channels to help improve our mental health services.”

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