Survey raises concerns about student satisfaction and retention in higher education

A new national survey has found that more than half of university students with poor mental health and wellbeing are questioning whether their degree is worth the time, money and effort, raising urgent concerns about student satisfaction and retention in higher education.

The Uni Student Wellbeing (USW) Survey, led by researchers at the University of Melbourne, Faculty of Education,  is one of the most comprehensive national studies of student mental health in Australia. Conducted over three years, the project aims to collect data from at least half of the country’s universities. The first-year results (2023–24) are based on responses from more than 7,700 undergraduates across eight institutions.

Among students experiencing both high psychological distress and low wellbeing, a group defined as having Poor mental health and wellbeing (Poor MHWB):

• 58% said they doubted the value of their degree, compared with 34.6% of all students.
• Only 53.4% felt confident they would complete their degree, compared with 80.3% overall.
• 43.4% had seriously considered dropping out, double the overall rate.
• Nearly half (49.6%) rated their university experience as ‘poor’ or ‘fair’, compared to 26.1% overall.

Lead researcher Professor Chi Baik, from the University of Melbourne’s Centre for the Study of Higher Education, said the findings reveal the broader academic consequences of poor mental health among students.

“These results highlight the strong connection between mental health and key measures of student engagement,” said  Professor Biak “including how valuable students perceive their degree to be, their likelihood of completing it and whether they’re considering leaving.”

The survey also found:

• 28% of students reported high psychological distress.
• 30.2% reported low wellbeing.
• 42.8% experienced either distress or low wellbeing, with 15.4% experiencing both.
• 38% said they found it hard to imagine and plan for the future due to world events.

Encouragingly, 57.2% of students reported no major wellbeing issues, with 22% classified as Thriving, reporting low distress and high wellbeing.

The USW project is funded by the Australian Research Council and aims to improve mental health outcomes by informing policies and practices in higher education.

For more information, visit unistudentwellbeing.edu.au