SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WSBT) — A new survey is giving us a clearer picture of the mental health of college students.
A study of more than 84,000 college and university students found, for the third year in a row, lower rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
College students walk to class. A new survey is shining a light on the pressures faced by today’s college students (WSBT 22 Video)
The students walking around U.S. college campuses today are generally high achievers.
That is certainly the case at Saint Mary’s College in South Bend.
After only five minutes on a chilly sunny day in November, WSBT 22 spoke with a sophomore from Wisconsin who is dual majoring in chemistry and chemical engineering, a South Bend native who is in her second year of majoring in computing and applied mathematics, and a communications and humanistic studies senior who will pursue her masters degree at the University of Notre Dame next year.
“I want to do data science,” said Samantha Marshall, the computing and applied mathematics major.
Marshall is a first generation college student who recommends new students take advantage of the positive resources Saint Mary’s College has to offer.
“Because they’re there to help you,” she said.
Rachael Bord is studying chemistry at Saint Mary’s College, and chemical engineering at Notre Dame.
“I’m doing research in the lab on battery synthesis and making them more environmentally sustainable and friendly. So, I think that’s really interesting right now. So, I’m definitely interested in doing in the future,” said Borg who is balancing academics with tennis and an active social life.
“I try to use my extracurricular activities to really help me kind of get the best experience I can,” said Grace Christopher, who will be working toward her Master of Science and digital marketing at Notre Dame next year.
Christopher, Bord, and Marshall all know that with achievement also comes added stress.
“I think, especially here, everyone’s very high achieving and that’s a great thing, it’s a great quality to have, but it does come with stress sand pressure that is totally added on,” said Christopher.
“It’s just something you have to balance and I know, it can be hard,” said Borg.
The 2024-25 Healthy Minds Study, just released this fall, paints a clearer picture of how college students are feeling about their stress and mental health (WSBT)
The 2024-2025 Healthy Minds Study, just released this fall, paints a clearer picture of how college students are feeling about their stress and mental health.
For over 15 years, The Healthy Minds Network has administered the Healthy Minds Study to measure post-secondary student mental health.
More than 84,000 students from 135 colleges and universities across the United States, including Indiana and Michigan, were surveyed via email.
The report says the surveys were timed to avoid, if at all possible, the first two weeks of the term, the last week of the term, and any major holidays.
The survey data from 2025 and all past years to 2007 can be explored by using the organization’s data interface.
According to the data, 2025 is the third year in a row that college students reported lower rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
The survey found 37.5% of college students were experiencing depression in 2025, which is down from 43.7% in 2022.
17.6% of students in 2025 said it was “major depression” compared to 23.3% in 2022.
This year, 31.9% of college students said they were experiencing anxiety.
That is also down from 37.5% in 2022.
The survey found 11.3% of college students had suicidal ideation within the past year, which is down from 15.3% in 2022.
Another positive trend — fewer college students reported feeling high levels of loneliness, although the 2025 report found more than half (52%) felt left out, isolated or a lack of companionship.
“It brings a lot of hope to know that trends are heading downward. People are not having as much anxiety and depression. But that is still a lot,” said Madeline Reinke, a counselor at the Health and Counseling Center at Saint Mary’s College.
Reinke is one of four counselors available to Saint Mary’s College students.
“I really view my role as somebody who just kind of walks this alongside my clients,” said Reinke, who sees around 50 clients on a regular basis.
She says many students are dealing with academic pressures, financial struggles and relationship difficulties.
“You really have to kind of be aware of a lot of things and try to juggle not just the academic course load, but your social life, your future decisions. All these things are happening at this very delicate age. It is a lot of pressure,” said Reinke.
The Healthy Minds Study showed college students who reported “flourishing” dropped in 2025 compared to the previous year.
“Flourishing” measures a student’s “self-perceived success in relationships, self-esteem, purpose, and optimism.”
Just 36.5% of college students felt they were “flourishing’ in 2025 compared to nearly 37.6% last year.
“It is daunting for those students to feel like they have to be on top of everything all at once,” said Reinke.
She says social media plays a role in how college students feel about themselves and going from high school to college can be a culture shock.
“To that I say, come in, call us, talk to us because we’re here to help,” said Reinke.
The Healthy Minds Study showed most students, 78.7%, knew where to seek professional help for mental or emotional health.
It also showed that more than a third (37.5% have received therapy in the past year.
A study of more than 84,000 college and university students found, for the third year in a row, lower rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts (WSBT)
“Saint Mary’s offers free counseling,” said Marshall, “I have taken advantage of that, and it’s been helpful.”
Marshall admits she had a rough time her first year at Saint Mary’s.
“I had everything bad happen. I got in a car accident, I had appendicitis, I had like everything,” said Marshall, “but I made it.”
She says the people on campus and the relationships she built helped her get through those tough times.
“Saint Mary’s has a really good support system. I had professors reaching out to me, I had friends right there getting me my work when I needed it. So I had a really good support system,” said Marshall, “this year, I’m definitely doing a lot better for sure. I took advantage of a lot of the good resources that Saint Mary’s offers,” she said.
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