Students and staff across UK universities are coming together to say: enough.
Universities sometimes prioritise reputation and pursuit of profit over truth and the safety of their staff and students. Two pressure groups — the 21 Group and ForThe100 — have come together to carry out the first ever survey of both staff and students in UK Universities. This is a groundbreaking national survey asking about your real experiences with mental health support, safety, bullying, burnout, and more.
Complete survey here.
Whether you’re a student or staff member, your voice matters — because the whole campus community deserves to be safe, supported, and heard.
Together, we’re building the evidence to hold universities accountable. but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
The CTRL+ALT+DEL+ UNIVERSITY Survey.
Are Universities Part of the Problem?
Recent NHS data shows that 1 in 4 young people aged 16–24 in England now have a common mental health condition — anxiety, depression, panic disorder, and more — up sharply since 2014.
Young women are particularly affected, with over 36% reporting these conditions.At the same time, rising rates of self-harm and suicidal thoughts raise urgent questions:
Are universities doing enough? Or are they contributing to the crisis?
Too many students report being ignored, denied help, or pushed to breaking point.
This survey gives you the chance to tell your truth — and help hold universities accountable.
Your experience counts.
If you’ve ever been:
Denied mental health support or academic adjustments
Bullied, harassed, or discriminated against
Burned out, ignored, or pushed out
Passed around between services without real help
…this survey is for you.
You can choose to include your name or stay anonymous. There’s a space at the end for comments — just in case we’ve missed something, or there’s something important you need us to know. You don’t have to write much. But sometimes, that’s the only way to tell the full story.
A Clear Goal: Real Change
We’re not just collecting stories. This survey is part of a national effort to take student and staff experiences directly to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) — the UK’s regulator for workplace health and safety.
Recently, UCU (the main staff union) reported Birmingham and Cardiff Universities to the HSE for unsafe workloads and health risks. At Cardiff, staff described the situation as “a total health and safety crisis” with some saying they had considered suicide and abortion because of the harm caused by cuts and chaos.
Universities have a legal duty to protect everyone affected by their operations — not just staff, but students too. If universities are exposing students to harm through unsafe or neglectful systems, it has the power to investigate universities that are failing in their duties.
How It Works
17 short questions, designed to be quick but powerful
Takes less than 10 minutes to complete
Open to all current and recent students at UK universities
Open to all current and recent employees of UK universities
Your responses will be handled with care and respect
Take Part. Be Heard.Help Reset the System.
*We only collect personal data to support the HSE submission. Your data won’t be kept for longer than five years, and it won’t be used for anything else.