About 160 student suicides each year with male undergraduates ‘at greatest risk’

An average of 160 higher education students in England and Wales take their own life each year, new analysis suggests.

Male students, undergraduates and people studying part-time are at the “greatest risk” of suicide, along with those who live in their own home rather than in halls of residence or with family.

The findings have been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and are the first of their kind to look at the characteristics of student suicides as well as the number of registered deaths.

The ONS identified 1,108 suicides among higher education students in England and Wales that occurred between August 2016 and July 2023, giving an average of about 160 each academic year, or 6.9 deaths per 100,000 students.

Rates were higher across this period for male students (10.4 deaths per 100,000) than females (4.3), which is in line with trends among the general population.

Both male and female undergraduate students had a higher rate of suicide (10.2 and 4.1 deaths per 100,000 respectively) compared with male and female postgraduates (7.8 and 3.5).

Part-time male and female students had a higher rate (12.8 and 6.2 deaths per 100,000) than their full-time equivalents (9.9 and 3.7).

Rates were also greater for students who lived in their own accommodation (7.1 per 100,000) than those living in university halls of residence (6.6), private sector halls (5.4) or with parents or family (3.8).

David Mais, ONS head of mortality statistics, said: “Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy, leaving a lasting grief with all those involved and so it is heartbreaking to see our figures showing 160 higher education students taking this step each year.

“Men, part-time students and undergraduates are found through this study to be at the greatest risk, and we hope that insights like this will help target support as much as possible.”

When looking at suicide rates by age, the ONS found it to be lower among students aged 20 and under (4.6 deaths per 100,000) than in other age groups.

However unlike in the general population, where suicide rates increase with each age group, the rate for students over the age of 20 “stays relatively stable”, at 7.9 per 100,000 for 21-24 year-olds, 8.9 for those aged 25-29 and 8.7 for students who are 30 and over.

The ONS used aggregated data from across the period 2016/17 to 2022/23 to estimate its annual suicide rates, rather than produce separate figures for specific years.

This is because the number of higher education (HE) student suicides is relatively small and the figure fluctuates from year to year, making it difficult to see a clear trend over time.

In May this year, a review by experts at the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH) at the University of Manchester concluded that bereaved families of students believed to have died by suicide at university should be included in the process of finding out what happened to their loved ones.

Some families described feeling that universities can be “evasive and reluctant” to answer important and painful questions relevant to prevention, according to the national review.

The study called for a version of the “duty of candour” to be introduced to the higher education sector to ensure universities are open and transparent with bereaved families.

The Government said it will “soon” appoint a new higher education student support champion to lead on implementing the review’s recommendations.

Following the publication of the ONS figures on Tuesday, a Department for Education spokesperson said: “Every suicide is a tragedy. That is why this Government is calling for urgent, visible action from universities to learn from these preventable deaths.

“Through our Plan for Change we will work with the Office for Students to hold universities to account ensuring that every student can access the vital support they need.”

A spokesperson for Universities UK said: “While this data shows students in higher education are less likely to take their own lives than those in the general population of that age, every single loss of life is one too many and has a profound impact on family, friends and the wider university community.

“It is essential that universities continue to do all they can to prevent avoidable deaths through suicide, identifying and supporting those who may be at risk and putting a whole-university approach to mental health at the heart of their policies.

“We welcomed the national review of HE student suicide earlier this year and are now making updates to our ‘postvention’ guidance in response to the recommendations.”

The suicide rate among the general population of England and Wales of HE student age stood at 10.2 per 100,000 between the academic years 2016/17 and 2022/23, the ONS said.

This is above the rate of 6.9 per 100,000 for the HE student population.