Last year, the Education Advisory Board conducted a nationwide survey of high school seniors and found that campus mental health services emerged as a significant factor during the college selection process. According to the EAB Mental Health Survey Insight paper, there was an upward trend in prospective students evaluating colleges and universities based on the mental health services that these schools provided. For example, the survey asked 14 demographic groups, “How important are a school’s mental health support programs to your college decision?” and 12 of the groups responded with an average between moderately important to very important. The author of this paper argued that the focus on collegiate mental health in the college decision-making process represented a significant shift in past priorities and preferences among incoming students.
Other surveys have suggested an upward trend for college students to evaluate schools based on available mental health services. In 2023, Inside Higher Ed highlighted a survey of 3,000 college students and asked which wellness service or initiative mattered the most when making the decision to enroll at their college or university. According to the report, mental health support was the top wellness factor in choosing an institution.
Downward Trend Related to Academic Prestige
Considering post-pandemic times and the political factors that are currently facing higher education, it’s likely that prospective students and their families are focusing more on what types of student support that schools can offer and what life on campus will be like. This upward trend appears to contrast a downward trend regarding the significance of academic prestige. Last year, Kaplan.com published a survey indicating that 75% of admission officers believed that national rankings of colleges and universities have lost their luster. This survey also found that 13% of schools who participate in the rankings were either considering dropping out or decided to drop out of the ranking process in the future. Other surveys support the notion of a downward trend regarding academic prestige. In 2024 Insider Higher Ed highlighted a report suggesting that only one in 10 college-bound high school students claimed to care about an institution’s ranking.
Tuition Cost Is Still A Top Concern
What remains a top factor in the college-decision making process is tuition costs and affordability. In 2025, Bestcolleges.com discussed a survey of current students and found that 53% listed affordability as the most important factor in deciding on a college. However, once enrolled, tuition cost is not the top barrier to keeping students in school. The 2025 Gallup-Lumina State of Higher Education Report found that students who have considered stopping out from school are twice as likely to report that mental health or emotional stress are the reasons why as compared to costs.
The Importance of Student Support
Viewing student support services that promote mental health as on par with academic prestige and tuition cost might be an important shift for many schools, especially those facing financial pressure. Earlier this year, The Chronicle of Higher Education released a report suggesting that two-thirds of colleges showed at least one sign of financial stress, and many schools have concerns about enrollment. However, studies suggest that mental health services help protect retention and save the university money. According to a 2024 study in the Journal of College Student Mental Health, about two-thirds of campus counseling centers’ clients reported that counseling services helped them stay enrolled in school. A 2025 report on Forbes.com also examined the economic factors related to investing in college mental health, including how campus mental health services improve the academic performance of many students.
Furthermore, The Princeton Review recently released a 2026 Mental Health Service Honor Roll. This list consists of 30 schools who were recognized by an advisory board as displaying an exceptionally strong commitment to supporting student mental health and wellbeing. By reviewing each of these 30 schools’ online enrollment figures, it appears that 25 of the 30 schools (83%) reported increases in student enrollment in the past year, with 14 (47%) reported record increases in enrollment and/or applications. This also includes Texas Christian University, the institution that I work at, which made the Honor Roll and reported record first-year enrollment in 2025.
Institutions of higher education are institutions dedicated to learning; however, no institution can thrive without students, and there’s ample evidence suggesting that the schools who invest more in providing mental health support are better at recruiting and retaining students and helping students to become more successful learners.