Which unis are best for students with anxiety?

I fifth that.

When these universities come into threads its like the big boss is talking

I'm currently doing my AS levels, and am only really just starting to think about which university I would like to go to.

I have struggled with anxiety and various other mental health issues for a number of years, and I was wondering which universities would be most supportive?

Of course, I'll be going to open days later on in the year, but it would be useful to know anyone's honest experiences and recommendations. Are there any unis with a particularly relaxed atmosphere?


I'm looking into doing a degree in history, so one with a good history department would be good, and also I'm not sure how I'd cope in an inner city university, so more rural or out of town ones would be nice too. I'm not fussed about it having good nightlife anyway, as I'm not really into that.

Im applying to physics not history so im not sure about its reputation for history but when i was on the lancaster open day i was shown round by a phd student who had anxiety and did her undergrad degree at lancaster, and she said they went out of their way to help her and get extra time for her in exams ect. because of her mental healt issues and how supportive they were. She also said she started her post grad studies at Durham but they were so unsupportive and didnt really help her even when she made her problems know to them so she moved back to lancaster. An i loved the rest of the uni as its campus and collegiate, and the town isnt very far away but it seems quiet and really nice!! i really recommend it

If you are looking into Exeter make sure to check out applying specifically to the Cornwall Campus. I heard very good things about the history department when I was there. The campus is down in Penryn near Falmouth and quite small, I prefered this as it was more intimate and the community was great. Super relaxed atmosphere as it is right near the sea as well. The student union there - FXU - (the campus is shared with Falmouth University) are truly great with everything including tackling mental health issues among students and providing resources. They actually have a "Mind Your Head" campaign running at the moment.

I'm really surprised to hear that about Durham actually! It's nice to hear that Lancaster is so supportive though

Its terrible that happened at Durham, it's totally unlike my experience. I did my undergraduate and postgraduate studies there. I had some difficulties and used their counselling service. It was great for me, very supportive and really helped me deal with the issues I was having. The collegiate system was also great, colleges each have their own welfare teams, run by the students, with drop in hours and excellent formal pastoral systems. I work at Durham now and am part of the pastoral team in one of the colleges. I can honestly say that there is a real focus on student experience and support. Moreover the colleges have a fantastic range of clubs, societies and events (in addition to the university wide ones), it is definitely like having your own Durham family. Most colleges allocate their students mentors (the role I am involved in), so you will have a point of contact outside the formal hierarchy, in case you need someone to talk things over with. You also get college parents (students in higher years) who help get you orientated when you arrive and make you feel part of the community. Finally you will have a departmental tutor who is there to help with your academic and personal development. If your interested I'd definitely come to one of the open days.

Whilst I have never been diagnosed with anxiety, I have suffered from it in the past, and I found Royal Holloway to be very helpful- despite no 'official' diagnosis, even. Plus it's the sort of university that in and of itself tends to be a calming place; the small, pretty campus and great community mean that you have this feeling of safety and homeliness that larger, city-based universities struggle to emulate.

I also agree with the suggestion of collegiate universities, though I'm not sure I'd recommend Oxford or Cambridge, despite the collegiate systems meaning that both have a strong community feel. I actually think the university (referring to Oxford here) is relatively poor at dealing with mental health issues, so other collegiate universities like Durham and York might be nice alternatives.

Going to Uni is probably one of the most stressful events you can think of.
For someone with anxiety no University is going to be 'relaxing'.

If you aren't already receiving treatment for your anxiety, you really do need to get on top of it BEFORE you even think of applying to Uni.
First stop is your GP.