More than three-quarters of four-year undergraduate students who considered stopping out in the past six months said it was due to emotional stress, according to a new survey from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation. That's up from just 42% in 2020.

Nearly two-thirds of associate degree students said the same, up from 24% in 2020. Among bachelor's and associate degree students, about one-third cited the pandemic and attendance costs impacting their ability to remain enrolled.

Researchers polled current students, prospective students and former students who stopped out either before or during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The high levels of emotional stress should be a call to action for higher education leaders, said Stephanie Marken, executive director of education research at Gallup.

"Mental health crises have been popping up on campuses across the country for several years, pre-pandemic, but COVID-19 really exacerbated these issues for students," Marken said. "This is a really critical time for educational leaders and institutions to refine their mental health programming."

Colleges face the continuous challenge of both offering resources to students and ensuring those who need them most are aware of what's available. If the support structures aren't easy to find, they won't serve their purpose, said Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and planning at Lumina.

"Institutions can't lack counselors or create offices that are down dark, unfindable hallways," Brown said. "You can't just provide academic help for students and ignore their mental well-being."

The quick pivot to virtual learning when the pandemic hit showed that colleges are capable of changing the status quo for the sake of student safety and success.

Offering virtual classes can be a good first step for colleges, but it alone is not going to break down existing barriers to an accessible education for students, Brown said. Providing emergency food and housing aid can show enrollees that colleges support them as people, not just students, she said.

Read the full article about mental health crisises in higher ed Laura Spitalniak at Higher Education News.