Barely 10% institutions respond to student suicide survey; NTF pushes deadline till December 15

Expressing serious concern over the low and uneven response to the survey on student suicides, the National Task Force – to examine student’s mental health and well-being in higher education – has extended the deadline to fill the surveys till December 15. The task force has launched a website to gather information from higher education institutions, students, parents, and mental health professionals.

As per NTF, only 6,357 of the 60,000 institutions, which is barely 10%, have responded to the nationwide surveys. “This has turned out to be the biggest challenge, since, despite efforts to reach out to all higher educational institutions across the country (universities, colleges and professional institutions, approximately 60,000 institutions according to national data), the response rate from institutional heads as of 25 November 2025 has been just 6357, barely 10%,” the NTF said.

Recently, the Supreme Court expressed disappointment upon learning that 57,000 institutes skipped the questionnaire and gave one last opportunity to the colleges and universities to join the survey.

The higher education institutions are required to fill out the key details such as the diversity of faculty, vacant positions, student composition, mental health services, various committees and relevant cells for students as well as inputs on challenges and suggestions on strengthening student support systems.

1.6% students respond to online survey

Despite multiple reminders through official letters by NTF, Ministry of education, and other regulatory bodies such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), the response rate has been low in major states including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana, as well as states like Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Odisha. Moreover, professional institutes, especially in the medical and legal fields, are significantly underrepresented, the task force observed.

Student participation in the mental health surveys also remains low, with only 1.6% of an estimated 43 million have submitted their responses. In view of the weak response, NTF has extended the deadline for all. “This is a request to help the NTF by volunteering to fill out the surveys meant for them, where confidentiality and anonymity are guaranteed,” it said.

The National Task Force reiterated its appeal to all including the state nodal officers appointed for this initiative to improve the situation by responding to the surveys in greater numbers. “We are particularly concerned about those states and professional institutions where the response rate has been very low, which would hamper our work considerably,” a task force member noted.

If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts or tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling 9820466726 or visiting AASRA’s official website or can call iCALL on 9152987821. Here are some more helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.