Student Support in Crisis: A Call for Change

Transition or Attrition: The Hidden Crisis in Student Support

Left to Figure It Out Alone in a System That Can’t Keep Up

The transition to higher education is often described as a rite of passage, a moment when young people leave behind the structure of secondary school and enter a space that promises independence, growth, and opportunity. For many students, this transition is exciting but also daunting. Whether neurotypical or neurodivergent (more in a future blog), the reality is that most students encounter challenges for which they are not fully prepared.

As someone who has worked closely with students in my role as Assistant Director but also in my capacity as mentor and supervisor for students at various stages of academia, I have seen how wide the gap can be between the ideal of a smooth transition and the lived reality. For some, the challenges are logistical, for example navigating accommodation services, health systems, or course requirements. For others, the difficulties are more invisible: mental health struggles, undiagnosed learning differences, or the feeling of being “out of sync” with the institution and its expectations.

The Human Cost of Shrinking Support

One of the most pressing issues is the strain on university support systems. With decreasing funding, services such as academic advising, accessibility accommodations, and health resources are stretched thinner each year. Waitlists for counseling or accessibility assessments grow longer, while staff capacity shrinks.

Students often arrive expecting a safety net, only to discover that support may be weeks, or even months, away. Part of the challenge is not only the strain on resources, but also a lack of familiarity with what supports exist in the first place. Many students come from high school environments where parents or teachers played a significant role in arranging accommodations and supports. Once in university, they are suddenly expected to self-advocate, to know what services they need, where to find them, and how to access them. For some, especially those who are neurodivergent or first-generation students, this is uncharted territory. The gap between needing help and knowing how to ask for it can feel insurmountable.

It's also important to recognize that many mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, often emerge during the university years. In Canada, individuals aged 18 to 24 are among the most likely to experience mental illness and/or substance use disorders (Pearson et al., 2013). This age group also represents a critical period for the onset of mental health issues, with a significant number of cases being diagnosed for the first time during these years. This underscores the urgency of providing timely and accessible support to students during this pivotal stage of their lives.

Disembodiment of Students

Another layer to this transition is what I think of as student disembodiment. Students are caught between competing forces: their personal needs (which may be invisible or misunderstood), the limited services universities can offer, professors who may lack training in supporting the “whole student,” and societal or parental expectations that higher education is a straightforward path to success.

Even when professors want to help, structural realities often stand in the way. In many programs, class sizes are already enormous and continue to grow, making it impossible for professors to get to know their students on a personal level. Without meaningful opportunities to build relationships, professors are often in the dark about the challenges their students may be facing. The result is that difficulties remain hidden, and students who might otherwise be guided toward the right resources continue to struggle in silence.

Neurodivergent students, in particular, highlight where systems succeed or fail. Their needs, whether related to executive functioning, sensory environments, or social communication, bring into sharp relief how unprepared universities can be. Yet, their experiences also point to what is possible when institutions adopt a more flexible, compassionate, and student-centered approach.

Attrition by the Numbers

These struggles are not just anecdotal, they translate into real losses in persistence and completion.

• Nationally, about 1 in 6 Canadian first-year university students do not return for their second year, with Statistics Canada showing a 17.2% dropout rate in the 2021-22 academic year, with rates as high as 26.9% in the Maritimes (Statistics Canada, 2022).

• Other universities fare better: the University of Calgary’s retention sits at 95%, McGill at 94.5%, and Queen’s reports a 94.2% first-year retention rate (Maclean’s, 2024). But averages conceal stark inequalities; students from marginalized or neurodivergent backgrounds face higher risk.

• At Ontario colleges, attrition is especially acute: about 30% of leavers drop out before the end of their first semester, with 17% leaving entirely and another 13% transferring elsewhere (Lopez-Robson and McCoy, 2013).

And the pattern doesn’t stop at undergraduate education:

• In Canadian doctoral programs, attrition rates hover between 40–50%, with some studies reporting as high as 64% within five years (reported in Moldonado et al 2013, data from CAGS, 2004). At the time of writing, no current data of a similar nature were found.

• Anecdotally, many Master’s cohorts see fewer than half of students finishing “on time,” though eventual completion rates are higher.

Behind each percentage point are stories: a student who couldn’t get assessed for ADHD until second year; a PhD candidate who leaves midstream when financial stress collides with mental health; a first-generation student who quietly disappears after realizing they can’t navigate the bureaucracy. Attrition is not just about academic failure; it is about systems failing students.

The Strain on Support Staff

Universities rely heavily on their support staff, such as counsellors, accessibility advisors, student affairs officers, to fill the gap. But these professionals are themselves burning out.

• Globally, more than one-third of higher-ed staff report burnout, and nearly 73% report moderate to very high psychological distress (Rahman et al, 2024).

• Faculty in the U.S. (paralleling Canadian conditions) show similar trends: 53% have considered quitting, and 50% say workload has harmed their emotional health (Rock, 2024).

When those who support students are themselves overwhelmed, turnover rises, services shrink further, and the cycle of scarcity deepens.

What Universities Can Do

Universities have an essential role in bridging gaps, but doing more requires relieving those already carrying too much. Supporting students in transition cannot fall solely on individual professors or overstretched services. It requires institutional commitment: ensuring that funding for health and accommodation services is not seen as optional, embedding training for faculty and staff on working with diverse learners, and creating cultures of care where asking for help is not stigmatized but normalized.

Faculty training cannot happen in a vacuum. Professors are already stretched thin by heavy teaching loads, ballooning class sizes, and the pressure to sustain competitive research output. Expecting them to add responsibilities, such as learning about and implementing early-alert systems, trauma-informed pedagogy, proactive student outreach, and Universal Design for Learning, on top of their workload, is unrealistic and unsustainable.

If universities are serious, they must provide:

• Reduced or redistributed teaching loads, especially for those piloting new inclusive practices.

• Dedicated professional development time embedded in workload plans.

• Team-teaching models that allow implementation of new strategies without sacrificing quality.

Other key strategies for supporting students include:

• Strengthening the transition from high school to university

Transitioning to university can be daunting, especially for students with disabilities or those who are neurodivergent. Universities can ease this process by collaborating with high schools and school boards to develop curricula that teach self-advocacy, navigating accommodations, and accessing campus supports. Pre-arrival workshops for students and parents can demystify accommodation processes, wait times, and self-advocacy with the purpose of reducing early stress.

Example: The University of Rochester offers pre-semester programs (n.d.). These programs help incoming students connect, explore campus, and prepare for college life before classes begin.

However, it's crucial to recognize that many students may not have formal diagnoses. Early intervention programs should be inclusive, providing support to all students, including those who are undiagnosed but experiencing challenges.

• Expanding orientation beyond the first week

Orientation should not be a one-off event. Implementing staggered programming across the first semester, with modules on mental health, study skills, and campus services, ensures all students benefit. Embedding these modules in mandatory first-year courses can help students adjust more effectively.

Example: Nipissing University’s Aboriginal Advantage and Peer-2-Peer Aboriginal Mentorship programs (n.d.) offer credit-bearing support across the first year, scaffolding transition instead of condensing it into one week.

Adapting such models to support neurodivergent students, newcomers to Canada, or first-generation students can enhance inclusivity and support diverse student needs.

Such initiatives could be credit-bearing (as Nipissing’s program is) or non-credit but formally recognized with micro-credentials or co-curricular records. The key is intentional scaffolding: ensuring that students most likely to fall through the cracks have structured entry points and a built-in community of support.”

• Increasing accessibility of services

Long wait times for counselling or assessments can turn a manageable challenge into a crisis. Expanding stepped-care models, where students can access a spectrum of services from peer support to specialized counselling, helps match needs with timely care. Universities can also embed mental health staff in residence halls or faculty hubs, reducing the intimidation of seeking support.

Example: Algonquin College and Windsor University have implemented a stepped-care approach to mental health (O’Donohue and Draper, 2011), expanding peer-led supports and triage pathways.

Example: uOttawa’s GSAÉD (n.d.) offers graduate students 24/7 confidential counselling via TELUS Health, bypassing traditional waitlists and reducing barriers to care.

Importantly, these models must also account for students who have not yet been diagnosed but are struggling. Accessible, low-barrier services provide a crucial bridge for students in this diagnostic “grey zone,” preventing problems from worsening while they wait for formal assessment or treatment.

• Supporting neurodiverse students more effectively

Creating dedicated “neurodiversity hubs” that integrate academic coaching, assistive technology, and peer-led study groups can help neurodiverse students thrive. Structured weekly check-ins can help students with executive functioning and build a sense of belonging.

Example: McGill University’s Office for Student Accessibility and Achievement (n.d.) offers neurodiverse learning supports and technology integration, providing a strong template for other institutions.

Example: The University of Toronto (2025) is looking to produce a documentary featuring six neurodivergent students to understand their different experiences at the university, aiming to share these stories with the university community and beyond.

These initiatives help raise awareness and promote inclusivity for neurodivergent students on campus.

• Embedding student voices

Student advisory councils, feedback loops, and formal representation on mental health policy committees ensure that supports are grounded in lived experience.

Example: In developing its Student Mental Health Strategy, the University of Windsor (2018) actively incorporated student voices on its committee, fostering ongoing dialogue between students and administration.

But it is not only students with formal diagnoses who need to be heard. Many students don’t realize they qualify for support, or assume services are reserved for those in crisis. As awareness grows, so too do requests for accommodations and counselling—without the parallel growth in staffing to meet demand. By actively including students who are undiagnosed, uncertain, or hesitant to self-identify, universities can design systems that are more inclusive, proactive, and responsive to the real scope of student needs.

Universities can also work with cultural and affinity clubs, such as Chinese Student Associations, Muslim Student Associations, Indigenous student groups, or LGBTQ+ student networks, to ensure that cultural beliefs, stigma, or misconceptions do not prevent students from seeking accommodations or support services. Collaborating with these groups allows universities to design outreach and education that is culturally sensitive, builds trust, and encourages students from diverse backgrounds to access the resources they need without fear or hesitation.

• Faculty training and relief

Faculty want to support students but face heavy teaching loads, growing class sizes, and pressure to maintain research productivity. Training on inclusive pedagogy is critical, but it cannot simply be added to an already unsustainable workload. Universities should provide teaching relief, course buyouts, or small grants so faculty can integrate inclusive practices meaningfully.

Example: UBC’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (n.d.) provides structured support for inclusive teaching, including workshops and funded pilot projects for course redesign.

This also connects to what I’ve written in a previous blog post about the disembodiment of professors: we cannot expect faculty to do more without systemic relief and investment.

• Addressing staff workload and turnover

Accessibility staff, mental health and academic counsellors are burning out under unsustainable caseloads. Hiring more staff is critical, but retention is equally important. Universities can cap caseloads, offer mental health days, and provide professional development to reduce turnover.

Example: Some Ontario institutions such as uOttawa, Western and McMaster University, as well as the University of Toronto and Guelph, and supported by targeted provincial grants, have piloted (and in some universities adopted) case-management models that spread workload and ensure at-risk students receive tailored, continuous support.

At uOttawa, a Presidential Advisory Committee on Mental Health led to the creation in 2022 of a dedicated University Advisor on Mental Health and Wellness (n.d.), strengthening both strategy and staff support.

These efforts aim to create a more sustainable and supportive environment for both students and staff.

• Making systemic investment visible

  
  

Finally, accountability matters. Universities can publish annual “student support impact reports” showing staff-to-student ratios, wait-time reductions, and funding allocations. Visibility builds trust and makes the case for continued investment.

Example: uOttawa’s Accessibility Hub (n.d.) and multi-year accessibility plans (2025) provide transparency and public accountability in improving campus inclusivity.

These reports can help stakeholders understand the impact of investments and areas needing improvement.

These examples show that progress is possible, but they also highlight a risk. Too often, initiatives are launched as one-off projects or framed as quick fixes. Supporting students in transition cannot be reduced to a checklist item for institutional compliance. It requires sustained effort, regular evaluation, and the flexibility to adapt as student needs evolve. And, most importantly, it requires continued financial investment. Without ongoing funding, even the most promising programs wither. True commitment means embedding these practices into the very fabric of the university, ensuring they grow alongside students rather than fading as budgets tighten.

The Bottom Line

All of these solutions require resources, and those resources are diminishing. Without sustained investment, services cannot function, professors cannot adapt, and students remain unsupported. Budget cuts erode the very foundations of accessibility and mental health care.

Transitions don’t have to lead to attrition. Yet the numbers tell us how often they do: nearly one in six Canadian undergraduates leaves after first year, and attrition in some regions reaches 31%. In graduate education, the picture is no better; 40–50% of doctoral students leave before finishing, with some programs losing nearly two-thirds of their candidates within five years. These are not isolated struggles, they are systemic patterns.

With investment, relief for staff, expanded communication, and early scaffolded supports, we can transform the student journey from crisis to care, affirming both the students navigating this threshold and the staff who dedicate themselves to helping them succeed.

While universities play a critical role in supporting students, their efforts cannot exist in isolation. Stronger collaboration with public health agencies and local, provincial, and federal government departments is essential. Coordinated efforts ensure that students have timely access to mental health care, accommodation resources, and social services, and that universities are equipped with the guidance, data, and funding needed to meet their students’ evolving needs. Strengthening these connections is essential to transforming the student journey from one of crisis to one of care.

At a time when public funding is shrinking and expectations for student success remain high, these challenges must not be seen as individual failings but instead as systemic signals: evidence that the transition to higher education is not a test students must survive alone, but a shared responsibility. Supporting students through this threshold is not only about ensuring academic success. It is about affirming that they are whole people, navigating one of the most complex and formative transitions of their lives.

-- Anne TM Konkle, PhD

References

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