Get support

All Cambridge Colleges have committed to provide: 

• a supportive environment that promotes positive wellbeing
• a pastoral tutor or dedicated pastoral team
• a key contact for students experiencing sexual or racial discrimination, harassment, or violence
• a lead staff member dedicated to supporting student wellbeing 

Click on a College below to visit its wellbeing information page: 

• Christ's
• Churchill
• Clare
• Clare Hall
• Corpus Christi
• Darwin
• Downing
• Emmanuel
• Fitzwilliam
• Girton
• Gonville & Caius
• Homerton
• Hughes Hall
• Jesus
• King's
• Lucy Cavendish
• Magdalene
• Murray Edwards
• Newnham
• Pembroke
• Peterhouse
• Queens'
• Robinson
• Selwyn
• Sidney Sussex
• St Catharine's
• St Edmund's
• St John's
• Trinity
• Trinity Hall
• Wolfson 

University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin Mental Health Student Service (UCARMHSS) - from Michaelmas Term 25/26  

UCARMHSS offers you free and confidential mental health support from NHS professionals.

You can get help through psychological and psychiatric therapies and treatments.  

• Visit their website to learn more.
• See the UCARMHSS privacy notice for details on how the NHS will handle your data.  

Personalised Eating Disorder Support (PEDS) 

PEDS works collaboratively with the central Student Support services, College Health and Wellbeing teams and the specialist NHS Eating Disorder service.

They provide support to students who may be at risk of developing an eating disorder.

You can access the service through a referral or by self-referring.

• Visit their website to find out more
• Complete the PEDS self-referral form

Additional services

You can access the following local NHS mental health services free of charge: 

• The Psychological Skills Service is people who experience significant difficulties with their mental health, whilst also managing to keep themselves safe and relatively well without significant support from services.
• NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Talking Therapies provide help to people who are experiencing common mental health problems.
• The Personality Disorder Community Service helps people with a diagnosis of personality disorder.

The University's Harassment and Sexual Misconduct webpage brings together everything you need to know about how the University prevents and responds to harassment and sexual misconduct. 

The Student Advice Service is part of the Welfare and Advice Team at Cambridge Student Union.

The service offers free, confidential and impartial advice for all students. 

You can ask for help with almost anything student-related, including: 

• making friends or building working relationships
• exams, intermissions, or academic concerns
• welfare issues and finances 

Visit their website to find out more.

The Cambridge SU’s Class Act campaign represents, supports, and advocates for students who have experienced social, educational, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
This includes those who are:

• Ethnically minoritised
• Disabled
• International
• LGBT+
• Women and marginalised genders
• First generation
• Care-experienced
• Homeless
• Estranged

Class Act aims to build communities of care and compassion where students can find solidarity and support, connect with J/MCR Officers and societies, and campaign on issues that matter to them.

Visit their website to find out more.

University support

If you spent time in care or are without familial support (estranged), a range of University and College support is available to both prospective and current students. 

This includes:

• Support through Realise, providing guidance and signposting to relevant information and resources.
• Financial assistance, including eligibility for the higher rate of the Cambridge Bursary to help cover the cost of accommodation over summer.

Additional support

• The UCAS Guide to Financial Aid helps you explore your funding options and supports you through the application process.
• Stand Alone is a national organisation promoting awareness of estrangement and providing support. Their guides offer advice on understanding and coping with estrangement.
• The Unite Foundation’s “This is Us” initiative supports care-experienced and estranged students. It includes an online support network, student meetups, and other opportunities to connect.
• The EaCES Handbook is written by care-experienced and estranged students and offers practical advice on a wide range of student life issues.

University support

The University has produced Thinking Globally, which provides providing guidance and information  for LGBTQ+ staff and students when considering work, study or research overseas, or coming to Cambridge.

Cambridge SU LGBT+ Campaign represents and supports the needs of LGBTQ+ students at Cambridge University. They coordinate a group of LGBTQ+ Officers in J/MCRs who support students in College and run events.

General LGBTQIA+ support

• Switchboard is the national LGBTQIA+ support line.
• National Health Service: LGBTQ+ Mental Health Support information.
• The Kite Trust provides information, support and groups for LGBTQ+ young people in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and surrounding areas.

Trans-specific support

• Gendered Intelligence offers support and information to young trans people, their families and partners.
• Spectra Trans Services provide services and information for trans and gender diverse people, including counselling, mentoring and social groups.
• Trans Unite offers Transgender & Non-Binary Support Groups.

Intersectional / specialist support

• Pink Therapy is the UK’s largest independent therapy organisation, specialising in working with clients across the full spectrum of gender, sex and relationship diversity (GSRD).
• Imaan is the UK's leading LGBTQ Muslim Charity with an online community to seek help, offer advice or connect with others.
• Regard: Regard is a national organisation of LGBTQI+ people who self-identify as disabled.

Harassment and violence support

• Find external support services for LGBTQ+ students to complement the help available through Harassment and Violence Support Service.

University support

If you have caring responsibilities, it can help to talk to someone at your College. 

In addition to our 1:1 support, our experienced practitioners also facilitate a range of recurring groups including one specifically for student carers. 

If caring affects your mental or physical health, or if you have a disability, the Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) can help. 

Hear about this student's experiences of being a student carer at the University of Cambridge.

External support

• The UCAS guide for students with caring responsibilities provides tips for carers who want to go to University and where to get more information and help.
• Carers UK is a national charity providing information and advice on caring, helping carers connect with each other, and campaigning with carers for lasting change.
• Carers Trust provides help for carers, offering access to a variety of resources and services tailored to your unique needs.
• Mind provides guidance on managing your own wellbeing while caring for someone else.
• Rethink mental illness provides guidance for caring for someone living with mental illness.
• Mobilise provides online support for unpaid carers.

University support

The University Childcare Office can help with advice about:

The University’s Childcare Services oversees facilities and support for staff and students with children. They can help with a variety of areas, including:

• Family accommodation
• Nurseries
• Holiday clubs
• Local schools
• Government financial support

The guides below  outlining the process for taking a break from your studies if you or your partner are pregnant or adopting.

• Student maternity and family related leave (taught students: foundation year, undergraduate students, postgraduate taught students)
• Postgraduate students (research) maternity and family-related leave

University support

The Black Advisory Hub helps build a diverse and inclusive community for all students and staff members at the University of Cambridge.

The Cambridge Student Union BME campaign represents, supports, and advocates for all BME students at the University of Cambridge.

The Race Equality Charter (REC) is a national scheme that provides a framework for higher education institutions to recognise, investigate and challenge barriers to recruitment, progression and retention of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and students. Find out more on our Race Equality Charter pages.

General mental health support

Rethink Mental Illness provides options for support to help with issues relating to ethnic minorities and mental health.

Support for Black, African and Caribbean Communities

• Black, African and Asian Therapy Network (BAATN) is the the largest community of Counsellors and Psychotherapists of Black, African, Asian and Caribbean Heritage in the UK.
• Black Minds Matter UK provides free, one to one, culturally appropriate talking therapy for Black people in the UK.
• Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to mental wellness of Black women and girls.

Support for Muslim and South Asian communities

• Muslim Youth Helpline provide a range of compassionate services and support to improve the mental wellbeing of young people.
• Student Minds Provides helpline service for Muslim and Punjabi, offering support and signposting seven days a week by phone, Whatsapp, webchat and email.
• Tarakki provides mental health resources for Punjabi communities.

Harassment and violence support

• Find external support services for Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic students to complement the help available through Harassment and Violence Support Service.