Mental health strain: IIT-H sees 74% surge in students seeking counselling

Hyderabad:

Amid growing concerns over the mental health of students at Indiaâs premier institutes, following a student suicide at IIT-Bombay last month, an RTI filed by TOI has revealed a sharp 74% rise in the number of students seeking counselling at the Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H) â from 290 in 2021 to 505 in 2025.

Records show that these students approached the instituteâs Sunshine Wellness Centre â set up in 2012 to provide emotional and mental-wellbeing support to students on campus â with complaints ranging from stress and anxiety stemming from academic pressure and loneliness to difficulties adjusting to campus life and strained relationships.

Over the five-year period, a total of 2,406 students accessed services offered through the Sunshine Centre for similar reasons, the RTI response said.

Some of the students TOI spoke to said they approached the centre when they were struggling to cope with the pressure during their initial days at the institute. âEven during weekends, we have to focus on academics because there are assignments to complete. The pressure is more in the first year as we have to adjust to a new academic environment while simultaneously trying to build social connections on campus,â said a second-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Design at IIT-H.

The student added: âWhen we joined college, we expected to make friends and have a good social life. But academics often left us with no time. That led to feelings of loneliness and the counselling helped us stay afloat.â

Mentors at the Sunshine Centre reiterated that academic pressure and loneliness are the key concerns among students seeking mental health support.

âFor some students, the transition from home to campus adds to the difficulty. Moving away from family and familiar surroundings, coupled with limited social interaction, can leave students feeling isolated and struggling to cope on their own,â said P Madhukar, mentor head at the Sunshine Centre.

They also attributed the rise in counselling numbers to greater awareness and sensitisation among students about mental-health issues. This jump in footfall, meanwhile, coincided with a steep rise in the instituteâs expenditure on counselling, mental-health services and wellness programmes. The annual approved budget increased from Rs 2.44 lakh in 2021 to Rs 17.90 lakh in 2025 â a more than seven-fold increase in five years.

âThe institute has strengthened its counselling support, with three counsellors now exclusively engaged in providing emotional and mental-wellbeing support,â said a faculty representative from Sunshine Centre.

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