Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The mental health crisis among U.S. college students continues to escalate, exposing structural, cultural, and systemic failures within higher education. This review synthesizes evidence on institutional responses, drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Critical Theory, to examine how policies, faculty interactions, campus climate, and resource distribution influence student mental health outcomes. Findings reveal persistent gaps between policy intentions and practice, insufficient counseling capacity, inconsistency in faculty accountability, and inequities affecting marginalized student groups. The review highlights how organizational structures can unintentionally reinforce power imbalances and reproduce harm. Recommendations include system-level alignment of policies and practices, mandatory faculty training, enhanced accountability mechanisms, and expanded mental health-centered student support systems. This review highlights the pressing need for comprehensive, equity-focused institutional reforms to promote student mental health, academic achievement, and long-term well-being.
Author: Angel Huerta
Institution: Pepperdine University
Language: English
Topic: Student Stress and Coping
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7162875918
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