Students may know support is available but not feel they need it.
In fall 2026, TimelyCare and College Pulse surveyed more than 1,500 college and high school students to understand what prevents them from seeking support and what would make it easier to take a first step. The Activation Gap shares those findings and identifies opportunities for schools to make support easier to access and use.
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Why Awareness Doesn’t Always Lead to Action
Knowing that campus support exists doesn’t necessarily mean students will use it.
According to The Activation Gap, 92% of college students know their school offers at least one of the eight types of support surveyed, while 59% report using at least one support service.
When asked why they might not use a campus well-being resource, students most often said they would rather handle the situation themselves. Others said their concerns didn’t feel serious enough or they didn’t know where to start.
The findings point to an opportunity for institutions to make the first step toward support easier to find, understand, and use.
What You Will Learn in the Report
- Why students may say they’re fine when they’re not, and what that means for understanding their needs.
- Which barriers students say make it harder to take the first step toward support.
- How students prefer to begin, including informal support, private resources, and immediate availability.
- What college and high school students say they need from a low-pressure first step.
- How schools can make support more approachable and provide clearer paths to professional care.
Key Findings
- Students sometimes say they’re fine when they’re not. 68% of college students and 80% of high school students said they told someone they were fine or okay in the past 30 days when they were not.
- Students often turn to people they know first. 56% of college students said they would first talk with a friend, family member, or peer when something felt off with their well-being. Only 4% would first book counseling or therapy.
- Immediate availability is a priority. Given a choice, 79% of college students preferred a resource available immediately over one officially recommended by their school.
- Students want guidance without pressure. 83% of college students agreed that a low-pressure first step would help them decide whether to talk to someone, and 77% wanted a resource to explain when to connect with a professional.
- Support matters before college begins. 64% of high school students said free mental health support would matter when choosing a college, but only 25% felt very prepared to manage stress and their mental health independently after high school.
FAQs
This survey was conducted online by College Pulse on behalf of TimelyCare. In fall 2026, 1,159 undergraduate students and 362 high school students completed the surveys. College and high school results were weighted and are reported separately.
The activation gap is the distance between knowing support exists and using it. The report examines the barriers and preferences that influence whether students take the first step toward available support.
When asked why they might not use a campus well-being resource, college students most often selected a preference for handling concerns themselves. Other reported barriers included feeling their concerns weren’t serious enough, not knowing where to start, the effort required to begin, and privacy concerns.
The report recommends making support easier to explore through immediate, low-pressure options, clearly communicating privacy expectations, using language students recognize, and providing guidance on when to connect with professional care.
Get the Full Report
Explore the survey findings and recommendations for making the first step toward student support easier.
Source: The Activation Gap, TimelyCare and College Pulse, Fall 2026. Online surveys of 1,159 undergraduate students and 362 high school students. Results are weighted and reported separately. The study used nonprobability samples.
