The survey of more than 600 students shows an astonishingly high 53 per cent of female UK-based full-time respondents said they were either currently receiving treatment for mental health-related issues or stress – or had in the past.
This is more than a 10 percentage point rise on the figure from last year and is significantly higher than the 35 per cent of male respondents who reported the same issues.
These results, along with other data from the survey, paint a wider picture of a generation of aspiring architects struggling through their lengthy education, weighed down by financial burdens and held back by the Covid pandemic.
Many respondents explained how they had sought treatment for anxiety and stress at various points during their university life, both externally and through their institution’s mental health services.
One said: ‘I’ve felt overwhelmed, stressed, and shown a lack of self care. These [combined with] the pandemic have played a huge role as to what my mental health looks like this year. I’ve spent more time isolated than with people.’
And while some felt their universities had responded well to those issues, more than a quarter of respondents (27 per cent) said their school could have done better in supporting those struggling with mental health – and 14 per cent went further, claiming their university had been ‘terrible’.
One said: ‘Mental health on all architecture courses is not taken seriously. Tutors almost demand people work all-nighters on a frequent basis. Those who are not willing or unable to are at a disadvantage. Like professional road cycling in the 1990s, there were two speeds.’
The global pandemic and its lingering impacts have undoubtedly played a part in adding to students’ anxieties. This year’s findings echo many of those reported in the AJ’s 2021 research (‘Lost, lonely and stressed’: how Covid has hit architecture students).
Asked how much students thought their architectural education had been affected by the disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic, a quarter said it had been massively set back with a further 54 per cent saying it had been somewhat hampered. One respondent, voicing the concerns of many of those polled said: ‘The lack of in-person tutorials and peer-to peer-learning has impacted my education significantly and progression as a Part 2 student.’
Although the results were mirrored between the genders, there was a marked difference between white students and BAME students. A third of non-white respondents said their progress at architecture school had been ‘massively’ hindered, compared to 22 per cent of white students. 
The data shows that disruptions in teaching have continued, despite the improving Covid situation and moves back towards a pre-pandemic normality.
Just 11 per cent of all UK students polled said that they had returned completely to in-person teaching/studio learning. Part-time students reported that at least half their teaching was done remotely, with nearly a fifth (19 per cent) saying they had no time in university at all.
‘Designing in isolation is not good,’ said one. ‘Two years of my degree had no essence of studio culture. I wonder how different our projects would have turned out if we could have helped each other.’
The reported experiences varied, not only between schools but also between tutors and units within schools
As one respondent said: ‘Some units were entirely remote, others started remotely and became in-person gradually with occasional returns to remote teaching when there were cases of Covid in the cohort.’
Another added: ‘Some aspects have been set back by remote learning but some have been boosted. I’ve enjoyed video lectures as it allows me to rewatch and absorb information better. But the studio culture’s decreased.’
In response to the question ‘has your workload gone up or down since returning to studio/in-person teaching?’, nearly half (47 per cent) said it had increased.
Many said that there were more expectations to do site visits and spend increasing amounts of time modelmaking, while other modules and learning commitments did not reduce. For some this was challenging and unforeseen.
However, as one student said: ‘I feel like I’m actually studying now.’
Comments
Sana Tabassum, MArch student, social entrepreneur and co-producer of Critiquing Architecture School
Architecture school can be a stressful place to begin with, but even more so for females and BAME students who have historically been treated as outsiders in the profession. Universities need to make it a priority to get back in the studio, or at the very least communicate with students better and provide further support, which starts by finding educators who are keen to change the narrative.
Stephen Buckley, head of information for Mind
University can be a difficult time, presenting many challenges that can cause stress, living independently, often for the first time, meeting and working with new people, managing money, being away from your support network, work deadlines or exams, or worrying about job prospects.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, there was growing recognition of the scale of mental health challenges among students and increased demand for services, with many students experiencing mental health problems unable to access the right support when they needed it.
Universities have a responsibility for the welfare and wellbeing of their students, and clear mental health policies should be put in place which support students’ education and ensure that their wellbeing is prioritised and protected.