The Mobile Minds in Motion consortium is proud to announce the release of its first publication: “Summary of Findings: Evidence-Based Mental Health Practices for Higher Education Institutions.” This report builds on extensive research conducted in the first half of 2025, including literature reviews, surveys, and focus groups. Structured in two main parts, it sheds light on the often-overlooked aspects of student mobility and offers practical guidance to better support students’ mental well-being before, during, and after their time abroad.
One of the report’s core insights is that student mobility is not a single event, but a sequence of transitions. Each stage—pre-departure, the stay abroad, and return—comes with its own emotional challenges. Survey data and focus groups consistently show that mental health difficulties often begin before students leave, peak during the first weeks abroad, and may resurface after returning home.
Rather than exceptional cases, feelings such as stress, anxiety, tiredness, cognitive fatigue, and loneliness are widespread experiences. Importantly, these difficulties coexist with positive emotions: excitement, curiosity, pride, and a strong sense of achievement. Mobility is therefore best understood as an ambivalent experience, both rewarding and demanding.
What students report most often
Findings are based on a large-scale survey involving 675 students from 73 countries (including 32 European countries), 99 staff members, and 13 psychologists. When asked about the most important difficulties linked to mobility, students most frequently mentioned:
- Social integration and loneliness
- Language barriers
- Academic workload and exams
- Housing-related issues
- Financial strain
Across all mobility stages, stress related to academic, social, and financial pressure emerged as the most frequent, intense, and harmful difficulty. Around half of surveyed students reported experiencing stress-related mental health difficulties quite often, with a significant proportion describing them as highly intense or harmful.
Focus group discussions added depth to these findings. Students spoke about the emotional impact of adapting to new academic systems, navigating unfamiliar bureaucratic procedures, coping with delayed grants or high living costs, and struggling to integrate with local students beyond the “Erasmus bubble”. While many reported that things improved over time, the initial period abroad was repeatedly described as emotionally challenging.
Another key insight is that many difficulties are not rooted in individual vulnerability, but in structural and institutional factors. Staff and specialists pointed to insufficient preparation, unclear communication, complex administrative processes, and fragmented support services as major contributors to student distress.
What helps students cope
Despite these challenges, students also reported a wide range of coping strategies. Social support – from friends, family, peers, or student organisations – was consistently identified as one of the strongest protective factors. Other helpful strategies included building routines, physical activity, creative hobbies, mindfulness practices, and, when available, professional psychological support.
However, both students and specialists noted that help is often sought too late. Limited visibility of counselling services, stigma, language barriers, and uncertainty about where to turn all reduce early help-seeking.
From evidence to action: the role of guidelines
The second part of the report translates research findings into practical, evidence-based guidelines for students, international relations offices, mental health professionals, and higher education institutions. A central message runs throughout: mental health support should be proactive, integrated, and continuous.
The guidelines emphasise:
- Early emotional preparation and realistic pre-departure information
- Strong peer, buddy, and mentoring schemes
- Clear communication and coordinated support between sending and host institutions
- Visible, accessible, and culturally sensitive psychological services
- Support that extends beyond the stay abroad to include reintegration after return
For institutions, the report calls for mental health to be embedded into mobility strategies, policies, and partnerships, moving beyond crisis response towards prevention and long-term well-being.
Student mobility works best when academic opportunities are matched with emotional and social support.
Download the full report to explore the findings in detail and access concrete guidelines for supporting students’ mental health throughout their Erasmus+ mobility journey.
Cover photo by Tara Winstead