In response to the evolving landscape of college student mental health, the Jed Foundation (JED) has unveiled major enhancements to its flagship JED Campus program—a nationwide initiative designed to guide colleges and universities in building comprehensive systems of mental health support. The latest updates are specifically tailored for community colleges, graduate and professional schools, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs), marking a strategic effort to address the nuanced needs of different student populations.
Launched in 2013, JED Campus has helped more than 530 institutions across 44 states and several countries implement data-informed approaches to protect student emotional health and prevent suicide. With these new enhancements, the program now integrates insights from nearly 500 schools, a comprehensive literature review, and expert recommendations to better support underserved and underrepresented student groups.
“The state of college student mental health is always evolving,” said Tony Walker, JED’s senior vice president of academic programs. “As a result, our approach to protecting emotional health and preventing suicide among teens and young adults nationwide should also transform to meet the needs of today and tomorrow.”
For community colleges—many of which lack on-campus counseling services—the revised program includes recommendations for leveraging community partnerships, accessing affordable care, and creating crisis protocols that include support for dual-enrollment high school students. The updated model also considers the unique challenges of commuter campuses by promoting strategies to foster social connectedness and belonging.
New JED Collaborative Addresses Unique Mental Health Needs
Building on its mission to deliver customized mental health support, the Jed Foundation has launched a new initiative focused on an often-overlooked population in higher education: student parents.
Announced in April 2025, the JED Campus Collaborative for Student Parents brings together 10 community colleges in a peer-based network designed to implement strategies from “Improving Mental Health of Student Parents: A Framework for Higher Education,” a report JED co-authored with Ascend at the Aspen Institute.
More than three million undergraduates in the U.S. are student parents, yet they remain largely underserved. Research shows that at least 30% of them experience symptoms of anxiety or depression—a rate significantly higher than other students. Many are unaware of available mental health resources, and 38% have considered dropping out.
“Student parents face unique challenges and responsibilities, sometimes leading to their mental health being sidelined,” said JED CEO John MacPhee. “We’re proud to launch this collaborative as a way to provide tailored and strategic support for a large and often overlooked population of college students.”
Participating schools include San Antonio College, College of Lake County, and Hudson Valley Community College, among others. Each will implement at least two targeted interventions aimed at enhancing mental health services for student parents, particularly mothers, and contribute to a shared learning network to advance systemic change.
“This is a meaningful step toward real action,” said Marjorie Sims, managing director of Ascend. “Mental health support for student parents must be intentional, integrated, and sustained.”
The project is supported by the Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) Foundation. JED hopes to expand the model to additional institutions nationwide.
Graduate and professional schools, whose students often juggle high-pressure academic environments with clinical rotations or field placements, will benefit from new guidance on trauma-informed care during internships and practicum experiences. JED also addresses inconsistencies in medical leave and withdrawal policies, encouraging more humane, transparent practices across graduate programs.
HBCUs and MSIs will receive specialized recommendations focused on cultivating student belonging, enhancing faculty-student mentorship, and breaking down stigma around mental health care. These strategies are designed to boost help-seeking behavior—a crucial metric, particularly among Black students who, according to JED, may face systemic and cultural barriers to accessing support.
JED emphasizes that while these enhancements are tailored, they are meant to uplift all participating institutions by embedding best practices gleaned from MSIs into its broader programming. The updated guidance also strengthens the tools used in strategic planning and assessment phases, allowing schools to develop more responsive mental health systems based on real-time needs.
To date, JED Campus has impacted the lives of more than 6.7 million students. As the mental health crisis in higher education continues to intensify—fueled by growing rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout—JED’s move to differentiate its services by institution type reflects a growing awareness that one-size-fits-all solutions are no longer sufficient.
Current JED Campus institutions can access the new guidance through their assigned advisors, while alumni and schools are encouraged to reconnect to explore updated resources. The foundation also offers assistance for institutions seeking funding to participate.
These enhancements arrive at a time when colleges are facing mounting pressure to address mental health with more focus on belonging, and nuance. National data continues to show disproportionate access and outcomes for students of color, first-generation students, and those enrolled in nontraditional institutions. By building flexibility into its framework, JED Campus aims to help schools create mental health ecosystems that reflect the lived experiences of their student bodies, rather than relying solely on traditional residential-campus models. The updates are also intended to encourage broader campus-wide engagement, involving not just counseling centers but academic departments, student affairs, and peer-led efforts.
