Paper Title
Student Support in Higher Education – Impact and Case Studies

Abstract
Today’s universities provide education to a diverse population of students. In the United Kingdom, universities are required to be inclusive and to offer additional support and interventions to help those students who declare themselves to have additional needs. There is a growing number of students who experience some form of mental ill-health during their time at university and UK law requires that appropriate adjustments are made to support their progress through university whilst they access help and support to deal with their difficulties. However, there is also an increasing strain being put upon central support services, both within the UK health service and in those services provided by universities, resulting in long waiting times and difficulties in accessing help. Local academics can therefore find themselves at the ‘front line’ of support in their day-to-day dealings with students. This paper presents four case studies of students who have experienced mental health problems during their studies and discusses the issues and impacts that cases such as these can have on academic staff and other students. It makes recommendations for the enhancement of support locally and for more specialist education of those who provide that support. Keywords - Mental health, student support, higher education, interventions, inclusivity, education and training.