28 Appendices Introduction Wellbeing Thematic analysis Applicant Index Report 2026 Mental health Half of all applicants reported experiencing at least one mental health issue in the past two years. As usual, this is far higher than the proportion disclosing a mental health condition as a disability (19%). The gap points to a sizeable group of incoming students who may be vulnerable to poor mental health but have not made a prior disclosure. Anxiety and depression have edged up again this year after falling last year. There are also signs of a possible slow rise in the incidence, or diagnosis, of OCD among applicants. The current results are not conclusive, but this is a trend worth tracking over future years. Figure 23: Experience of mental health issues over the last two years, 2023-26 2026 2025 2024 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% Anxiety Eating disorder (including Anorexeia, Bulimia, Binge eating disorder) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 0% Depression Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) Personality disorder Bipolar 37% 35% 37% 38% 25% 22% 24% 23% 11% 12% 12% 10% 8% 7% 7% 6% 5% 4% 4% 3% 2% 4% 4% 5% 2% 5% 5% 5% Belonging, equity and inclusion 2023 Back to contents