Nearly half of Victoria University students are unhappy, according to a survey.
The university commissioned survey of 5000 students found 45 per cent had poor to very poor emotional well-being - feeling depressed or unhappy, up from 36 per cent last year.
Student Association welfare vice president Rick Zwaan told Stuff.co.nz that the university and the Wellington City Council needed to improve their efforts.
“Little things like reducing bus fares show students they are valued. The quality of housing is another issue as well. Because there is no minimum standard and there's so much demand they [landlords] can get away with providing terrible housing,” he said.
Victoria University student counselling manager Gerard Hoffman said financial pressures, juggling work and study, lack of coping skills, and the forming of new relationships as contributed to wellbeing, the website reported.
The situation would not improve until universities placed equal emphasis on welfare as they did on grades, he said.