Murphy administration announces free 24/7/365 digital mental health services secured for NJ college students through April 2026

NEW JERSEY – During Mental Health Awareness Month, Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way and Secretary of Higher Education Brian K. Bridges, Ph.D. Tuesday announced New Jersey college students will have free, 24/7/365 access to teletherapy, crisis connection and wellness programming through the remainder of the Murphy Administration.

Launched one year ago, the state’s first-in-the-nation partnership with mental health and wellness platform, Uwill, currently serves students at 45 eligible institutions of higher education in New Jersey who opted into the partnership.

“There is no question that young people have been facing a mental health crisis for some time – the causes of which are multi-faceted and include everything from the rise of social media, to increased academic pressures, the impact of the pandemic, and much, much more. While we are still at the beginning of our fight to strengthen youth mental health, I am incredibly proud of the serious way our administration has approached this issue,” Way said. “Today’s announcement that we have secured additional funding for New Jersey’s first-in-the-nation partnership with Uwill continues to demonstrate the Governor’s commitment and leadership on youth mental health. With this program, we are ensuring college students who are struggling will have access to mental health support services 24/7/365 days a year.”

“We affirm that mental health is a key determinant of any student’s success and that safe, empowered access to care can make all the difference in seeking out support,” Bridges said. “That’s why our statewide efforts have worked to complement the best of what our institutions already offer through in-person counseling and wellness centers with opportunities that expand their reach and help to meet students where they are and at whatever stage in their mental health journey. The announcement today advances our steadfast commitment to cultivating stronger well-being on campus and better life and educational outcomes for all students pursuing a degree or credential in the Garden State.”

As of April, over 10,000 students have registered on Uwill’s digital platform and have scheduled nearly 32,000 sessions with the diverse network of licensed and qualified mental health providers available.

The impact data OSHE collected through student and institution staff feedback surveys, in addition to utilization data, reflect the positive impact and success of the partnership in strengthening well-being among New Jersey college students and filling previously unmet mental health needs:

• We are reaching college students who had not previously accessed support: 61% of students registered on the platform indicated that they had not previously made an appointment with a therapist or mental health counselor at their institution.
• We are reaching students when on-campus services cannot: 79% of institution staff agreed the partnership has enabled them to provide or enhance mental health support to students after hours, when they would otherwise be unavailable. Utilization data further illustrates this with roughly 33% of the appointments made through the Uwill platform occurring during ‘off-peak’ hours—on the weekends and before 9:00 am and after 5:00 pm on weekdays.
• We are seeing early indications of improving outcomes: 59% of institution staff agreed this increased access to mental health services is likely to further retention and graduation rates (only 3.4% disagreed).

The announcement today means currently enrolled students, students enrolling to start college in New Jersey this fall, and those who plan to enroll with the Class of 2028 will all benefit from this free support until April 2026.

The partnership continues to work in complement to Governor Murphy’s Administration-wide strategy to strengthen youth mental health in New Jersey, which included $16 million in grants for institutions of higher education to increase the capacity of campus-based services. Grants awarded by OSHE last summer are supporting 44 institutions in establishing community provider partnerships as well as professional development opportunities for faculty and staff that are building multicultural competency.

For a list of the New Jersey institutions that are partnered with Uwill to provide services, visit www.nj.gov/highereducation/mentalhealth/telehealth.shtml

Students looking to register on the platform to access the digital mental health support and services should contact their college or university directly.