IIT Madras Strengthens Student Support Through Counselling, Mentoring and Academic Flexibility
- Kamaleesh Don
- Jul 17
- 4 min read
IIT Madras has strengthened its student-support system by combining professional counselling, peer mentoring, faculty guidance and academic assistance.
A recent report stated that the institute has recorded no student deaths by suicide during the past three years. The development has drawn attention to the measures introduced on the campus to identify students who need support and help them before their difficulties become more serious.
The institute’s model does not depend on a single counselling centre. It connects trained professionals, faculty members, student volunteers, academic departments, hostel teams and external support organisations.
Research Scholar Receives Academic and Emotional Support
One example involved a research scholar whose PhD registration was cancelled after he could not complete a mandatory comprehensive examination. According to the report, family difficulties and disagreements connected to his research work affected his academic progress.
The scholar came from an agricultural family and was a first-generation learner. Losing the PhD opportunity therefore created both personal and academic difficulties.
Instead of treating the matter only as an administrative issue, the institute’s support system intervened. The scholar received counselling, while officials considered alternative academic options that could help him continue his education.
The case shows why universities need to examine the circumstances behind a student’s academic difficulty. Rules remain important, but timely counselling and suitable academic guidance can prevent years of study from being completely lost.
IIT Madras Uses a Multi-Level Student-Support Model
The IIT Madras student-support system is organised around three major teams:
SAATHI
MITR
The Wellness Centre
Each team provides a different type of assistance.
SAATHI Focuses on Early Support
SAATHI is a student-led platform that promotes self-development and wellbeing. It conducts talks, informal gatherings, awareness programmes and skill-development activities.
The programme also operates initiatives such as:
Student Mentorship Cell
Academic Buddy
Hobby Buddy
Self-development programmes
Awareness and community-building activities
The Student Mentorship Cell helps new students adjust to campus life. It has more than 150 mentors and over 10 department-level heads each year.
Academic Buddy connects first-year students with seniors who can help them understand difficult subjects. Hobby Buddy helps students meet others with similar interests, allowing them to form social connections beyond their courses, regions or languages.
MITR Provides Peer and Faculty Support
MITR is a network of student and faculty volunteers available across hostels and academic departments.
Student volunteers receive basic training in listening, empathy and peer support. They work with faculty members and professional counsellors when a student requires specialised assistance.
Having volunteers within hostels and departments makes support easier to access. A student who is uncomfortable approaching a formal office may first speak with a trained peer or familiar faculty member.
MITR does not replace professional counselling. Its role is to listen, offer initial assistance and connect students with appropriate services when required.
Professional Counselling Through the Wellness Centre
The IIT Madras Wellness Centre is staffed by licensed mental-health professionals. Students can
schedule an appointment or use walk-in counselling facilities.
The centre provides:
Individual counselling
Psychotherapy
Emotional-wellbeing support
Awareness and sensitisation programmes
Training for campus stakeholders
Coordination with peer-support teams
Referrals to additional professional services
The institute states that counselling information is kept confidential, except when there is a serious safety concern involving the student or another person.
External counselling and round-the-clock tele-counselling options are also available. This allows students to seek assistance outside regular office hours.
Be Happy Initiative Brings Support Services Together
The Be Happy initiative brings together information about counselling, grievance redressal, wellness surveys and trained volunteer listeners.
Its purpose is to make support services easier to find. Students can use the platform to understand the available options instead of searching through different departments during a difficult period.
The initiative also supports:
Mental-health awareness
Yoga and meditation
Physical fitness activities
Social interaction
Workshops and campaigns
Healthy academic and personal routines
These programmes recognise that student wellbeing is influenced by academic pressure, social connection, physical health and the campus environment.
Independent Wellness Survey Helps Identify Needs
IIT Madras launched an independent wellness survey in May 2023 with support from the National Health Mission, Government of Tamil Nadu.
More than 30 counsellors were assigned to speak individually with students, staff and faculty members. The objective was to understand their needs and identify areas where additional support might be required.
An independent survey can help students speak more openly because the assessment is not carried out directly by their teachers or academic supervisors.
The institute also introduced the Kushal programme to strengthen connections between individual students and faculty members.
Academic Flexibility Is an Important Part of Wellbeing
Professional counselling is valuable, but some student difficulties are connected directly to academic policies, research supervision, examinations or financial concerns.
A complete support system should therefore offer both emotional and practical assistance.
Academic help may include:
Guidance during examination difficulties
Support for students facing family emergencies
Grievance-redressal mechanisms
Assistance in resolving research-supervision concerns
Tutoring for academically struggling students
Alternative academic pathways where permitted
Coordination between counsellors and academic officials
The research scholar’s case highlights the importance of this approach. Counselling alone would not have resolved the loss of his PhD registration. Academic administrators also needed to examine the available educational options.
IIT Madras Wellness Centre Receives ISO Certification
During a regional student-wellness workshop held on July 12 and 13, 2026, IIT Madras highlighted that its Wellness Centre had received ISO 45001:2018 certification.
According to the institute, this made it the first Centrally Funded Technical Institution in India to receive this certification for its wellness centre.
The workshop was organised under the Ministry of Education’s Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme. It brought together nearly 200 faculty members, counsellors, hostel wardens, administrators and student-support professionals from institutions across South India.
IIT Madras has also created a dedicated Associate Dean Students position for wellness, indicating that student support is being treated as an institutional responsibility.
What Other Educational Institutions Can Learn
The IIT Madras model provides several lessons for universities and colleges:
Provide more than one way for students to seek help.
Combine professional counselling with trained peer support.
Make assistance available outside normal office hours.
Train teachers and hostel staff to identify early warning signs.
Protect confidentiality during counselling.
Conduct regular independent wellness surveys.
Connect emotional support with academic problem-solving.
Create clear grievance-redressal procedures.
Help first-year students adjust through structured mentoring.
Review support programmes regularly.
The reported three-year milestone is encouraging, but it should not be treated as evidence that academic pressure or emotional difficulties have disappeared. Student wellbeing requires continuous monitoring, trained professionals and regular improvement of institutional policies.
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