Emergency help for students

If you or someone else is in danger right now, ring 999. If you need to talk to someone, Samaritans answer 116 123 at any hour, and the call is free from any UK phone.

If you've already hurt yourself or taken something, ring 999 or go to A&E, even if you feel all right for now.

Everything below is free unless it says otherwise, and "24/7" means someone answers day and night. You don't need to be sure your situation is "bad enough" to ring any of them.

If you're struggling to cope

Samaritans, 116 123. 24/7, anywhere in the UK. There's a Welsh-language line on 0808 164 0123, every day from 7pm to 11pm.
Shout: text SHOUT to 85258. A text conversation with a trained volunteer, 24/7. Good for when talking out loud feels like too much, or the walls in halls are thin. It won't show on your bill on most networks, though you can't text it from Lyca, Spusu or EcoTalk (on those, ring Samaritans instead).
NHS 111. For urgent mental health help that isn't a 999 situation. In England, ring 111 and choose the mental health option. In Wales it's 111 then option 2, 24/7. In Scotland, NHS 24 on 111 has a mental health option, and Breathing Space (0800 83 85 87) picks up weekday evenings from 6pm to 2am and all weekend from Friday 6pm to Monday 6am. In Northern Ireland, ring Lifeline on 0808 808 8000, 24/7.
Childline, 0800 1111. If you're under 19. Open day or night, and the call won't appear on the phone bill.
Mind support line, 0300 102 1234. Weekdays 9am to 6pm, not bank holidays, for when you want to talk something through and it isn't an emergency. It's an 0300 number, charged like a normal landline call and usually part of your minutes.

If you've got Papyrus's HOPELINE247 saved in your phone, it no longer connects. The charity went into administration on 7 September 2026 and the line closed. Samaritans and Shout are both open 24/7.

Your own uni will have a wellbeing or student support team for the less urgent stuff (counselling, a GP referral, someone to talk to about deadlines), and some run an out-of-hours number. It'll be on the student services pages. Lots of unis also still have a student-run Nightline, usually open overnight during term. The national directory has gone, so search your uni's name plus "Nightline".

If you can't speak on the phone, the free 999 BSL app connects you to a BSL interpreter 24/7. You can also register your mobile for emergency texts by texting "register" to 999 and replying "yes". Texting is slower than a call, so it's for when there's no other way, and registering takes a minute on a calm day.

Abuse or sexual assault

National Domestic Abuse Helpline, 0808 2000 247. For women, run by Refuge, 24/7. Controlling behaviour from a partner counts as abuse even if they've never hit you.
In Scotland, the Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline is on 0800 027 1234, 24/7. In Wales, Live Fear Free is on 0808 80 10 800, 24/7, in Welsh or English. In Northern Ireland, the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline is on 0808 802 1414, 24/7, for anyone 18 or over.
Men's Advice Line, 0808 801 0327. UK-wide, weekdays 10am to 5pm, for men and for trans and non-binary people.
Rape Crisis, 0808 500 2222. 24/7 for anyone 16 or over in England and Wales, whether it happened last night or years ago. In Scotland, Rape Crisis Scotland is on 08088 01 03 02 every day from 5pm to midnight, for anyone 13 or over.

If it happened in the last few days, a sexual assault referral centre (SARC) can give you medical care and store forensic evidence without you having to decide yet whether to go to the police. NHS 111 or the Rape Crisis line can tell you where your nearest one is.

If you've run out of money

Start with your uni's hardship fund. Unis call it different things (support fund, financial assistance fund, student success fund), but it's money you don't pay back. Student services or the money advice team will point you to the form, and they'll usually want a few months of bank statements and your student finance letter. A full application can take a while to assess, so ask whether they do anything in the meantime. Some unis have small emergency payments or food vouchers for exactly that gap.

If it's debt rather than a one-off gap, these are free and won't try to sell you a loan:

StepChange, 0800 138 1111. Weekdays 8am to 8pm, Saturdays 9am to 2pm.
National Debtline, 0808 808 4000. England, Wales and Scotland. Weekdays 9am to 8pm, Saturdays 9.30am to 1pm.
Citizens Advice. England 0800 144 8848 (weekdays 9am to 5pm), Wales 0800 702 2020 (weekdays 8am to 7pm, Saturdays 9am to 1pm), Scotland 0800 028 1456 (hours are on their website). They do benefits, work problems and housing too.
In Northern Ireland, Advice NI's freephone debt line is 0800 915 4604 (hours are on their website).

If you're about to lose your home

These rules are England's. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own, and the helplines below will explain yours. In England, landlords haven't been able to use a section 21 "no fault" eviction since 1 May 2026. If you rent a room in a shared house, or live in uni-owned halls, you can't legally be made to leave without a court order. It's different if you're a lodger in your landlord's own home, and private halls can work differently too, so check with Shelter. If a landlord changes the locks, takes your things or threatens you to make you leave, that's illegal eviction, and it's a crime. Ring the police if it's happening now, then your council's housing team.

For advice on your own situation:

England: Shelter, 0808 800 4444, weekdays 8am to 5pm.
Scotland: Shelter Scotland, same number, weekdays 9am to 5pm.
Wales: Shelter Cymru, 08000 495 495, weekdays 9am to 4pm.
Northern Ireland: Housing Rights, 028 9024 5640, weekdays 9.30am to 4.30pm. It's a normal-rate number.

If the problem is rent you can't pay, tell the landlord or the accommodation office before the payment's missed if you can.

If it's wrecking your degree

A bereavement, an illness or a crisis like any of the above is what extenuating circumstances (some unis say mitigating circumstances) are for. Tell your uni as soon as you can. At some unis the claim can go in up to about a week after the deadline (Greenwich and Goldsmiths both allow 7 days); at others, UAL for one, it has to be in before the deadline. Your uni's rules will say which. If it turns into a dispute, your students' union advice centre is independent of the uni and free.

Drugs and alcohol

FRANK answers 0300 123 6600 24/7, or you can text 82111. It isn't free (it's charged like a normal landline call and may show on the bill). If someone's unconscious, struggling to breathe or can't be woken, ring 999.

We checked every number here, and every opening time we give, on the organisation's own website on 26 and 27 September 2026. If one's wrong or doesn't connect, email hello@unisorted.co.uk and we'll fix it.

Updated 27 September 2026 · How we check