Student Wellbeing SMS survey
The annual Student Wellbeing SMS survey, developed in consultation with students, seeks to better understand the needs and experiences of our diverse student community.
If you’ve provided an Australian mobile number to the University via Sydney Student, you will receive two short message services (SMS) between Tuesday 22 and Thursday 24 October.
Students will receive an SMS from the University, confirming they will be sent the survey within 30 minutes, then a second SMS with the survey from one of the following numbers:
+61 488 849 883
+61 488 856 465
+61 488 856 239
How you will receive the survey
The second SMS will contain the following message:
The University of Sydney cares about your wellbeing. Tell us how you feel about university life by replying with a number from 0-10 (0=not at all positive, 10=extremely positive). Responses are confidential. Access 24/7 wellbeing support on the student life, wellbeing and support section of our website. To opt out, reply STOP.
Our commitment to student wellbeing
Student safety and wellbeing are our top priorities, and we're committed to partnering with you to ensure you have the services and resources you need to thrive at University.
Past feedback through the Student Wellbeing SMS survey has helped inform improvements to existing wellbeing support, including reduced wait times for counsellors and a wayfinding service for general wellbeing-related enquiries with same-day service.
Student responses to the survey have also provided insight to cohorts of students who may be struggling more than others. As a result of these insights, the Student Wellbeing team have worked closely with faculties and schools to identify opportunity to improve local support.
Working with students as partners
"This survey is not only an important indicator of student wellbeing but represents our commitment to meaningful and effective collaboration with students to create positive change," says Professor Susanna Scarparo, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Student Life).
"If you receive the survey, I encourage you to openly share how you feel about university life and know that wellbeing support is always available to you at the University."
Your feedback is important to us
Last year, the survey received an 11 percent response rate – up from 10 percent in 2022. Dr Benjamin Wilkes, Head of Student Wellbeing, says that the more students who participate, the better understanding the University has to provide more nuanced support.
“No two students are the same, so we’re committed to ensuring our community have access to a wide range of support options that meet their diverse needs,” said Dr Wilkes.
"This survey allows us to gain a better understanding of what support students need and want, as well as raising awareness of student life, wellbeing and other supports available.”
This survey is not only an important indicator of student wellbeing, but represents our commitment to meaningful and effective collaboration with students to create positive change.
If you’re ever in need of immediate support, you can contact Student Wellbeing services on +61 2 8627 8433 to speak with someone directly.
Student Wellbeing services are free and confidential for all students and can be contacted 24/7. Visit our student life, wellbeing and support page for a comprehensive list of services and resources to support your personal wellbeing.
Privacy and confidentiality
All responses to the SMS are confidential. Neither WARC nor the University will access individual responses except in cases of emergency.
Individual responses will remain confidential, but we will receive information about the average levels of wellbeing reported by different student cohorts (e.g. Faculty or School, year of enrolment, type of enrolment), but will not be able to identify individuals.
The SMS will be delivered by the Westmead Applied Research Centre (WARC) on behalf of the University of Sydney using the TextCare SMS messaging platform.
Student Wellbeing SMS survey Privacy statement
To help the University develop informed approaches to support the wellbeing of its students, the SMS Wellbeing Check pilot will be delivered by the Westmead Applied Research Centre (WARC) on behalf of the University of Sydney using the TextCare SMS messaging platform.
We have provided WARC with your mobile phone number. WARC will use your phone number for the purpose of sending a Wellbeing Check message to you. WARC will securely destroy your personal information at the completion of the pilot.
Responses will be used to compile aggregated reporting about the average levels of wellbeing reported by different student cohorts, and to support research. Responses will remain confidential, and neither WARC nor the University will access and use identified individual responses, except in cases of emergency. Please note that the SMS Wellbeing Check is not intended as a means to request immediate support. If you need immediate support, please use the a wide range of wellbeing resources on the University’s Wellbeing Services page.
We will use aggregated responses to the Wellbeing Check to identify cohorts of students who might be struggling more than others, and who may need greater support from the University.
For more information about how we will handle your personal information, please refer to our student privacy webpage.
To learn more about the TextCare platform, please visit https://textcare.com.au/my/privacy.
You can also access information about WARC on our Westmead Applied Research Centre webpage.
Updated: 2 October 2024