A systematic review of the accessibility and visibility of bereavement related support for UK and Ireland university students

Bereavement is one of the most frequently reported stressors for university students, yet the extent of support offered by UK and Ireland universities is largely unknown. A systematic search of all UK and Ireland university public-facing only websites was conducted during 2024-2025 to assess the provision of ten bereavement-related support types. Support types were aggregated producing a total <i>bereavement friendly</i> score out of 30 for each university. Correlation analyses were conducted to examine the association between these scores and external measures of university performance. Findings indicated that the visibility of bereavement support information was generally poor. Institutional <i>bereavement friendly</i> scores (M = 14.15) correlated positively with external university quality scores and negatively with student non-continuation figures. This review demonstrates the poor accessibility and visibility of support for bereaved students on university public-facing websites, underscoring the need for websites to incorporate comprehensive bereavement guidance conveying advice and available support.