Student well-being and equitable counselling engagement at Morocco’s first university counselling centre

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine student well-being-relevant equity in counselling case-mix (pedagogical vs non-pedagogical needs) and continuity of engagement (single vs multiple visits) among students of Morocco’s oldest university counselling centre. Design/methodology/approach A retrospective analysis of 401 counselling records (2015–2018) from a large public science college. Bivariate χ2 tests explored associations; binary logistic regressions (OR, 95% CI) predicted need type and visit intensity from scholarship status and geographic origin, adjusting for gender and disciplinary cluster. Findings Gender and discipline – not socio-economic indicators – predicted utilisation patterns. Women were more likely to present pedagogical needs and to return for multiple sessions; students in applied mathematics and computer science showed higher repeat attendance than peers in life and earth sciences. Scholarship and origin were not associated with need type or repeat visits. Originality/value Focusing on equity within users rather than users vs non-users, this study provides the first quantitative evidence from a Moroccan university counselling centre, linking student well-being, counselling case-mix and engagement in a resource-constrained setting. Findings inform applied higher-education psychology and service design (brief triage, gender-responsive outreach, discipline-tailored supports) to enhance equitable access and sustained participation across diverse student groups.