Marijuana is the primary drug for 47% of undergraduate students who used drugs, but only 0.7% of college students report receiving medication for opioid use disorder in the past year. For students who need help, barriers are showing up in the system. Twenty-nine percent of college students who needed help for drug use did not receive treatment, even as 27% of universities report peer-led prevention workshops and 42% of treatment centers report waiting lists.
Key Takeaways
- 29% of college students who needed help for drug use did not receive treatment (NSDUH college students tabulation)
- 0.7% of college students reported receiving medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the past year (NSDUH 2021, college students tabulation)
- 2,000+ colleges participated in the American College Health Association’s surveys in 2022 (ACHA-NCHA participation)
- 10% of college students reported perceiving cocaine as “great risk” (2022 survey year)
- 16% of US college students in 2021 reported using marijuana at least once in their lifetime, per 2021 National Academies study estimates (NASEM, 2024 release)
- 47% of undergraduate students who used drugs reported using marijuana as their primary drug, per 2021 survey results reported by SAMHSA
- In 2021, 7,200 young adults (18–25) were treated for opioid overdoses in emergency departments in the U.S. (SAMHSA NSDUH/Emergency Department trends)
- 14.8 million Americans had an alcohol use disorder in 2022 (SAMHSA)
- 42% of treatment centers reported they have waiting lists for substance use treatment (2023).
- 17.3% of students who experienced substance-related harms reported receiving no services in the past year (2019).
- 7.6% of U.S. college students reported using cocaine in the past year (2019).
- 29% of clinicians reported that confidentiality policies were unclear to students, reducing likelihood of seeking help (2020).
- 11% of students reported fear of disciplinary consequences as a barrier to substance use help (2022).
- 2.3x reduction in binge drinking odds among students at campuses with integrated screening and brief intervention programs (systematic review effect estimate).
- 24% relative reduction in substance use among participants receiving motivational interviewing interventions (meta-analysis).
Many students need drug help but face barriers, while only tiny numbers get opioid treatment.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevention & Treatment5 stats
01
29% of college students who needed help for drug use did not receive treatment (NSDUH college students tabulation)
02
0.7% of college students reported receiving medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the past year (NSDUH 2021, college students tabulation)
03
2,000+ colleges participated in the American College Health Association’s surveys in 2022 (ACHA-NCHA participation)
04
27% of universities reported having peer-led substance use prevention workshops (2019 Campus Well-Being Survey)
05
31% of college students reported that confidentiality concerns would prevent them from seeking help (2019 Campus Mental Health & Substance Use survey)
Interpretation
Prevention & Treatment Interpretation
Even though 27% of universities offer peer-led substance use prevention workshops and 0.7% of college students reported receiving MOUD for opioid use disorder, 29% of those who needed help did not get treatment and 31% said confidentiality concerns would stop them, showing that prevention and treatment efforts still miss many students.
02 · Category
Attitudes & Risk1 stats
01
10% of college students reported perceiving cocaine as “great risk” (2022 survey year)
Interpretation
Attitudes & Risk Interpretation
In the 2022 survey, 10% of college students saw cocaine as posing a “great risk,” suggesting that only a small share associates it with high danger from the Attitudes & Risk perspective.
03 · Category
Prevalence Rates2 stats
01
16% of US college students in 2021 reported using marijuana at least once in their lifetime, per 2021 National Academies study estimates (NASEM, 2024 release)
02
47% of undergraduate students who used drugs reported using marijuana as their primary drug, per 2021 survey results reported by SAMHSA
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
In the prevalence rates category, marijuana stands out with 16% of US college students reporting lifetime use in 2021 and 47% of drug-using undergraduates naming it as their primary drug, showing it is both common and the dominant choice among those who use drugs.
04 · Category
Outcomes & Impacts2 stats
01
In 2021, 7,200 young adults (18–25) were treated for opioid overdoses in emergency departments in the U.S. (SAMHSA NSDUH/Emergency Department trends)
02
14.8 million Americans had an alcohol use disorder in 2022 (SAMHSA)
Interpretation
Outcomes & Impacts Interpretation
Under the Outcomes & Impacts lens, the scale of substance-related harm is clear as 7,200 young adults aged 18–25 were treated for opioid overdoses in U.S. emergency departments in 2021 and 14.8 million Americans had an alcohol use disorder in 2022.
05 · Category
Treatment Gap2 stats
01
42% of treatment centers reported they have waiting lists for substance use treatment (2023).
02
17.3% of students who experienced substance-related harms reported receiving no services in the past year (2019).
Interpretation
Treatment Gap Interpretation
In the treatment gap, 42% of substance use treatment centers report having waiting lists, and 17.3% of students who experienced substance-related harms received no services in the past year.
More related reading
06 · Category
Prevalence1 stats
01
7.6% of U.S. college students reported using cocaine in the past year (2019).
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
From a prevalence perspective, 7.6% of U.S. college students reported using cocaine in the past year in 2019, indicating that it remains a measurable issue within the student population.
07 · Category
Barriers2 stats
01
29% of clinicians reported that confidentiality policies were unclear to students, reducing likelihood of seeking help (2020).
02
11% of students reported fear of disciplinary consequences as a barrier to substance use help (2022).
Interpretation
Barriers Interpretation
For the Barriers category, the data suggest that worries about seeking help are substantial, with 29% of students facing unclear confidentiality policies and 11% fearing disciplinary consequences, together showing that administrative trust and repercussions are key obstacles to getting assistance.
08 · Category
Intervention4 stats
01
2.3x reduction in binge drinking odds among students at campuses with integrated screening and brief intervention programs (systematic review effect estimate).
02
24% relative reduction in substance use among participants receiving motivational interviewing interventions (meta-analysis).
03
4.1 percentage-point reduction in past-month alcohol use among students in web-based brief intervention trials (randomized trial).
04
10.8% of college students reported having participated in at least one evidence-informed substance misuse prevention program (2018 campus survey).
Interpretation
Intervention Interpretation
Intervention programs appear to be making a real difference, with integrated screening and brief intervention linked to a 2.3x reduction in binge drinking odds and motivational interviewing associated with a 24% relative reduction in substance use, reinforcing that targeted approaches can cut college students’ substance misuse.
09 · Category
Policy & Safety5 stats
01
1,200 colleges reported operating naloxone programs on campus (2022 inventory).
02
0.72% of college students reported being treated with naloxone for a suspected opioid overdose (2019–2023 pooled campus reports).
03
12% of colleges reported having amnesty policies for students seeking help during drug overdoses (2021).
04
58% of surveyed campuses reported using student conduct and health services coordination for substance-related incidents (2022).
05
25.6% of U.S. college-age adults (18–25) lived in counties with elevated opioid overdose rates (2020).
Interpretation
Policy & Safety Interpretation
For the Policy & Safety landscape, only 12% of colleges have amnesty policies while 58% coordinate student conduct and health services for substance incidents, even as 1,200 colleges report naloxone programs and 25.6% of 18 to 25 year olds live in counties with elevated opioid overdose rates.
report visual · Comparison
Why students don’t get help for drug use
A large share of college students who needed help—or had barriers to seeking it—reported that they did not receive services due to treatment access and confidentiality concerns.
31% of college students reported that confidentiality concerns would prevent them from seeking help (2019 Campus Mental 31%
29% of college students who needed help for drug use did not receive treatment (NSDUH college students tabulation)
29%
29% of clinicians reported that confidentiality policies were unclear to students, reducing likelihood of seeking help (
29%
17.3% of students who experienced substance-related harms reported receiving no services in the past year (2019).
17.3%
source-verifiedsamhsa.gov · nimh.nih.gov · ncbi.nlm.nih.gov2020
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). College Student Drug Use Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/college-student-drug-use-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "College Student Drug Use Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/college-student-drug-use-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "College Student Drug Use Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/college-student-drug-use-statistics.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)