The FISU Healthy Campus programme aims to enhance all aspects of well-being for students and the campus community at large.

Aims

The FISU Healthy Campus certificate was launched in May 2020 with the aim of improving health and well-being standards in universities across the world.

It has the goal of reversing the trend of young adults compromising their health during their university studies.

After students leave university, it is hoped they will take what they have learnt forward into the rest of their lives.

The programme also encourages sustainability in accordance with the United Nations' sustainable development goals. 

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How it works

Campuses worldwide have the chance to improve the health of their students while sharing knowledge with other universities as part of a global network.

Universities can work towards gaining the FISU Healthy Campus Label - which embeds good lifestyle choices into the culture of the campus.

The Label sees universities evaluated across seven areas: physical activity and sport, nutrition, disease prevention, mental and social health, risk behaviour, environment sustainability and social responsibility and healthy campus management.

Thirty global experts in student health are part of the project, allowing the sharing of expertise, best practices and insights between the universities involved.

Universities hoping to be certified must first register on FISU's bespoke digital platform, and will receive a toolkit for implementing the project.

After nine months they submit a first assessment, with their first evaluation coming after 10 months.

A revised assessment is then submitted after 11 months, before the university receives its first certified label at the end of the year.

An external audit is carried out after a year and nine months, before the university receives another evaluation a month later.

Following revised reports submitted by the university, a platinum, gold, silver or bronze label is awarded at the two-year mark depending on what criteria has been met.

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Landmarks

One year after the launch of FISU Healthy Campus, more than 70 universities from 37 countries were on track to become officially certified.

By November 2021, 86 universities from all five continents had joined the scheme.

In August 2022, the number broke the century barrier. 

By June 2023, 123 universities were announced to be signed up to the programme, in 40 countries, with 22 reaching platinum status.

Hundreds of meetings have also been held with other universities interested in signing-up.

The University of Turin in Italy acted as the pilot university for the project, while the first to be certified was Portugal's University Institute of Lisbon was the first to be certified in August 2020.

The FISU Healthy Campus Standard document can be read here.