A Guide for Students and Families
Introduction
For many students, choosing a college is about academics, campus culture, and location. For students in recovery, another question is just as important: Will I have the support I need to maintain my recovery while pursuing a degree?
Many campuses offer collegiate recovery support designed to help students in recovery from substance use or other mental health concerns thrive academically, personally, and socially. These supports can take many forms. Some campuses have Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs), which are typically staff-led initiatives with structured programming, dedicated staff, and connections to other supportive resources. Other campuses have Collegiate Recovery Communities (CRCs), which are often student-led organizations that focus on peer support, advocacy, and fostering recovery-supportive campus cultures.
Not every school has a formal CRP or CRC, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it cannot support students in recovery. Some campuses offer recovery-supportive housing, counseling services, peer support groups, and harm-reduction resources that can help students build a strong support system. With so many different models and approaches, the challenge isn’t necessarily finding a college that offers recovery support–it’s finding the one that suits YOU best.
In this document, we use “CRP”, “CRC,” and “recovery support” interchangeably. We simply mean whatever system or structure the campus has to support students in recovery.
This SAFE Project resource is designed to help students and their families navigate that deeply personal decision. It complements existing tools–such as the Association of Recovery in Higher Education’s (ARHE) Collegiate Recovery Directory – by offering questions and considerations that help students understand what collegiate recovery support looks like in practice.
Rather than identifying a “best” or “strongest” program, this guide empowers informed decision-making based on personal needs and preferences.
Before Getting Started
Self-Reflection for Students
Rather than identifying a “best” or “strongest” program, this guide empowers informed decision-making based on personal needs and preferences.
Before looking into specific programs, it can be helpful to pause and reflect on your needs, goals, and recovery pathway.
Consider questions like:
- How much or what type of structure and accountability do I need right now?
- What support do I need? What tools do I rely on?
- What is my comfort level with asking for help?
- How central do I want my recovery identity to be to my higher education experience?
- How important is it to me to have friends who are also in recovery?
- How do I handle stress? Transition? Independence?
- What does my support system look like right now?
- When do I thrive the most?
There are no wrong answers here! The goal is simply to discover what needs and priorities to consider when searching for a recovery-supportive campus.
Discussions for Students and Those Who Support Them
Many find it helpful to talk through their decisions and concerns with family members or those they trust the most. These conversations can help everyone better understand what support might look like during this transition, while respecting that the student remains in the driver’s seat regarding decisions about their recovery and college experience.
Some topics to discuss together may include:
- What types of support have been most helpful for the student in the past?
- What concerns or hopes do we have about the transition to college?
- What are our communication expectations?
- If there are varied opinions on this, what compromises can we make?
- What about in times of emergency or crisis?
- Examples:
- How often will we check in?
- How will the student communicate if they are struggling?
- Does the student feel comfortable communicating “bad” news or news they think will disappoint?
- What signs may indicate that the student needs additional support or resources? How would the student like to receive such concerns?
- How can support people (family or otherwise) offer encouragement without unintentionally creating pressure?
- What is our communication plan in times of emergency or crisis? (Does the student feel comfortable communicating “bad” news?
The transition to college is also a transition for families and support systems. Some parents and loved ones find it helpful to connect with their support networks, recovery-focused family groups, or other resources to navigate changes in roles and expectations.
Open, respectful conversations at this stage can help students and families build a shared understanding of how to support recovery, encourage independence, and foster growth.
Using this Guide
This guide is not one-size-fits-all nor a ranking tool. It does not suggest that any program is inherently better than another. Instead, it is designed to facilitate conversations with campus staff, your family, and yourself about your priorities when finding the right program for your recovery and educational needs.
ARHE’s Collegiate Recovery Directory is an excellent map of programs and their offerings. The questions and considerations in this guide help students and families go a step further by exploring:
- What a program actually looks like in practice
- How established it may be
- Whether its philosophy and structure align with the student’s mode of recovery, educational goals, and wellness needs
Just like the students they serve, no two collegiate recovery supports are the same, nor are they static from year to year. Programs can change over time due to staffing, funding, or student leadership.
Each section below includes:
Things to Consider – prompts to help students reflect on their current needs and preferences
Questions to Ask – structured examples that can guide conversations with program staff
The goal of these questions is not to “test” a program, but to better understand what day-to-day student experience actually looks like in practice.
Not every section will apply to every student. Focus on the areas that are most relevant to your priorities.
You also do not need to ask every question listed in this guide. Think of these questions as examples to help guide conversations rather than a checklist. Selecting one or two thoughtful questions from the sections most relevant to you can help create more intentional discussion.
Additionally, different campus partners may be best suited to answer different questions. While collegiate recovery staff can often help connect students with the right resources, some questions are better suited to offices such as housing, counseling, financial aid, or academic advising.
Considering Fit
Finding collegiate recovery support is about more than simply whether a school offers collegiate recovery resources–it’s about whether the structure, principles, and community of that program align with the student’s needs.
Students find their “fit” in different environments. Some may prefer highly structured CRPs with clear expectations and accountability. Others may need more flexible, peer-led communities where recovery support is only one part of their broader college experience.
Taking some time to think about “fit” helps students move from asking whether there’s recovery support on campus to how that support will work in their day-to-day life on campus and beyond.
1. Philosophy & Recovery Pathways
- Things to Consider
- How do I define recovery? Does the program’s philosophy align with my definition?
- What do I want accountability to look like?
- Do I want clearly defined expectations or more flexibility?
- If practicing abstinence-based recovery, how comfortable am I in a community that also includes harm reduction approaches or non-abstinence-based recovery?
- Questions to Ask
- Are multiple pathways of recovery recognized and supported?
- How does the program handle return-to-use?
- What does support for co-occurring conditions look like?
- What is their philosophy around harm reduction and non-abstinence-based recovery?
2. CRP Structure & Stability
- Things to Consider
- Do I feel more comfortable in a larger program or a small, close-knit one?
- Am I looking for a more staff-led or therapy-oriented program? A student-led community with opportunities for student leadership? Both?
- What are my preferences around structure and accountability? Would programmatic expectations encourage me to participate more, or do I need more flexibility?
- How important is it to me that the CRP has a dedicated physical space?
- Questions to Ask
- How many students are involved in the program this semester? How many are returning next semester? How many actively participate in groups, activities, etc?
- How many dedicated staff people are there? Part-time? Full-time?
- What does programming look like over the summer or during other breaks?
- Can you give me a historical overview of the program, including staff turnover, restructuring, and institutional support?
- What is the current makeup of students in the program?
- How does the program support students with historically excluded identities?
- Does the program have participation requirements or expectations?
3. Peer Support & Community
- Things to Consider
- How might the group’s demographics affect my sense of belonging? Which lived experiences feel most important to me to see reflected in the community? How important is it for me to have peers with similar experiences or identities?
- What is my comfort level with initiating connections/relationships?
- How important is it to me that members are in similar stages of recovery?
- For non-traditional college-age students or students who have been in recovery for a while, how important is it to me to have peers with similar life experiences, ages, or stages of recovery?
- Questions to Ask
- Does the program offer formal peer support/mentorship?
- Is the program more student- or staff-led?
- How often do students connect outside of formal programming?
- What happens when a student disengages or is struggling?
4. Financial Considerations & Practicality
- Things to Consider
- What are my financial needs/limitations?
- What types of financial support do I qualify for (in-state tuition, veteran support, etc)
- Questions to Ask
- Are there scholarships/stipends available? One-time or recurring?
- Are there additional financial requirements for recovery housing, programming, etc.?
- Does the program offer assistance for therapy or other needs? (Some programs may have relationships with local therapists, treatment programs, etc.)
- Is funding for the program institutionalized? (How financially stable is the program/staffing itself?)
Considering Environment
Collegiate recovery supports do not exist in isolation–they function within the larger campus environment, which also influences your experience. Each recovery program operates within the context of its institution’s culture, policies, and available resources.
Factors such as the campus’s attitude toward substance use, the availability of other support services, and collaboration among departments all contribute to how supported a student feels. Some campuses have highly visible recovery programs, while others offer more discreet and individualized support.
Taking time to reflect on the broader campus environment can help you identify what makes you feel safe, supported, and capable of succeeding—both within recovery support systems and throughout your overall campus experience.
5. Campus Culture & Substance Use Environment
- Things to Consider
- How important is it that the campus as a whole understands or supports recovery?
- What role does alcohol/substance use culture play at this school? Does it raise concerns about maintaining my recovery?
- How important is it to me to have substance-free social activities outside of the recovery community?
- How comfortable am I attending a school where recovery support is highly visible? More discreet?
- What type of campus am I looking for? Large/small? Public/private? HBCUs/Minority Serving Institutions? Athletics? Big city/college town? Community college?
- Questions to Ask
- What does substance use education look like on campus?
- Does the campus have substance-free activities outside of the CRP?
- How visible (or discreet) is program participation?
- How visible is the program in general? Do other departments/organizations know about and collaborate with it?
6. Campus Integration & Student Support
- Things to Consider
- What other campus resources might I need outside of recovery support?
- What are my career goals, and does this campus have support for them?
- Do I want the CRP to be my primary community, or am I looking to get involved with multiple campus life programs/organizations?
- How important is it for the CRP to collaborate with other campus offices, organizations, or identity-based centers?
- Are there identities, experiences, or communities that are important for me to stay connected to while in college?
- Do I need an advocate to navigate the academic system (e.g., transfer credit, course load accommodations, academic standing, probation, appeals, etc.)?
- Do I need support navigating campus systems related to conduct, probation, re-entry, or involvement with the justice system?
- Questions to Ask
- How does this program coordinate with academic advising, housing, counseling, career services, conduct, dean of students, and other campus offices?
- Does the campus offer accommodations to students in recovery? What are they? How do they support students who need to drop courses, take a leave of absence, return to school, or navigate academic probation/appeals?
- Does the CRP collaborate with other campus departments, organizations, or identity-based centers? Which ones?
- Are students encouraged to participate in campus organizations outside of recovery?
- What is the program’s staff’s capacity for helping students navigate collegiate systems? Are there referral pathways? Existing relationships?
- What support exists for transfer, graduate, veteran, commuter, or non-traditional students?
7. Safety, Harm Reduction, & Naloxone Availability
- Things to Consider
- What do I need for environmental safety? What makes me feel safe physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?
- Who (or what resources) would I currently reach out to in an emergency or crisis? Are those same resources available on campus?
- Questions to Ask
- What does substance use education look like on campus?
- Are harm-reduction or emergency-response tools, such as naloxone, available on campus? Who can access it?
- What is the campus’s approach to substance use-related incidents? Punitive? Student-focused?
- Does the campus have medical amnesty or Good Samaritan policies in place?
8. Recovery Housing
- Things to Consider
- Do I need/want recovery housing?
- How important is having recovery housing to me?
- How much structure do I need to feel secure in my recovery at this stage?
- Do I need to live on or off campus for certain reasons (e.g., on campus because I don’t have a car)?
- What are the on-campus housing policies and procedures regarding roommates? How might this impact my experience?
- Questions to Ask
- What does recovery housing look like here (individual rooms, res hall floor, off-campus house, apartments, etc.)?
- Is recovery housing always available, or is it dependent on student need?
- Are there recovery-related staff associated with housing?
- What are the expectations around accountability, substance use, guests, etc.?
- What happens if a student needs to move in or out mid-year or mid-semester?
- What is the cost of recovery housing? Does it differ from non-recovery housing?
- If there is no recovery housing on campus, are there recovery housing options in the nearby community (e.g., substance-free housing, Oxford Houses)?
Conclusion
There is a wide variety of collegiate recovery supports, and those supports change over time. A program that works well for one student may not be the best fit for another. And, not every student will choose to utilize on-campus resources for their recovery.
With all of this considered, individuals may still choose to attend a school without recovery support for many reasons. If this is the case, having a strong understanding of what local or virtual recovery support resources are available can help.
Honestly reflecting on your personal recovery needs, having open conversations with your support system, and asking informed questions are vital to choosing a campus that supports both your academic goals and your overall well-being.
For additional information, check out https://www.safeproject.us/campuses/ or contact us at campuses@safeproject.us.
SAFE Campuses Resources
- What Does Recovery Mean?
- Lessons Learned: The Truth About Harm Reduction
- Treatment & Housing Locator
- How to Thrive in Recovery
- Navigating the Transition: A Guide to Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention, Harm Reduction, and Recovery for New College Students and Their Families
- How to Support Your Child’s Transition Out of Treatment
- Life’s a Party