Suicidal ideation among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Identifying at-risk subgroups

•There are concerns that suicide risk may increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.•University students have been identified as a particularly vulnerable population.•We compared suicidal ideation in students in Fall 2020 (vs. two prior semesters).•Rates of suicidal ideation were not elevated in Fall 2020 (vs. the prior semesters).•Sexual minorities had elevated rates of suicidal ideation in Fall 2020. Given concerns of increased suicide risk among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examined rates of lifetime and past-year suicidal ideation (SI) among university students in Fall 2020 (vs. two earlier semesters), overall and across gender, racial/ethnic background, and sexual identity. Participants included 1700 university students enrolled in a general education psychology course in Fall 2020, Fall 2014, or Fall 2013. Rates of SI were not significantly higher in Fall 2020 versus the earlier semesters and did not differ across racial/ethnic background. However, rates of SI in Fall 2020 were significantly higher among sexual minority than heterosexual students.