The government has issued an ultimatum to vice-chancellors on student mental health, warning them it is not good enough to suggest that university is about academic education and nothing else.

With as many as one in four students seeking help from counselling services at some institutions, the universities minister, Sam Gyimah, is calling on vice-chancellors to prioritise student mental health and take a personal lead on the issue.

The minister, announcing plans for a new deal on mental health for students, said: “There are some vice-chancellors who think that university is about training the mind and all of these things are extra that they don’t have to deal with.

“They can’t do that, they’ve got to get behind this programme. It can’t be something that belongs to the wellbeing department of the university. This requires sustained and serious leadership from the top.”

One of the key measures now being considered is asking students if they want to opt in to an alert system authorising their university to contact their parents in an emergency if they find themselves in a mental health crisis at some point during their studies.

Until now universities have been unable to share a student’s private information because of data protection restrictions, but parents of students who have killed themselves have complained of being kept in the dark about their child’s illness when they might have been able to help had they known sooner.

Under the proposed scheme, outlined by Gyimah, students arriving in their first week at university would be asked if they would like to opt in to the system by nominating either a family member or friend to be contacted in case of serious mental health problems.

The minister said it would be entirely voluntary and any students would be entitled to withhold information from their parents or change their preferences at a later date.

Gyimah was due to outline his plans on Thursday at a student mental health summit in Bristol where the issue has come under the spotlight with the deaths of 10 University of Bristol students since October 2016. A further two students from the University of the West of England (UWE) in the city have also died. A number have been confirmed as suicides.

James Murray, whose son Ben took his own life last month while in his first year at Bristol university, has been a leading voice calling on universities to be allowed to contact parents if their child is suffering from serious mental health problems.

He welcomed the minister’s intervention. “I do feel like this is a turning point. I’m thrilled that Sam Gyimah has decided that this is something that could help save the lives of others and avoid the situation we experienced with Ben. We will think of this as Ben’s Rule,” Murray said.

Universities have reported a huge surge in demand for counselling services in recent years, with as many as one in four students either being seen or waiting to be seen by counselling services in some institutions. Official figures published earlier this week revealed that 95 university students killed themselves in the 12 months to July 2017, which equates to 4.7 suicides per 100,000 students.

As part of the new student mental health package, the minister announced plans for a student mental health charter which would detail basic criteria that universities need to meet in order to demonstrate to prospective students and parents they meet the required standard for student mental health support.

The Department for Education is also launching a review of the transition between school and university to ensure students are getting adequate support in their first year when they are particularly vulnerable.

“We want mental health support for students to be a top priority for the leadership of all our universities,” the minister said. “Progress can only be achieved with their support – I expect them to get behind this important agenda as we otherwise risk failing an entire generation of students.

“Universities should see themselves as ‘in loco parentis’ – not infantilising students, but making sure support is available where required. It is not good enough to suggest that university is about the training of the mind and nothing else, as it is too easy for students to fall between the cracks and to feel overwhelmed and unknown in their new surroundings.”

Prof Steve West, the vice-chancellor of UWE and chair of the Universities UK mental health in higher education advisory group, said: “Universities cannot address these complex challenges alone. Partnership working with students, staff, government, schools, colleges and employers, the NHS, local authorities and third sector organisations is vital if we are to help students and staff to thrive.”

• In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international suicide helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.