Over the past 5 years there has been increased attention given to mental health issues on college and university campuses across the country. However, few research efforts have been conducted to systematically investigate the mental health of college students. The College Student Mental Health Survey was undertaken as a first step towards gaining a better understanding of the broad range of mental health issues that face the college student population. This exploratory study describes the mental health history and current distress and coping of 939 college students from a large Midwestern public university, with an approximate enrollment of 40,000 students. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed. (Contains 6 tables.)