Starting University

Starting university meets three needs at once: autonomy, competence and belonging. Students do best when the choice is their own, and friendships grow with hours together, about 50 for a casual friend and more than 200 for a close one. A short session before term addressing worries about belonging raised first year completion, and the new setting makes the first term a natural moment for new habits.

What the report found

1. More young people than ever make this move. Higher education enrolment worldwide reached 269 million in 2024, more than double the figure of two decades earlier, and nearly 7.3 million students now study in another country. Each year millions sit national entrance exams, including 13.35 million in China and 4.8 million in Brazil.
2. A choice that feels your own matters more than the choice itself. Young adults who chose where to live for reasons of their own reported greater wellbeing, whether they moved out or stayed home. A year out before university went with higher motivation once there.
3. Friendship is built hour by hour, and belonging can be taught. A casual friend took about 50 hours together and a close friend more than 200. A short online session before term, addressing common worries about belonging, raised the share of students who completed the first year as full time students.
4. The first term is a fresh start for habits. A new setting loosens old routines, and the start of a term is a natural landmark for new goals. Simple if and then plans, spaced study and practice testing help students turn freedom into progress.
5. Families help most by backing the student's own plans. Parents shape money habits more than work or school lessons do, grown children benefit from support they welcome, and support that leaves room for autonomy goes with better wellbeing.

What is inside

1. The moment
2. Before: the choice and the countdown
3. During: the first term
4. After: independence takes shape
5. How the moment is lived around the world
6. What lasts

Plus a phase map of the moment, an illustrated first term, a map of the three needs and a data panel of figures from around the world.

Who it is for

For young people starting university and their families, and for universities, employers and services that welcome new students around the world.

How we work

Moment Reports look at how people think and decide at particular points in the year or in life, and how each moment is lived by people around the world. Every claim is graded Established, Emerging or Untested, and where researchers disagree, both sides are set out before we say where we stand.

Cite this report

The Why We Project (2026) Starting University: Freedom, choice and first independence. Moment Report No. 21. Dubai: Why We Tech Ltd. Available at: thewhyweproject.com