The first year in university is a critical period for the student's adaptation. The aim of this research was to investigate, in a qualitative way, the experience of adaptation to university in a sample of university freshmen. Fourteen students from different courses, aged between 18 and 22 years old, took part in the study. They were interviewed individually and the interviews were submitted to phenomenological analysis. Four main themes emerged from the analysis: Leaving home, Starting academic life, Perceiving changes in self, and Adapting to the course. Results suggest that adaptation to university among freshmen is an experience that produces important changes for the students, and that the adaptation success depends on many variables, some of them not directly linked to the academic context. However, the university has an important role to play in the process of the students' adaptation.
College students; Adaptation; University
