Today’s college students came of age during a period of disruption: pandemic schooling, rapid technological change, and global uncertainty. Now on campus, they are rebuilding routines, relationships, and identities in person. flytedesk’s College 2025 report examines how this cohort navigates community, consumption, and daily life.
Despite being highly connected online, most students report that their real sense of belonging comes from physical campus life. Dining halls, residence halls, classrooms, and clubs remain the primary sites of social connection.
In survey data, 82% of students say they find community on campus rather than online.
This suggests that shared environments — not just digital networks — shape how students build relationships and exchange information.
On campus, decisions are rarely made in isolation. Students experiment with new products and services together, observe what peers use, and often converge on the same options.
Key patterns include:
More than half report discovering new brands through friends, underscoring the role of social proximity in shaping preferences.
The transition into college triggers a surge of first-time and replacement purchases across categories. Spending occurs before arrival, during move-in, and throughout the early weeks on campus.
Move-in alone accounts for roughly $47 billion in spending — exceeding Black Friday.
During this period, students are establishing living spaces, routines, and social norms simultaneously, making early choices unusually consequential.
Findings are based on a nationwide survey conducted in February 2025 with 1,803 undergraduate students from 67 colleges and universities across 29 U.S. states. Responses were analyzed to identify patterns in behavior, motivations, and expectations.
The College 2025 report explores these dynamics in greater depth, including detailed data on student priorities, brand discovery, and campus life.
[Download the full report to see the complete findings and analysis]
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Our team can help you apply these insights, explore additional resources, or workshop strategies for your campus campaigns.
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