Coming Back to Campus: Factors Contributing Post-COVID-19 Adjustment of University Students

The transition to face-to-face education after COVID-19 has brought along new changes that need to be adapted for students. This study aims to reveal how the state anxiety levels of individuals predict life satisfaction through the adjustment to university life after post-COVID face-to-face education. Besides, the differences in anxiety, life satisfaction, and university adjustment in 2nd and 3rd-graders were tested. The study group consists of 263 university students. Data were collected through The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, The Adjustment to University Life Scale, and The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Independent groups t-test was used to test whether the scores differed at the grade level, and Structural Equation Modelling was used to test the hypothesized model. Research findings indicate that there is no difference between the levels of state anxiety, life satisfaction, and adjustment to university life of second and third-year students. In other words, there is no significant difference between students who started university face-to-face and online in terms of relevant variables after the pandemic. According to the structural equation modeling findings, state anxiety is a significant predictor of life satisfaction through adaptation to university life. The model-data fit was found to be good and the indirect effects were statistically significant. The findings were discussed in line with the relevant literature. Based on the findings of the present study, a focus on university adaptation programs and interventions can be recommended after possible crises in the future.