Pre-arrival motivation of undergraduates entering a United Kingdom University: a self-determination theory perspective

Abstract This study provides novel insight into undergraduate students’ motivations for entering university by capturing their perspectives prior to arrival, rather than retrospectively after enrolment, as is more common in the literature. Drawing on responses collected in the weeks before transition, it presents one of the largest pre-arrival qualitative analyses of student motivation across multiple academic disciplines. More than 3200 incoming undergraduates from 12 schools at a large post-92 UK university completed a survey that included an open-ended question about their reasons for entering higher education. Responses were analysed inductively and interpreted through self-determination theory, revealing how students’ accounts reflected needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Four overarching themes were identified: career and employability, subject interest and passion, personal growth and independence and social and experiential factors. Although career-oriented motives were most frequently expressed, they commonly coexisted with intrinsic interests, aspirations for personal development and desires for social connection. Findings demonstrate that students approach university with interconnected motivations, highlighting the complex and anticipatory nature of pre-arrival motivation. This study provides new insights for universities to design early interventions that foster autonomy, build competence and reinforce meaningful connections to learning and community for students from the outset.