Study Habits of University Students in 2025: Q1 and Q2
Published on August 20, 2025.
Higher education is a constantly changing landscape. The first half of 2025 has brought with it fresh insights into the study habits of university students in terms of - how they study, what they are using to study, and when they study. At Studydrive, we are committed to helping students learn in effective and sustainable ways. In order to continue to help students to access study resources and conserve time, it is crucial that we have a clear picture of what it means to be an university student in today's academic environment.
This editorial explores the emerging patterns, challenges, and motivations that have shaped how students study, adapt, and thrive in the early months of 2025.
Note: We are going to be focusing on the months of January to June for this particular study. We have made use of both external and internal data for the purposes of this study to establish and support our findings.
What are study habits?
Study habits are methods students use in order to learn, absorb, and apply knowledge. There is a broad range of activities that fall under the larger 'habits' umbrella. Time management, methods used to review information, devices used, active times of day and active days of the week.
Habits reveal a lot about how students are individually and collectively approaching the act of studying. It paints a picture of how studying has evolved through the years, and what strategies are likely to be popular in the future.
What devices are students using in 2025?
One of the most notable shifts in recent years has been the continued digitization of studying and learning. Recorded lectures, study apps, and real-time collaborative platforms are commonplace now. While traditional methods of learning carry significant weight still, students have certainly evolved in how they absorb knowledge.
Similarly, educators are rethinking how they deliver content. Content has become more interactive, encouraging active participation from students. It is also an era of barrier-free learning. Distance learning is now easily accessible through the advent of recording apps such as Zoom, gen AI tools are all the rage, and LLMs have altered how students take their notes.
What we can also see is a gradual but definitive shift towards app-based learning. Apps are typically more popular for specific areas, such as language learning. Revenue from language learning apps in the US grew from 230$M in 2018 to nearly 1100$M in 2023.
We might be witnessing a similar trajectory for university-centric learning apps, as well. The shift from physical notebooks -> desktops and laptops -> phones (primarily) makes sense for several reasons, but mainly two,
- Smartphones are more accessible than computers, i.e, a lot more people own a smartphone than they do their own personal computer device.
- Phone apps are being designed to include gamification and interaction components which can have learning benefits.
To illustrate the above point, here is a table based on Studydrive user data from the last 6 months (Jan 25 - June 25).
| Device Category | % of Active Users |
|---|---|
| Desktop | 65.35% |
| Mobile | 37.17% |
| Tablet | 2.92% |
| Smart TV | <0.01% |
As you can see, desktop users still come on top. However, app-based users command a considerable portion of total active users. It will be interesting to see how this trend changes over the coming months, and if desktop-based learning will still reign superior. That said, a mix of desktop and phone usage is likely to be the ideal combination for learning.
What does app usage reveal about study habits among university students in 2025?
Engagement with study apps/platform is a valuable lens into how academic habits are evolving in 2025.
It's not just about what is being studied, but also about how users are interacting with the platform AND with each other within the platform.
Examining these dynamics helps support broader trends in digital fluency, collaboration, and learning-focused community. These patterns contain information about when students are studying, when and how they're engaging, and how they are bringing social connection to a digital landscape. In this case, we decided to lay down some ground rules so as to make the process of gathering and consolidating data both easier and more impactful for the reader.
- We will be using our internal database for the following charts and graphs.
- The duration of analysis is limited to Q1 and Q2 of this year: January 2025 - June 2025
- The location(s) is limited to where Studydrive's userbase is located. Germany, Austria, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are the main variables.
- The study habits will, therefore, vary according to semester schedules and exam periods in these countries and corresponding universities.
- We will also be using external data to corroborate and support our claims.
Users by Month
| Month | All Users (%) |
|---|---|
| Jan-25 | 23% |
| Feb-25 | 23% |
| Mar-25 | 16% |
| Apr-25 | 12% |
| May-25 | 12% |
| Jun-25 | 13% |
January and February show highest traction in Q1 and Q2. The trend is likely to pick up again in July and August (semester exams) and October (start of a new semester). The above chart shows a clear correlation between app usage and exam season, with a much higher percentage of active users in the months preceeding or of exams. At the same time, we are able to observe steady usage stats across all the months. This points to the fact that university students use the platform for non-exam purposes as well, such as for their daily revision.
Files Viewed by Month
The table below shows the percentage of files viewed per month from a sum total of files viewed in the entirety of the six-month period. These are study materials which are part of the Studydrive platform and include lecture notes, summaries, past exam papers, assignments, tutorials and exercises and flashcards. Between Jan 1, 2025 and Jun 30, 2025 a sum total of nearly 2,400,000 files were viewed.
| Month | Files Viewed (%) |
|---|---|
| Jan-25 | 20.96% |
| Feb-25 | 19.79% |
| Mar-25 | 14.57% |
| Apr-25 | 14.20% |
| May-25 | 15.03% |
| Jun-25 | 15.81% |
The view metrics are highest for the months of January and February, pointing towards increased engagement as a consequence of the exam period in Germany and Europe. We will be exploring whether this theory holds true for other means of engagement within the platform later in the article.
When are university students studying?
Another interesting facet of learning in 2025 is accessbility. The actual act of learning is no longer restricted to course textbooks or the notes you've taken down in class or a book you need to get out of the library. With digital advancement and education apps, we are now able to stretch the boundaries of education and establish a learning ecosystem that does not have stringent rules.
Distance learning is an excellent example. Distance learning programs are becoming increasingly popular in Germany, and allow students geographical flexibility and the ability to study in tandem with a career. The same is true for hybrid models of education in universities, where a student need not be physically present in class to have access to learning material. Platforms such as Moodle have greatly simplified access - with professors and students being able to view and study with digitally recorded lectures, tests, assignments, and exams.
With educational apps too, a student could theoretically learn as and when they please. The 9-5 model of university education is no longer the norm. There is, as yet, no definitive proof as to whether app usage has significantly changed 'study timings' for an adequate sample size. That said, we do have some Studydrive-specific data that we can use to explore this facet more closely.
When it comes to most active days of the week, Monday and Tuesday show the strongest metrics (no surprises there!), with a downturn between Thursday and Friday. This data is based on the analysis of user activity between Jan 1, 2025 and Jun 30, 2025. The chief metric for measurement is number of active users per day.
| Day of Week | Activity (%) |
|---|---|
| Monday | 17.39% |
| Tuesday | 17.21% |
| Wednesday | 16.06% |
| Thursday | 15.15% |
| Friday | 11.75% |
| Saturday | 10.01% |
| Sunday | 12.43% |
The following table depicts the hours of a day and the corresponding percentage of user logins for each hour. We are using this in order to spotlight the larger question of user activity within the span of a day. With user logins as the primary metric, we can assume that the hours that witness higher user logins are when a large sample size of university students are doing their daily studying.
[This data, and thereby the study, is limited to Studydrive users.]
| Hour | % of Logins |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 4.23% |
| 1:00 AM | 1.97% |
| 2:00 AM | 0.95% |
| 3:00 AM | 0.55% |
| 4:00 AM | 0.39% |
| 5:00 AM | 0.47% |
| 6:00 AM | 1.05% |
| 7:00 AM | 2.39% |
| 8:00 AM | 5.23% |
| 9:00 AM | 7.12% |
| 10:00 AM | 8.73% |
| 11:00 AM | 8.49% |
| 12:00 PM | 7.82% |
| 1:00 PM | 7.26% |
| 2:00 PM | 7.23% |
| 3:00 PM | 6.54% |
| 4:00 PM | 5.95% |
| 5:00 PM | 5.09% |
| 6:00 PM | 4.20% |
| 7:00 PM | 3.56% |
| 8:00 PM | 3.33% |
| 9:00 PM | 3.04% |
| 10:00 PM | 2.55% |
| 11:00 PM | 1.87% |
10 am - 3 pm (marked in purple) show the highest user logins by percentage. This does not necessarily paint an universal picture of study times for a majority of university students, but is quite an interesting dataset in itself. For example, there is a spike in logins around midnight. Is that when all the night owls congregate? Most likely.
Which majors are popular in 2025?
Another area of interest for us is the distribution of academic focus among students. Having a sizeable demographic to work off of, we decided to look into which majors have the highest concentration of students. This also the answers the question: are certain fields seeing a rise in popularity due to emerging job markets, technological trends, or societal changes?
By analyzing internal usage data and content demand on Studydrive, we have identified and differentiated by percentage the majors that receive high traction. The following section presents key insights into the majors that dominate student engagement on our platform in 2025.
| Major Category | % of Users |
|---|---|
| Agriculture, Forest and Nutritional Sciences | 1.04% |
| Art Studies and Musicology | 0.87% |
| Business Sciences | 20.33% |
| Civil Engineering & Architecture | 3.08% |
| Electrical Engineering and Information Technology | 2.12% |
| Engineering | 3.55% |
| Law | 4.28% |
| Linguistics and Cultural Studies | 4.63% |
| Mathematics, Computer Sciences & Natural Sciences | 12.60% |
| Mechanical and Process Engineering | 3.20% |
| Medicine, Healthcare & Sports Sciences | 6.19% |
| Political, Social and Communication Sciences | 4.62% |
| Psychology and Pedagogy | 9.16% |
[The remaining 23% (approx.) are registered on the Studydrive platform as high-school students and have not been included as part of the study.]
The above table has some clear winners:
- Business Studies (20.33%)
- Mathematics, Computer Sciences, and Natural Sciences (12.60%)
- Psychology & Pedagogy (9.16%)
A focal reason as to why is also connected to the availability of study resources on Studydrive. For example, if there is a significant quantity of study docs in the arena of Business Studies - it makes sense to see a higher number of Business Studydrivers on the platform. Major popularity can also influence the types of study habits students develop. A math student or a CS student might gravitate towards the Studydrive groups for troubleshooting, while a student of law or medicine could display an inclination for flashcards and past exam papers.
Having an understanding of what students are studying sheds light on how they study and what resources are necessary to meet diverse academic needs.
As the three broad fields with the highest number of users, we naturally also see a high amount of engagement (files created, downoaded, and viewed) in these discplines. The above table is an overview of only the fields with considerable traction in Q1 and Q2 of 2025.
How are university students interacting with each other on study apps?
Beyond the subjects they pursue, it is also important to understand how students interact within academic platforms and study apps. Apps and platforms are not merely learning devices, but also hubs of peer-based engagement, community creation, and collaborative experiences.
In the context of Studydrive, this is particularly relevant. Students form the core, creating and contributing study material for the collective benefit of the community. Whether it's uploading notes, asking relevant questions, responding to peers, or rating study materials, Studydrive users are instrumental in the daily functioning of the app.
This section explores user behaviour patterns on Studydrive. What are the different modes of student participation, and how have they fared in the first half of 2025? Find out below.
| Month | All Users (%) | File Creations (%) | Posts (%) | Contributors (%) | Questions (%) | Answers (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-25 | 28.97% | 23.01% | 17.24% | 18.40% | 18.03% | 16.88% |
| Feb-25 | 18.84% | 24.26% | 34.44% | 24.46% | 31.66% | 35.72% |
| Mar-25 | 13.85% | 15.00% | 20.98% | 18.98% | 20.32% | 21.28% |
| Apr-25 | 12.89% | 10.98% | 10.41% | 14.27% | 11.28% | 10.01% |
| May-25 | 13.58% | 11.90% | 7.62% | 11.51% | 8.38% | 7.28% |
| Jun-25 | 11.88% | 14.82% | 9.30% | 12.35% | 10.33% | 8.83% |
February and March rank as the strongest months in almost each category. An understandable conclusion given that the first exam period of the year in Studydrive's main countries is scheduled between January and March, in combination with the start of the next semester. An uptick in almost every category is observed in the month of June, signifying the start of the second exam period (July-August).
A similar trend is also usually observed in October, which is when fall semester begins. User interactions on an app such as Studydrive are also a measure for how students are communicating with each other in 2025. Peer-based learning has certainly not been rendered irrelevant by the advent of digital apps and platforms, it is more important than ever.
Studydrive thrives because students contribute. No better time than the present to join the conversation and help shape how your peers learn! Your insights could be exactly what someone else needs to succeed, and vice versa.
What are some future trends for learning platforms?
Looking ahead, study habits are likely to continue to change and grow and develop.
Personalized AI tools are becoming more popular by the day. Not only because they assist with the process of actual learning, but also because they have the ability to provide customized solutions adapted to the student's individual pace and style. At Studydrive, we have integrated some of this already via:
- AI-generated flashcards and summaries
- AI chatbot
Integrating AI-powered features within the user interface of Studydrive is, as of yet, a work in progress. We see and realize the importance of AI usage for studying. A DEC study from 2024 reported that 86% of current students are using AI regularly for studying. This covers a broad range of functions such as information searching, simplifcation and summarization of concepts, memorization strategies, and more. There is definite potential to the use of AI as a supplementary tool, and our primary objective is to anticipate and thereby address user pain points through our offerings. Have you checked out our AI features yet?
Gamification of education is another trend likely to intensify in the future. Rewards systems (we are no stranger to the power of incentives) are already very common in study apps and platforms. Further gamification and social learning features are likely to follow. As study apps continue to grow in popularity and usage, we also foresee a rise in mental health awareness. Part of this is due to the demographic in question. Gen-Z is media-literate, self-aware, and unafraid to advocate for their value systems.
A discernable shift is already visible. Universities and schools are reshaping policy to allow for discussions about mental health. Meditation tools are blowing up. Adopting a more holistic approach to student success is the next step for education apps.
Studydrive - Your Companion for Studying
Alongside the evolution of study habits of university students, platforms like Studydrive are evolving too. Stay ahead of the curve and check out how Studydrive can support your journey in the semesters to come.
Exchange ideas with other students, get peer-to-peer support for any questions you may have, don't miss anything shared between your classmates in the course, and find helpful study materials.