How to Make Friends at Uni After Freshers (Not Too Late)

8 min read · Aura

You can absolutely make friends at uni after freshers. The trick is to stop relying on random mixers and switch to repeat contact: the same society every week, the same seat near the same course mates, and one small follow-up after every good chat. That's how to make friends at uni after freshers, whether it's week three or second year.

If you keep having good conversations that never turn into anything, something small is leaking when you meet people, and Aura can find which part it is in two minutes: Find my aura leak.

Why most people don't find their people in freshers

Freshers week (or frosh week in Canada, orientation week in the US) sells a fantasy: everyone meets their lifelong crew in seven chaotic days. For a lot of people, that's not what happens. And that's normal.

Here's why freshers is a weird way to make friends:

• Everyone is performing. People are trying on a new version of themselves, loud and slightly fake. Nobody's real yet.
• It's one-off contact. You meet 60 people once. Friendships grow from seeing the same people again and again, not once at a club night.
• It's built around drinking. If that's not your thing, a big chunk of the week isn't for you. (We wrote a whole guide on making friends at uni without clubbing.)
• Halls are luck of the draw. Your flatmates are randomly assigned. Sometimes you click. Often you just share a fridge.

One piece of research worth knowing: a 2018 study by communication researcher Jeffrey Hall estimated it takes roughly 50 hours together to go from acquaintance to casual friend, and a lot more for a close friend. Freshers is one week. Nobody racks up 50 hours in a week. So if you feel like you've got "no friends at uni" by October, you're not behind. You're just early.

Societies after week one

This is the biggest cheat code, and most people miss it: societies are easier to join after freshers, not harder.

At the freshers fair, a society might get 200 sign-ups. By week four, 15 people actually show up. Those 15 are the regulars, and a new face stands out in a good way.

How to join a society late (and not feel weird)

1. Pick two, not ten. One linked to something you already like, one that's totally new.
2. Message the committee first. A quick "Hey, missed freshers, is it cool to come along to Wednesday's session?" makes walking in way less awkward. They'll say yes. Societies want members.
3. Go three times before you judge it. Week one you're the new person. Week three you're a regular.
4. Choose "doing" societies. Climbing, cooking, board games, film-making, volunteering. Having something to do with your hands beats standing around trying to think of chat.
5. Stay for the after bit. The pub, café or group walk after the session is where the actual friendships happen.

Course mates and the study-group move

The people on your course are the most underrated friend pool at university. You see them multiple times a week without trying. That's the repeat contact that friendship needs.

How to make friends on your course

• Sit in the same area every lecture. Same seat, same neighbors. After three weeks, "hey" becomes a real conversation.
• Talk about the work first. "Did you get what she meant about the second reading?" is the easiest opener on earth. No one thinks it's weird.
• Start the study group. This is the power move. Post in the course group chat: "Anyone want to go over the stats problem sheet in the library Thursday at 2?" Even three people saying yes is a win.
• Seminars are gold. They're smaller. Say one thing in the first seminar and people will remember your name. (If class intros make you want to disappear, read how to introduce yourself in class without cringing.)

The reason the study group works: it turns "people I sit near" into "people I've spent two hours with." That's how acquaintances start becoming friends.

Commuters and living at home

If you're commuting or living at home, the usual advice ("just knock on doors in halls!") is useless. You're not in halls. You leave after your last lecture. Here's how to make friends at uni as a commuter:

• Build one "stay late" day a week. Pick the day with the best society or the longest gap between lectures. Plan to stay till 8pm that day. Every week.
• Join the commuter or mature student society if your uni has one. Lots do.
• Use the gaps. Two hours between lectures? Don't scroll in the library alone. Ask a course mate if they want to grab food.
• Be the one who suggests daytime plans. Lunch, coffee between lectures, a study session. Commuters often get left out of night plans, so own the daytime.
• Stay in the group chats. Reply, react, send the meme. It keeps you part of the group on the days you're not on campus.

Living at home isn't a friendship death sentence. It just means you have to be a bit more deliberate about it.

Turning "see you around" into plans

This is where most uni friendships die. You have a great chat after a seminar, you both say "see you around," and then... nothing. For months.

The fix is simple but takes guts: suggest a specific thing.

Scripts that actually work

• "I'm grabbing lunch after this, wanna come?"
• "There's a quiz at the SU on Tuesday, want to make a team?"
• "Can I get your Insta? I'll send you that TikTok I was talking about."
• "A few of us are going over the essay on Thursday, you should come."

Notice what these have in common: a specific time or a specific thing. "We should hang out sometime" almost never happens. "Lunch after this?" happens.

Then follow up within 48 hours. A message like "that was fun, same time next week?" turns a one-off into a routine, and routines are what turn into friendships.

Hard part: you don't actually know why chats fizzle. Is it your eye contact? Do you go quiet when a group forms? Do you look closed off without meaning to? Aura's 16-question quiz pinpoints which of six leaks is doing it, then gives you one small move a day to fix it, with a quick check-in at night so you can see it working. Find my aura leak

Second year and beyond

Maybe you're reading this in second year, or even third, wondering if it's too late to make friends at uni. It isn't. Honestly, second year can be easier:

• You know the campus. You're not overwhelmed. You can actually focus on people.
• Friend groups reshuffle. Housing drama, people dropping out, flatmates drifting apart. Lots of second years are quietly looking for new people too.
• Freshers are new. Join a society as a second year and you're suddenly the one who knows stuff. That's easy social confidence.
• Placements and projects mix people up. Group projects and year-abroad prep throw you in with new faces.

On Reddit, "how to make friends at uni" threads are full of people saying the same thing: they found their real friends in second or third year, not freshers. That's not a consolation prize. That's just how it often goes.

A 4-week plan for making friends after freshers

• Week 1: Message two society committees. Pick one lecture seat and stick with it.
• Week 2: Go to both societies. Ask one course mate a question about the work.
• Week 3: Suggest one specific plan (lunch, study session, quiz).
• Week 4: Follow up with whoever said yes. Repeat what worked.

Walk into your next society with the energy people remember

Knowing how to make friends at uni after freshers is one thing. Walking into that room without shrinking is another. In the next two minutes, Aura's quiz shows where your presence leaks when you meet new people and gives you a 14-move plan, one small thing a day to do, say or wear. You pay once, there's nothing to cancel, and it works on your phone.

Find my aura leak

FAQ

Is it too late to make friends at uni after freshers week?

No. Freshers is one week of mostly one-off contact, and real friendships need repeated time together. Plenty of students meet their closest friends in societies, on their course or in second-year housing. Start with one society and one regular lecture seat this week.

How do I make friends at uni if I have no friends at all right now?

Pick one thing that repeats weekly, like a society or a study group, and show up every time. Talk about what you're doing together instead of trying to be interesting. After three or four weeks of the same faces, suggest one specific plan.

How do I make friends at uni as a commuter or when living at home?

Choose one day a week to stay late on campus, join a commuter society if there is one, and make daytime plans like lunch between lectures. Stay active in course group chats so you're still in the loop on the days you're home.

How do you make friends in college in the UK vs the US?

The basics are the same: repeat contact and specific plans. In the UK you'll hear "freshers," "societies" and "halls"; in the US it's "orientation," "clubs" and "dorms"; Canada often says "frosh week." Whatever it's called, joining a weekly group is the fastest route.

How do I make friends at uni in second year?

Join a society as a returning student, say yes to group projects, and look out for people whose friend groups reshuffled after first year. Lots of second years are quietly looking for new friends too, so a simple "want to grab lunch?" goes further than you think.