How Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can help students choose the right university

University is a place where development and learning happens on many levels. It’s also a place that meets students’ needs on many levels. 

In fact, for effective development and learning to take place, students’ needs should be met first. 

Certain universities meet one’s needs more effectively than others because of the differences in offerings and environments, and our own individual preferences. 

Needs are universal. But how we prefer them to be met can vary among individuals. 

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and university selection

We counsellors often talk about fit, so here is another way to think about it: a best-fit university is one that meets the student’s universal needs – expressed through their unique preferences – most effectively. 

As counsellors, one of our roles is to help our students envisage how different universities will meet their needs. 

We can think about the various needs we have with the help of a famous psychologist, Abraham Maslow. He proposes a well-known hierarchy of needs, divided into five tiers. 

We can use this hierarchy to ask questions based on each need. The rest of this article will contain a description of what each need entails, how it applies to the university context and sample questions you can ask. With this, you will be able to find a university that fits a student’s unique preferences and universal needs effectively.

It’s very likely you’re already asking these questions when you’re working with a student – if so, hopefully this hierarchy will help you visualise where these questions fit in. 

Tier 1: physiological needs

What this includes: air, water, food, sleep, shelter, clothing

How to apply it to a university context 

Physiological needs might seem a given across universities but this is not necessarily so. Some universities have ample space for housing, while others do not. When students and parents worry about securing housing, this corresponds to physiological needs. 

Also, food is a universal need but it’s also deeply cultural and individual. When I advise my Chinese and Korean students to buy a portable rice cooker and preferably choose a city with an Asian supermarket, I’m making sure that this need is met. 

Questions to ask

• What is the housing situation like? What is the application procedure?
• Will the city I move to have access to the types of food that I have grown up with? 

Tier 2: safety needs 

What this includes: personal security, employment, health, stability, resources

How to apply it to a university context

Students and parents are increasingly asking about the career outcomes of graduates. This corresponds to safety needs. Will the student’s degree ensure they can put food on the table and a roof over their head? 

Another basic question is whether the student and parents can afford the university for the whole duration. 

Students and parents might also be worried about a country’s safety, especially if they don’t have to worry about this aspect in their own country. Safety concerns might not be confined to streets, but can extend to the political atmosphere and whether attitudes towards students could shift from positive to negative. 

Questions to ask

• What are the graduate outcomes?
• Can my family comfortably afford the cost of attending this university for four years? This includes indirect costs as well as tuition.
• Is the city or area safe? Are there any precautions I should take to be safe, if I come from a relatively safe country? 

Tier 3: love and belonging

What this includes: friendship, intimacy, family, sense of connection 

How to apply it to a university context 

Some students might want to be near family during their university studies; others may want to find a new circle as far as possible from where they grew up. Whatever the choice is, they are thinking of meeting love and belonging needs.

The campus community and sense of connection can matter greatly, which is also fulfilling this need. This can also be considered a form of family. 

Questions to ask

• How close to my home is the university? What is my preference on this aspect?
• How can I find a community on campus? For example, what is the proportion of international students? Are there clubs I can join for like-minded people or those who share the same background as me?
• Is the broader environment (social, political, economic) around the university conducive for building community?

Tier 4: esteem

What this includes: respect, self-esteem, status, recognition, strength, freedom

How to apply it to a university context 

The need for respect, self-esteem, status and recognition is fundamental to human flourishing. This could be the underlying reason why parents and students look at rankings and aim to get into hyper-selective universities: high rankings and selectivity are one way to earn respect and recognition. 

However, respect and recognition can be earned not only through rankings but by making an impact. Being a big fish in a small pond can lead to more opportunities for respect and recognition at university, should a student choose a school where they have a higher profile than the average classmate. 

Some students might be seeking freedom and independence from family (hence the desire to be as far from home as possible). Also, some students might have a significant need for recognition, while others do not. As counsellors, we should meet the students where they are and help them reach their goals. 

Questions to ask

• Am I happy with the reputation of the university?
• Will I have freedom and independence at this university? Will I be happy there? (We should first ask: what do freedom, independence, recognition and happiness mean to you?)

Tier 5: self-actualisation

What this includes: self-fulfilment, morality, creativity, spontaneity, acceptance, meaning, inner potential

How to apply it to a university context 

Self-actualisation is the need to realise one’s potential. When a student wants to pursue a certain major because she realises this is what she wants to do with her life and these are her strengths, this may be a move towards self-actualisation. 

Broadly speaking, if the previous tier addressed the question “Will I be happy there?”, this tier can correspond to the question of “Will I thrive there?” 

This is a nebulous topic, so we don’t have to nail down corresponding factors as we did for previous levels. This can be the student’s task to figure out for themselves once they’re at university.

Questions to ask

• Will the university help me reach my full potential? (We should first ask what meeting one’s full potential looks like for the student – ikigai could help.)
• Will I thrive there?

Bonus tier: self-transcendence 

What this includes: helping others, spiritual experiences, connecting to something bigger than yourself

How to apply it to a university context 

Did you know that Maslow’s hierarchy has an extra level? Near the end of his life, Maslow realised that the peak of human experience is not reaching one’s potential but connecting to something greater than yourself. If this sounds too spiritual, think about times when you connected with nature or something awe-inspiring and lost yourself. Or think of heroes who have helped others instead of just helping themselves. 

As with the previous level, it might be difficult to predict if this or that university will meet this need more effectively. But it’s an interesting level to keep in mind to help students think beyond their own needs. 

Questions to ask

• How will I be equipped with the skills to help others? 

A note on independence and meeting needs

These needs are not automatically met the moment the student steps on to campus. Rather, the student must work to get there. A good analogy is gym membership. Having gym membership will certainly help a person get stronger and more fit – but you have to actually use the gym, rather than simply purchasing membership and expecting to get fit. 

During their time away from home, the student will have to learn to be independent. One of the hallmarks of independence is recognising and learning to meet one’s own needs. 

A teenager who is dependent on their parents does not have to think about when and how to meet their needs. In an ideal scenario, there is food on the table for dinner, pocket money, somebody to process the day with and hopefully to provide respect and love. 

However, the distinguishing feature of being a young adult at university is that you suddenly have to meet your needs by yourself. Those of us who have gone through young adulthood all have stories of how we fumbled our way through – and eventually found the right path.

From learning how to cook rice and avoid mixing dark and white coloured laundry together to building deep and profound relationships and finding their ikigai, our students will learn to meet their needs by themselves in university. Let’s help them find the best place to do so. 

Credit goes to Edit Morin-Kovacs for the initial inspiration for this article.