Where to find a holistic university experience

A university experience today needs to be exactly that, and experience. It's not only about the degree you get, it's about the people you meet, the campus life you have, the traditions you get to be a part of. It's about how comfortable and accepted you feel while you are studying, and the realistic prospects you have after graduation.

What is a holistic university experience?

Holistic, at its essence, means "whole". Holistic medicine looks at your whole body to locate the problem rather than its parts. And a holistic university experience is meant to go beyond the education itself. It doesn't concern itself with just lectures, grades, and diplomas — it  looks at the student as a complete human being. And intellectual development in this case is one piece of a complex picture that also includes emotional wellbeing, a sense of belonging, career readiness, etc. 

Basically, a holistic university should be asking if its graduates are prepared, not just qualified, to step out into the world.

What are the main makers of a holistic experience at the university?

These may be difficult to pinpoint precisely. And what makes a student think of their university experience as holistic can vary from one person to another. 

But, if we strip it down to essentials, here's what a holistic university experience should include:

Sense of belonging

A sense of belonging builds the emotional foundation for success. And there is research to back up. According to the Gallup-Purdue Index report, graduates who had a professor or mentor who cared about them and made them excited about learning were more than twice as likely to be engaged in their profession later in life. The sense of belonging also goes beyond the relationship with the faculty – it's about how students interact with each other, how healthy the academic competition is, and how accepted a student may feel by their peers.

Personal and mental health support

University life, for all the fun and fulfillment it can bring, can also be highly stressful. Students find themselves dealing with a lot of academic pressure, uncertainty about what's to come, career doubts, complicated social interactions, and lots more. 

The 2024–2025 Healthy Minds Study of 84,000 students across 135 universities uncovered that close to 32% experienced moderate-to-severe anxiety symptoms, and 18% admitted to having severe depression. When you are struggling with your mental health, everything else (and this includes grades, diplomas, internships, and employment opportunities) becomes irrelevant. And the chances for students suffering from emotional issues at the university dropping out become high.

And then there is data from Penn State's Center for Collegiate Mental Health, which shows that students who receive counseling at the university are much less likely to withdraw from school.

Mental health and emotional support become especially important for expat students who find themselves dealing with the same pressures without a natural support network of parents and friends. 

Career guidance

A holistic university approach presupposes that the conversation about what you will be doing when you graduate starts sooner rather than later. A good university experience is about detailed and thoughtful preparation for the professional future. Ideally, it would include internships, networking events, and perhaps even one-on-one career coaching.

Once again, this would be a very useful option to have on board for expat students who are generally under more pressure to find employment soon after graduating, as they need to change their visa status to stay in the country.

Long-term outcomes

Ultimately, how well a university has prepared its students for "real life" is not measured by the number of diplomas issued and not even upon graduation. A holistic university checks in with its students to maintain strong alumni networks and track outcomes. It also gives new students access to a network of graduates. And this is of immense value when you are new to the work world, especially if you are an international student.

Top universities with a holistic student experience

Now, it's not at all possible to include every university striving for a holistic experience in this list. There are lots of institutions in every corner of the world that recognize that student wellbeing is paramount and valued more than academic success. So, this list is merely here to provide a few examples of such universities and explain what makes them stand out. 

North America

When it comes to employability, MIT remains unbeatable worldwide. It continues to top employability rankings and gives its students unmatched opportunities for early internships and networking in the industry. The university has received perfect scores in Employer Reputation, Alumni Outcomes, and Partnerships with Employers, and these reflect the exceptionally high deans worldwide for MIT graduates.

The university regularly conducts student surveys. According to its own Graduating Student Survey, 93% of students participate in research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), and 82% have internships. This helps students build real-world skills and offers industry exposure way before graduation. More than that, 50% of Bachelor's graduates and 31% of Master's graduates reported that an internship they did at the university led directly to a job offer that they ended up accepting.

The university has a dedicated Career Advising and Professional Development office and partners directly with top employers in the industry. When it comes to post-graduation outcomes, data from the university shows that most alumni find employment soon after graduation or continue with postgraduate study.

Amherst College is highly rated for a holistic learning experience in liberal arts. The university has a very low student-to-faculty ratio — about 7:1 — and most classes have fewer than 20 students. Thanks to this uncommon structure, each student at the university can receive highly personalized attention and mentorship from professors.

This is reflected in the curriculum, as most courses are designed for intimate discussions. The college has a designated body –  the Loeb Center for Career Exploration and Planning – to offer guidance on internships and networking. Students can also access programs like the Charles Hamilton Houston Internship Program – it focuses on meaningful summer work experiences.

Stanford is another Ivy League university praised for its holistic approach. This is because it does a very good job of including career development indirectly into academic life. Stanford Career Education (BEAM) offers year-round advising, workshops, and employer networking. Plus, the university hosts the annual Handshake Fair, a career event that connects students with leading recruiters and tech companies. Other programs like StartX and the Stanford Technology Ventures Program are also highly useful for students to experience real life venture building and leadership.

The University of Texas receives excellent reviews for fostering a sense of community among its students. There are over 1,000 student organizations here that help students find meaningful commitments quickly. Experience programs start as early as the first year and there are lots of initiatives that students have immediate access to. 

Clairemont colleges are a collection of five undergraduate and two graduate institutions located in Claremont, California. They follow a very interesting structure: five distinct institutions that function like one big university but without compromising their individual identities.

• Scripps has a strong focus on individualized guidance. A lot of its students take on internships and participate in research before graduating.
• Harvey Mudd also emphasizes industry exposure, but specifically in engineering and technology. 
• Pomona pairs liberal arts with funded internships and undergraduate research.
• Claremont McKenna has strong programs in economics and government and offers intensive career advising and networking.
• Pitzer focuses on social responsibility and intercultural understanding and lets students engage with the local community: Pitzer students record at least 40 hours of community work as part of their courses.

In Canada, there is the University of Waterloo. It is famous for cooperative education. This basically means that it aims to integrate classroom learning into real-world work. The university runs the largest post-secondary co-op program in the world with over 20,000 students. These are special programs where students can alternate between studying and real paid work. Needless to say, this is a great opportunity for undergrads to explore career options and develop professional networks. And by graduation, they enter the work world with up to two years of experience under their belt. This is a really powerful addition to a new resume. Plus, some students get to graduate with ready job offers. 

Europe

In Western Europe, it's the Scandinavian universities that seem to be getting the best reviews for holistic experiences.

In the Netherlands, Maastricht University focuses on problem-based learning and encourages students from various academic disciplines to collaborate. And research shows that students who are introduced to problem-based learning tend to score better on objective knowledge tests. They also tend to show enhanced skills in information-gathering, collaboration, and independent learning.

Lund University in Sweden attempts to balance life skills with academic knowledge. Students here can benefit from flexible study structures, student unions, and career counseling is accessible. The university has a strong reputation globally, and in 2025, it took the number one place in a sustainability ranking.

The University of Helsinki in Finland inspires students to participate in early inquiry. Most courses here combine teaching and research from the very beginning. In the classroom, this translates into problem-based seminars and collaborative assignments rather than lecture-heavy formats. For international students, this makes integration significantly easier as students are encouraged to work together and learn from each other right away. 

Moreover, the university conducts its own empirical research on student wellbeing via its Centre for University Teaching and Learning (HYPE). It looks into motivation, burnout, and ways to improve learning strategies.

Aalto University is one of the most modern (in approach) universities in Europe. The university is a merger of a business school, a university of technology, and an art and design institution. Because of this interesting makeup, belonging is sort of built into the concept of the university itself. Aalto's Otaniemi campus brings together business, technology, and arts students in a single ecosystem. And spaces like the Aalto Design Factory are hands-on environments where multidisciplinary student teams get to work on prototypes for real companies. So, a design major may be collaborating with an engineering major on a startup idea right within the university walls. This puts students in a very real-world working scenario where most projects require not only professional skills but also collaboration ability. The university also boasts close connections with the Nordic tech sector, and graduates report good employment opportunities.

While Nordic universities seem to be getting particularly high ratings for holistic experiences, many other universities in Europe help students foster a sense of belonging.

The University of Bologna in Italy, often referred to as the oldest university in the Western world, is one example. Here, international students can participate in the Buddy program, which pairs them with local volunteer counterparts. There is also the Student Ambassadors Program, where enrolled students from different countries organize welcome events, orientation activities, and community-building sessions for new arrivals. The Student Accommodation and Information Service (SAIS) is where international students can get help in finding shared apartments and university residences.

Trinity College in Dublin also deserves a mention here. The university is known for its historic campus culture and, to this day, has a strong network of student societies and clubs. These are highly effective in helping students form lasting bonds. For example, the university is home to one of the world's oldest debate clubs – University Philosophical Society.

Other universities noted for their holistic approach:

• Leiden University (Netherlands): a buddy program and multiple student associations
• University of Edinburgh (UK): extensive alumi networks and in-university societies
• Amsterdam University College (Netherlands): small classes and student-led clubs and associations
• University of Sussex (UK): over 260 student clubs and societies 
• University of Barcelona (Spain): extensive orientation for international students and initiatives to support cultural integration
• University of Glasgow (UK): peer mentoring and  hundreds of student societies 
• University of Leiden (Germany) – TU Dresden / Technische Universität Dresden: collaborative spaces and interdisciplinary programs.

Asia and Oceania 

In Australia, University of Melbourne is best known for global mobility programs and personalized career mentoring. The university is an active participant in the Advancing Melbourne Globally agenda and places great emphasis on cultural diversity and inclusive learning environments. Over 41% of its students come from outside of Australia from over 150 countries. It also runs structured programs, such as Students@Work, that help place students in paid internships and offer career workshops. On top of that, the university has an extensive alumni network of over 500,000 members.

In Japan, Akita International University stands out because of its small (by design) size. This allows for close teacher-student mentorship and more meaningful exchanges between students. The university is well-equipped to accept international students, and even its own programs require abroad study – the liberal arts curriculum is taught entirely in English, and students will study abroad for a year as part of the course. There are also lots of activities at the university that focus on community outreach, and students have lots of opportunities to connect with people beyond the campus.

The University of Tsukuba, also in Japan, positions itself as “open to all within and outside Japan". Interculturalism is a founding part of this institution's identity. The university has over a dozen offices overseas and over 300 global partnerships. Tsukuba University students can also participate in an innovative program - the Course Jukebox System, which lets students take courses across different institutions as if they were enrolled there to encourage cross-cultural exchange.

Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines includes social engagement and community service in its curriculum. There is a long-standing program onboard called the Ateneo Mangyan Project: it involves students and faculty actively integrating into the local community and helping where help is needed. For international students, this is a unique opportunity to get involved in local outreach and understand firsthand the specific needs and challenges of their new place of living. 

At the National University of Singapore (NUS), students' sense of belonging is fostered through the residential college system: students live and learn in smaller academic communities within the larger university. The university also runs programs such as the University Scholars Program and the College of Alice & Peter Tan, which combine academic seminars with residential living. The National University of Singapore (NUS) consistently ranks among the top universities in Asia for high graduate employability.

Elsewhere

The University of Cape Town helps students find their pace quickly through its First-Year Experience program, which includes peer mentorship. The university also runs a career service that connects students in later years with African and global employers through internships and workshops.

In Latin America, Brazil is known as the country of immigrants. The country's population was built with large migration waves. To this day, Brazil has the largest Japanese communities outside of Japan and one of the largest Italian diasporas in the world. This ethnic diversity is well reflected in the country's higher education, and the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) has multiple student exchange programs and a large international student community. The university encourages early research during undergraduate study and hosts regular student-led festivals, artistic groups, and academic leagues to develop a sense of community among the diverse student groups.

Abu Dhabi may not be well-known as a higher education destination. It's still very new, and its institutions can not yet compare with centuries-old European universities. Then, there is also the issue of traditional and cultural limitations that some students may find intimidating. However, the New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), founded in 2008 as a partnership between NYU and the emirate of Abu Dhabi, offers a compelling counterpoint. It's a fully residential liberal arts and research university and combines small seminar-style classes with access to NYU's global network, both in New York and Shanghai. This is a relatively young university with an already large community of international students who come from over 120 countries.

As we've mentioned at the beginning of this list, it is not and cannot be comprehensive. What we've done here is try to highlight what elements typically make up a holistic university experience and how universities across the world implement them.

What are holistic admissions? 

When a university promises a holistic experience, it usually starts with admissions. Holistic admissions mean that students are evaluated beyond their academic results. Grades and test results are looked at alongside essays, letters of recommendation, involvement in extracurricular activities, personal background, and more. 

Some consider this controversial, and there are quite a few people who believe that university admissions should be purely academic. But on the other hand, when a university aims to offer a holistic experience within its walls, it seems logical for the admissions process to also consider students' qualifications holistically, taking into account leadership, initiative, adaptability, and so on. 

And what is your take on the issue? Is a holistic experience something you would look for in higher education? Or, is it something you've experienced where you studied?