From burden to balance: a latent profile analysis of students’ load during the transition to higher education

The transition from secondary education to higher education poses significant challenges, often increasing psychological load, particularly in STEM fields and among women, which may raise dropout risk. This study examines load profiles of students during the study entry phase (1st–3rd semester) using latent profile analysis (LPA) based on five cohorts of a large national student survey in Germany (N = 12, 282). Seven different latent profiles were identified across all cohorts, reflecting different configurations of load factors. While some students experienced minimal to moderate load across all domains, others faced high academic, financial, social, or navigational load. The ‘high all-around load profile’ was consistently present across all cohorts. Women were more likely to experience high academic, economic, and navigational load, while STEM students were overrepresented in academically burdened profiles. Students with minimal to moderate load had the lowest dropout intention, whereas those with multiple load factors, particularly without strong social support, showed a higher dropout intention. However, participation in support programs and their perceived usefulness did not differ significantly between profiles. These findings indicate that students experience load in different ways rather than uniformly across all domains. Therefore, universities should implement targeted support measures that specifically address academic, financial and social load factors. This requires a prior analysis of individual load factors to develop tailored interventions for different student groups, potentially contributing to long-term academic success.