Start with the people you see twice a week
The fastest way to make friends in college is to pick a few people you already see regularly, like someone in a class, your floor or a club, and ask one of them to do something small right after you’re together. The repetition is already there. Your job is the invitation.
This guide is for college students 18 and over, and it’s organized by situation, because making friends as a commuter or a junior is a different problem from doing it in your first month.
If it feels like everyone else has a group
They don’t. In the American College Health Association’s spring 2025 survey of 47,194 undergraduates at 96 schools, 48.5% screened positive for loneliness. Roughly half the students who answered. The confident group at the next table may be three people who met last Tuesday.
Small interactions count, too. In a study by Gillian Sandstrom and Elizabeth Dunn, students felt happier and more like they belonged on days when they talked with more classmates than usual. You don’t need a best friend by Friday. More hellos on Wednesday already help.
Turn a classmate into a friend in three moves
Classes give you the repetition. You add the rest. First, sit in the same seat near the same people for a couple of weeks so you become a familiar face. Second, talk about the class, which is the one thing you know you have in common. Third, extend the conversation past the door, before you both disappear into your phones.
- Before class: ‘Did you get through the reading? I got lost around page 40.’
- After class: ‘I’m grabbing food before my next one. Want to come?’
- Before an exam: ‘A few of us are studying in the library Thursday at 7. Join us?’
- Next week: ‘Same time Thursday? That actually helped.’
Choose one club that meets every week
Club fairs make it tempting to sign up for twelve things. Pick one or two that meet weekly and have something to do together, like an intramural team, a running club, the student paper, a theater crew or a volunteer group. Doing something gives you a reason to talk that isn’t ‘so, what’s your major?’
Commit to the first five meetings before you judge it. The first one is always awkward. By the fourth, people know your name. Volunteer for small jobs, such as carrying equipment, running the sign-in sheet or saving a table, because jobs come with built-in conversations.
If you commute
Commuters lose the hallway and the dining hall, so build your own versions. Block out one long day a week on campus instead of arriving just before class and leaving straight after. Use the gap between classes in the same place every week, like a lounge or the library’s group study area. Look for a commuter student lounge or organization if your school has one. Everyone there has the same problem as you.
Make plans that fit your schedule. ‘Lunch between our 11 and our 2?’ is easier to say yes to than an evening plan you’d have to drive back for.
If you transferred or you’re past first year
Sophomores, juniors and transfers often feel like they missed the window. You didn’t. Upper-level classes tend to be smaller, so you see the same faces in more of them. Major-specific clubs, labs, study groups and teaching assistant jobs bring together people who will be around for the next two years.
Be direct about being new. It gives people an easy way to help. ‘I just transferred and don’t know anyone in the department. What’s worth going to?’ works better than waiting for someone to notice you.
If you’re quieter
You don’t need to work the room at a party. Pick settings with structure, like a board game night, a lab partner or a study group, where the activity carries the conversation. One-on-one plans are easier than group outings, so invite one person to something specific.
If fear of being judged is stopping you from going to class or eating in the dining hall, that goes beyond shyness. Your campus counseling center exists for exactly this, and going is a normal thing to do.
Keep it going after the first hangout
Most new friendships fade because nobody suggests the second plan. After a good hangout, text within a day or two and point to something specific. Then make it a habit: the same study session, the same Sunday brunch, the same pickup game. Friendships grow on routines, not one-off nights out.
On quiet nights, when you want to talk to someone new, HMU is an option for adults 18 and over. Profiles have a question to answer and there’s a new question every day, so you always have something to reply to. You can report or block anyone.
What to text a new friend after meeting them
- ‘That was fun. Same time next week before the quiz?’
- ‘I’m going to the game Saturday. Want to come with?’
Related articles
- Apps to Make Friends as an Adult: An Honest Comparison — BFF, Meetup, Timeleft, 222, Yubo, and HMU compared by how you actually meet people, what it costs, and who each one suits.
- Free Apps to Meet New People: What’s Actually Free — Which apps let you meet people without paying, and where the free tier stops. BFF, Nextdoor, Meetup, Yubo, Hinge, Tinder and HMU, checked on their own pages.
- Is Meetup Worth It? An Honest Review for Making Friends — Meetup is free to download and works if you pick the right group. How to judge a group before you go, what the paid tiers cost, and when to skip it.
- Timeleft Review: Is It Worth It, and How HMU Compares — An honest Timeleft review from its own current pages: how matching works, the full cost, the no-show fee, and when HMU is the better first step.