First year student motivations and goals take important part in the decision making process when students choose an undergraduate programme degree and the higher education institution in which they are going to sign in. The purpose of this study was to explore the motivation and goals of first-year students at a private university in central Mexico. A brief online form with open-ended questions was responded by all first-year students of the university in 2022 (n=148) and in 2023 (n=259). Students were asked to explain the reasons why they chose to continue their life project in this university and their specific undergraduate programme; as well as to share the goals they were setting for themselves for the time they graduate. A thematic analysis was conducted on the data. The reasons and motives to study their specific programme in the university reported by first-year students can be categorized in three primary themes: integral learning, personal growth and career expectations. Similarly, their post-graduation goals fall into three categories: career and job prospects, academic achievements and lifelong learning. The paper then discusses the challenges and implications of listening to the students motivations and goals and then incorporating their perspective in a consistent manner with the institutional learning model. Finally, the findings are aligned with the existing literature.

Keywords: First-year students, higher education, motivations and goals, Mexico, qualitative.