The fundamental developmental task that individuals face during adolescence is defining their identity – forming a clear sense of who they are and what they believe in. For young people who choose university education, a particularly important aspect of their identity is the field of study they have selected. It can be assumed that identity consolidation in the educational domain is associated with identity consolidation in general and leads to greater subjective well-being. These assumptions were tested in a study involving students from the Faculty of Philosophy (social sciences and linguistics departments). The study included 384 students aged 18 to 29 (mean age 21.65, SD = 2.73); 80 male students, 301 female students, and three students who preferred not to specify their gender. The following instruments were used for assessing identity: U-MICS (educational identity – commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment), Identity Stage Resolution Index, ISRI (adult and social identity resolution), and Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory, EPSI (identity synthesis and identity confusion). The assessment of well-being included life satisfaction (SWLS scale), presence of meaning in life (from the Meaning in Life Questionnaire), and self-esteem (Rosenberg scale). U-MISC commitment showed moderate positive correlations with adult/social identity and synthesis and a negative correlation with identity confusion. U-MISC exploration demonstrated low positive correlations with the same variables as commitment. Reconsideration was negatively correlated with synthesis and positively correlated with confusion. These results indicate that educational identity is an important element in the experience of oneself as an adult integrated into the community, as well as an important factor in overall identity resolution. A series of regression analyses were conducted to predict subjective well-being. U-MISC commitment significantly predicted life satisfaction (R² = .15; F = 22.867; p < .001). All U-MISC dimensions significantly predicted the presence of meaning (reconsideration being a negative predictor; R² = .16; F = 25.593; p from < .05 to < .001). U-MISC commitment was a significant positive, and reconsideration a significant negative predictor of self-esteem (R² = .14; F = 21.175; p < .001). These findings underscore the significance of educational identity in the developmental process of identity consolidation, which in turn influences subjective well-being. Educational commitment plays a particularly positive role, contributing to greater life satisfaction, a sense of meaning, and higher self-esteem. This highlights the importance of supporting students in achieving a stable and committed educational identity to enhance their personal development and psychological well-being.

Acknowledgement:
This work was supported by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, #GRANT No 1568, Identity Crisis in Women Facing Infertility: Mixed Methods Approach – InsideMe.

Keywords: Educational identity, identity resolution, subjective well-being, life satisfaction, self-esteem.