Procrastination in College: Why It Happens and What Helps
Procrastination is very common among students and not a sign of laziness. It becomes a problem when you suffer from it or when it puts your studies at risk. You can try simple strategies, such as fixed, limited work times, right away. For more serious problems, programs based on cognitive behavioral therapy can help.
How many students procrastinate?
A great many, but exact figures for students are missing. People who procrastinate a lot are more often stressed and down.
There is no reliable recent figure on how many students procrastinate. Newer studies describe procrastination as very widespread without measuring it specifically. The Prokrastinationsambulanz (procrastination clinic) at the University of Münster estimates that about 7 to 14% of the general population are affected by problematic procrastination.
What goes along with procrastination is better documented. A meta-analysis of 88 studies with more than 63,000 people found a moderate association between procrastination and feeling down, anxiety, and stress. In a study with 3,525 university students in Sweden, those who procrastinated more had slightly more depressive symptoms, stress, and anxiety nine months later. They also slept worse. The differences were small. An observational study does not prove a cause.
Why do we procrastinate?
Often several things come together: an unpleasant task, a distant deadline, and something that tempts you right now.
In college, this often fits. The term paper is big and vague, and the deadline is weeks away. The TV series, on the other hand, is right there. This is a common explanatory model, not a measured cause.
What is well documented is mainly what procrastination is linked to. A meta-analysis of 75 studies found a moderate association between problematic phone use and procrastination among school and university students. It does not show which is the cause and which is the consequence.
When does procrastination become a problem?
When it weighs on you or has consequences for your studies, such as lower grades, missed deadlines, or physical symptoms.
The Prokrastinationsambulanz in Münster describes procrastination as needing treatment when it leads to suffering and impairment in your studies, at work, or in other areas of life. There is no fixed threshold. A self-test is not a diagnosis, but it can give you a first sense of where you stand. Anyone can use the clinic's anonymous online self-test.
| Everyday procrastination | Procrastination you should talk to someone about |
|---|---|
| You start late, but you get it done | You miss deadlines or withdraw from exams |
| Frustration shortly before the deadline | A constant guilty conscience, brooding, poor sleep |
| Affects individual tasks | Affects almost everything to do with your studies |
| No physical consequences | Headaches or stomachaches, feeling down, anxiety |
If feeling down and a lack of drive have been at the center for weeks, there may be more behind it than procrastination. Then an initial consultation with a psychotherapist ("psychotherapeutische Sprechstunde") is the right step. How to get there is explained in the article Finding a Therapy Slot as a Student: What You Can Do While You Wait.
What helps against procrastination?
Clear, limited work times, small steps, and for more serious problems a structured program.
Three strategies you can try today:
- Limit your work time instead of stretching it. The Prokrastinationsambulanz Münster works with work-time restriction: you decide that you may only work on your studies at certain times, for example two hours in the morning. Time becomes scarce and therefore valuable.
- Make the first step tiny. "Write the term paper" is not a task. "Find three sources for chapter 2" is one.
- Clear away distractions beforehand. Phone in another room, notifications off, one task per study block.
If you need more support, you can use a guided program. How well such programs work is shown mainly by individual newer studies. A recent meta-analysis is missing. In a randomized study with 403 university students, a guided online program noticeably reduced procrastination after four weeks compared with a waitlist group. A smaller study with 71 students found a large effect for a program based on cognitive behavioral therapy. A one-time online self-test with tips, on the other hand, did not help measurably.
Free help at your university
Many universities offer writing centers, study coaching, or psychological counseling on the topic, usually for free.
- Writing center: For term papers and theses, it helps with planning and motivation, for example the Schreibberatung (writing center) at the University of Göttingen for its students.
- Psychological counseling: The counseling centers at universities and Studierendenwerke (the student services organizations at German universities) know the topic well. The FernUniversität in Hagen, for example, offers its students free counseling on procrastination and test anxiety.
- Prokrastinationsambulanz: The program in Münster is open only to students and employees of the University of Münster. The self-test is open to everyone.
If you would rather talk to someone at short notice and in the evening, Studifit offers counseling by video on procrastination, organizing your studying, and the pressure behind it. Studifit is psychological counseling: not psychotherapy, not covered by health insurance, no diagnoses. If you suspect there is more behind it, please keep looking for a therapist at the same time. You will find our prices on the pricing page.
When the pressure gets too much
If everything is getting on top of you and you see no way out, talk to someone. The TelefonSeelsorge (a free crisis line, 24/7, in German) is available at 0800 111 0 111. If your life is in danger, call 112.
Sources
- Universität Münster, Prokrastinationsambulanz: Was ist Prokrastination? (What is procrastination?, in German) and Selbsttest (Self-test, in German)
- Nie, Y. et al. (2025): The association between procrastination and negative emotions in healthy individuals. Frontiers in Psychiatry
- Johansson, F. et al. (2023): Associations Between Procrastination and Subsequent Health Outcomes Among University Students in Sweden. JAMA Network Open
- Zhou, X. et al. (2024): The correlation between mobile phone addiction and procrastination in students: A meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders
- Amarnath, A. et al. (2025): Effectiveness of a guided internet-based intervention in reducing procrastination among university students. Internet Interventions
- de Haas, S. M. H. et al. (2026): Group cognitive behavioral therapy for reducing procrastination in college students. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
- Åsberg, K. et al. (2024): Effects of a single session low-threshold digital intervention for procrastination behaviors among university students (Focus). Internet Interventions
All information in this article was carefully researched, but we cannot guarantee that it is complete or up to date. Services, waiting times and legal rules can change. As of October 2026.
