Journal

We are delighted to share this landmark special issue jounal, published to mark the 20th anniversary of the European First Year Experience (EFYE) Conference.

The conference has over two decades brought together researchers, educators, and students from across Europe and beyond, all committed to understanding and improving the first-year experience in higher education.

Cutting across all three is a consistent focus on care, human connection, and the importance of placing the first-year student at the centre of everything we do.

Special Issue on enabling first year student success in a tertiary world – Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice | Vol 14 | Number 2 (2026) 

• Part 1 – Students experiencing and shaping the first year: Agency, belonging and participation
• Part 2 – Designing transition through curriculum: From induction to embedded practice
• Part 3 – Systems and cultures of first-year success: Evidence, relationships and change

This special issue grew out of that shared commitment. Responding to an open call for contributions, 150 authors from 15 countries submitted work spanning research, case studies, reflective analyses, opinion pieces, and a new short format introduced here for the first time: the vignette. Together, the 63 papers in this collection offer one of the richest European resources on first-year experience to date.