Journal of Student Affairs in Africa | Volume 8(2) 2020, 1‑16 | 2307‑6267 | DOI: 10.24085/jsaa.v8i2.4443 1 www.jsaa.ac.za Research article Coping Processes of South African First-Year University Students: An Exploratory Study Liesel Engelbrecht, * Karina Mostert, ** Jacobus Pienaar *** & Carlien Kahl **** * Ms Liesel Engelbrecht is a Master’s graduate from WorkWell Research Unit and the Department of Industrial Psychology, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, South Africa. Email: engelbrechtliesel608@gmail.com ** Prof. Karina Mostert is a Professor of Industrial Psychology at the Management Cybernetics research entity, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, South Africa. Email: karina.mostert@nwu.ac.za *** Prof. Jacobus Pienaar is a Researcher within the WorkWell Research Unit, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, South Africa, and an Associate Professor in Work and Organizational Psychology at the Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden. Email: jacobus.pienaar@psychology.su.se **** Dr Carlien Kahl is an independent Research Psychologist for Management Cybernetics at the Department of Industrial Psychology, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, North-West University, South Africa. Email: inspireck.7@gmail.com Abstract South African higher education institutions (HEIs) face significant challenges with high first-year student drop-out rates due to various stressors students are facing. The current study explores the coping of first-year students studying at a South African university.This qualitative study followed an exploratory, descriptive, interpretive strategy to gain a deeper understanding of students’ coping during their first academic year at university. Ten participants were recruited through a trusted gatekeeper using purposive voluntary and later snowball sampling methods. Data were collected using the Mmogo method ® and semi-structured individual follow-up interviews. Interactive qualitative and thematic analyses generated three themes: (1) the availability of and access to coping resources for first-year students; (2) coping strategies first-year students rely on to manage stressors at university; and (3) the effectiveness of selected coping strategies. Understanding the coping of first-year students could assist HEIs in intervening and supporting first-year students appropriately, to enhance their first-year experience (FYE) and overall student well-being.Though limited to a small qualitative study, the contribution to FYE literature is through exploring nuanced coping resources, strategies, and the effectiveness thereof for students, which challenges the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach many universities may use. However, there are strategies and awareness of resources that could, in general, be helpful. Keywords coping effectiveness; coping resources; coping strategies; first-year experience; first-year students; South African university brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by AJOL - African Journals Online