This study aimed to identify and compare the defining features of adaptation to university of students of higher education in the six broad regions of the State of Rio de Janeiro. An instrument test, the Academic Experiences Questionnaire, was applied to 500 students. The main results obtained were that the students from the metropolitan region have better scores in “background for the course”; students from the southern region of the State had higher scores in the topics “family relationships”, “self autonomy”, “study methods”, “adapting to the institution”, “resource management”, “self-assurance”, “perception of self-competence” and “anxiety during exams”; and students from the region north of the State had better performance in the topics “physical welfare”, “psychological welfare” and “relationship with teachers”.