Pre-Arrival Confidence and Perceived Importance in First-Year UK Sport Students: A Multi-Institutional Examination of Gender, Institution and Programme Differences

This multi-institutional study examined pre-arrival confidence and perceived importance among first-year sport students across three post-92 universities and one public research university exploring programme of study, gender, and institutional differences, while also evaluating the psychometric properties of the pre-arrival survey. Of 1033 eligible students, 604 (58%) completed the survey across 25 sport-related programmes grouped into six categories: physiotherapy and rehabilitation, sport and exercise science, sports exercise and nutrition, sports coaching, sports management, and sport foundation year. Psychometric validation of the pre-arrival survey demonstrates its reliability and validity, providing the sector with a robust, standardised tool for assessing incoming students’ preparedness. Significant programme differences include physiotherapy and rehabilitation students reporting higher learning confidence, learning importance, and community confidence compared to other programmes. Female students demonstrated significantly higher learning importance and health and well-being importance than male students, though no gender differences in confidence were observed. Institutional variation was minimal, with one institution showing higher learning importance. Socioeconomic indicators did not significantly influence pre-arrival responses. The findings highlight the need for differentiated pre-arrival support targeting programme-specific confidence gaps and gender-related differences in perceived importance. The validated PAS provides a reliable tool for early identification of students requiring enhanced transitional support, potentially addressing persistent retention and progression challenges in UK sport programmes.