Abstract: Results of the study aimed at establishing the types and effectiveness of behavioural adaptation strategies in 358 psychology students studying at the bachelor's, specialist and master's levels are presented. Subject of the study: behavioral adaptation strategy of students of higher education institutions is considered as a stable form of organization of specific behavioral attitudes and actions, providing active mastery of the professional skills with the help of the educational process. The actual (expression of indicators of adaptation to the group and to study) and potential (indicators of professional identity and self-assessment of readiness to work) effectiveness of strategies are offered. Scientific novelty is represented by the studied behavioral adaptation strategies, the proposed indicators of their effectiveness, the established links between the expression of the strategy and its actual and potential effectiveness depending on the course and level of education received. Methods: questionnaire survey; testing (“Adaptation of University students” (T.D. Dubovitskaya, A.V. Krylova); methodology of professional identity research, “MIPI” (L. Schneider); self-assessment of readiness to work in the specialty obtained in higher education institution. As a result, the following strategies were empirically established: search for social and informational support; academic deception; possession of a status position; academic diligence; use of administrative resources; presentation of academic inclusion; academic independence. The dependence of the dynamics of student choice of these or those strategies on the course and level of education received at a higher education institution is shown. It is established that the adaptation strategy chosen by students is selective with regard to its actual and potential effectiveness depending on the level of education received. The results can be useful for teachers, students, higher education institution psychological service specialists and employers.

Keywords: master’s students, specialist students, bachelor’s students, performance indicators, behavioural adaptation strategy, actual strategy performance, potential strategy performance, adaptation strategy, adaptation strategy structure, adaptation in higher education institution