While scrolling through social media to find cute college dorm room decorations or rushing outfits, a video captioned “How to avoid the freshman 15” appears on the screen. Another one follows, “The freshman 15 is real,” paired with a slideshow of photos displaying a young woman’s body. And another, “What I eat in a day to avoid the freshman 15.” Incoming freshmen can’t help but wonder if they will become victims of the 15-pound weight gain during their first year of college. In reality, college freshmen tend to naturally gain minimal weight, and the unease behind this weight gain can hurt the college experience for new students. 

The notorious phenomenon occurs when college freshmen experience weight gain due to the absence of home-cooked meals, stress, alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, increased snacking and other lifestyle changes from high school to college. The term “freshman 15” originated in the 1980s, quickly becoming prevalent in popular culture. Despite its growing relevance, this 15-pound weight gain is not supported by research. A study in 2008 conducted by the University of Utah showed that, on average, college freshmen gain approximately 2.7 pounds throughout the year, and only 11.5 percent gained 15 pounds or more. Dr. Pam Miller, a licensed and board-certified psychologist, attributed this weight gain to the significant change in a student’s life when entering college. 

“The transition to college or independent living can be hard for some. For students who do gain weight in their first year, most [of it] occurs at the beginning of the year, when the transition is most dramatic and rapid. But as we have discussed, this is a small change in weight for most students,” Miller said in a recent interview on the podcast “The Freshman 15: The Who, What, and How it Harms Us.”

Small weight changes can also be influenced by the transition from childhood to adulthood. The World Health Organization states that the transition from adolescence to adulthood is between 10 and 19, leading to inevitable weight and body composition changes. Research from the University of Georgia also shows similar weight gain patterns in college students and those who didn’t attend college, meaning this weight gain may not even be attributed to attending college. But despite the normality of gaining a couple of pounds in the freshman year of college, students are still fearful. 

According to the May 2025 Bark Survey, 28 percent of students said they fear the “freshman 15,” which will cause them to change their eating and exercise habits when entering college. Dr. Rachel Campbell, a professor of sociology at Grand Valley State University, observed the significant fear that weight gain causes, especially in young females. 

“A study found that women in particular feared weight gain. This fear was linked with dieting and taking other harmful actions to stave off weight gain. This gets to the heart of another much more dangerous phenomenon, disordered eating,” Campbell said in the same podcast.

Campbell brings up a dangerous side effect of the fear instilled by the “freshman 15”: disordered eating. The anxiety of weight gain often manifests in restricting food and overexercising, also classified as anorexia or an eating disorder. Eating disorders not only consume the college students’ experience by putting food and exercise at the center of their priorities, but they can also have adverse health effects that may be irreversible. According to Nemours Children’s Hospital, malnutrition is caused by the underconsumption of calories and slows brain function, changes the skin, hair and nails and decreases blood flow, causing low body temperature. Some more serious and long-term side effects are damaged nerves, reduced bone strength and density and slowed heart rate. 

The expectation that all college freshmen gain 15 pounds during their first year of college is a myth and can cause severe harm to how these students eat and exercise. Instead of experiencing the joys of college, students are watching a scale, skipping meals and spending their free time on the treadmill. The stigma around the “freshman 15” can limit students’ first months of college and can potentially lead to more severe health problems. So next time you see a video advertising the “low-carb snack options to avoid the freshman 15,” scroll. Next time you hesitate when getting an ice cream with friends, order a double scoop, because being happy and healthy in college should be above keeping off a couple of pounds.