The correct approach to organization of student’s self–learning process is of uppermost importance for suc- cessful higher education. Classroom work in higher education institutions aims at setting and giving direction functions of a teaching/learning process, and it is a student who is responsible for active knowledge acquisition through different means. Participating in different students’ societies and carrying out scientific re search work may become the most appropriate forms of active acquisition. Systematic work in students’ societies performing research independently as well as in close cooperation with scientific advisors satisfies two main criteria of social and psychological adaptation: satisfaction from independently obtained results of scientific research and social success, which presupposes conquering new life conditions and gaining respect from fellow students and teaching staff. The theoretical basis of the concept of adaptation is the idea of a continuous process of active adaptation of the individual to the environment that concerns all levels of human functioning. Participation in student scientific groups plays a major role in the student's socio–psychological adaptation. Results obtained in the course of our research proved that there was statistically valid difference in 6th–year students’ adaptation. It should be pointed out that the 6th–year is the time of the so–called “third crisis” of higher education. It appears due to the issue with work allocation and transition from studying to working lifestyle, also comparing possessed and desired knowledge and skills may bring a certain dissonance into student’s self– perception. Students consider the influ- ence of their profession on their future welfare. All these issues can be dealt with easier in case of students who have attended scientific societies and groups, who have tried their hands in practical aspects and improved their knowledge. The results of our analysis are the following. The purpose of the paper lies in comparing psychological and social adaptation of students who participate in scientific groups and are engaged in scientific research with that of students who refrain from such activities. Material and methods. To study social and psychological adap- tation 154 students were asked to fill in a questionnaire based on the K. Roger and R. Dimond’s methodology. Results and discussion. We find that the adaptation in the group of students engaged in the research activity is much higher. Thus, in the first group, the index of emotional comfort is 85%, while the second group has the index of 67%. Researches evaluated the statements about a person, about the way of professional life, experiences, thoughts, habits, behavioral styles on a six–point scale: Adaptation, Self–Perception, Perception of Others, Emo- tional Comfort, Internality, Domination. Considerable difference between control and experiment groups is estab- lished for internality, emotional comfort, and self–perception and perception of others. Conclusion. The obtained results proved that participation in scientific societies increased students’ ability for adaptation and helped to de- velop a socially and psychologically healthy professional with such grounded qualities as self–respect, self–un- derstanding, independence and assertiveness.