What Is a “Healthy” Balance Between Students' Involvement in Curricular and Extracurricular Activities? Evidence From a Highly Selective Russian University

Although many researchers and policy-makers emphasise the benefits of extracurricular involvement, others state that intense extracurricular involvement might be harmful to students' achievements and development. This paper aims to estimate the “healthy” time proportion between curricular and extracurricular activities at university and what patterns of their combination with students' activities outside of campus can positively affect students' academic performance and mental health. Data from an undergraduate survey conducted at a highly selective Russian university and matched with administrative records about students' GPA (N=2753) were utilised. The study revealed that there are cut-off points for student participation in research activities and applied projects at university, as well as volunteering and organising activities. After these cut-off points are reached, the positive effects of extracurricular involvement disappear. The findings highlight the importance of maintaining a balance between both curricular and extracurricular activities as well as making time for sleeping, socialising and leisure activities. This study provides valuable insights into optimising student involvement in activities, offering actionable recommendations for educational policy-makers and university administrators to increase student well-being and academic performance.