In world literature, several works created by the principles of naturalism, realism, critical realism, and modernist trends have focused on identifying the origins of "university fiction," its poetic evolutionary features, its place among other types of novels, and its commonalities with said. Special attention is paid to the student's image, the student character's distinct role in the system of traditional literary figures, and the real-life and artistic foundations of its portrayal. In both Eastern and Western literature, the student has always been depicted as one of the driving progressive forces of society, an active member striving for knowledge, and a social stratum in need of protection. Therefore, a comparative study of the history, evolution, and characteristics of portrayal and interpretation of the student image in fiction is of great importance in revealing the general patterns of evolutionary development of realistic characters in literature.