Iako se šumarstvo smatra tradicionalnom strukom i područjem znanosti, njegova važnost i značenje u današnjim prilikama povećane svijesti o klimatskim promjena i dobrobiti održivog razvoja prirodnih ekosustava svakim danom sve više raste. Suvremeni i ažurirani studijski programi neophodni su uvjet za primjereno obrazovanje stručnjaka za gospodarenje šumskim ekosustavima i proizvodima. Bolji uvid u studentsku socioekonomsku pozadinu i motivaciju za studij mogu poslužiti za unapređenje studijskih programa, kao i pomoć studentima u postizanju boljih rezultata. Provedeno je istraživanje radi usporedbe trajanja preddiplomskog studija i postignute prosječne ocjene s analizom čimbenika koji bi mogli na to utjecati. Proveden je upitnik među studentima (N=185) diplomskih studija Šumarskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu akademske godine 2016/2017. Analizom varijance testirane su razlike između prosječnih ocjena studija i trajanja studija. Za procjenu utjecaja čimbenika na trajanje studija provedena je višestruka linearna regresija. Približno trećina studenata dolazi iz Zagreba. Više od dvije trećine studenata na šumarskom odsjeku je završilo gimnaziju, dok su na drvnotehnološkom odsjeku dvije trećine studenata završile srednje strukovne škole. Prosječne ocjene i trajanje studija ne razlikuju se statistički značajno po studijskim programima ni po spolu. Prosječna ocjena studija i trajanje studija statistički su značajno negativno korelirani za sva tri studijska programa. Statistički značajni prediktor trajanja studija za sva tri studijska programa je prosječna ocjena studija. Za studij Šumarstvo dodatni prediktori za kraće studiranje su stipendija i osobna motivacija, dok su za studij drvne tehnologije spol (M), stipendija i završena srednja škola (gimnazija). Although forestry is often considered as a traditional field of applied science, it resumes its importance in context of increased awareness of climate change and benefits coming from natural ecosystems. Updated and contemporary study programmes are needed to ensure an adequate education on managing forest ecosystems and its products. A better insight in student background and their motivation for studies are welcome to improve the study programmes and also to find the ways how to help students achieve better results. A case study research was carried out to measure success of studies by duration of studies and average grades achieved, with possible causes. Three undergraduate study programmes on Zagreb Faculty of Forestry were analyzed (Forestry N=94, Urban forestry N=54 and Wood Technology N=39), with data acquired from a questionnaire among forestry graduate students on the same faculty academic year 2016/2017. A Factorial ANOVA was performed to test differences between the studies, and a multivariate linear regression for the influence of predictor variables on the duration of study. Although this profession is associated with people from rural areas, about one third of all students comes from the capital city (Figure 1). Students of Wood Technology (DT) are mostly coming from vocational schools (70%) while Forestry (ŠO) and Urban Forestry (UŠ) students are mostly from gymnasiums (67% and 83%). For about 91% of students main motivation was a personal sake rather than a family interest (9%). Average scores and the duration of study on three study programmes have not been proven significantly different between the studies, nor between male and female students (Table 5). A longer time of study is proven to negatively correlated with the average grades on all study programmes: ŠO (r = -0,56), UŠ (r = -0,55) and DT (r = -0,38) (Table 4.). Statistically significant predictor for duration (with logarithmic transformation) on all study programmes in regression analysis was the average grade, with negative sign, thus leading to a shorter study time. Additional statistically significant predictors for ŠO were obtained grant and personal motivation (negative sign), and for DT were sex, obtained grant, and type of high school (Table 6).