From the perspectives of consensus or conflict approaches, the social role of education is defined in different ways. In this sense, consensus and conflict approaches can be considered as representing two ends. This study aims to reveal the role of university education for students who are the most important actors of education. Accordingly, private university students’ views on the meaning and the function of university education were examined qualitatively. In the research, designed as a phenomenology, individual interviews were conducted with seven students using a semi-structured interview form and collected data was analyzed. Findings are grouped under four main categories which are ‘mission of university education’, ‘socializing through university’, ‘career building and personal development’, and several sub-categories also emerged. As a consequence, this research revealed two main themes which are ‘limited correspondence between the meaning and the function of university education’ and ‘degrading the meaning of university education through career focus’. Students’ views on university education under the category of mission seems in accordance with description of education by consensus approach. On the other hand, under the other three categories, the views on the function of university include examples for the shift defined by the conflict approach.