The article presents the results of the eighth stage of monitoring the socio-cultural development of youth. It has been carried out for over 25 years under the guidence of Yu. R. Vishnevsky. The sample size of the last stage consisted of 2,000 third-year students of intramural studies at the universities of the Middle Urals. Quota parameters are gender and study programs of respondents (humanitarian, engineering, socio-economic and natural sciences). The purpose of the article is to record the changes that have occurred in the structure of students leisure activities since 2016. The sample of 2016 is compiled by the same principles, n = 1,827. The theoretical part of the article reviews approaches to defining the concept of leisure, its types and main factors that affect the structure of preferences when choosing leisure activities. The results of the article include the dynamics of student interest in leisure activities for the period from 1995 to 2020. An increase in the number of leisure activities per respondent was revealed, as well as an increase in interest in activities related to digital technologies. A decrease in interest was noted in active forms of leisure such as tourism, outings, sports. Interest in leisure activities related to social interaction, both in direct and indirect form, remains. The close attention is paid to the comparison of data from 2016 and 2020, since it was during these years that the most complete range of students’ activities was formed. The influence of the respondent’s gender on the choice of leisure activities has been also analyzed. The respondents have been grouped according to several classifications of leisure. Based on the classifications, an interest in recreational activities and the preservation of the recreational function of leisure are noted.