In the master thesis, the goal of the presented research is to examine the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, applied on studying on students. Also, research answers the question about students’ satisfaction with their colleges. The instrument for conducting the research is the questionnaire. The research was conducted on a sample of 219 respondents from the University of Applied Sciences Baltazar Zaprešić and the University of Zagreb and the University of Dubrovnik. Research results show that, when it comes to studying, intrinsic motivation factors have more influence on students than extrinsic motivation, but the difference gap is so small that it cannot be concluded that extrinsic motivation does not have a significant impact. The strongest extrinsic motivation for students to study is being able to acquire a better career while the strongest intrinsic motivation for students is personal development. Results about students’ general satisfaction with college show that students are dissatisfied the most with the curriculum, with the list of elective courses and with a schedule of lectures and exercises. Introduction to a thesis is about the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, sources and methods for gathering data, expected scientific contribution and the purpose and the concept of the work. After the introduction, in the next part, the motivation is explained, from defining the motivation through history, motivation for learning, students' motivation theories and their satisfaction. In the third part, there is an overview of theories of learning, explanation of learning styles and strategies and students’ approaches to learning. For the purpose of a better understanding of learning, there is a part about memorizing, sensory, short and long term memory. After that, the focus is placed on teachers in higher education level and their teaching. The last part is about conducted research and explanation about the results. The last part is followed by the conclusion that presents the main research results with the aim of raising awareness of the necessary changes in higher education and the important role of professors in influencing students’ motivation.