From school, students begin to prepare for their future profession, and after entering the university, they go through the stages of the professionalization process. The article examines the works of researchers on social and psychological factors that develop professionally significant abilities of students. The main goal of teaching competencies in the process of studying at a university is of great importance in the development of students as specialists. The relevance of the topic lies in the fact that currently most students who have graduated from a higher educational institution cannot work in their specialty or engage in a completely different profession. Psychological and social factors, i.e. the environment, influence the student's becoming a specialist along with his individual abilities. What factors influence the formation of professionally significant abilities of students within the walls of the university, we can clarify in the article.