Objective: To understand the reasons that lead Brazilian and Spanish seniors to enroll in a university for the elderly. Method: A qualitative study that used Symbolic Interactionism as a theoretical reference and the Grounded Theory as a methodological reference. We interviewed 44 seniors enrolled in universities for the elderly from two countries (Brazil and Spain) between October 2014 and May 2016. Results: The motivations were related to the necessity of occupying the free time, even for

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... oving health; to the opportunity of access to university learning bypassing formal education criteria; to the expansion of social relations, sought through the creation of new friendships, the desire to know other people's life experiences, and the exchange of knowledge. Final considerations: Older people have sought in universities for the elderly a pleasurable way of learning and occupying the free time.