Scientific research is becoming increasingly important in higher education, as it helps students to understand scientific knowledge and provides tools to construct and interpret the meaning of what science provides. This descriptive study compares the use of scientific knowledge by university according to age, entrance route and type of establishment, and verifies the possible relationships between variables. A questionnaire measuring the use of scientific knowledge (information search, knowledge transfer and knowledge contribution) was administered to 187 university students. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the use of scientific knowledge by indicator and in the total scores among the three universities. A positive correlation was observed between age with knowledge contribution and type of school and knowledge transfer with type of school. It is concluded that the type of school could be relevant to obtain better results in the contribution and transfer of scientific knowledge, although age could also contribute.