Purpose This paper aims to identify the importance that students attach to the internet as a tool of task support, and the factors that affect its acceptance as such a tool. Design/methodology/approach Using the technology-acceptance model (TAM) as a basis, a questionnaire is designed by the researchers, and completed by students. Multiple linear regression is used to analyse the data, and this confirms the relationships proposed by the TAM. Findings The main findings of the study are that: students feel that a task support system is a prerequisite for effectiveness in their work; they require greater access to the internet to meet their task support needs; perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the internet directly affect university students attitude which, in turn, affect the students intentions of using the internet as a task support tool. Research limitations/implications Main limitations of this study are related to the sampling method and the fact that the field research was conducted only in Bandung and Yogyakarta. Originality/value Finally, the paper suggests how students could exploit the internet as a task support tool for students and what actions should be planned in order to facilitate its adoption.