Kevin Mao, 20, from Tottenham, will have to serve a minimum of 26 years at a young offenders' institute for the murder of Noor Hassan Barre.
Mr Hassan Barre was found at Middlesex University campus in Hendon on 31 October 2014.
The Old Bailey heard Mr Hassan Barre died from a stab wound to the chest following an argument.
Both men had attended an event hosted by the University's African Caribbean Society when an argument broke out between the pair outside the party, police said.
Det Ch Insp Simon Ashwin said: "This is another tragic waste of life resulting from a young man carrying a knife."
Sodiq Adebayo, 22, from Ilford, who was charged with the murder of Mr Hassan Barre, was found not guilty at the Old Bailey on 21 April.
A man who fatally stabbed another man at a London university campus has been detained for life.