Originally from Britain, Mr Deane moved to New Zealand about six years ago and was studying psychology and philosophy at the university.
Friend Kelsi Chiles said Mr Deane was an "amazing person" who was intelligent and wise.
"He was lovely. He was very smart and loved learning and expanding his knowledge base."
Miss Chiles was supposed to meet Mr Deane next week to go over her application to Waikato University because she was interested in studying some of the same papers he had done.
She said he always offered a different perspective on life and was very friendly the first time they met he happily chatted to her as if she had known him a long time.
The Sacred Heart College Year 13 student met Mr Deane almost two years ago when she worked after school at Brookfield Accommodation, gardening and cleaning up rubbish.
She said he was not a confrontational person, but that he was "straight up" and his house within the Brookfield Accommodation complex was probably closest to where a lot of rubbish had been dumped in the past.
"It would have been right on his back door."
As a result of the incident a 62-year-old Hamilton East man has been charged with failing to stop and ascertain injury but police said more charges were likely.
He appeared in the Hamilton District Court on Wednesday and has interim name suppression.
On the same day police took personal items including computers from Mr Deane's home as part of their investigation but Waikato police spokesman Andrew McAlley said this was done as a matter of routine to try to determine Mr Deane's movements.
The Herald understands Mr Deane was a high-achieving student who was only a couple of papers away from finishing his degree.
His funeral will be held at Waikato University's Lady Goodfellow Chapel at 2pm, on Tuesday, October 18.
