College Students’ Sense of Belonging: A National Perspective

Maithreyi Gopalan · Shannon Therese Brady

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Higher Education Research Studies Early Childhood Education and Development Career Development and Diversity

Abstract

In a nationally representative sample, first-year US college students "somewhat agree", on average, that they feel like they belong at their school. However, belonging varies by key institutional and student characteristics; of note, racial-ethnic minority and first-generation students report lower belonging than peers at four-year schools, while the opposite is true at two-year schools. Further, at four-year schools, belonging predicts better persistence, engagement, and mental health, even after extensive covariate adjustment. Although descriptive, these patterns highlight the need to better measure and understand belonging and related psychological factors that may promote college students' success and well-being.

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References

1995The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.2007A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement.2015Measurement Matters 2012College Students' Sense of Belonging

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