A new study led by Wake Forest University reveals that college students with a strong sense of belonging are significantly more likely to graduate within four years. Discover the key findings and strategies to enhance student inclusion and success.
A recent study led by Wake Forest University revealed that students who perceive a strong sense of belonging during their first year of college are substantially more likely to graduate within four years.
The study found that a one-point increase on a five-point belonging scale corresponded to a 3.4 percentage-point boost in the likelihood of graduation within four years.
The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Educational Researcher, is likely among the first to quantify the impact of belonging on degree attainment.
“When students feel a part of their institution—supported by faculty, engaged in coursework and part of a broader community—their college outcomes are different,” first author Shannon Brady, a psychology professor at Wake Forest, said in a news release. “This connection between belonging and graduation highlights the importance of institutional efforts that help students feel academically and socially integrated—not as a ‘nice-to-have,’ but as a key dimension of student success.”
This study used data from over 21,000 undergraduate students enrolled in thousands of two- and four-year colleges across the United States. The students began their college journey in 2011-12, with their graduation outcomes measured in 2015 and 2017, four and six years later, respectively.
Students with a robust sense of belonging are not just more likely to graduate — they also tend to take advantage of resources and build relationships that bolster their academic performance and persistence.
However, Brady emphasizes that fostering this sense of belonging goes beyond creating fun experiences. It requires assuring students that they have the support, understanding and resources necessary to overcome academic challenges and succeed.
The impetus behind the research stems from the widely recognized benefits of college degree attainment, which include better employment prospects, improved well-being and increased community engagement. The significant results from this study underscore the need for institutions to focus on creating an inclusive environment where all students feel they belong.
“You might think that students come into first year and either feel that sense of belonging or they don’t, and then it’s set,” added Brady. “But our data are suggesting that how things fluctuate over time also matters for students.”
Recommendations for institutions seeking to boost students’ sense of belonging — and, thereby, their graduation rates — include building an inclusive culture rather than implementing isolated programs. According to Brady, it involves identifying and removing structural and psychological barriers that prevent students from feeling included.
In prior research, Brady and her team found that brief online interventions that normalized worries about belonging and projected positive growth trajectories helped more students complete their first year of college. However, these interventions were only effective when students had tangible opportunities to feel they belonged.
Brady also highlighted New York’s acclaimed Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), which improves graduation rates by addressing everyday barriers such as transportation costs, scheduling conflicts and limited advising, thereby enhancing students’ sense of belonging.
“It’s wild that we are the first ones to be able to do this, but the data just haven’t existed,” Brady added.
Brady and her co-author, Maithreyi Gopalan of the University of Oregon, suggest that a standardized, multi-item belonging tool should be developed and widely implemented. This would allow universities to better understand the dynamics of belonging and its influence on various aspects of the college experience.
Source: Wake Forest University