A comprehensive analysis of new research from Wake Forest University reveals a powerful and consistent correlation between a college student’s sense of belonging and their likelihood of successful degree completion. The study underscores that fostering an inclusive and connected campus environment is not merely a social objective but a critical driver of academic persistence and graduation, with an impact that rivals significant financial interventions. This research provides a clear mandate for educational institutions to prioritize and invest in strategies that cultivate this essential sense of connection among their student populations, suggesting that feeling like a part of the community is a cornerstone of academic achievement. By reframing student success through the lens of belonging, colleges and universities can unlock a potent, non-financial tool to improve outcomes for all learners.
The Surprising Data
Quantifying Connection and Its Impact
The foundation of these findings is a robust and extensive dataset drawn from a nationally representative survey that encompassed over 21,000 undergraduate students enrolled in a diverse array of two- and four-year colleges across the United States. The students in this cohort began their college careers during the 2011–2012 academic year, with their graduation outcomes meticulously tracked four and six years later, representing the most recent large-scale data of its kind available for analysis. The study’s methodology for quantifying the abstract concept of “belonging” was direct and specific, avoiding vague interpretations. Students were asked to rate their level of agreement with the straightforward statement, “I feel that I am a part of [school],” using a five-point scale. On this scale, a rating of 1 signified “strongly disagree” and a 5 indicated “strongly agree,” providing a clear and measurable metric to correlate with academic persistence and completion rates. This precise approach allowed researchers to move beyond anecdotal evidence and establish a firm statistical basis.
The quantitative results of the study are striking in their clarity and significance, demonstrating a direct and measurable impact on graduation prospects. The research found that an increase in a student’s sense of belonging from their first to their second year was a powerful predictor of success. Specifically, students who reported their sense of belonging just one step higher on the five-point scale in their second year—for example, shifting from a neutral position (3) to an agreeing one (4)—were 3.4 percentage points more likely to graduate within a four-year timeframe. This positive relationship was not a short-term phenomenon; it demonstrated remarkable durability over time. The analysis showed that for every one-step increase a student reported in their sense of belonging, there was a corresponding 2.7-percentage-point increase in their likelihood of earning a degree within a more extended six-year period. This data transforms the concept of belonging from a “nice-to-have” campus feature into a critical, quantifiable factor in student retention and success.
A Cost-Effective Lever for Success
Shannon Brady, a psychology professor at Wake Forest University and the study’s author, emphasized the remarkable consistency of this pattern across diverse demographics and institutional settings. She noted that the positive link between a heightened sense of belonging and higher graduation rates held true across a wide spectrum of students and institutional types, from large public universities to small private colleges, suggesting a universal principle at play in higher education. Brady further contextualized the importance of these findings by drawing a powerful comparison to a more traditional form of student support. She stated that the impact of fostering belonging on student persistence and graduation is comparable to the effect of providing thousands of dollars in additional financial assistance. This comparison effectively re-frames belonging not as a peripheral social goal but as a potent, non-financial lever for improving student outcomes that institutions can strategically employ to boost retention and completion.
One of the most compelling aspects of this solution, as Brady points out, is its potential for cost-effectiveness in an era of tightening higher education budgets. Cultivating a sense of belonging does not necessarily require massive financial outlays or the construction of new facilities. Instead, it demands a shift in institutional mindset toward intentionality and dedicated effort focused on the student experience. Simple, structured interventions can make a profound difference in making students feel like valued members of the campus community with relatively few resources. For instance, redesigning first-year seminars to be more inclusive and relationship-focused or streamlining frustrating administrative hurdles like class registration can significantly reduce student alienation. These seemingly small changes communicate to students that the institution is invested in their success, thereby building the foundational sense of connection that the research proves is so critical to their academic journey.
Nuances and Real-World Solutions
A Closer Look at Student Experiences
While the overarching trend was consistent, the study also identified two statistically significant nuances where the relationship between belonging and graduation differed for specific student populations. First, the link between a sense of belonging and four-year graduation rates was found to be stronger for students whose parents had attended college compared to their first-generation peers. The report posits that this disparity may exist because first-generation students often contend with a unique set of “structural and psychological challenges” that can, at times, weaken or override the benefits derived from feeling a sense of belonging. These challenges are multifaceted and complex, including a lack of familial experience in navigating intricate college systems, intense financial pressures that compete with academic and social engagement, and systemic cultural mismatches between their home environments and the institutional culture of the college. This suggests that for these students, a sense of belonging, while important, may need to be paired with more targeted structural supports to be fully effective.
Second, the research revealed that a sense of belonging had a weaker connection to six-year graduation rates for Asian students when compared to non-Asian students. The report attributes this difference, in part, to the likelihood that Asian students may have access to “alternative supports that promote academic persistence” outside of their direct connection to the institution. These alternative support systems can include strong family expectations that place a high value on educational achievement, robust peer networks with deeply ingrained academic norms, and cultural orientations that prioritize sustained effort and resilience over a purely socio-emotional connection to the school itself. The authors wisely caution, however, against viewing the “Asian” demographic as a monolith. This broad category encompasses immense diversity across countries of origin, generational status, and socioeconomic backgrounds, all of which significantly shape a student’s access to support systems, their individual experiences of belonging, and their ultimate path to credential attainment.
From Theory to Action
The implications of this research were profoundly practical. Brady pointed to the City University of New York’s (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) as an exemplary model for how institutions could effectively foster student belonging through intentional design. The ASAP program was structured to systematically remove common, everyday barriers that could alienate students and hinder their progress. By providing tangible support for transportation costs, simplifying class scheduling into predictable blocks, and offering intensive, high-touch advising, ASAP not only demonstrably improved graduation rates but also helped students feel more deeply connected and supported by their campus community. As Brady articulated, “If you can’t get the classes you need, it’s hard to feel connected to school,” and logistical challenges like transportation could prevent students from building the very peer and faculty relationships that are foundational to establishing a sense of belonging. The success of this model underscored that practical support was a direct pathway to emotional connection.
Beyond implementing specific programs, Brady advocated for a systemic change in how belonging was measured and discussed across the higher education landscape. She recommended that institutions collaboratively adopt a standardized metric for assessing student belonging. The landscape at the time, where different schools used different, often proprietary, measures, prevented a “cross-institution conversation” and inhibited the ability to aggregate knowledge and best practices effectively. A standardized approach would have allowed for better comparative analysis and a more rapid, collective advancement in understanding and supporting this critical component of student success. Ultimately, the research concluded that the onus was on colleges and universities to proactively create environments where students felt they belonged. Brady asserted that institutions had a fundamental responsibility to build a community where it was both “reasonable and positive” for students to form a meaningful connection, thereby unlocking their full potential for success.
