Help to settle in and friendships beyond class: what makes students feel like they belong at uni

• If students feel like they belong at their university, research shows it plays a crucial role in their overall wellbeing, self-esteem, and motivation to study.
• As the Universities Accord interim report says, universities have an “obligation to students to foster belonging”.

What is happening to student belonging?

• The annual Student Experience Survey tracks Australian students’ sense of belonging to their institution.
• In 2022, only 46.5% of undergraduate students said they experienced a sense of belonging at university, and while this is slightly higher than 2021 (42.1%), it remains significantly lower than most other areas of student experience.
• For example, Australian students rated their overall university experience at 75.9%.

Our study

• We looked at more than 1.1 million undergraduate and postgraduate students during this time.
• Analysis of multiple variables from the national student experience survey suggested several causes and connections.

Students want help to settle in

• This could look like peer mentoring programs and for international students, mobilising the help of ethnic and religious community organisations.
• It is also important for universities to have places on campus for students to interact, as well as clubs and events.
• On top of this, university teaching staff can complete training in how to facilitate social connections between students.

Students need meaningful connections

• The study found it was important for all students - domestic or international – to have interactions with local students.
• Local students already know the important places, events and sub-cultures of an area.

Group work and belonging

We found some interactions in class are important: our study suggests learning teamwork in class helped students feel like they belonged as it meant students were working together and interacting with their peers. However, other skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, subject matter knowledge, and work readiness were far less important when it came to belonging.

Demographic indifference?

• That is, we might belong more easily with those who share characteristics with us.
• Read more:
  Uncapping uni places for Indigenous students is a step in the right direction, but we must do much more

Why this matters

• In its interim report, the Universities Accord does not look at the commencement or orientation process for students.
• If they do, our research suggests this will have long-term benefits.