Does Sense of Belonging Predict Student Retention in a College of Agriculture?

To meet the increasing demand for a highly qualified workforce, colleges of agriculture have been tasked with increasing the supply of graduates. This can be accomplished by increasing the retention of agricultural college students from freshman year to graduation. Many factors contributing to retention have been identified including precollegiate and collegiate experiences, students’ sense of belonging while in college, and various personal characteristics. Using Model of College Students’ Sense of Belonging and the Collegiate Outcomes Model, this study investigated the relationship between freshmen to sophomore retention, students’ perceived sense of belonging, students’ precollegiate and collegiate experiences, and sociodemographic variables in a college of agriculture. Data from 233 freshman students were collected and matched a year later with sophomore retention data. For predicting retention at the [University], high school GPA was the only significant predictor of retention. On the college level, athletic event attendance, major within the college, and intent to switch to a major outside of the [College] were significant predictors of retention. Recommendations included identifying why students with Human Environmental Sciences majors are more likely to leave the college, improving college events to emphasize retention, and conducting a follow up study with students who changed to a major outside [College] but remained at [University] to identify reasons for the move.