“I Struggle to Connect Because …”: Investigating EFL Students’ Perceptions of Belonging Barriers in Higher Education

Student belonging has emerged as a critical issue in the increasingly diverse landscape of higher education. While research has addressed various aspects of student belonging, there is a lack of studies with in-depth qualitative phases that focus specifically on university students’ barriers to belonging within English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. Therefore, this mixed-methods study aims to identify and analyze university students’ perceptions of these barriers. The study involved 27 Iranian EFL students from diverse universities and degree levels (BA, MA, and PhD). Thematic analysis revealed three major categories of belonging barriers: socioeconomic barriers (financial burden, lack of job prospects, family responsibilities), sociocultural barriers (geographical separation, discrimination, social anxiety), and institutional barriers (rigid regulations, unapproachable professors, negative staff attitudes). In the quantitative phase, a ranking scale was administered to assess the perceived significance of these barriers. The findings highlighted socioeconomic barriers as the most significant, followed by sociocultural and institutional barriers. Addressing these barriers requires a holistic approach that combines economic support, cultural sensitivity, and institutional reforms to foster a more inclusive and supportive educational environment.