Affective Experiences, Academic Identity, and Graduate Student Success: A Behavioral Science Perspective

Graduate education is undergoing a period of profound transformation. Shifts in labor markets, demographic changes, heightened attention to and evidence of inequality, and the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have reshaped how graduate and professional students experience academic life. Against this backdrop, questions of belonging and identity have moved from the margins to the center of scholarly and policy debates. This special issue of American Behavioral Scientist examines challenges and opportunities in fostering belonging in today’s graduate education landscape, drawing on behavioral science perspectives to understand how affective experiences shape academic identity, engagement, and persistence across disciplines.