Improving College Students’ Sense of Belonging With Basic Needs Supports

ABSTRACT Sense of belonging is a basic human need that takes on heightened importance in college contexts. Thus, basic needs supports in college play a crucial role in ensuring students have access to food, housing, clothing, and transportation that enable their academic success. They also buffer against stress, social isolation, and disengagement that inhibit feelings of mattering. Using a multidimensional framework and belonging theory, authors posit basic needs supports as promising practices for fostering belonging, with new directions for research and policy.