A Scoping Review of Social Belonging Interventions in Higher Education

Social belonging interventions are one of the most evidence-based approaches to supporting student belonging in higher education, yet their execution varies widely. This scoping review synthesizes research on social belonging interventions within higher education to explore how these interventions have been designed, delivered, and evaluated. A systematic search of electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, was performed using keywords related to higher education, Wise Interventions, and social belonging. The review included 20 studies that examined different types of social belonging interventions, including classic attributional retraining, growth mindset, value-affirmation, difference-education, utility-value programs, and behavioral nudges. Results suggest that social belonging interventions can enhance academic performance, psychological well-being, and retention in higher education, although these findings can also vary depending on context, intervention type, and population. Over time, social belonging interventions have accumulated a strong evidence base, and this scoping review confirms their continued effectiveness.