Relationship between university belonging and student outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

University students experience academic demands in addition to everyday stressors, which can impact their well-being and potentially affect academic performance. University sense of belonging, a key social determinant of health and well-being, may directly and indirectly influence academic outcomes. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses to investigate whether a sense of belonging at university impacts student well-being and academic outcomes. The results revealed a significant small-to-medium positive association between university sense of belonging and academic outcomes (r = 0.20), and a significant medium-to-large positive association with well-being outcomes (r = 0.40). Additionally, the number-needed-to-treat analyses suggest that a population-based intervention to improve university sense of belonging could have a significant impact on academic and well-being outcomes. However, high heterogeneity was observed, and most studies had a high risk of bias. Future research should explore moderating factors (e.g., student type) that contribute to this heterogeneity and focus on establishing causality in these relationships.