University Climate and First-Year Persistence Plans in Chile: An Assessment of Student Experiences

Using 2018, pre-pandemic survey data, this study provides the first Chilean portrait of university climate. A structural model shows that mattering and validating interactions with faculty are primary forces in cultivating students’ sense of belonging. Even though the broader institutional climate was a weak predictor of persistence plans, these immediate, human-scale relationships were central to explain students’ sense of belonging. This research offers a new framework for understanding early student perceptions of climate at Chilean universities.