This qualitative, instrumental bounded case study explored the role of athletic departments in fostering student-athletes’ sense of belonging at a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution. Amid the evolving landscape of intercollegiate athletics—including the implementation of the NCAA Transfer Portal and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) legislation—student-athletes navigate increasingly complex relationships with their institutions. While existing higher education scholarship consistently links sense of belonging to outcomes such as persistence, retention, and academic success, limited research has examined the distinct experiences of student-athletes within this framework. Although the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) administers national surveys to assess student-athlete experiences, these instruments do not explicitly examine the role athletic departments play in cultivating belonging. The purpose of this study was to explore how student-athletes describe their sense of belonging and how interactions with central athletic department staff influence that experience. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 Division I student-athletes and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings indicated that belonging was not inherently secured through athletic participation alone. Rather, belonging emerged as a dynamic and relational process shaped by integration beyond sport, perceptions of mattering and recognition, the structural time demands of athletics, and the accessibility and authenticity of athletic department leadership.
Dave Gerson (Thu,) studied this question.