Written by: Mike Roderique, MA
Client Success Manager, Raftr
Despite decades of institutional focus on retention metrics, the higher‑ed sector is now pivoting toward a deeper understanding: retention isn’t solely academic; it’s fundamentally emotional. As colleges grapple with student melt, feelings of isolation, and dropout, reframing belonging as an emotional challenge (and treating it as such!) is the first step toward reversal.
The Connection Between Student Belonging & Retention
Traditionally, retention has been narrowly defined: keep students enrolled, raise graduation rates, and improve persistence metrics – but new research shows this is only part of the story. Emotional experiences (especially belonging, purpose, and trust) are now recognized as critical drivers.
At the same time, measurement tools such as the Sense of Social Fit (SSF) scale now differentiate belonging into four factors—identification with the university, social match, social acceptance, and cultural capital—recognizing that belonging is multifaceted and intimately tied to identity and well‑being (Inside Higher Ed).
At the University of Washington, Tacoma, a striking study based on interviews with students who dropped out revealed that lack of sense of purpose and belonging (far more than academic failure!) drove their departure. Between January 2022 and July 2023, 2.1 million students left higher education, and nearly every one cited emotional and existential uncertainties, not just course difficulty or grades (Inside Higher Ed).
Similarly, a brief from the Institute for Higher Education Policy underscores that belonging and student experience (i.e. faculty interactions, social integration, clarity of institutional culture) are as predictive of retention as academic support and structural services (Inside Higher Ed).
A faculty‑driven initiative called The Caring Campus model encourages intentional caring behaviors through creating emotional connection in classrooms. Participating institutions report higher student morale, engagement, and overall retention among students who feel they matter to the institution (Inside Higher Ed).
Modern retention work is emotional-first. When students feel seen, welcome, and valued (especially during transition points!), they stay.
Strategies to Drive Student Belonging & Retention
Many innovative programs—from low-cost exercises to high‑commitment cohorts—are proving effective at enhancing belonging and reducing isolation.
1. The 30‑Minute Belonging Exercise
A rigorous study published in The Chronicle of Higher Education involved nearly 27,000 incoming students across 22 diverse institutions.
Students who completed a short, online reframing exercise designed to normalize belonging uncertainty were more likely to persist into their second year—especially students from underrepresented and first‑generation backgrounds (The Chronicle of Higher Education). This simple and scalable intervention can move the needle meaningfully.
2. Learning Communities & Living‑Learning Programs
Linked‑courses, living‑learning communities, and freshman interest groups foster deeper academic and social integration.
Research shows that participants in these communities have higher GPA, reduced feelings of isolation, stronger peer engagement, and greater persistence compared to peers living in traditional housing or taking unconnected courses. At scale, these intentional cohorts create a “we’re in this together” culture, mitigating dropout risk.
3. Caring Campus
The Community College Research Center at Columbia University evaluated the Caring Campus intervention (delivered through IEBC).
By championing behavioral commitments from faculty and staff—such as more proactive outreach, student check‑ins, and relational presence—150 colleges across 26 states saw improvements in students’ feelings of belonging and overall campus climate (Inside Higher Ed).
4. North Carolina A&T State University: Welcoming Admitted Students with Belonging
At North Carolina A&T (now the largest HBCU by enrollment), Raftr’s YieldRaiser platform was deployed to welcome admitted students before they set foot on campus. Joe Montgomery, Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at North Carolina A&T explains how this built belonging early:
“Raftr gives us the opportunity to allow our current students to have active conversations with prospective students about what it means to be a student at A&T.
They get to talk about all of their various opportunities that they’ve been able to take advantage of, and it’s those types of things that creates the kind of stickiness we need…and we can actually see the results because we can actually look in the tool and monitor it.”
Joe Montgomery,
Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
North Carolina A&T
This pre-arrival engagement reduced anxiety, helped students envision themselves as part of the Aggie community, and created a smoother transition into campus life—not just a transactional enrollment moment.
5. Jackson State University: Heritage, Community & Identity
At Jackson State, programs rooted in identity and legacy—such as the Margaret Walker Center and the famed Sonic Boom of the South with its Prancing J-Settes dance line—serve as more than cultural traditions. They foster intergenerational pride, collective identity, and belonging among students. The sense of continuity and cultural affirmation these spaces provide is often cited as key in helping students feel they truly belong. (Jackson State University)
Although published data shows Jackson State’s retention rate hovers around 74% (slightly above the national average) it is within identity-affirming programs and heritage centers where students report the strongest emotional connection and campus integration. (College Factual)
How Digital Tools & Communities Boost Student Belonging & Retention
As institutions scale, digital tools and communities offer flexible, low‑barrier ways to extend meaningful connection to every student.
Inside Higher Ed’s September 2023 survey (2,000+ students and instructors) identified four key levers to foster belonging: increasing evidence-based active learning, adding digital tools that create community, publicizing support services, and promoting targeted engagement with advisors and mental‑health staff (Inside Higher Ed).
Digital communities and curated peer groups can bridge gaps in access, space, and timing:
- Create asynchronous peer and staff interaction channels, so students can connect on their schedule.
- Enable cross-course study groups, mentoring matchups, and social‑academic forums.
- Offer belonging‑focused prompts or reflection exercises embedded digitally.
Even simple digital nudges like welcome messages, cohort introductions, and motivational posts signal care and calibrate expectations positively.
And learning communities implemented digitally (for example, matching students into inclusive study groups in large online classes) have been shown to reduce isolation and improve satisfaction, especially among underrepresented groups (Cornell University & Cornell University).
Enter Raftr: Strengthening Student Belonging & Engagement for Measurable Impacts on Retention
At Raftr, our core mission is strengthening belonging through platform design intended to drive connection, engagement, and ultimately retention. To resonate with administrator audiences, you can frame this in four strategic messages:
- Emotional Scaffolding that Supports Retention
Raftr provides digital spaces where students can comfortably explore identity, connect with peers and staff, and find purpose—addressing the emotional underpinnings of retention. Our platform delivers belonging through curated communities, staff‑led discussions, and peer‑supported dialogues
This connects to the shift away from academic-only models toward emotional integration via digital means, consistent with UW Tacoma’s findings about purpose, and IHEP’s report linking belonging to persistence (Inside Higher Ed). - Scalable Belonging Interventions Built-In
Whether through peer‑mentor groups or digital reflection prompts, Raftr operationalizes belonging‑enhancing interventions. It’s the familiar equivalent of a digital version of that 30‑minute belonging exercise—but embedded into your institution’s ecosystem for first‑year students.
Administrators can design cohort channels that include motivational prompts, transition-week icebreakers, belonging nudges, and faculty‑moderated forums—all contributing to that sense of social fit and inclusion measured by multi‑factor belonging scales (The Chronicle of Higher Education). - Faculty‑Student Engagement Tools That Mirror Caring Campus
Use Raftr to drive proactive faculty‑student presence: structured office‑hours channels, early‑alert outreach, or prompt‑based check‑ins. These digital behaviors engage students emotionally—just like Caring Campus—but on a platform students already frequent and trust (Inside Higher Ed).
Administrators can track engagement as part of strategic interventions, measuring increases in feelings of being cared for or known, and correlating it with retention data. - Measured Outcomes Through Integrated Analytics
Institutions can benchmark Raftr engagement metrics and tie them to retention dashboards. Report on engagement rates, community activity, and self‑reported belonging scores through embedded quick surveys.
Teams can show how high‑engagement cohorts on Raftr correlate to higher persistence, reduced stop‑outs, and improved completion rates. This supports the data‑driven case for emotional retention work.
What Higher Ed Leaders Should Focus On Next
As the calculus of student retention evolves, higher‑ed leaders must shift from academic-centric models to emotional frameworks centered on belonging and purpose. Campus programs like learning cohorts, belonging exercises, and CARE‑based faculty behaviors are showing measurable success—and digital platforms are the next frontier for scaling these interventions.
Raftr sits at that intersection: enabling digital-purpose networks, structured cohort building, faculty‑led caring interactions, and belonging‑focused analytics. In a landscape where students’ emotional connection to college determines whether they stay—or melt away—Raftr empowers institutions to build the sense of belonging that builds completion.
Institutions such as North Carolina A&T and Jackson State provide powerful examples of how belonging—and identity—can be nurtured digitally and through culture-rich programs. A&T’s use of Raftr before arrival illustrates how emotional scaffolding can begin even before orientation day, while Jackson State’s heritage institutions remind us why culture and identity matter to students’ sense of fitting in.
By focusing not just on coursework but on “Do students feel they belong?”, campuses can create an environment where fewer students drop out, fewer feel isolated, and more persist toward graduation—with measurable outcomes tied directly to engagement. That’s how retention becomes emotional, and how Raftr helps make belonging real.
5 Key Takeaways:
- Belonging as emotional retention: Retention is now perceived as deeply tied to emotional wellbeing, purpose, and identity. Academic support alone isn’t enough. According to NC A&T’s experience, belonging starts before students even arrive—digital platforms like Raftr can spark that emotional anchor early.
- Campus identity and tradition reinforce retention: At Jackson State University, heritage programs like the Margaret Walker Center and the Prancing J-Settes give students a sense of shared belonging that counters isolation.
- Digital tools amplify analog belonging rituals: Raftr platforms mirror and scale in-person belonging initiatives—NC A&T’s experience with YieldRaiser shows measurable impact through pre-arrival engagement.
- Evidence‑backed interventions: Simple belonging exercises, learning communities, and Caring Campus‑style faculty behaviors have measurable retention outcomes.
- Digital tools as multiplier: Peer networks and forums are proven scalable ways to bolster social and academic integration
Raftr’s strategic fit: Raftr offers administrators a platform to embed belonging prompts, foster caring faculty‑student connection, enable peer communities, and measure retention impact—all aligned with research‑informed practices.