Why Measures of Belonging and Institutional Support Are Central to Organizational Success: An Example From Nursing Education

Aug 2

5 min read

Nursing education faces a persistent challenge: high attrition rates alongside an urgent need for a well‑prepared, diverse nursing workforce. Decades of research confirm that academic preparedness matters but does not fully explain differences in outcomes. Across baccalaureate and associate degree programs, one factor repeatedly emerges as decisive: whether students feel they belong and are institutionally supported.

Beyond Admission Metrics: The Limits of Academic Predictors

Traditional predictors such as prerequisite GPA, science grades, and standardized test scores are undeniably linked to nursing student outcomes. Large multi‑cohort and systematic reviews show that pre‑nursing GPA, science coursework, and early academic success correlate with program progression, graduation, and course performance. In associate degree programs, performance in foundational courses—particularly psychology—also predicts early success. Yet these predictors explain only part of the variance in outcomes. Even students who enter with strong academic credentials still leave programs at concerning rates. This gap has driven scholars to examine modifiable, non‑cognitive, and institutional factors—where sense of belonging consistently stands out as one of the most powerful and actionable.

Sense of Belonging: A Core Determinant of Persistence

Sense of belonging refers to a student’s perception that they are accepted, valued, and connected to their academic community. In nursing education, belonging is strongly linked to student satisfaction, persistence, and commitment to completing the program.

Empirical evidence indicates that students who experience belonging are more likely to seek help, engage with peers and faculty, and persist through academic and personal challenges. Conversely, students who feel isolated or marginalized are at higher risk for disengagement and attrition, even when academically capable.

This relationship is particularly important for first‑generation students and students from underrepresented or racialized backgrounds, for whom belonging often mediates the relationship between academic effort and performance. Research shows that for first‑generation students, high levels of conscientiousness and belonging are necessary conditions for strong academic performance, signaling that institutional climate directly shapes success pathways.

Advising, Faculty Relationships, and Institutional Care

Among institutional supports, academic advising consistently emerges as one of the strongest predictors of student satisfaction and persistence. Studies demonstrate that advising quality often has a stronger relationship with satisfaction than academic achievement itself. Regular, proactive advising gives students clarity, reduces uncertainty, and signals that the institution is invested in their success.

Faculty relationships play a parallel role. Teacher‑related factors, such as approachability, clarity of instruction, respect, and responsiveness, are repeatedly ranked by students as having the greatest influence on their academic performance. Students perform better and remain engaged when faculty cultivate learning environments that foster trust, inclusion, and psychological safety.

Importantly, these institutional relationships do not function merely as emotional buffers; they have measurable academic consequences. Supportive faculty‑student interactions reinforce self‑efficacy, a non‑cognitive factor that has been identified as a significant predictor of GPA and academic success in nursing programs.

Belonging, Equity, and Structural Barriers

The importance of belonging cannot be disentangled from issues of equity. Research in both ADN and BSN programs shows that students who identify as belonging to racial or ethnic minority groups experience lower success rates in early nursing courses, even when academic factors are controlled. These disparities are not rooted in ability but in structural and institutional barriers such as limited access to mentoring, financial stress, biased expectations, and social isolation.

Studies highlight that students from underrepresented backgrounds report greater success when institutions implement intentional support structures, such as mentoring programs, inclusive learning communities, culturally responsive advising, and visible commitment to diversity and inclusion. Belonging, in this sense, becomes an equity intervention.

Early Support and the Critical First Year

Evidence across degree types emphasizes the importance of early intervention, particularly during the first year and foundational courses. Success in initial nursing courses predicts long‑term outcomes, while early failure often cascades into delayed graduation or attrition.

Institutions that combine early academic monitoring with relational supports—such as early alert systems paired with advising, tutoring, and faculty outreach—are better positioned to retain students. Importantly, these supports are most effective when framed not as remediation, but as normal and expected components of professional preparation, reinforcing a culture of belonging rather than deficiency.

Reframing Responsibility: From Student Readiness to Institutional Readiness

A central theme across the literature is a shift in perspective: student success is not solely a reflection of student readiness, but of institutional readiness to support diverse learners. While academic preparation remains important, the strongest and most sustainable improvements in retention emerge when institutions invest in climates that affirm students’ identities, foster connection, and respond proactively to challenges.

This reframing aligns with theoretical models of nursing student retention, which emphasize the interaction of academic, environmental, social, and psychological factors rather than isolated predictors.

Conclusion: Belonging as Strategy, Not Sentiment

The evidence is clear that sense of belonging and institutional support are not supplemental, rather they are central to nursing student success. Programs that elevate advising, faculty engagement, inclusive practices, and early relational support do more than improve satisfaction; they improve persistence, equity, and graduation outcomes.

As nursing education continues to respond to workforce shortages and calls for greater diversity, belonging must be treated not as a soft concept, but as a strategic priority grounded in evidence. When students feel seen, supported, and valued, they are far more likely to become the nurses our healthcare system urgently needs.

About the Author

Susan Jenkins is an award-winning expert in data, evaluation, and performance management, with extensive experience spanning the public, nonprofit, and private sectors. She currently serves as a Senior Fellow with the Data Foundation, Adjunct Faculty at American University, and Executive Advisor with Evidence Oracle, and previously served as Chief Evaluation Officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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