Should I Stay or Should I Go? : Fit, Belonging, and College Persistence Decisions for Students from Low-Income Families

Abstract

College persistence and completion rates for students from families earning low incomes are consistently lower than for students from wealthy families. Some of these inequitable gaps may be associated with students’ perceptions of fit and belonging at higher education institutions dominated by upper-middle-class systems and norms. This mixed-methods study investigates how structural fit and sense of belonging are related to persistence choices made by low-income students who are members of a college-access program. Findings from 628 completed surveys suggest that sense of belonging is associated with persistence choices, but structural fit factors dominate persistence choice in multivariate analyses. Findings from 14 individual interviews support the survey findings, with participants discussing their adjustment to college and experiences as college students. The overall results of the study support earlier research findings of the centrality of financial aid and other aspects of structural fit in college persistence choices as well as the importance of all students feeling that they belong and are valued on college campuses.