Understanding Muslim College Students’ Sense of Belonging and Mattering at HBCUs

Abstract

With a sample of 160 Muslim college students attending 34 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), ordinary-least-squares regression analyses were conducted to examine students’ sense of belonging and mattering. Conceptually grounded in the minoritized religious and spiritual campus climate framework (MRSCC), the findings indicated that Muslim students who felt comfortable talking with non-Muslim peers about critical social issues (i.e., racism, sexism, Islamophobia, etc.) were unlikely to feel like an outsider. Muslim students who indicated that they felt supported by administrators and faculty were more likely to report feeling like they matter. Support from administrators was also significant for Muslim students’ belonging.