The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship of students' sense of belonging and first-year college student retention. In particular, the researcher analyzed the relationship of students' sense of belonging, the predictor variable and first-year college student retention, the outcome variable. The problem of college student retention is addressed in this study by examining the importance of a student's sense of belonging while transitioning from high school student to first-time college student. A first-year college student's sense of belonging is critical to self-identity. First-year college students commonly struggle with the sense of belonging which could relate to marginal performance, costly attrition, dissatisfaction, and a decreased sense of social identity. A correlational research design was utilized to examine the variables simultaneously and to investigate the associations among the variables of social identity and retention of first-year college students. The analysis included descriptive statistics, an ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation, and a linear regression design. Quantitative data was collected from the utilization of the Belongingness Scale-Clinical Placement Experiences Tool (BES-CPE), and student contact information from a census report from the participating higher education institution was used. The multiple regression results suggested there was a statistically significant relationship in the out-group for belongingness and first-year student retention. The findings indicated a sense of social identity strongly influenced the groups' sense of belonging. The concept of social identity theory could lay the groundwork for curriculum development, aiding faculty in the development of freshmen experience courses. It is recommended additional research be conducted using a larger sample size and including multiple college or universities across a larger geographic area. A second recommendation for future research is a qualitative phenomenological study to include interviews with first-year college students using open-ended interviews on beliefs of connectedness and a sense of belonging, which may be beneficial to provide a more in-depth analysis on the beliefs connectedness, a sense of belonging, and retention.