Degrees of change: the impact of academic studies on religious belonging and professional development among Ultra-Orthodox students, across gender and marital status

This study focused on two culturally salient criteria for assessing outcomes of learning in higher education, in the highly conservative minority group of Israeli Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jewish students: professional development, reflecting students’ primary motivation for pursuing higher education, and religious belonging, which emphasizes their cultural and spiritual identity. Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyzed survey data (n = 447) and in-depth interviews (n = 61), retrospectively assessing three time points: before, during, and after students’ academic studies. Analyses revealed a consistent increase in professional development and a modest decline in religious belonging, with the magnitude of professional growth significantly exceeding that of the decline in religious belonging. Secondary analyses examined how these changes unfold differently by gender and marital status, two variables of high emic significance for this community: Men reported significantly greater decreases in religious belonging than women, while single students showed more pronounced professional development gains than their married peers. Interview narratives illuminated the intertwined and often tension-filled nature of academic transformations and religious change, underscoring the difficulties students face in aligning academic aspirations with their sense of belonging. These findings highlight the complex negotiations involved in higher education for students from conservative societies. The study points to the value of culturally grounded criteria and demographic disaggregation in relation to transformations and subjective outcomes in higher education. We offer recommendations for culturally responsive strategies to support both academic professional development and religious belonging continuity.