University belonging and major satisfaction are two key psychological constructs that influence first-year students' academic adjustment and retention. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between university belonging and major satisfaction among first-year students enrolled in the Physical Education and Sports Sciences program (STAPS) at Kasdi Merbah University of Ouargla, Algeria. A purposive sample of 53 students (88.7% male, 11.3% female; aged 21.2 ± 5.2 years) completed two questionnaires developed for this study: the University Belonging Scale (15 items, α = .837) and the Major Satisfaction Scale (15 items, α = .898). Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and simple linear regression were computed using SPSS v25. University belonging was rated at a moderate-to-high level (3.84 ± 0.45; 76.77%), and major satisfaction was rated high (4.14 ± 0.50; 82.88%). A significant positive correlation was found between the two variables (r = .565, p < .001). Linear regression identified university belonging as a significant predictor of major satisfaction (β = .565, B = 0.629, R² = .319, F(1, 51) = 23.88, p < .001), explaining 31.9% of the variance. Exploratory factor analysis supported a two-factor structure for the belonging instrument and a unidimensional structure for the satisfaction instrument, and the association remained significant after removal of psychometrically weak items (r = .506, p < .001). These findings suggest that a stronger sense of university belonging was associated with higher major satisfaction scores in this sample. Practical implications for academic counseling in Algerian higher education institutions are discussed.

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