<p>Student belonging is associated with motivation, persistence, scholarly success and wellbeing. There is considerable variability, however, in how belonging is understood that has largely gone unacknowledged. This variability can be problematic because the perspective through which belonging is viewed gives rise to different policies and practices. As medical schools evolve through more integration of educational technology, creation of distributed campuses, and shifting student demographics, we need to rethink how such changes will influence belonging. To that end, in this Reflections paper, we seek to produce conceptual clarity by outlining four theoretical perspectives (psychological, socio-ecological, political and relational) with respect to when and how belonging is defined along with how they might inform application to medical education. We identify key authors and review papers from within each perspective, describing how belonging was defined, its boundaries, and key ideas offered. While there is considerable overlap among some perspectives, we highlight distinctions and connect them to relevant medical education literature to draw out their implications. The psychological perspective identifies belonging as a motivational need. The socio-ecological perspective recognizes belonging as a feeling that is dynamic and enabled through interactions with different aspects of the social milieu. The political perspective examines the intersection of two domains, the personal and the political, to understand who has the power to grant belonging and how that intersects with personal feelings of belonging. The relational perspective orients to everyday practices and the dynamic negotiation of relations among people. We hope this paper helps to orient the field towards multiple, nuanced and productive perspectives on belonging.</p>