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This quantitative research aims to explore how fostering a sense of presence in a virtual reality learning environment (VRLE) affects students' motivation to learn a topic, specifically by examining the mediating roles of engagement and motivation for exploration within the VLRE in influencing the motivation to learn a given topic. To evaluate these relationships, users' sense of presence was experimentally manipulated using two VRLE versions: one for high-presence and one for low-presence. The research uses the Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ) to measure VR presence, and an original motivational learning questionnaire designed by the researcher to assess student engagement, motivation to explore the VR environment, and motivation to learn the VRLE topic. Data was analyzed using SPSS, including correlations, t-tests, and multiple regression. The findings from this study suggest that there are positive correlations between the sense of presence, engagement, motivation to explore, and motivation to learn. While there was not significant evidence to support engagement as a mediator, there was significant evidence to support motivation to explore as a mediator in the relationship between the sense of presence and motivation to learn the VRLE topic. User comments suggested VRLE improvements and expressed enjoyment from the VRLE. Recommendations for future research are included and practical implications for incorporating VRLEs to motivate students are noted.