Academic Success
Academic Success
Students are here to successfully earn a college degree from the University of Minnesota, with a major and academic home that supports their personal and career goals.
We want students to learn and grow in their pursuit of a degree, make timely progress towards graduation, and navigate setbacks or academic challenges with the support of the University.
Sense of Belonging
Sense of Belonging
Feeling a sense of belonging allows students to be their full selves and actively engage as members of the campus community. This includes feeling respected, safe, valued as an individual, and feeling that they belong on campus.
We want every student to feel connected to their UMTC experience and find a community where they feel belonging.
Wellbeing
Wellbeing
Student wellbeing provides the foundation for which students can be healthy, thrive, and grow. Wellbeing refers to students’ mental health, physical health, financial wellness, and basic needs.
We want students to receive the resources and holistic support that allows them to be healthy, well, and ultimately successful in pursuing their degree.
Thriving
Thriving
At UMTC, we want students to thrive during their undergraduate experience. This means making the most out of students’ college experience and taking advantage of the range of opportunities both in and out of the classroom.
We want students to be engaged in meaningful experiences, such as campus involvement, research, leadership opportunities, internships, study abroad, community engagement, or any experience that enhances their learning, career and personal development, and overall enjoyment of college.
Advising & Student Support
Academic Advising
The Office of Undergraduate Education, in collaboration with undergraduate colleges, provides coordination of central advising initiatives that enhance and support the advising experience across campus.
Advisor Website: Training, Resources and Tools
Advising Website for Students
Advising Steering Committee
APLUS
APLUS is a U of M system tool which provides a real-time, 360 degree view of a student. It assists those who work with students to advise them in a more timely and effective way by capturing a large amount of relevant information in one place. The functionality continues to grow to include retention priority data, alerts and warnings, resource referral tracking, appointment management and much more.
Support for Specific Populations
Patterns in retention data have helped us identify specific student populations that could benefit from additional support. Populations may include students with these characteristics: transfer, first generation, low income, underserved populations.
Transfer Student Experience
Transfer Experience Programs for current students are designed to help students learn about and connect to the university and each other. Through providing intentional programming, we help students adjust to their new home.
Student Success Coaching
A one-on-one guidance and support from a professional mentor where you'll be inspired to maximize your potential and reach your goals.
Commuter Success Program
Provides a supportive community for commuter students by providing a cohort-based experience centered on student success and a shared meal.
Data Analytics & Retention Initiatives
Student Success Analytics
The Student Success Analytics (SSA) initiative will positively affect and support student success throughout the University of Minnesota by understanding and utilizing data and analytics. The goals of this initiative include:
- Increase student retention and timely graduation
- Improve curricular design, delivery, and transparency
- Lower average student debt upon graduation
- Enhance the student academic experience
Enrollment Management and Student Success HUB
In an effort to increase accessibility and the ease of leveraging information, The HUB was created. These tools, analytics, and reports on this site are here to help University of Minnesota leadership support efforts that ensure the success of students in their academic pursuits and personal development, so that each student has a fulfilling University of Minnesota experience. The information in the tools, dashboards, and reports is for internal University use only and are not distributed externally.
Enrollment Management & Student Success
Student Success Team
A retention initiative led by the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Student Success Team leverages weekly analytics to identify students who may be at risk of not enrolling for the next semester. Students complete a PULSE survey and can ask for help and indicate what things are going poorly. The SST has representation from each college who attends to those in need by providing just-in-time outreach and support.
Academic & Curricular Initiatives
- Gateway Courses Initiative: improving outcomes, especially for underrepresented students, in large, gateway courses.
- Aligning curriculum under 120 credits
Scholarships & Affordability
Free-Tuition Initiatives
The State of MN approved two new programs in the 2022 legislative session.
North Star Scholarship Program:
Beginning in fall 2024, the North Star Promise (NSP) Scholarship program will create a tuition and fee-free pathway to higher education for eligible Minnesota residents at eligible institutions as a "last-dollar" program by covering the balance of tuition and fees remaining after other scholarships, grants, stipends and tuition waivers have been applied. The MN Office of Higher Education estimates this program will impact 15,000-20,000 students in the first academic year state-wide.
North Star Promise Scholarship Program
Promise Plus:
The Promise Plus Free Tuition Program (Promise Plus) is an expansion of the U Promise Scholarship Program to support Minnesota students in being able to afford college. It provides funds in addition to the federal, state, and University grants/scholarships needed to cover the full cost of tuition for students whose families make $50,000 per year or less.
Promise Plus Free Tuition Program
American Indian Scholars Program:
The American Indian Scholars Program was established in the 2023 Legislative Session. This program provides a first-dollar tuition and fee-free pathway for Minnesotans eligible for resident tuition who are enrolled members or citizens of any federally recognized tribe or Canadian First Nation to attend a Minnesota State institution or the University of Minnesota. Students not eligible for resident tuition who are enrolled members or citizens of a Minnesota Tribal Nation are also eligible for the program.
American Indian Scholars Program
Financial Wellness Coaching
We recognize that money can be a complex topic, and that every student has individual needs.
Certified financial wellness counselors who are part of One Stop Student Services are available to help. Whether teaching money management, or answering questions about loans, they have a wealth of knowledge for University students. Schedule a free financial wellness appointment, or learn more about financial wellness below.
Scholarship fundraising
The Office of Undergraduate Education works in partnership with the U of M Foundation office to identify student needs and connect with donors who are interested in supporting students. Examples include: emergency funds, scholarship programs, housing scholarships, student success coaching, commuter success program.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Achieving equitable outcomes for all students is central to the student success work.
MPACT 2025: Closing Opportunity Gaps
Inspired by the State of Minnesota, the MPact 2025 System-wide Strategic Plan reflects our deepened commitment to research, teaching, and service, open access to opportunity, and forward-thinking innovation to advance the University’s land-grant mission and impact the world.
Goals include:
Increase percentages of BIPOC / underrepresented (ethnicity) undergraduate students in the freshmen class.
Decrease 4-year and 6-year graduation gaps between white and BIPOC students.
Reduce gap between 4-year and 6-year grad rates of Pell-eligible and non Pell-eligible students by 50%.
Increase percentage of students with a favorable sense of belonging
Undergraduate Student Equity & Success (USES) Committee
Since its inception in 2017, the Undergraduate Student Equity Success Committee has strived to improve the retention, graduation, and success of indigenous and students of color on the Twin Cities campus. The committee is composed of directors of key student services and faculty who understand the experience of historically marginalized BIPOC students.
Recommendations guiding the work include: Increase Financial Support for Low-Income Students, Examine Institutional Structures and Effectiveness, Improve the Classroom Climate and Increase direct support & programs for multicultural/underrepresented students. There are also identity-based student success working groups that plan to delve deeper into experiences of students with underrepresented identities.
Gopher Equity Project
The Gopher Equity Project (GEP) is a campus-wide initiative that introduces new students to the campus community and their role in creating a climate of inclusion. GEP consists of an online educational module, follow-up discussion groups and additional opportunities to engage. GEP was launched in 2020 with over 33,000 students participating to date.
Finding Community
The Undergraduate Student Equity and Success Committee heard from students that it can be challenging to find services and support just for them. The Undergraduate Diversity, Community, and Belonging website is a collection of resources found across the Twin Cities campus that primarily serve specific student identities and promote community, inclusion, and student success.
Undergraduate Diversity, Community, and Belonging
First Generation Students
Twenty five percent of undergraduate students on the Twin Cities campus are first-generation college students. OUE works with campus partners to develop services and strategies to increase their success and host the campus-wide First Gen Celebration Week.
Learning Assessment
With the adoption of the current University of Minnesota’s undergraduate student learning outcomes (SLOs) and student development outcomes (SDOs), the University has undertaken a renewed effort to establish more consistent assessment framework across all departments, provided stronger central leadership, simplified expectations, and worked to connect the multiple streams of assessment data to better inform academic planning. Our mission is to support all academic and support units in their assessment of the student learning/development process to continuously enhance the undergraduate student experience.
Assessment at the University of Minnesota
Student Learning and Development Outcomes
Student Learning Outcomes and Student Development Outcomes provide a framework for a student’s undergraduate experience. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities recognizes that an undergraduate education is made up of a liberal education curriculum and a wide variety of experiences in and out of the classroom. By advancing these outcomes students position themselves for success.
University Student Learning & Development Outcomes
Accreditation
Accreditation is a review of the quality of higher education institutions and programs. In the United States, accreditation is a major way that students, families, government officials, and the press know that an institution or program provides a quality education and it provides credibility with other institutions and employers. The U of M participates in the scheduled accreditation processes. The next one occurs in 2025.
Strategic Leadership
Campus Collaboration
While the Office of Undergraduate Education provides leadership for the Twin Cities Strategic Enrollment plan and many Student Success initiatives, OUE does not operate in a silo. This work requires the partnership of numerous offices and areas across campus and the system. OUE’s constant partners include the college associate deans, directors of student services, advising leaders and many other collegiate student services staff, the staff in the Office for Student Affairs, the Office for Equity and Diversity, University Services, Office of Institutional Analysis, and Global Programs and Strategy Alliance. Other partners include but are not limited to: Housing and Residential Life, International Student and Scholar Services, Office of Information Technology, Academic Technology, Student Services Leaders, Center for Education and Innovation, Faculty and Directors of Undergraduate Studies, University Libraries, System Strategic Enrollment Council among many others.
Student Success Conference
UMN offers a biannual opportunity to dialogue and strategize about academic and student development issues relating to undergraduate students and their success. Faculty and staff system-wide are invited to attend this free conference.