Student Success Initiative

Early Momentum

As an evidence-based and nationally recognized strategy for student academic success, early momentum (EM) encourages students to complete a full course load for fall, winter, and in some cases, spring/summer terms. In general, a total of at least 30 credits achieved by the end of the first year.

Highlights

• Early momentum created a habit of success, making it more likely, and affordable, to graduate within 4 years. Students have equated higher credit loads with better time management and lower loads with procrastination. We have found no evidence of negative impacts on GPA.
• Most U-M students achieve early momentum with little difficulty, evident by U-M’s high 4 and 6-year graduation rates. Students needing help can consult advisors, coaches, and peer mentors as they make decisions about registration and whether to withdraw from courses during the term. Early momentum is not a set of strict requirements; it is a goal that we want to assist students in achieving. And there are different pathways for getting to 30 credits by the end of their first year.
• U-M is doing several things to help students achieve early momentum.
  • ECoach and Atlas will remind students to keep the 15 per term/ 30 per year credit goals in mind.
  • Advisors will help students make a plan that is right for each student to stay on track or recover momentum.
  • Many groups at U-M offer coaching, tutoring, and other support to help students stay on track to graduate in 4 years.

Center for Academic Innovation, Office of the Provost, Undergraduate Education, ASSET (Analytics for Student Success and Equity Transformation), Institutional Research with the Office of Budgets and Planning, and many Schools, Colleges, and department leaders

Career Services

In Winter 2025, the University launched the first phase of the U-M Student Success Initiative, which corresponded with the kick-off of the Career Student Success Project. Participants in the Career Student Success Project were invited to consider a vision for career services student success and specific opportunities (as informed by that vision) geared to improve student success. The group was tasked with identifying 3-4 of the most important, urgent, and actionable opportunities and then developing a deeper vision for the opportunities identified. Finally, the committee was asked to develop action items for each opportunity, with the compilation of the vision and action items to be presented to institutional leadership in August of 2025.

Highlights

• Drawing on best practices from national peers, benchmarking with leading institutions, and direct student input, the committee recommends four key pillars that will drive significant impact on student career readiness and preparation, generate more powerful storytelling of the power of the University of Michigan value proposition, and address equity gaps in student career development support:
  • Career Framework
  • Systematic Career Engagement
  • External Relations
  • Infrastructure

University Career Center, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, College of Engineering, Rackham, U-M Dearborn Career Services, Taubman College, School of Information, School of Music, Theater, and Dance, School of Education, Kinesiology, School of Public Health, School of Environment and Sustainability, LSA Opportunity Hub, U-M Alumni Association, Ford School of Public Policy, Michigan Athletics, School of Social Work

STEM Success

The STEM Success Project Team was convened in November 2024 in order to explore the current landscape of programs that support students in STEM fields, particularly those in underrepresented and underserved groups, from pre-college programs and summer enrichment opportunities through the undergraduate experience.

• Mapping and assessing the landscape of existing support programs for STEM students.
• Identifying and highlighting opportunity gaps in STEM education at the University of Michigan.
• Gauging the effectiveness of current communities, services, and units that support STEM students.
• Examining the state of academic support, including advising, coaching, and tutoring.
• Recommending bold, transformative changes to close opportunity gaps, improve retention and graduation rates, and boost students’ sense of belonging and academic mobility.

Highlights

The STEM Success project team identified 7 core areas that can improve support for underrepresented and underserved students in STEM fields. The core areas include:

• Teaching and academic support
• Advising, Coaching, and Mentoring
• Co-curricular Activities
• Learning Communities
• Pre-college programs
• Summer enrichment
• Other contexts

College of Engineering, LSA Science Learning Center, Center for Educational Outreach, Center for Research on Learning & Teaching (CRLT), National Center for Institutional Diversity, Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives (OAMI), Women in Science & Engineering, M-STEM Academics, Comprehensive Studies Program, Office of Student Life

Time Away and Emergency Funding

The Time Away and Emergency Finding team was charged to develop an understanding of the current landscape of emergency funding, including the CEW+ graduation grants pilot, explore how U-M engages with students before, during, and after a leave, and identify recommendations for new processes and improvements for supporting students during unexpected crises or leaves of absence.

Highlights

• The student survey was sent to 2081 degree-seeking students who started at U-M in or after Fall 2018 and had a gap in enrollment for at least one Fall or Winter term between Fall 2022 and Fall 2024.
• A survey was sent to all known emergency funding units on campus to better understand the current state of Emergency Funding at U-M, Ann Arbor. A total of 19 units responded, providing a comprehensive overview of the similarities and differences between units.

Center for the Education of Women+, Dean of Students, Student Life, Office of Financial Aid, College of Engineering, International Center, Rackham, Wolverine Wellness

Preparing for launch: Transfer Student Success

The Transfer Student Success Project Team is dedicated to enhancing every aspect of the transfer student experience at the University of Michigan, from recruitment through graduation, both inside and outside the classroom. Our aspiration is to become a truly “transfer-friendly” campus, which will require a significant shift in how we engage students and in how we collaborate among campus units, improving communication, strategies, and systems.

Next Steps

The Transfer Student Success Project Team will meet regularly during the 2025-26 academic year to do a landscape analysis of the current U-M transfer student experience, identify gaps and areas for improvement, benchmark best practices at peer institutions, and draft a report with recommendations for the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.