Here to help: the key tenets of student support

How to enhance support and advice services to improve student well-being and outcomes

Student support spotlight image

From settling into a new city and living away from home for the first time to acclimatising to self-guided study and battling impostor syndrome, the challenges for students can be great and varied. The support and assistance offered by institutions to aid students on this journey can play a crucial role in helping them maximise their university experience and achieve positive outcomes. This collection of resources provides tips and advice on how institutions and individuals can help students thrive during one of the most exciting – and daunting – periods of their life.

Scaling up student support services

Suzanne Mitchell advises on how to scale up student support services, using technology that provides multiple communications channels and early warning systems to assist specialist staff teams

Suzanne Mitchell

Arden University

Student support

Group of students in discussion

How supported social groups create safe spaces

Connecting students who share a lived experience such as bereavement, family estrangement or loneliness can help to foster a sense of community and belonging at university, explains Hannah Moore

Hannah Moore

University of Bath

Back view of students walking in autumnal park

Student support takes a village – but you need to create one first

To support students from diverse backgrounds, universities should actively foster supportive communities. For the University of Auckland, this meant creating a ‘village’ on campus, as Melissa Leaupepe explains

Melissa Leaupepe

University of Auckland

Diverse group of students in discussion

Four ways to make support for student well-being comprehensive and inclusive

Student well-being is made up of a complex array of elements that include physical, spiritual and emotional wellness as well as mental health. In this video, Luoluo Hong reflects on four ways institutions can make an impact

Luoluo Hong

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Support at university

A holistic approach to student support

Student support, particularly for care-leavers or estranged students, is vital throughout their university journey – from pre-application to beyond graduation. Here, Fran Hornsby and Rebecca Clark offer tips for demonstrating genuine care as you do it

Fran Hornsby, Rebecca Clark

University of York

A whole-campus approach to boost belonging for student success

Joint efforts among faculty, staff and students themselves can support first-year and transfer scholars to feel included and engaged, write Lorett Swank and Catherine Thomas

Lorett Swank, Catherine Thomas

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

The whole student journey

See the whole person

Improving admissions: how to evaluate the whole student

Brooke Wilson and Karin-Jill Magaziner Schneider discuss admissions criteria and how best to ensure the process considers the whole student

Brooke Wilson, Karin-Jill Magaziner Schneider

Colorado State University Global

Young female Asian student holding laptop

Helping students transition to university life

Starting university is a major milestone for new undergraduates. Teachers can offer encouragement, guidance and empathy to help students with practical and emotional challenges, writes Cheong Fan

Cheong Fan

Macau University of Science and Technology

Career adviser and student

Engaging students with careers resources early and often

Here’s how career centres can reach out to students before they’ve even set foot on campus, and why it matters for their future job search and development

Amaka Nwoko, Widalys Santiago, Davia Woulard

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

First day at work

The top three ways to support international graduate employability

Building effective partnerships with employers and using feedback to shape curricula and careers services will boost outcomes for students, universities and industry alike

Eric Huang

University of East London

Alumni as a benchmark of student success

Three focal areas by which universities can track student success by looking at what graduates go on to do after completing their courses

Adeola Matthew

The University of the West Indies

Useful early interventions

Digital exclusion often strikes early for university students

Digital exclusion hits students hardest at the start of their journey

VLEs, intranets, sports and social apps – the digital ecosystem at university is vast. We must induct students into it quickly and carefully to prevent them falling behind

Claire Smith

University of Sussex

A student writing an essay at their desk

Creating bridges to academic writing for first-year university students

Tutors must help new university students build their skills and understanding of academic writing as part of their broader first-year teaching, as Fiona S. Baker explains

Fiona S. Baker

Durham University

Tips on using technology to identify and help struggling students before they fall behind in online courses

Use technology to catch students before they fall

Working remotely with no face-to-face contact is a challenge for many students. May Lim and Li Siong Lim explain how educators can use technology to identify and help struggling students before they fall behind

May Lim

Singapore Institute of Technology

Empty lecture theatre at university

Scaling success: how to retain the student experience when going for growth

Improving experience and outcomes for students while growing requires changes to student support and better understanding of their needs, says Alice Wilby

Alice Wilby

University College Birmingham

How to use the ‘motivation and engagement wheel’ to keep students on board

I developed the wheel as a model to help demystify student motivation and provide a source for targeted help where and when necessary, says Andrew J. Martin

Andrew J. Martin

UNSW Sydney

First-generation student support

How universities can ensure first-generation students and their families feel connected

How universities can ensure first-generation students and their families feel connected

A first-generation college student herself now working in enrolment, Aimee Huffstetler, shares insight into what administrators can do to ensure first-generation students and their families feel connected to their university

Aimee Huffstetler

Gwynedd Mercy University

Social mobility at university

Is it time to rethink social mobility discourse and the meaning of ‘success’?

We must remember that while social mobility is a valuable goal, it’s not one with which all students are willing or able to conform, say Louise Ashley and William Monteith

Louise Ashley, William Monteith

Queen Mary University of London

The way university teachers and lecturers speak to first-generation students can make a huge difference to how they get on in higher education

Gatekeepers or greeters? We must demystify university for first-gen students

Stone Meredith gives advice on using positive introductory phrases and how this can help first-generation students navigate university

Stone Meredith

Colorado State University Global

Feeling safe and supported

How to create a home from home for students at university

Supportive steps that a university can take to help students adjust to life away from home

Adeola Matthew , Kerrie-Faun Nathan

The University of the West Indies

Perfect doesn’t exist and other lessons from developing a whole-university well-being strategy

Challenges to staff and student well-being are part of university life, regardless of how much support is in place. But iterative strategies can improve the entire community’s experience, write Ben Goose and Cassie Wilson

Ben Goose, Cassie Wilson

University of Bath

Equity, diversity and inclusion

Peer mentoring at university can make a difference to student confidence

As a black, female student, I wish I’d had a peer-mentoring scheme

Asking more experienced students to volunteer to help first-years navigate their university journey can make all the difference in terms of belonging and confidence

Bernadine Idowu

University of West London

Teen with fingers on lips indicating a quiet space for autistic students

Five steps to support autistic students on their higher education journey

As we strive to create inclusive environments, it’s essential to implement strategies that assist and cater to the unique challenges faced by autistic students, says Jane Dashwood

Jane Dashwood

The University of Warwick

Image of a new teacher celebrating the end of term

How to help students with widely varied prior education to thrive in first year

How can university educators ensure their first-year teaching caters to widely varying prior knowledge and skills among students? Bethan Gulliver explains a three-pronged approach

Bethan Gulliver

University of East Anglia