Align academic advising systems, protocols, and training to ensure that students receive consistent, timely, and proactive support throughout their academic programs.
Primary Outcomes:
The Academic Success Coaching model directly supports CSU’s institutional goals for improving retention, graduation, and time to degree by delivering proactive, relationship-based guidance across the student lifecycle.
These metrics align with the NISS Playbook, USG Momentum framework, and Better Together 2030 strategic priorities.
FTFT Retention
|
Cohort Year |
Target FTFT Retention Rate |
Incremental Increase (Target) |
Actual or Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fall 2023 (Baseline) |
69.7% |
— |
Baseline established |
|
Fall 2024–25 |
72.8% |
+3.1% |
Achieved 72.0% (slightly below target, +2.3%) |
|
Fall 2025–26 |
75.8% |
+3.0% |
On track with continued retention-focused interventions |
|
Fall 2026–27 |
78.8% |
+3.0% |
Midpoint target aligned with full Academic Success Coaching implementation |
|
Fall 2027–28 |
81.8% |
+3.0% |
Reflects expanded FYE structures and integrated support programs |
|
Fall 2028–29 |
84.8% |
+3.0% |
Near aspirational benchmark, closing the sector performance gap |
|
Fall 2029–30 |
87.8% |
+3.0% |
Exceeds 85% goal, positioning CSU among system leaders in retention |
FTFT Six-Year Graduation Rate
|
Cohort Year |
Target Graduation Rate |
Incremental Increase (Target) |
Actual or Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fall 2018 (Baseline) |
42.9% |
— |
Baseline established |
|
Fall 2019 |
45.9% |
+3.0% |
Actual: 41.4% (below target, reflecting post-pandemic impacts and current intervention alignment) |
|
Fall 2020 |
48.9% |
+3.0% |
Recovery expected as Academic Success Coaching reaches full scale |
|
Fall 2021 |
51.9% |
+3.0% |
Midpoint projection aligned with improved persistence rates |
|
Fall 2022 |
54.9% |
+3.0% |
Reflects early impact of integrated advising and academic recovery programs |
|
Fall 2023 |
57.9% |
+3.0% |
Approaching system median for comprehensive institutions |
|
Fall 2024 |
60.9% |
+3.0% |
Achieves 60% benchmark, aligning with 2030 goal trajectory |
Expect the next 2 years min to be below target, reflective of the direct impact of the pandemic and retention/enrollment of these cohorts.
Average Time to Degree
|
Cohort Year |
Target Average Time to Degree |
Annual Change (Target) |
Actual or Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2023 (Baseline) |
5.3 years |
— |
Baseline established |
|
2024 |
5.2 years |
-0.1 year |
Improved with expanded degree planning tools |
|
2025 |
5.1 years |
-0.1 year |
On track through enhanced advising and coaching coordination |
|
2026 |
5.0 years |
-0.1 year |
Midpoint target aligned with increased four-year completion rates |
|
2027 |
4.9 years |
-0.1 year |
Reflects continued efficiency in course scheduling and student planning |
|
2028 |
4.8 years |
-0.1 year |
Approaching 2030 target through proactive coaching and major mapping |
|
2029 |
4.7 years |
-0.1 year |
Demonstrates sustained reduction in average completion time |
|
2030 |
4.6 years |
-0.1 year |
Achieves 2030 goal for timely degree completion |
CSU embarked on a major transformation of its advising model to establish a consistent, student-centered approach to academic support across the entire student lifecycle. Guided by recommendations from the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) Playbook, this initiative aims to create equitable, proactive, and relationship-based support for every student.
Key priorities included:
- Launching TargetX, the new advising CRM, to improve communication planning, appointment scheduling, early alerts, and predictive analytics.
- Revising and expanding advisor training through CougarView, incorporating current policies, technology use, and developmental advising strategies.
- Designing and piloting a centralized Academic Success Coaching model, in which each student is assigned an Academic and Career Success Coach who provides holistic, proactive support from enrollment through graduation.
These changes were designed to promote consistency, efficiency, and collaboration across advising units, ensuring that all students receive timely, high-quality academic and career guidance.
2025 Update:
CSU made substantial progress toward full alignment of advising systems, protocols, and training throughout 25-25.
- Center for Academic Coaching Launch: The Center for Academic Coaching officially launched in Fall 2025, replacing the former decentralized advising structure for MOST students. All new first-year students were assigned an Academic Success Coach by college or focus area, ensuring a single, consistent point of contact for academic, career, and personal development support. Returning students through 70 hours were also assigned to an Academic Success Coach. Additional hires planned for FY27, will facilitate caseloads of 150 and encompass all undergraduate students.
- ICF-Aligned Coach Training: Coaches completed extensive onboarding and professional development aligned with International Coaching Federation (ICF) core competencies. The training emphasized holistic student engagement, active listening, goal setting, and accountability—marking a transition from traditional advising to an ongoing coaching relationship.
- TargetX Implementation: The TargetX CRM was implemented campus-wide to streamline communication, appointment tracking, and early alerts. Adoption across units continues to expand, and development has begun on dashboards and workflows that will support predictive outreach and intervention tracking.
- Advisor and Coach Training: The updated Advisor Training course in CougarView was further revised to reflect the new coaching framework, incorporating modules on student development theory, communication, and technology use. This training is now required for all new academic success coaches and faculty advisors to ensure consistency and quality across all student interactions.
Cross-Unit Alignment: Regular briefings and collaborative planning among Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, and Student Success have strengthened understanding of the new model’s goals and reinforced shared accountability for student success.
The launch of the Center for Academic Coaching marks a major milestone in CSU’s shift from traditional advising to a proactive, relationship-centered coaching model. This transition has already created greater consistency and accountability across the student experience, with early signs of improved communication and engagement among first-year and returning students. The integration of TargetX provides a foundation for coordinated, data-informed student support, while the ICF-aligned training ensures that each coaching interaction is grounded in quality, intentional practice.
As the model scales, continued attention to staffing, technology adoption, and cross-campus communication will be essential. Early implementation highlighted the importance of shared ownership across academic and student success units and the need to maintain clear expectations for both coaches and faculty. The next phase will focus on refining the model, expanding its reach, and using data to demonstrate measurable impact on student retention and satisfaction.
Next Steps:
- Expand the Academic Success Coaching model to include all undergraduate students by FY27, supported by additional coach hires and resource realignment.
- Deepen integration of TargetX, leveraging its predictive analytics to identify students in need of early outreach and track engagement across the lifecycle.
- Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the first-year coaching cohort, including measures of student satisfaction, academic performance, and retention.
- Continue refining training and professional development for coaches and faculty advisors to ensure consistent application of ICF-aligned competencies and institutional protocols.
Strengthen collaboration across Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, and Student Success through shared dashboards, communication plans, and joint professional learning opportunities.
CHALLENGES
The transition to a fully centralized coaching model represents a major cultural and operational shift for the institution. While early outcomes have been positive, several challenges could affect the continued implementation and scaling of the model:
- Staffing and Caseloads:
Expanding the model to serve all undergraduate students will require additional coach hires and sustained funding to maintain reasonable caseloads and high-quality engagement. - Change Management and Role Clarity:
The shift from advising to coaching requires continued communication and reinforcement of roles across faculty, coaches, and support offices. Some overlap in responsibilities and processes remains as teams adjust to new expectations. - Training and Professional Development:
Maintaining fidelity to the ICF-aligned model requires recurring investment in training and mentor coaching. Ensuring consistent quality and shared language across all coaches and advising partners will be key to long-term success. - Data Integration and Assessment:
Measuring the full impact of coaching on retention, engagement, and satisfaction depends on continued collaboration among Institutional Research, Enrollment Management, and Student Success to align data systems and dashboards.
SUPPORTS
To ensure the continued success and scalability of CSU’s Academic Success Coaching model, additional collaboration and resources from the University System Office and peer institutions would be beneficial:
- Professional Development and Training Resources:
Access to USG-wide training modules or communities of practice focused on academic and career coaching, student engagement, and data-informed advising would strengthen professional learning and consistency across institutions. - Cross-Institutional Collaboration:
Opportunities to connect with other institutions implementing centralized coaching or hybrid advising models would support the exchange of best practices, shared assessment tools, and model refinement. - Funding Opportunities:
System-level grant or innovation funding to support additional coaching hires, ongoing ICF training, and data integration projects would accelerate CSU’s ability to scale the model to all undergraduates by FY27.
Assessment and Evaluation Guidance:
Shared frameworks for evaluating the impact of academic coaching on retention, persistence, and student engagement would help align institutional outcomes with broader system goals and ensure consistency in reporting.
