MTSU continues its focus on improving student success through implementation of our Quest for Student Success 2025. The efforts of Quest 2025 strategic priority work groups, along with colleagues from across the campus, have made an incredible difference for students.
The Office of Student Success is responsible for facilitating, coordinating, and leading the implementation of MTSU’s Quest for Student Success. The office works to enhance the institution’s persistence, retention, and graduation rates. It does this by focusing on primary strategic initiatives that include enhancing advising, promoting and facilitating course redesign, ensuring that effective tutoring is available to students, and establishing a system to communicate student success initiatives and performance metrics.
Here are some recent student success updates:
Retention
The release of Fall 2024 census data shows that the retention of first-time freshman students continues to increase—a trend reflected in the chart below. In fact, retention rates for every undergraduate classification— sophomores, juniors, seniors, and transfer students— increased compared to the previous year. Although six-year graduation rates remained steady compared to the previous year, four-year graduation rates continue to show a strong upward trend.
Upward Bound
MTSU’s Upward Bound program continues to make a transformative impact by equipping high school students with the tools and experiences they need to achieve their academic and career aspirations. The program strengthens the bridge between high school and higher education for underserved communities through educational support, college readiness, and cultural enrichment activities.
This past fall, the program was bustling with activities aimed at fostering student success. For example, in mid-October, the program hosted students from Shelbyville Central High School and Community High School at the University College and Office of Student Success Tailgate. This experience included a spirited gathering at Walnut Grove, culminating in the MTSU vs. Kennesaw State football game at Floyd Stadium. Beyond the excitement of the game, the event highlighted the sense of community and pride that comes with being part of the MTSU family.
The Upward Bound program continues to provide life-changing opportunities for students, making strides toward closing equity gaps and fostering a college- going culture in middle Tennessee. By partnering with local schools, hosting enriching experiences, and advocating for digital equity, MTSU is proud to lead efforts that empower the next generation of leaders.
Adult Students
More than 2,400 of MTSU undergraduate students are 25 or older. Expanding services to adult students represents one of the most significant opportunities to offset anticipated declines in the number of traditional-age college students.
A work group of 12 colleagues from across campus has been established with a focus on three specific areas relating to adult students: recruitment, retention, and institutional processes. Be on the lookout for regular updates as the group works to produce a focused set of recommendations this spring.
Corporate Partnerships
Our Corporate Education Agreements continue to play a pivotal role in supporting working adults as they complete their degrees. In 2024, 32 corporate partnership students completed a degree at MTSU. Three new agreements were added this year, bringing the total number of partnerships to 21. We also introduced an on-site Applied Leadership cohort in collaboration with Nissan North America, one of our corporate partners, at their Smyrna Training Center. Enrollment through these Corporate Education Agreements is on the rise, with a 25% increase from Fall 2023 to Fall 2024—growing from 134 to 168 students.
Prior Learning Assessment
MTSU’s Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program has set a benchmark for other institutions by supporting adult learners in documenting and earning college credits for their nontraditional learning experiences. Over its 17-year history, the program has seen 1,296 students complete the assessment process, with 27,861 PLA credits awarded, an average of more than 20 credits earned per student.
GraduateMT
The GraduateMT program continues to transform lives through its unwavering commitment to supporting adult learners. With more than 5,000 students returning to pursue their education and nearly 1,400 graduates since its inception in 2018, the program is still experiencing steady growth. By guiding returning students through the readmission process, removing barriers, and offering personalized degree plans, GraduateMT makes graduation a reality for many who once thought it was out of reach.
Adult Degree Completion Program
The Adult Degree Completion Program has launched a communication plan geared specifically to prospective adult students through MTSU’s new customer relationship management (CRM) program, Slate. MTSU uses the Slate CRM to manage admissions, student success, and advancement, streamlining administrative processes and improving student outcomes. We are excited about this new opportunity to connect with students and provide them with vital information focused specifically on information and questions that adult learners face when returning to school. Since the plan’s implementation last summer, we have received almost 280 inquiries from prospective students and are looking forward to enhancing the plan in the future.
Summer and Winter Sessions
The summer session continues to fulfill its mission of providing students with opportunities to get ahead, stay on track, graduate early, or expand learning outside the classroom through summer research, study abroad, or internship experiences. Students registered for 38,379 credit hours this past summer, with just over 60% of those hours delivered in an online format. Summer session also serves as a vital part of MTSU operations and generated $11 million to the general fund with 13,000 enrollments and 602 faculty members, adjunct instructors, and graduate teaching assistants leading instruction this past summer.
As student awareness and need for winter session courses expand, so too do course offerings and enrollments. Now in its fourth year, the recent winter session recorded increased student credit and generated significant dollars to the general fund.
Scholars Academy
The Scholars Academy recently hired a new director of the Scholars Academy, Shamaya Andrews, who came to us from Fisk University as the former executive director of student support services. We are excited to be fully staffed and continue our recruiting efforts to establish our upcoming Fall 2025 freshman class.
The Scholars Academy hosted a reunion and end-of- semester celebration where the Scholars came together to eat, paint, play games, and enjoy fellowship.
Through funding made possible by a generous gift, the Office of Student Success was able to award 10 Diversity Mentor Scholarships for Fall 2024 and seven for Spring 2025. Students were awarded $500–$1,000 for demonstrating satisfactory academic progress and leadership at MTSU.
A partnership was developed with the Office of Student Success and the Office of Student Care and Conduct to establish the CARE Team. Continued efforts will be made to streamline our services and better support our students.
MTSU has agreed to participate in a mega study with the University of Pennsylvania called the Behavior Change for Good Initiative, which is designed to analyze first-year student outcome and evaluate the effectiveness of the different versions of the program for improving student outcomes.
In addition, Michelle Arnold, associate vice provost of student success, has been actively engaged with the New Skills Ready Grant with the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. She has worked to establish meaningful relationships with other grant partners and the Nashville community. She served on the Summer Melt and Advising Work Team. This team worked to improve and/ or expand summer programming to address summer melt, so students are more likely to enroll and have a successful transition. An inaugural Advising Summit was developed, and MTSU had high attendance numbers from its academic advisors and managers and the Office of Student Success staff. Through this partnership, MTSU and the Scholars Academy has a high visibility within the Metro Nashville New Skills Ready high schools.
Experiential Learning (EXL)
The EXL Scholars Program is at a record high in student participation, faculty participation, and number of course sections offered. This past year, 16,640 students participated in EXL. There were 1,033 EXL course sections offered with 415 EXL faculty members. During the past year, 197 students graduated with the EXL Scholar Graduation Distinction. Both qualitative and quantitative research shows experiential learning at MTSU has an overwhelmingly positive impact on student success and graduation rates. A recent quantitative study reveals the substantial incremental benefits of students’ taking multiple EXL courses. Students who participate in EXL courses are significantly associated with a higher graduation rate than those who do not, and the likelihood of graduation increases as the number of EXL courses taken increases.
University Studies
The University Studies Department began offering classes at the Nissan Training Center in Smyrna this past fall. Led by Lt. Gen. Keith M. Huber, senior advisor for veterans and leadership initiatives, and Hilary Miller, director of the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center, these courses are part of the Integrated Studies undergraduate degree with a concentration in Applied Leadership. Designed to support working adults, these classes are scheduled to align with employee shifts, including weekends. We are excited to expand this partnership in the future, with plans to offer additional courses and expand to other Nissan training centers.
With the inclusion of UNIV 1010 University Seminar in the True Blue Core, we partnered with the Student-Athlete Enhancement Center (SAEC) to create tailored sections of the course specifically for student-athletes. This initiative not only provides enhanced support for student-athletes but also strengthens our collaboration with the SAEC, building on existing student-athlete-focused courses.
Dual Enrollment (DE)
Our DE program continues the momentum from a record-setting Fall 2024 semester wherein 1,568 DE students enrolled in 122 course sections at 18 partner schools. The accomplishments in MTSU’s DE program would not be possible without the tremendous work of faculty, chairs, staff, and school partners. Students participating in MTSU’s DE program possess average ACT subscores of 24.9 in English, 23.3 in Math, and 25.6 in Reading.
We are excited to expand our partnership with Knox County Schools, as we will be offering an online section of NFS 2220 – Nutrition for the Health Sciences, with students from various high schools in Knoxville. MTSU officials will travel to Bearden High School in February to help promote the growing partnership.
The growing number of homeschool students in Rutherford County and the surrounding communities will have another opportunity to learn about our DE program as we will host a presentation at the new Legacy Homeschool Resource Center in Murfreesboro in February.
