Fostering undergraduate achievement and flourishing
UESS programs create meaningful connections at every step of the student journey
Student success at the University of Oregon is a collaborative effort between students, faculty, and staff for the shared purpose of fostering undergraduate achievement and flourishing. By prioritizing student needs, promoting collaboration, and embracing equity-minded practices, we strive to bridge systemic gaps, dismantle barriers in the student experience, and elevate both graduation rates and post-graduation achievements.
UESS exemplifies UO’s commitment to student success through diverse programs that enrich the student academic experience. From pre-college initiatives and first-year transition and engagement, to wraparound support and academic advising, accessible education, undergraduate research, and academic support, UESS programs provide essential touchpoints in every step of the student journey. This year, 60 percent of UO undergraduates engaged with our programs.
Beyond these direct student services, UESS leads the UO’s Student Success Initiatives on a university-wide scale. Employing data-informed practices, our initiatives focus on cultivating a strong sense of belonging and supporting students in their pursuit of academic goals and timely degree completion.
Everything we do in UESS is for our students. Their dedication and achievements inspire us every day, driving us to continually improve and innovate in our work.
We are committed to fostering an environment where our students can thrive, succeed, and reach their fullest potential. We are proud of the work we accomplished this year and are honored to play a part in our students' academic journeys.
The following are some key areas of new and ongoing UESS work from the past year:
Orientation and Academic Onboarding
Our division recognizes the significance of early academic onboarding for meeting incoming students’ needs and facilitating their successful transition to college. In collaboration with the Student Orientation Programs, we expanded transition programming this year in the following ways:
- Approximately 6,000 students attended a 50-minute “UO Academic Experience” presentation covering degree planning, support resources, time management, and the rhythm of academic terms. A companion curriculum was also presented to parents and families.
- A feedback survey assessed students’ first advising and registration experiences. Based on responses, advising offices provided additional guidance to 694 students in support of their academic onboarding.
- UESS organized cohesive messaging to students about normalizing full credit loads in their first term. This effort, in collaboration with campus advising offices, helped increase students' credit loads during the fall term 2024.
First-Year Curricular Engagement
Our long-standing first-year curricular programs – First Year Interest Groups (FIGs) and Academic Residential Communities (ARCs) – help students develop a sense of belonging by connecting with peers, faculty, and staff. These high impact programs offer students curricular and co-curricular engagement opportunities in a small cohort setting, based on shared interests or identities.
The impact is clear: year after year, data shows that students enrolled in FIGs and ARCs perform better on average in first-year GPA, in retention rates to second year, and in four- and six-year graduation rates, compared to UO students who don’t enroll in them.
This year, the UO offered and served:
FIGs
ARCs and residential communities
Students
To broaden support for first year students, the Experience Communities provide self-guided online resources, activities, and peer supported discussion groups. Available to all first-year and transfer students, nearly 40 percent of first-year students and 30 percent of transfer students engaged with the contents provided by the Communities this year.
Retention and Graduation Initiatives
Part of UESS’s work is to lead retention and graduation initiatives for the university. We identify systematic barriers impacting students, implement data-informed best practices, and evaluate their effectiveness for continuous improvement. This work is coordinated by the UESS Degree Progression Team.
This year, the initiatives included:
- Targeted Advising: Using a predictive analytics model, we implemented a targeted early advising intervention for first-year students identified as less likely to return for their second term. The intervention resulted in a 4.1 percent higher fall-to-winter retention rate compared to students in the comparison group who did not receive the intervention.
- Ducks on Track: Launched in June, the new online degree audit system helps students better navigate their degree planning and track their degree progress. The dynamic tool provides easy access to information about their required courses and graduation requirements, aiding students to stay on course for timely graduation.
- Continuation and Completion Grants: A combined $224,191 was awarded this year to 189 students facing financial barriers to persistence or graduation. These just in time microgrants, averaging $1,186 per award, helped students with a balance owed register for the following term or to complete credits needed to graduate. This represented a 50 percent increase in funds awarded compared to the previous academic year.
Wraparound Support and Equity Programs
Systematic barriers in higher education often disproportionately affect underrepresented students such as low-income, first-generation, non-traditional, students of color, and student with disabilities. Given the UO’s increasingly diverse student body, wraparound services and equity programs are more critical than ever for supporting the success of these student populations. Furthermore, UESS focuses on supporting students through their transition and first year on campus. Over 92 percent of first-year students were served by UESS programs this year.
UESS programs like PathwayOregon, Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE), TRIO Student Support Services and the Accessible Education Center offer individualized support such as ongoing advising, mentoring, skills workshops, and social programming tailored to students’ needs.
Additionally, early move-in and college transition support prior to start of the fall term help build community and connect students early to campus resources. Building on CMAE’s longstanding New Student Fall Retreat, PathwayOregon offered early move-in and September programming through its Engage and Connect bridge program.
Since its launch in 2021, Summer Bridge has also provided participants an early opportunity to build community and connect with campus faculty, staff, and resources. Surveys showed that participants feel more connected, comfortable, and prepared for the start of the academic year, and have a better understanding of college expectations. Summer Bridge participants have experienced higher retention, first-year GPAs, and credit accumulation rates than non-participant counterparts.
Of undergraduate underrepresented minority students served by UESS programs
Students participating in UESS college transition programs
Students participated in DucksRISE
Ensuring integrated support throughout students’ academic career at UO, the DucksRISE program expanded our wraparound support in the career readiness and exploration space. Serving BIPOC, first generation, and low-income students, the program promotes equitable student outcomes by helping students develop career competencies and connections through a career readiness seminar, research fellowships, internships, and participation in the Undergraduate Research Symposium. Launched in 2022 with a grant from the Strada Education Network, the program continued to be supported by generous donors for an increasing impact.
Distinguished Scholarships
The pursuit of distinguished scholarships offers students opportunities for academic and personal growth, including undergraduate research, graduate study in the U.S. and abroad, and public service. This year, 168 students received support through centralized advising and mentorship, structured support on application process and mocks interviews, and financial support through a new impact fund.
In a remarkable achievement for UO, all three nominees for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship were named finalists. Nayantara Arora, a senior neuroscience major, became UO’s first Rhodes Scholar since 2007, starting her studies at Oxford in 2024.
We foster a community among applicants, providing networking, advising, and mentorship opportunities throughout the process supported by the growing UO faculty and distinguished scholar alumni networks.
Our office is dedicated to encouraging student to explore and pursue these special opportunities. Through structured support and guidance, we improve access for students, while our community of alumni can help imbue students with self-belief and confidence, which is often the final missing ingredient to a successful application