Personalized academic assistance can help close completion gaps and improve student outcomes, but few learners say they actively engage with these resources.

A September 2024 survey by Tyton Partners found just over one-third (34 percent) of students are aware that their college or university provides tutoring and academic support, and only 13 percent of learners engage with these services.

Some student groups were even less likely to use tutoring: Fewer than 2 percent of students with disabilities and online-only learners used tutoring or academic support services.

Barriers to tutoring: Awareness of academic resources is a barrier to student participation in tutoring services, as demonstrated in Tyton Partners’ research, but the 21-percentage-point gap points to other factors hindering student engagement.

Tutoring, compared to other academic supports, has a negative stigma associated with it, which can come from a fear of judgment from peers or tutors for poor academic performance. Reframing academic services as a benefit to the student and not a consequence can be particularly beneficial for students who may hold a scarcity mindset for institutional resources.

Time can be a limiting factor for some learners, particularly those with competing priorities including caregiving responsibilities or work, or those who do not live on or near campus.

A 2016 research study from Pacific Lutheran University in Washington found a lack of available tutors or those specific to the subject they needed hindered student participation. Additionally, some students created alternative academic resources, such as meeting with an outside tutor, friend or study group.

Models of support: Inside Higher Ed compiled five innovations among colleges and universities that help address utilization gaps among students and promote academic achievement.

1. Bilingual tutoring. Pacific Oaks College in California hired four graduate students to tutor undergraduate learners via Zoom or in person in English and Spanish. The practice helps students learn and engage by allowing them to use all words and concepts to communicate, known as translanguaging. It also helps close cultural barriers among Hispanic and Latino learners, promoting feelings of belonging as they connect in their native language.
2. Peer writing fellows. Embedded tutoring or supplemental instruction courses are typical for students studying science, mathematics or technology-related fields, but are less common for writing courses. Colby College offers embedded writing support for courses to provide discipline-specific assistance for learners.
3. Personalized outreach. Penn State University piloted an initiative to provide regular nudging from professors that suggest actions students can take to improve their academic standing. One of the suggestions was to seek tutoring; when students receive this nudge, they also get a link to the campus learning center and a reminder that tutoring is free. Among the students who received a “seek tutoring” to-do, six in 10 engaged in tutoring or a guided study group.
4. Two-way texts for tutoring. Moorpark Community College introduced a two-way texting platform for embedded tutors to interact with their learners in gateway English and math courses. Tutors offer study tips, encourage students to attend group study sessions and share relevant campus resources via text. The initiative saw a 761 percent increase in course-embedded tutor visits from 2022 to 2024.
5. Combined academic resources and tutoring services. Rochester Institute of Technology reorganized its academic support office to break down silos that hindered seeking help and minimize negative student perceptions about the space.

Do you have an academic intervention that might help others improve student success? Tell us about it.