About the Toolkit
Across higher education, many multilingual learners are navigating how their language development connects to academic readiness and college success. ESOL students—students whose first language is not English and who are developing academic English proficiency alongside their coursework—often face barriers to persistence and may benefit from peer support that helps bridge the gap between classroom and college life.
The ESOL Connect Peer Advising Program at Nashville State Community College (NSCC) was created to provide that support. In its first semester, ESOL students who participated in peer advising achieved a 96% course success rate, compared to 88% for non-participants, an 82% continuing enrollment rate, compared to 75%, and a higher average GPA.
This toolkit shares the program’s approach, implementation, evaluation, and practical resources for peer advisors, providing institutions with tools to adapt the model to fit their own campus communities and strengthen support for multilingual learners.
About Nashville State Community College
Nashville State Community College serves the greater Nashville area through six campuses and offers more than 80 academic programs. In Fall 2025, NSCC enrolled 8,084 students, including 56% first-generation college students and 35% adult learners aged 25 or older.
The Advising Success Network, an initiative of NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, is proud to fund this project.