Background
Advising and student support services are essential to students’ progress in college. Advising is often one of the only regular, structured, and focused touchpoints that institutions have with their students. When done well, advising has been proven to be one of the most significant determinants of students’ success. Strong advising environments can provide a safe space within higher education where students’ voices and motivations can be heard, personal stories can be shared, and campus climate issues can be unearthed. Recently, the term holistic advising – looking at students through not only a purely academic lens, but rather as a whole person – has become a central design element in student support services.
Given institutions’ unique student populations, history, culture and context, advising looks different at each institution. The Advising Success Network believes that advising encompasses not only the advisor-advisee relationship, but also the advising office and reporting structure, advisor and student roles, faculty and staff pedagogies, and technologies.
The Advising Success Network also believes that all institutions should provide a more holistic student experience and address barriers to student success for all students, including Black, Latino/a/x, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander students and poverty-affected students. Holistic advising redesign can help institutions identify, implement, and/or refine holistic, high-quality, and effective institutional practices.
Winners will be selected by a panel of student reviewers.
About the Awards
The Student Choice Awards for Holistic Advising recognize postsecondary institutions that have undergone holistic advising redesign efforts supported by cross-functional teams and centering student experiences to increase completion and success indicators for students, including Black, Latino/a/x, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander students and poverty-affected students.
Student Choice Awards for Holistic Advising
Student reviewers will present these awards to institutions that demonstrate a commitment to the inclusion of student voices and perspectives in holistic advising redesign projects and initiatives.
Award winners will receive between $1,000.00 – $10,000.00, with the amounts determined by the student reviewers.
Application Process
Applications will be accepted June 30 until 9:59pm ET on July 28, 2025. One application should be completed for the institution and it can be submitted by a team or by an individual. We anticipate that it may take up to one hour to complete this application, though additional time may be required to convene a review team. Please direct any questions to [email protected]
PDF of application questions will be available beginning June 30
The prior student selection committee appreciated applicants’ demonstration of proactively seeking student input and leadership on student success initiatives.
To learn more about prior winners, access the 2023 ASN Holistic Advising Awards case study collection here.
Eligibility Requirements
- This application is open to non-profit accredited institutions of higher education for which the primary students served are located in the United States of America.
- This application requires sign-off by a campus senior leader such as a President, Provost, or Chancellor. This leader must be aware of the submission, and will be contacted in addition to the submitter if your campus is awarded.
- Institutions are only permitted to submit one application and must fill out all parts of the application.
- Eligible institutions must be willing to provide follow-up information regarding the application details, if requested by student reviewers, and participate in interviews to support the publication of a case study collection.
Congratulations to the 2024 Student Choice Award winners:
- Del Mar College
- Hinds Community College
- Jackson State University
- Miami Dade College
- Patrick and Henry Community College
- Ramapo College of New Jersey
- Red Rocks Community College
- Salish Kootenai College
- University at Albany
