A college success coach is one consistent adult who helps a student handle everything college asks of them at once: classes and deadlines, sleep and money, roommates and jobs, and the decisions that shape the next few years. Blackburn Mentoring provides college success coaching one-on-one, by video nationwide, in person in Los Angeles. Students meet their coach from campus, an apartment or home on break, and the relationship continues through summers, transfers and the first job after graduation.
What a college success coach does
Campus advisors are valuable, but most are responsible for a large caseload and see a student a few times a year. A coach meets with one student every week and knows the details of their schedule. In practice, college success coaching covers:
- Academic follow-through. Turning syllabi into a calendar, planning study time for exams and starting papers early enough to revise.
- Using campus resources. Office hours, the writing center, tutoring, disability services and academic advising, which many students know about but never use.
- Daily structure. Wake times, meals, exercise and sleep, the routines that collapse first when no one is watching.
- Course and major decisions. Whether to drop a class, how to recover from a bad term, and how to think through a change of major.
- Life outside class. Part-time jobs, budgets, roommate conflicts and the loneliness that can hit in the first year.
- Looking ahead. Internships, summer plans and the transition from student to working adult.
Why so many students struggle in the first two years
College is a big jump in independence, and the numbers show how many students hit a rough patch. Of the students who entered college in fall 2024, nearly 86 percent came back for their second semester and more than 77 percent were enrolled the following fall, while only 69.1 percent of them were still at the same school (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2025). Students leave, transfer or stop out for many reasons, but the ones who stay usually have a plan and someone to talk to before small problems become big ones.
Some students also need support they have to ask for themselves. About 19 percent of undergraduates reported having a disability in 2015 to 2016 (National Center for Education Statistics, via the University of Washington DO-IT Center). In college, accommodations are not automatic; a coach can help a student register with disability services and use the supports they qualify for.
Signs a student could use a coach
- Grades dropped noticeably after the first set of midterms.
- The student is vague about how classes are going or avoids the subject.
- They have stopped going to one or more classes.
- They are on academic probation, or close to it.
- They talk about dropping out, transferring or taking time off without a clear plan.
- They are working long hours and falling behind.
- They came home for break exhausted and unsure about going back.
Any one of these is a reason to check in. Our guide on helping a struggling college student walks through how to start that conversation without a fight.
For parents: being helpful from a distance
Parents of college students are in an awkward spot. You care deeply, you may be paying for much of it, and you often cannot see grades unless your student shares them. Calling to ask about every assignment rarely helps, and saying nothing feels wrong.
A coach gives you a middle path. You can join the intro call, agree with your student on what will be shared, and get updates when needed. Your student gets an adult who is on their side and not grading them, and you get fewer three-in-the-morning worries. If your student is already in academic trouble, our page on academic probation mentoring covers that situation specifically.
What a semester with a coach looks like
Weeks 1 to 3: coach and student map every deadline for the term, set a weekly schedule that includes study blocks and sleep, and identify one campus resource to use early.
Weeks 4 to 8: the focus shifts to midterms, office hours and catching any course that is slipping before the drop deadline passes.
Weeks 9 to 12: registration for next term, internship or summer applications, and adjustments to the routine as fatigue builds.
Weeks 13 to finals: a written exam and paper plan, a sleep plan, and a short review of what worked so next term starts stronger.
Between weekly sessions, short text or phone check-ins keep commitments visible. Mentors offer early morning, evening and weekend times, which helps students with labs, practices or jobs.
Community college and transfer students
College success coaching is not only for students living on a four-year campus. Community college students often balance classes with jobs and family responsibilities, and transfer students face a new school, new rules and sometimes credits that did not carry over. The same coaching structure works for both, adjusted to their schedule.
Why weekly accountability matters
What a coach adds is simple to describe: one adult who knows the student’s schedule, does not judge a bad week and helps figure out the next step. Often the most useful part is simply saying a plan out loud on Sunday and knowing someone will ask about it on Wednesday. That small amount of accountability, repeated every week, is what keeps a semester from drifting.
How it works
- Complete a short assessment about your student’s courses, habits and goals.
- Our team reviews it personally and sets up a free 20 minute intro call. A parent, advisor or other professional can join if the student wants.
- If it is a fit, the student is matched with a mentor within 2 business days.
- Weekly video sessions begin, with check-ins between them.
Learn more about mentoring for college students, how virtual mentoring works and the free intro call.
College success coaching is not therapy or tutoring. If a student is dealing with depression, anxiety, substance use or another health concern, a licensed clinician or the campus counseling center should be involved, and a coach can help them follow through. In a crisis, call or text 988.
Common questions
What does a college success coach do?
A college success coach meets with a student regularly to plan their week, keep up with coursework, use campus resources, and handle routines, money and decisions about classes or majors. Short check-ins between sessions help the student follow through.
How is a college success coach different from an academic advisor?
An academic advisor helps with requirements, registration and degree planning, usually for many students at once. A coach works with one student every week on follow-through, routines and the everyday decisions that keep them on track.
Can a coach help a college student who is failing classes?
Yes. The first sessions focus on triage: which courses can still be saved, whether to talk to professors or drop a class, and a short-term plan for the next few weeks. Longer-term habits come next.
My student goes to school in another state. Does that matter?
No. Coaching is by video nationwide, in person in Los Angeles, so students meet their coach from campus and continue over breaks and summers.
Will the coach tell me my student’s grades?
Only with your student’s agreement. Families usually decide what will be shared during the intro call, and parents can get updates when needed.
Is college success coaching only for freshmen?
No. First-year students are common, but coaches also work with sophomores in a slump, transfer and community college students, students returning after time off, and seniors preparing for the job search.
Related guides: executive function coaching for college students, study skills coaching and how long mentoring takes to work.
Get started
Want a coach in your student’s corner this term? Call (888) 305-5422, or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.
Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.