Your success is our mission
Our team of academic advisers are your best resource to help you establish your academic goals, evaluate transfer credits, plan your courses, and connect with faculty.
Your academic adviser and student success team will help you review suggested academic plans, navigate entrance to major requirements, change campuses or majors, and plan for graduation. Academic advisers work in partnership with each student to help them meet these milestones and make informed decisions to accomplish their goals and interests.
Since advising is a shared journey, both advisers and advisees need to be actively engaged in the process. Students should meet with their assigned adviser at least once a semester for academic planning, though students planning to study abroad or pursue a concurrent major may need to meet with their adviser multiple times in one semester. Ultimately, students will assume final responsibility for the successful completion of their program requirements.
Starfish student success platform
At Penn State, Starfish integrates with LionPATH and is the main system for advising notes, progress reports, and academic reviews.
Starfish helps us identify students in need of support in real time based on their academic performance and concerns raised by faculty and staff.
Make an appointment with your academic adviser or connect with your student success team in Starfish
Student success events
The Academic Advising Office is proud to host several events throughout the year to engage students and promote academic advising.
Academic advising weeks
Each semester, the Advising Office hosts Academic Advising Weeks to remind students it is time to schedule for the upcoming semester. Meet with an academic adviser at different popular spots on campus including the Great Hall and Library, to discuss your academic plan.
Donuts and drop-ins
Hungry for major and scheduling help - and a donut? Join the Academic Advising Office to grab a donut and chat with an adviser about major and scheduling questions.
Lunch and learns
Through a series of educational, interesting, and thought-provoking topics, Academic Advising hopes to engage students in a variety of interactive and informative sessions.
New Student Orientation (NSO)
All new first-year students to Penn State must participate in New Student Orientation. At NSO, you will visit campus to meet with faculty and staff, begin to develop academic and co-curricular goals, become familiar with campus resources, and schedule courses for your first semester to begin putting your academic plan into action.
