It's no surprise that students have the best odds of thriving in college when they have strong family support and a sense of belonging on campus. For those at IUPUI who have the odds stacked against them, there's Fostering Success.
In summer 2017, IUPUI welcomed 26 first-year students to campus for the pilot of the Fostering Success program. Housed in the Division of Undergraduate Education and funded by the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, the program serves students who are emancipated minors, have experienced housing insecurity or foster care, or have dependents as minors themselves.
The program offers success coaching, peer mentoring, personal growth and empowerment opportunities, and a formal curriculum that includes first-year seminar classes. All of these combine to put students without traditional at-home support systems in a position to achieve higher rates of retention and, ultimately, graduation.