Pilot project aims to improve graduation rates of college students in Ontario

In response to research showing that 35 percent of Ontario college students do not graduate from their program, Mohawk College, in partnership with the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation and two other Ontario colleges, has implemented a pilot project that provides a new way of delivering support services to help students overcome the academic, financial and motivational barriers to their success.

The project, Foundations for Success, assesses students after they are admitted to college but before they begin their studies, identifying those that would most benefit from academic tutoring, mentorship and career counselling. It then pairs each participating student with an advisor who not only provides one-on-one encouragement, but also identifies the student’s needs and challenges and directs them to appropriate services when necessary.

"Mohawk College is committed to helping every student graduate to success and we are proud to be part of the groundbreaking Foundations for Success research project," says Acting President Rosemary Knechtel. "Findings from the research project will help Mohawk and all colleges do an even better job of helping students become job-ready and future-focused graduates."

Participants are tracked through developmental English or communications courses, career workshops and peer mentoring sessions to ensure that they are successfully engaged in the college community and remain enrolled full-time. Some students also receive a $750 fellowship for each semester that they remain enrolled full-time and achieve a 2.0 GPA. The project is being rigorously evaluated to determine whether or not case-managed support services and financial incentives increase the likelihood that students will persist in their studies through graduation.

Foundations for Success will track 3,100 students at Confederation College (Thunder Bay), Mohawk College (Hamilton) and Seneca College (Toronto) until this fall. The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation contributes funding and is managing the project evaluation. A summary of the Foundations for Success Early Implementation Report is available on the Foundation’s website at www.millenniumscholarships.ca/en/research/index.asp.