All types of students are referred to the Early Intervention System. The student may have made poor choices or decisions that impacted negatively on their academics. He or she could be an adult student who returns to higher education after an extended absence. They could also be a student with academic or physical limitations not identified before enrolling in higher education. Needless to say advising for these students must be designed to effectively address the student’s unique personal and academic situation.

Once you receive a referral, you have the option of contacting the student's instructor for the course in an effort to assist the student. This is certainly acceptable to do, but remember that some information about the student's situation you may know (Financial Aid status, academic probation, previous difficulties/successes in other courses, etc.) will be the student's private information, and should not be shared with the instructor. Sharing information that the instructor does not need to know for them to assist the student would be a violation of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The Success Contract has been developed as a tool to aid you in assisting your advisee. Review the sample contract and use it as a guide for helping your student take corrective actions before it is too late.