Coaching means something different depending on who you ask. Athletic coaches build physical performance. Business coaches refine strategy. Health coaches support well-being.

But what happens when coaching meets academics? That’s where Success Coaches come in — and why they’re becoming essential in higher education.

More than an academic advisor

Success Coaches are part of a student’s broader support team — but their role is distinct from a traditional academic advisor.

Academic advisors focus on course selection, prerequisites, and degree requirements. Success Coaches take a wider view. They work with the whole person — understanding that life outside the classroom often determines whether a student stays enrolled at all.

Why students stop out

Students don’t leave school because they stop caring. Most face real, competing demands. Data from ReUp partner institutions shows the most common reasons students stop out include:

• Finances — 24%
• Life balance — 23%
• Professional commitments — 12%
• Health — 10%
• Motivation — 8%

These aren’t academic problems. They’re life problems. And that’s exactly where Success Coaches focus.

What success coaches actually do

Success Coaches work one-on-one with students to:

• Uncover goals inside and outside of school
• Identify immediate needs and map a path forward
• Highlight personal strengths and help students work through obstacles

Every coaching relationship is individualized. Success looks different for every student — and the coaching experience reflects that.

Coaching vs. counseling: An important distinction

Success Coaching is not therapy. While coaching can feel supportive and even transformative, it’s not a clinical space for diagnosing or treating mental health concerns.

What it is: a strengths-based partnership. Coaching trusts that students already have what it takes — and helps them see it.

The impact of success coaching

When students feel seen, supported, and connected to their goals, outcomes improve. Coaching helps students:

• Move from reactive to proactive
• Connect their motivations to short- and long-term goals
• Build habits and confidence that extend beyond the classroom

For many, earning a degree isn’t just an academic milestone — it’s a turning point. Success Coaches are there for every step of that journey.

ReUp’s approach to success coaching

At ReUp, our Success Coaches are dedicated to one thing: helping students finish what they started.

We guide stopout students through re-enrollment and connect them to the resources they need to succeed — from first outreach to graduation. Many of our coaches are stopout students themselves. They understand the experience firsthand.

What makes ReUp’s model different is the combination of human coaching and data-driven insight. By pairing our coaches with student data from 1M+ learners, we deliver the right support at the right time — at scale.