Office of Student Success and Retention
The Office of Student Success and Retention, located in Odum Library, provides comprehensive, student-centered services that support orientation, academic success, and student engagement from the point of acceptance through graduation. The office, comprised of three collaborative units -- The Academic Support Center (ASC), Orientation and Family Programs, and Student Success Coaching -- partners with other campus resources to offer a broad range of support services.
The Academic Support Center provides individualized peer tutoring, supplemental instruction for historically challenging courses such as biology, chemistry, psychology, and sociology, and 24/7 access to online tutoring services. Orientation and Family Programs assists new VSU students in their transition to university life and serves as a key resource for students' families and supporters. The Student Success Coaching team offers personalized success coaching, targeted programming to support academic progression, and management of the university's academic alert system.
Academic Advising at VSU
All incoming first year students are assigned into one of two campus academic advising centers. Advisors at VSU collaborate with campus partners including faculty, First Year Programs, Career Opportunities, and the Academic Success Center to ensure students make purposeful academic, career, and life choices. At a specified point in their program of study, students will transition from advising in their designated advising center to a faculty member in their major.
Students should check in Banner for the name of their advisor: click here, then log in, click on "Student and Financial Aid," and then on "Student Information."
Access Office
The mission of the Access Office is to create an accessible, inclusive, sustainable learning environment, in which disability is integral to the campus community and to society. Our primary objective is to provide equal access to campus programs and activities for all students while upholding the academic standards of Valdosta State University. The Access Office is responsible for coordination of accommodations when necessary to remove barriers in the environment and set reasonable accommodations. Some examples of services available to eliminate barriers include, but are not limited to, classroom and testing accommodations, materials in alternate formats, and access to adaptive technology. The Access Office is located in the University Center, Entrance 5, Suite 4136. For more information, call 229-245-2498 (V), 229-375-5871 (VP), 229-219-1348 (TTY), e-mail access@valdosta.edu, or visit the web site.
Office of Testing
Numerous standardized tests are administered by the Office of Testing to assist students with their testing requirements. The VSU Office of Testing is responsible for administering tests to entering students for the purpose of admission and placement, to undergraduate students for proficiency, to teacher education majors for certification, and to graduate students for admission to specialized programs. Testing programs designed for students to earn college credit hours by examinations are also available. As a designated national test center, the Testing Office administers testing programs for the Educational Testing Service, The Psychological Corporation College Board, The American College Testing Program, PearsonVUE, Evolve, the State of Georgia, and the University System of Georgia, as well as for other education, government, and corporate agencies. Prospective registrants should check with the appropriate offices at VSU to determine the required tests needed for admission to a specific discipline and the deadline for test score submission.
Tests available to entering students are the SAT, ACT, and ACCUPLACER. Tests for undergraduates include CLEP, eCore, Independent Study, GACE, DSST, the HESI for Nursing majors, and the Major Field Test for Biology majors. Tests required for graduate admissions include the GMAT and GRE Subject Tests. Credentialing exams are also administered through PearsonVUE and the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA). The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is administered on a national and institutional basis.
The Office of Testing is located in University Center Entrance #5, Room 4121. You may contact us by telephone at 229-245-3878 or at testing@valdosta.edu or on the website.
