Student advising is a term used to refer to an array of resources, supports, and guidance provided to students by a non-parental adult with the aim of enhancing successful transition to college, postsecondary training, or employment. Student advising can be—and often is—provided by trained guidance counselors who have traditionally focused on supporting students with high school course selection, and the college admissions process. Increasingly, schools are broadening both the focus and delivery of student advising supports to boost the postsecondary readiness of their increasingly diverse student body.

This resource from the Midwest Comprehensive Center was developed to support initiatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin related to personalized and deeper learning, including the use of student academic and career plans. It includes a brief summary of the research, highlights promising student advising practices, and provides the results of a research evidence review that indicates that there is promising evidence for the practice of student advising.