The mission of the Office for Student Success (OSS) is to help students successfully transition to college, progress academically and ultimately become graduates of the University of Montana. OSS initiates and leads collaboration with academic departments, state and local organizations and administrative units across campus to define, implement and assess programs that support students academically, financially and socially.

OSS delivers direct support services to students in the form of academic advising, math and writing tutoring, and freshman/sophomore programming. The Undergraduate Advising Center and the Writing Center are administered by the OSS.

Undergraduate Advising Center

The Undergraduate Advising Center is a university service staffed by professional advisors and peer advising assistants committed to helping undergraduate students achieve a successful college experience. The UAC programs guide students as they transition to college, assisting them in clarifying academic goals and exploring majors.

Advisors in the UAC work with both faculty and full-time advisors in each of the Colleges to assist students in making decisions about major areas of study and to ensure smooth transitions to and from majors. Working collaboratively, the full-time advisors of the Center consult with academic departments to provide new and creative opportunities for students to explore majors and careers that align with their abilities, interests, and strengths.

UAC advisors are the advisor of record for first year students who plan to major in Business, Pre-Nursing, Psychology, or Communication Studies and all students who have not yet declared a major.

The Writing Center

The Writing Center administers programs to help undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines become more independent, versatile, and effective writers, readers, and thinkers. Writing Center tutors engage students in structured discussions about writing, challenging them to develop as writers and thinkers who contribute to local and global conversations. Focused on the development of the writer, tutors help students to recognize their strengths and weaknesses as communicators and to practice strategies appropriate to various writing contexts.

The Writing Center also collaborates with faculty to positively impact student performance. These collaborations include delivery of discipline-specific writing workshops across the curriculum and professional development opportunities such as workshops on how to design writing assignments and how to provide students with effective feedback on their writing. In an effort to support all writers at the University of Montana, the Writing Center also supports faculty and staff writers by providing one-to-one consultations on their professional writing projects.

Four Bear Four-Year Graduation Plan

The Four Bear Four Year Graduation program is designed for students committed to completing their degree at the University of Montana within four years. Four Bear participants are provided with registration priority after signing the Four Bear contract in the first year. The program pays tuition and mandatory fees past the planned graduation time provided the student has met all of the requirements for continued participation. Pharmacy is an exception to the four-year plan; students are given five or six years to complete this degree.

Most department sections in the catalog include a suggested four-year course of study to complete a major. Four-Bear students must meet with their advisors in order to customize a plan to fit individual circumstances and academic.