Abstract

A liberal arts education that is at the core of American University of Central Asia (AUCA) is very unorthodox for high school graduates coming from Central Asian countries. The transition from high school to AUCA is often followed by a set of unique challenges that prevent students from successfully earning their university degrees. For these reasons, the Early Intervention Program (EIP) was launched at AUCA with the sole purpose of identifying these challenges and supporting struggling students through the university’s support services in a timely manner.

The EIP employs a set of tools including surveys to assess students’ performance during each semester, starting from Fall 2024. This paper will present some findings from the surveys. It gathers data both from the faculty’s perspective as well as from students' self-assessments and reports. Faculty members are asked to identify struggling students and indicate the reasons for flagging them as struggling. First-year students, on the other hand, are asked to report on the courses they find the most challenging, rate their academic performance and personal well-being.

The EIP revealed certain patterns in academic well-being, perceived challenges, and help-seeking behavior among first-year students that allowed university student support services to provide targeted academic support. According to the surveys, courses in academic major, English Composition as well as math-related courses were found to be the most challenging for first year students, suggesting that these areas may require additional support from student support services such as the Academic Advising Center (AAC), Writing and Academic Resource Center (WARC), counseling services, faculty advisors, and peer advisors. For instance, the AAC held 168 individual meetings with students flagged for academic concerns and helped each develop an Individual Plan for Academic Success (IPAS) in Fall 2025, while the WARC delivered 2,732 attended tutoring sessions, including writing consultations, Writing Fellows support, and group study sessions.

Our argument is that such a holistic approach to support first year students’ academic performance and their well- being throughout their educational journey can significantly enhance retention and graduation rates. Higher education institutions should develop strategies for early intervention and immediate, targeted support not only improve first-year students’ academic experience and well-being, but also guide them towards successful graduation.