Academic Success
Enrich your NCU experience with academic support services.
Resources for the Whole Student
At North Central University, our support services are how we form Spirit-led, academically confident students. You’ll find a team ready to walk with you through challenges, celebrate your wins, and connect you to resources that move you forward.
We’re here to help you stay grounded, navigate obstacles, and grow into the student you’re called to be — on campus and online, from your first semester through graduation.
What Is Academic Success?
Academic success is a combination of academic achievement, spiritual and personal formation, and professional development. That’s why our academic success resources are designed to provide more than a pathway to good grades (those are important, too). Ultimately, we want you to feel prepared to reach your short-term and long-term goals while supporting your physical and mental well-being and deepening your relationship with God and community.
Academic Success Resources and Services
Academic Support
NCU offers a variety of academic support services to help students understand their coursework and expectations, manage time and stress, and achieve the grades and skills you need to graduate and excel in your career and ministry. To learn more, contact Academic Success at academicsuccess@northcentral.edu.
Academic Coaching
Academic Coaching helps students reach their education potential. This service builds your capacity and accountability while providing new study strategies, better organization and time management skills, and general moral support.
Meet with coaches one-on-one to set goals while developing skills to achieve those goals in the most efficient manner. Your academic coaching sessions may cover:
- Study and test-taking skills
- Time and stress management
- Accountability
- Problem solving
- Planning
- Test preparation
- Organizing papers
- Learning styles
Tutoring
The NCU tutoring program received national certification through the College Learning and Reading Association (CLRA) in 2007. The service is offered by volunteers who have maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher during their academic careers at North Central. Tutors are available at various times to assist you in a wide variety of subjects.
E-Tutoring
Every student has access to 24/7 online tutoring included in every Canvas course.
To access Tutor.com, complete the following steps:
- Log into any Canvas course and click on “Modules.”
- Under the module titled “Course Details,” click the Tutor.com link
From this screen, you can:
- Connect with a Tutor Now: Submitting a question about any subject, and they can connect you with a tutor in approx 90 seconds! This includes content tutoring, writing, career, and study skills (browse the subject list to see all your options).
- Subject-Specific Content: Includes Math, English, Computer Science, Nursing & Healthcare, Business, Science, Foreign Languages, Marketing & Communications, Social Sciences, and Humanities
- Career Help: Interview prep, job search and application help, resume help, and unemployment assistance
- Life Skills: Healthy habits, motivation and goals, stress management, and using technology
- Study Skills: Finding scholarly resources, note-taking, organizational skills, study strategies, and time management
- Writing Help: Live writing help, ESL writing support, grammar help
- Technology Help: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign; COMPTIAA+,
- Microsoft Help: Microsoft Access, Excel, Powerpoint, and Word
- Schedule a Tutoring Session: Browse the tutors and subjects, and schedule a tutor session
- Submit a Paper for Review: Submit your paper and get feedback in 12 hours or less! You can submit it throughout the writing process – for graduate, undergraduate or even resume help.
- Take a Practice Quiz: See the options to explore what you know
Writing Support
All writers benefit from sharing their work with a reader, and a writing consultation allows you to do just that. Students are welcome to set up a writing consultation with Academic Success to get help with the following components of their writing process:
- Assistance in overcoming writer’s block
- Writing consultation and paper feedback
- Formatting and style guide assistance
- Drafting and layout
- Developing a thesis
- Revising a paper
Academic Accessibility Services
NCU is committed to providing academic support services and optimal educational opportunities for all students, including enrolled or admitted students who have disabilities that qualify under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Our goal is to provide services and tools that help students maximize their independence and self-advocacy skills to the fullest extent possible within the standards of the university.
Requesting Reasonable Accommodations
In order to receive reasonable accommodations, students must provide current documentation of their disability and its impact in an academic setting from an appropriately licensed professional. Review the Documentation Guidelines for Disabilities and recommended testing centers for obtaining documentation.
Students are responsible for renewing approved accommodations each semester.
Examples of accommodations include:
- Additional time on timed exams
- Exams in a distraction-free environment
- Books in alternative format
- Class relocation
- Handouts in a digital format
To request academic or housing accommodations, contact ADA@northcentral.edu or submit an Accommodation Request found on Skyline > Student Resources > Accommodations.
Preparing for Life at NCU
We want you to feel prepared and have agency in your student experience, with the support and accommodations you need to succeed and live safely on campus.
Tips for Preparing for North Central University:
- Understand the importance of college and actively prepare.
- Put together a transition plan at an IEP meeting or independently.
- Closely review your program’s admissions process and plan for each step.
- Make sure that your documentation and testing is current.
- Visit campus at least once. If you are enrolling in an online program, you are still welcome to visit campus!
- Request your accommodations early to get the resources you need.
- Activate your self-advocacy and communicate throughout your experience.
Contact Us
We’re here to help! Contact NCU by phone at 612-343-4400 or send us a message!