How VCU Created a Student Support Model That's Built to Last
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Ten-Year Partnership with Navigate360, EAB’s Student CRM
- type
- Large Public Research
- location
- Richmond, VA
- undergraduates
- 21,835
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Background
Virginia Commonwealth University launched their first Navigate360 advising campaigns in Fall 2014 to better identify and support students whose needs were less visible after the first year. When VCU shifted from faculty-based advising to full-time professional advisors in 2016, Navigate360 became the first shared advising platform across their decentralized campus. As VCU’s needs evolved over the years, so did their use of Navigate360 to address them.
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Strategy
VCU has steadily used Navigate360 to build a more mature, data-informed student success operation. What started with connected student data and personalized advising campaigns grew into early alerts, automated outreach, shared workflows, and clear visibility into intervention effectiveness. Faculty could flag concerns earlier. Advisors could see which students needed follow-up. Support teams could track whether students connected with support services. Each new layer gave VCU better information for the next one—making outreach more precise and less dependent on manual effort.
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Results
VCU’s decade-long Navigate360 partnership has led to measurable gains across student success. Six-year graduation rates increased 9 percentage points, freshman retention has stayed above 85% for three years, and DFW rates have dropped 10.9 percentage points across five key courses. Advisor turnover fell from 20.46% to 6.48%, and coordinated support now spans 15+ offices across campus.
