Academic Support
Academic support isn’t just for when students feel behind—it’s critical for staying ahead.
At Purchase, our faculty and staff are dedicated to your student’s success as a student and also to their well-being as an individual.
College Success Seminars
First-Year Seminar is required for all BA/BS degree programs as well as some conservatory degree programs. In this introduction to the merits and expectations of a liberal arts education, incoming freshmen in the liberal arts and sciences, in arts management, and in theatre and performance, are encouraged to become members of the Purchase College intellectual community. Through readings, discussions, and supervised activities, students learn about the college’s academic expectations and its educational and co-curricular opportunities.
The College Success Seminar is designed for students in their sophomore year or beyond. Students gain life skills that contribute to success in college and in life, developing the confidence, accountability, and self-advocacy that lead to rational decision-making and improved academic performance. Students are guided on a path of personal growth through readings, discussions, peer mentoring, and reflective journaling, which are informed by best practices in advising and evidence-based theories on learning and behavior.
Academic Advising
Professional academic advisors help students understand their degree requirements and the College’s academic policies and procedures, while aligning their academic goals with their career goals. The Advising Center offers holistic support for students who need assistance choosing a major, selecting courses, or planning their timeline to graduation.
Finish in Four
The most successful students are proactive about their progress towards graduation. Each academic program has its own eight semester plan. Students should become familiar with theirs to be sure they stay on track to graduate on time. Degree progress reports, available in MyHeliotrope, are another a critical tool.
Visit our Finish in Four page for more information on how students can stay on track and well, finish in four years.
Learning Center
Purchase has several resources for students looking to step up their academics. Tutoring is available to any matriculated Purchase student at no cost through the Learning Center. Whether a student is struggling academically or wants to grow from good to stellar, the tutors can help.
The Learning Center tutors can help with writing for any class and many humanities classes, with all Foundations classes for Art+Design majors including art history, and with music theory for both performance and studio composition majors. See their website for a full list of the subjects offered each semester. Outside of specific subjects, often a time management or study skills session can address difficulties.
The Learning Center invites students to bring essays for feedback or ideas. Tutors can help in the early stages of the writing process by acting as a sounding board to help develop ideas, outlines, or thesis statements. Students who tend to have trouble starting their essays should schedule an appointment soon after they get an assignment.
All of the tutors are fellow students who have taken the classes and succeeded; this experience, plus extensive training, enables tutors to give personalized and targeted feedback to help their peers bring their best effort to every class.
The Einstein Corner, conveniently located in the Natural Sciences building, provides tutoring services in math and science classes, in both general education classes and courses required for majors.
Bookstore/Textbooks
The Purchase College bookstore is the resource for textbooks. Students can rent or buy books with the option to sell them back to the bookstore after each semester. The Purchase College bookstore can guarantee students have the right course materials and books for each course.