2024 Student Experience Study

2024 Student Experience
Study Report
May 2024
Table of Contents
Introduction
ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE STUDY_______________________________ 4
THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE IS ROBUST __________________________________ 6
THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION TO THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE __ 7
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT THREATS TO THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE _________ 9
HIGHEST PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS ________________________________ 9
I. Impact of Enrollment Growth in Serving Students

TRANSPORTATION ___________________________________________________ 11
CAMPUS DINING _____________________________________________________ 13
ON- AND OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING ______________________________________ 14
UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES ________________________________________ 16
II. Meet Changing Needs for Early Engagement of Students

as They Transition to A&M
FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCES _____________________________________________ 17
START OF SCHOOL YEAR PROGRAMS ___________________________________ 23
ACADEMIC CALENDAR CHANGES ______________________________________ 25
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS ___________________________________________ 26
“BIG T” AND “LITTLE T” TRADITIONS ___________________________________ 27
AGGIE NETWORK _____________________________________________________ 28
2024 Student Experience Study Report 1

III. High-Quality Academic Experience from Advising to
the Learning Environment
ACADEMIC ADVISING_________________________________________________ 30
DIGITAL LEARNING AND ONLINE PROGRAMS ___________________________ 32
FACULTY AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT ________________________________ 33
COURSE REGISTRATION _______________________________________________ 35
PREPARATION FOR WORKFORCE OR POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ___________ 37
IV. “Nickel-and-Diming” Students

OVERALL CAMPUS AFFORDABILITY ____________________________________ 39
SUPPLEMENTAL COURSE MATERIAL COSTS _____________________________ 40
External Sources _________________________________________________ 43

Introduction
“But there’s a spirit can ne’er be told… It’s the Spirit of Aggieland.”
This “Spirit of Aggieland” has distinguished the student experience at Texas A&M from
other institutions across Texas and the nation since its inception. It is a common, shared
thread among students despite their unique campus experiences. It is exemplified in the
university’s rich traditions that connect generations of Aggies and how students live the
university’s core values, creating a campus environment built on leadership and service.
As the university continues to garner national and global attention as a premier
institution of higher education, Texas A&M must harness the power of the unique spirit
of this institution in working to provide the No. 1 student experience in the nation to its
students.
There is an Aggie proverb that is often used to describe the Spirit of Aggieland: “From the
outside looking in, you can’t understand it. And from the inside looking out, you can’t
explain it.” However, in order to measure, enhance or rank Texas A&M’s student
experience, it must be defined and understood — even the less tangible aspects. This
report seeks to do that while identifying opportunities to enhance the student experience
and addressing potential threats to it.
The spirit and culture of Texas A&M are founded in the

“A&M is all about
notion that Aggies come here to be part of something pride, patriotism,
bigger than themselves. Aggies believe in each other. They faith, family, loyalty,
are on a quest to make the world and their place in it better respect — all the
through a commitment to shared values. They have a sense corny things that
of reverence for the excellence and devotion of students sometimes people
who preceded them, and they seek an educational
make fun of — here
experience that forms leaders, doers, innovators and great
they matter.”
citizens. Students experience the university through
friendships and small communities that allow them to
connect and enjoy the university’s storied traditions Texas A&M President
together, even when they don’t attend all of them. All of Mark A. Welsh III
this shapes the Aggie experience.
Each year, numerous publications and organizations attempt to rank student experiences.
These rankings look at a variety of criteria. In some criteria, A&M ranks very highly and
others it does not. A recent report from Hanover Research suggested Texas A&M could
improve its rankings by better marketing the unique attributes of the Aggie student
experience and the university overall. It also highlighted that the average size of

institutions ranked highly is less than 25% of our institution, suggesting that rankings
may favor smaller institutions. Therefore, the university can think intentionally about
how it connects both prospective and current students to their smaller community within
the large university. However, not one of the national rankings explored the full array of
attributes our students describe as defining the Aggie experience.
Therefore, Texas A&M’s pursuit of the No. 1 student experience is not by achieving
external rankings. Rather, it is about being true to who Texas A&M is (“true to each
other”) and being the best version of ourselves (“forming leaders of character dedicated to
serving the greater good”). It is not about other universities and measuring up to them; it
is about believing that every student who enrolls here is part of the Aggie family and each
of them has the opportunity to make a difference now and well beyond. The university’s
goal in this study is looking at when, where and how we can improve the opportunities
and remove the barriers that will allow each student, when they leave Texas A&M, to look
back fondly on their time on campus as they “muster” annually on April 21 and wear
their Aggie Ring proudly as continuing ambassadors for the university they love.
ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE STUDY

During the State of the University address and as part of the Quick Look Assessment,
President Mark A. Welsh III announced the commission of the Student Experience Study
Committee to document the current student experience and establish the standard
necessary to offer the nation’s No. 1 student experience. Through its work, the committee
collected student feedback through pop-up surveys and listening sessions and utilized
existing institutional data to support its assessment. The committee reviewed data from
the following surveys or analyses as part of this process:
• Surveys administered through the Office of Institutional Effectiveness &

Evaluation:
o Aggie Experience Survey (SERU: Student Experience in the Research
University)
o Former Student Survey
o Graduating Senior Survey
o Hullabaloo U Curriculum Committee Report and Recommendations
o Hullabaloo U Student Course Evaluations
o New Undergraduate Student Survey
o Student Experience Pop-Up Survey
• Surveys administered through Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research
o Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Needs and Awareness
o Disability Resources Faculty Survey
o Disability Resources Student Survey
o Fish Camp Non-Participant Survey

o Fish Camp Participant Survey
o Freshman Leadership Organization Student Experience-Fall 2020
Student Survey
o Howdy Week Survey
o New Student Conference 2023 Student Survey
o Student Senate Academic Advising Survey
o University Police Department Student and Citizen Survey
o Wellbeing Improvement Survey for Higher Education Settings
(WISHES)
• Other Surveys:
o Aggie Firsts: A Culture of Excellence QEP Annual Impact Report
o College Station Housing Plan – Student Survey
o Defining a Top Student Experience Report, conducted by Hanover
Research
o Division of Marketing & Communications Data
o Student Body President Campaign Points Report
o Student Experience Listening Sessions Summary Report
o Student Financial Wellness Survey, administered by Trellis Strategies in
partnership with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid
o Third Party Tools Presentation, Office of the Provost
This study focused on the undergraduate experience, and the committee recommends
that a separate study be commissioned to focus on the graduate and professional student
experience. Additionally, the Capacity Study, commissioned by President Welsh, will
focus on the infrastructure, faculty/staff sizing and service operations of campus. This
report focuses on the Student Experience Study Committee's findings on the
undergraduate student experience and recommended courses of action.
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
Joe Pettibon (chair) Vice President for Planning, Assessment and Strategy
Tim Scott Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Office of the Provost
Harry Hogan Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering
Cynthia Werner Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, College of Arts & Sciences
Matt Upton Assistant Dean, Bush School of Government & Public Service
Mary Bryk Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
Vicki Dobiyanski Associate Vice President, Division of Student Affairs
Stefanie Baker Director of Student Life, Division of Student Affairs
Alicia Dorsey Associate Vice President, Division of Academic Affairs
Arthur Watson Executive Director, Division of Academic Affairs
Nancy Fahrenwald University Health Services, Texas A&M Health
Delisa Falks Assistant Vice President, Enrollment Management

Kenric Davies Program Coordinator, AggieTEACH, College of Arts & Sciences, University
Staff Council
Grayson Sims Student Rep - Student Government Association, Executive Vice President
Clarissa Maldonado Student Rep - Regents Scholars President
Lisa Cantu Student Rep - Howdy Crew (Visitor Center)
Hudson Kraus Student Rep - President Nominated Student
Cecilee Herd Senior Vice President, Association of Former Students
Megan Lacy Executive Director, Marketing and Communications
Tori Davis Program Coordinator, Division of Planning, Assessment and Strategy
THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE IS ROBUST

The Aggie student experience is robust and a major factor in why students enroll, succeed
and make an impact on the larger world after they leave this “unique American
institution.” Some students say Texas A&M University already has the No. 1 student
experience. With a purpose “to develop leaders of character dedicated to serving the
greater good,” Texas A&M has a long and rich history of doing just that, and the
following key attributes are identified as critical components of the current student
experience:
• World-class faculty who care deeply about students and their success in and out
of the classroom
• Staff who go the extra mile to meet the needs of the students and enable their
continued success
• Traditions that are valued, practiced and engaged in by students as part of a
familial community
• An Aggie degree that opens doors of opportunity for a lifetime of success
• Leadership and service opportunities that allow the students of today to lead and
serve now and build habits that can impact the communities they become a part
of after graduation
Students tend to point to academics and traditions when reflecting on why prospective
students should enroll here, and they highlight their courses, degree, faculty interactions
and student engagement opportunities when reflecting on what is preparing them for
their future career goals and post-graduation outcomes.
One of the most enduring and visible demonstrations of the value of the Aggie student
experience is the Aggie Ring. From their time spent in the classroom, the research lab,
their student organization, or just time spent with friends they have met while enrolled,
the Aggie Ring tells the world Aggies are part of something special and helps connect the
Aggie Network after graduation. Over 95% of students make the decision to purchase
their Aggie Ring and wear it proudly for a lifetime.

While the current student experience is a valued and unique experience that contributes
to many multi-generational Aggie families, the committee identified opportunities for
improvement and areas of focus. To better explore the strengths and opportunities
associated with the student experience, the committee divided its work into four broad
areas: academic experience, campus services, student/campus life and affordability.
Graduation Senior Survey, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION TO THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

The student experience is shaped by the opportunities available to students, and in order
for them to understand and engage with those, communication was identified as an
important component of shaping the student experience. In fact, survey data showed that
students expect the university to proactively communicate campus updates and resources
that shape their student experience.
The Student Experience Study Survey data indicate the main preferences for students to
receive information regarding university resources are via email (76.4%), Instagram
(39.1%) and Canvas (30.5%). Students view social media as an alternative means of
providing information about the university and potential opportunities available to them.
Texas A&M University’s social media channels serve a broad audience that includes
students, as well as former students, faculty, staff and Aggie fans. Currently, across all
channels, the university has over 2.2 million followers, with the majority of followers
concentrated on LinkedIn (778,800), Facebook (709,028) and Instagram (402,371). In the
last year, the university’s Instagram account saw the highest increase in engagement of all
channels, increasing by 18.7% to over 4.4 million engagements. Beyond these main social
channels, individual unit-level channels offer the opportunity to directly connect with
students on topics for which they are most passionate.

Through student listening sessions, the committee heard that students desire open and
clear channels of communication in all aspects of student life (academics, campus
resources, student organizations and others). The following key themes arose regarding
communications:
• Connectivity: Students want to feel connected to campus through personal
interactions with faculty, staff and other students. Intentional relationship
building is key in helping students feel that they are “more than just a number.” It
is important for students to find their community within the larger university,
which opens up the opportunity for a more robust experience of Aggie traditions
and culture.
• Transparency: Students expect the university to provide clear information up
front on matters that impact and shape their student experience (university
leadership decisions, course material costs, degree expectations, and available
resources and services). The breadth and depth of services and resources create a
challenge in making sure students are aware of them in a timely manner or know
where to locate them.
• Access: Students need to be able to easily access the resources, physical spaces,
services and personnel important to their Texas A&M student experience. Many
students feel access has been compromised due to recent enrollment growth
without a corresponding increase in availability of services, from dining, housing
and parking, to access to advisors, counselors, and in some cases, select courses.
The committee’s recommendations include the need to proactively communicate with

students and tell the student experience story — from one-on-one advising opportunities
to campuswide communications.

MOST SIGNIFICANT THREATS TO THE QUALITY OF THE STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
The committee found that instead of drastic changes needed to the student experience,
the issue is identifying the threats and taking steps to mitigate those threats before the
experience deteriorates and instead deliver timely adjustments that allow students to
continue to thrive. The committee identified four significant threats, some of which are
already being addressed, and others that will require more investigation and work to
implement new strategies to mitigate. The four major threats are: (1) impacts of growth
beyond our capacity to serve students effectively, particularly in accessibility of services
and in the student support infrastructure (parking, transit, dining and affordable housing,
(2) not adapting approaches to meet changing needs for early engagement of students as
they transition to A&M, (3) not ensuring the academic experience from advising to the
learning environment remains high quality, consistent and robust, and (4) “nickel-and-
diming” students with unexpected and inconsistent costs associated with their experience
in and out of the classroom.
HIGHEST PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS

Below are the top eight recommendations that the committee suggests would have the
most benefit to strengthening the robust Aggie experience and mitigating the threats:
1. While the simultaneous study on capacity will address more specifics, the
university needs to make investments in student infrastructure support to expand
on-campus housing, dining, transit and parking options for students, as well as
student study and gathering spaces.
2. Target investment in student-facing services that the capacity study identifies as
shortfalls, including career services, counseling, health services and disability
resources. Students often report challenges with accessing these specific resources
with unwarranted lead times or insufficient one-on-one support.
3. Reconsider the academic calendar as it relates to the start of the fall semester, as
the engagement activities and preparation for the fall are too compressed between
the end of the summer term and the beginning of the fall term. There are two
options that were considered, with a stronger preference for the second one: (1)
remove the added break days and holidays in the fall semester to start a week later
or (2) reimagine the summer term to move from a 10-week term with two 5-
weeks to an 8-week term with two 4-weeks or a variety of options within the 8-
week semester (such as retaining the first 5-week period).
4. Form a presidential task force to reimagine and integrate the engagement efforts
for students from the acceptance of admissions to the end of the first year,
inclusive of New Student Conferences, Fish Camp (and other extended
orientations), Hullabaloo U, Howdy Week, MSC Open House and capturing
student organization engagement in the first year. Representation should include
faculty, staff and students.

5. Academic advisors are ESSENTIAL to the student experience. Students desire to
meet with an academic advisor who understands the curriculum, the relationship
between course options and career paths/goals and how to balance the rigors of
course schedules with competing workloads. And, they want to keep the same
advisor over all four years so that they have a relationship of trust and
understanding of the student’s goals. Therefore, the university should adapt
academic advising to meet these needs through training and professional
development, stabilize the movement of advisors within the university and invest
in academic advisors for a target of 275:1 as a lynchpin for student success and
the student experience.
6. Request the Provost, working with the Faculty Senate, to develop more robust
policies and processes for the adoption of course materials, homework systems,
learning management tools and other course resources that students often pay for
and are surprised by. It is not clear that the faculty and campus community
understand the impacts on students and the additional expenses the students
incur. Students often feel like the university is “nickel-and-diming” them and
question why their tuition and fees are not already covering many of these
“added” costs.
7. If the university continues to grow, the university should consider a policy that
would guarantee a student has access to the courses they need to graduate on
time if they follow the prescribed curriculum, and if the student is unable to do so
because of limited course availability, the student would receive a scholarship or a
full or partial tuition reimbursement for each semester the university forces the
student to attend beyond the normal tenure due to course availability.
8. There is a wealth of data and information available in existing surveys. The
university needs to develop a strategy for making that data and information
available and accessible across campus to support the student experience and
maintain a focus on the use of data to make informed decisions.

I. Impact of Enrollment Growth in Serving Students
Note: TAMU Main Campus undergraduate student headcount, excludes TAMUQ
The university’s ability to keep up with student enrollment Listening Session Reflection
growth was consistently a concern of all audiences.
“[Having the number one]
Transportation, campus dining, on- and off-campus housing and
university health services were areas of critical concern as the
student experience means
university grows. not having to think about
services a lot. Dining is
TRANSPORTATION available when I need it. I can
access transportation when I
Student feedback from the pop-up survey and listening session
need it. I can access advising
testimonies suggest that current campus mobility issues have
for help with class without a
substantially impacted the student experience. While recent
transportation improvements, such as cross guards at congested
lot of effort. In general, [it]
intersections and colored space occupancy lights in new garages, should not take a lot of effort
have improved students’ experience moving across campus, [to access] things outside of
students cite that traveling across campus for pedestrians and the classroom.”
motorists alike is dangerous. Additionally, it is difficult for -Current Student
students to travel smoothly across campus due to the lack of
available parking and inconsistent bus arrival times. Many
students must budget anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour for travel time via bus or car.
The percentage of students with parking permits has declined over the years and is
currently at 73%. However, permit sales are at an all-time high. While many lots have
waiting lists, spaces are still available in some lots, though we are reaching capacity. An
efficient, accessible and safe travel experience is vital for improving the student
experience.

Note: The transportation charts are based on all TAMU Main Campus students and not specific to
undergraduate students. The decline of parking permits in FY20 and FY21 is due to the pandemic.

Recommendations:
Transit-related recommendations: Listening Session Reflections
• Consider enhancing and expanding
infrastructure to support e-bikes, bikes and “During my time in undergrad,
motorcycles/mopeds. parking in general has been a
• Consider readopting older features of the huge stressor.”
transit website so that students can more
effectively compare multiple routes and
pinpoint bus drop-off/pick-up times. “One of the reasons I don’t
• Consider an expansion of the bus fleet and leave campus during the day is
explore off-campus bus routes that stop on because of parking. I feel [that] I
both East and West sides of campus (multiple don’t have time to return,
hubs).
finding a parking spot, park,
Parking-related recommendations:
then commute to class even if I
• Explore opportunities for students to hold
permits for multiple lots or garages.
have a 2+ hour break.”
• Assess Lot 100 parking challenges and permit -Current Students
assignment policy to reduce Lot strain.
• Explore feasibility of open lot access for permit
holders during finals.
• Consider an expansion of the number of available parking spaces on campus.
CAMPUS DINING
Students desire readily available dining options that are accessible across different areas of
campus. In the past 10 years, the number of average daily dining transactions for both
dining and retail locations has increased by 87%. The number of seats in the three dining
halls decreased by almost 1,000 during that time as renovations and retail space took
away seating that had been allocated to the dining halls. However, the number of dining
hall visitors has increased by 112%, with over 900,000 additional visits despite less seating
available to students.
Dining Metrics FY13 FY18 FY23
Average Daily Transactions 19,400 34,207 36,319

Dining Hall Visitors 813,363 920,127 1,720,636
Meal Plan Holders1 24,186 32,749 33,981
Venue Count (Dining Hall + Retail) 37 48 54
Dining Hall Seats2 5,090 4,150 4,150
1
The total meal plan holders include mandatory and voluntary plans for fall and spring semesters.

2
Dining hall seating decreased in Sbisa between FY13 and FY18 due to the conversion to retail space
in that area. The Commons seating is included in the FY13 number though it was closed for
renovations that year.
Listening Session Reflections

For many students, the early and between closure of dining
halls during the day is a barrier to meal access. Dining Services “Why are dining halls closed
has been working to accommodate student needs by offering from 2:30-5:00pm? This is when
late-night mobile ordering at select dining halls. Locations I am the most hungry. Even the
across main campus experience long wait times and limited
Corps TAMU has their dining
seating during peak hours, creating issues for students during
halls open with no breaks.”
the afternoon. While the Aggie Express' Mashgin Kiosks, a
touchless self-checkout system, help remedy these issues, some -Current Student
students express the concern that there are not enough dining
options on West Campus. Chartwells is exploring strategic
points across campus to add food lockers for expanded “on-
the-go” pick-up options. Student knowledge of mobile
ordering does not appear to be widespread across campus.
Recommendations:
• Consider options to increase dining hours for dining services and expand food
lockers across strategic points of campus to meet later breakfast and early dinner
dining needs.
• Consider expanding campus transit kitchenettes for quick personal prep across
campus.
• Work with Dining Services to increase campus knowledge of mobile app
ordering through the Transact App and its offerings, such as late-night mobile
ordering.
• Amplify promotion of campus resources, like The Pocket Pantry Program, that
are geared toward combating food insecurity.
• Expand dining options, capacity and availability across campus, including West
Campus.
ON- AND OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING

Student housing on and off campus has presented several challenges that currently
impact the student experience at Texas A&M. Students' most pressing concerns center
around housing affordability and housing proximity to campus. According to the City of
College Station’s Housing Action Survey, the most important factors when searching for
potential housing are price (97%) and proximity to campus/academic buildings (85%). As
enrollment numbers climb, space for on-campus housing has become more limited and
expensive. Compared to other peer institutions, Texas A&M cannot guarantee housing
for its entire incoming class, and many spring-admitted students have a difficult time
securing their on-campus housing for the start of the fall semester. In Fall 2022, 63% of
freshmen lived on campus.

Total Freshmen Total Freshmen in College Percentage of Freshmen
Year
Living on Campus Station Living on Campus
Fall 2017 7,452 10,767 69%

Fall 2018 7,097 10,243 69%
Fall 2019 7,065 9,850 72%
Fall 2020 6,606 10,341 64%
Fall 2021 7,154 11,308 63%
Fall 2022 7,150 11,427 63%
Notes: (1) Freshman headcounts are based on the First Time in College (FTIC) definition. (2) Total
Freshmen in College Station is based on TAMU - Main Campus FTIC students living in
Bryan/College Station. (3) Data includes Res Life dorms, Corp of Cadets dorms and White Creek
apartments; it does not include the Gardens apartments.
(4) The pandemic affected Fall 2020 on-campus living.
Due to this, there is a trend of first-year students opting to live off campus. While off-
campus housing options costs vary across the Bryan/College Station area, many new
high-density campus developments closer to campus mirror high on-campus housing
costs. Additionally, students find the enforcement of the “No More Than Four”
ordinance, which limits the number of unrelated individuals living in a single-family
household to 4, exacerbates the student housing shortage and lack of affordable housing.
The department of Student Life has revitalized the Off Campus Student Services unit to
include staff support to assist students in navigating off-campus living. The unit is
currently exploring ways to expand the unit’s promotion opportunities to include
resource packets for academic advisors, transition resources for exiting on-campus
residents through Res Life, and breakout sessions and resource tables at New Student and
Family Programs.
Recommendations:
• Assess and evaluate findings from the TAMU Housing Study and incorporate
those findings into a broader strategic plan that addresses on- and off-campus
housing concerns.
• Engage Off Campus Student Services, Student Government Association (SGA),
Bryan-College Station community leaders and representatives for continued
discussion on student needs related to student housing.

UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES
University Health Service (UHS) provides comprehensive, integrated care for students'
physical and mental health. Previously separate departments, Counseling and
Psychological Services (CAPS) and Buetel Health Center, UHS now offers a streamlined
and centralized approach to student health needs. The appointments for physical health
are limited by space available in the Beutel Student Health Clinic, which impacts students’
ability to receive readily available care. Student feedback on counseling appointment
access has varied. Institutional data suggests that the number of students served in
counseling and crisis counseling appointments has increased by 24% and 22%,
respectively, over the past 10 years.
To proactively address student mental health on campus, The Texas A&M University
System has become a JED Campus partner and launched the Healthy Minds Study to
establish a baseline on student mental health and perceptions of campus resources. In the
past, University Health Services has partnered with campus units and student groups, like
the Student Government Association, and hosted campus programming such as Mental
Health Week.
New Student Survey, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation
Recommendations:
• Consider co-locating physical, mental and preventive health services for
integrated whole-person care.
• Create a facilities improvement plan to update needed primary care services
infrastructure.

II. Meet changing needs for early engagement of students
as they transition to A&M
FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCES (FYE)
The university provides many resources to first-year students to support their successful
transition to campus, such as New Student Conferences (NSCs), extended orientations
(including Fish Camp and T-Camp), Howdy Week, MSC Open House and Hullabaloo U
(HU)/certified courses. Throughout the Student Experience Study, committee members
heard from students that they want and need to feel connected through personal
interactions with faculty, staff and other students.
During listening sessions, students also expressed that making connections at Texas
A&M can be a daunting task. WISHES survey data reinforces this sentiment and the
importance that connection plays in resilience and individual well-being. Research shows
that students need to have both social belongingness and academic belongingness for
success in higher education. “Social belongingness concerns a human need for
connectedness while academic belongingness involves feeling successful and capable in
one’s endeavors.” (Strayhorn, 2018)
First-year experience programs are designed to familiarize students with campus

resources and help them build relationships with faculty/staff and other students, which
in turn are designed to create a positive experience that supports students during their
first year and beyond. According to WISHES data from the 2023-2024 academic year,
47% of students who completed the survey indicated that they are experiencing
loneliness; 62% of students indicated that they have a friend they can count on; and 62%
feel they belong at A&M. Additionally, 45% of students completing the survey indicated
they were engaged in at least one extracurricular activity.
During the Student Experience listening sessions, students shared perspectives ranging
from feeling that they had to be “invited to participate” in both campus traditions and
campus activities; that the complexities and nuances of the campus traditions and many
student organizations make getting connected difficult; and that “to feel welcome on
campus it is super important to find your group.” Additionally, students spoke to the
difficulty of finding a group the first semester (and in some cases the first year) based on
the size of the incoming class, the size of classes they took their first semester (citing 300+
person classes as impractical to making friends), and navigating events like MSC Open
House where 20,000+ students in a small space make quality interactions and
connections impractical.
Texas A&M has many components/programs that are deemed “best practice” in creating
a robust first-year experience. Upon reflection and reinforced by student voice, these
programs operate in silos and are often repetitive, producing survey results that indicate

an over emphasis on some aspects of campus life but fail to provide the breadth of
information students desire.
According to Barefoot (2000), goals of a strong, intentional FYE program include:

• Increasing student-to-student interaction
• Increasing faculty-to-student interaction, especially out of the classroom
• Increasing student involvement and time on campus
• Linking the curriculum and the co-curriculum
• Increasing academic expectations and levels of academic engagement
• Assisting students who have insufficient academic preparation for college
Recommendations:
Form a presidential task force to reimagine and integrate the engagement efforts for
students from the acceptance of admissions to the end of the first year, inclusive of New
Student Conferences, Fish Camp (and other extended orientations), Hullabaloo U,
Howdy Week, MSC Open House and capturing student organization engagement in the
first year. Representation should include faculty, staff and students.
New Student Conferences

While the purpose of new student orientation (conferences) varies slightly depending on
the source reviewed, The College Board, Best Colleges and NODA (National Association
for Orientation, Transition, Retention in Higher Education) all indicate that first-year
orientation aims to teach new students more about the campus, go over the various
services and resources available to incoming students, and provide meet-and-greet

opportunities with peers. According to TAMU’s New Aggie website: “During your New
Student Conference (NSC) you will learn how to take full advantage of all the academic
programs, student life services and extracurricular activities Texas A&M University has to
offer.” Inherent to the placement of NSCs as both the way a student accepts their
admission into TAMU and the first step in integration into the Aggie community, NSCs
play a vital role in setting the stage for the first-year experience.
All incoming undergraduate students must complete an online orientation prior to their
required two-day on-campus NSC. Day one of the on-campus NSC is focused on Texas
A&M, campus services and peer connections. Day two provides colleges an opportunity
to highlight their unique academic programs and resources. Additionally, on day two,
incoming students receive advising and register for their first semester courses. The
effectiveness of both the online orientation and the two-day in-person NSC received
divided feedback according to data from the 2023 NSC Student Survey. Overall, students
indicate that the NSC experience prepared them for their first year at TAMU.
New Student Conference 2023 Student Survey

However, comments provided in the survey indicate that
students have mixed feelings about the material covered and Reflections from the NSC 2023
the order of the content. Many commented on the overlap Survey
between online orientation and day one of their NSC. Some “I wish there was more activities
preferred the online delivery format while others advocated to where new students could
do away with online orientation altogether. Additionally,
interact with each other and
students provided similar feedback between day one and day
make possible friends!”
two components on in-person NSCs. Some felt day one could
be combined with day two or discarded altogether, while many
others felt day two was too long, took too much time and did
“There should’ve been more
not afford peer connection. Finally, feedback from new
students indicates that more peer-to-peer interaction in small group activities. Like
smaller groups is desired. However, staffing NSCs with playing games to get to know
Orientation Leaders has become a more significant challenge one another, like bingo or
as current students are seeking internship or study abroad something.”
experiences in lieu of staying in the B/CS area for the summer.
Recommendations: “I felt I wasn’t thoroughly

• As part of the recommended Presidential Task Force prepared for scheduling my
on an integrated first-year student engagement classes. I am in engineering and
experience, determine the role and purpose of online it may be because there were
orientation and each day of NSC. Special attention to so many students. But they
content and sequencing should limit redundancy but showed us how to add classes,
assist students with knowledge/information retention.
but not to discern what classes
• Determine the value or lack of value in having
to take.”
registration coupled with orientation.
• Consider ways to increase peer-to-peer interaction
throughout the on-campus experience.
“Please have day 2 be quicker as
• Look for ways to incentivize the recruitment and
retention of orientation leaders through additional
I feel it was mostly filler. This
benefits such as reduced summer tuition, internship time could be used to give
credit or other alternatives to assist in providing small people more time to register
peer group sessions for students. and finish early.”
-Current Students
Hullabaloo U Courses
Since 2019, Hullabaloo U (HU), a first-year seminar through the Office of Student
Success, has become a key component of the first-year experience at TAMU. Research
examining the impact of HU on student outcomes has found that when looking at
achievement metrics, there were significant differences in those who are enrolled in HU
(GPA, retention, willingness to seek help) versus students who were not enrolled in the
course (Das, Schmitt and Stephenson, 2021). Each HU seminar is taught by a staff/faculty
instructor and a student peer mentor, and the curriculum is designed to address the
unique needs of current first-year students. As the HU program has continued to grow,

colleges/units can submit proposals to offer HU courses for certification through the
Office of Student Success. The required lesson themes delivered within every certified HU
seminar include Wellness and Mental Health, Academic Success Strategies, Aggie Core
Values, and Goal Setting and Careers. Student feedback on HU has varied.
From the listening sessions, it was clear that students who had more tailored HU classes
by their department/college articulated a consistently better community experience.
Other students, some who were enrolled in interdisciplinary HU course sections, found
the program ineffective in assisting their transition to college. There are many and varied
reasons for the differing experience of HU courses, including ties to the discipline, the
individual student’s college readiness and preparation, and the potential repetition of
information from New Student Conferences or other engagements the student has had. A
sentiment shared by students in interdisciplinary and college-focused HU seminars alike
has been that instructors and peer mentors play a vital role in the “make or break” of their
HU experience. University officials continue to regularly evaluate HU, including it being
one essential element of the ongoing Quality Enhancement Program (QEP), Aggie Firsts,
which is reviewing HU's impact on the first-generation student experience (as a required
element of the university’s Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on
Colleges accreditation). In the last several years, HU has partnered with the Student
Government Association (SGA) to incorporate education on campus traditions into its
curriculum. The ongoing, systematic assessment of the impact of HU has continued to
strengthen the important role HU plays in shaping the first-year experience.
The following are Student Course Evaluation (SCE) items administered as part of the
end-of-term evaluation for all HU-certified courses.

Data provided by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation
Recommendations:
• The university should work in partnership with
Reflections from the NSC 2023
colleges and units to improve the student
Survey
experience of HU, including an annual review of
curricular content and ongoing assessment of “The amount of traditions [at
identified outcomes (such as for the QEP). Texas A&M] can be a lot… It can
• Consider building opportunities within HU to be a culture shock or a lot at the
support first-year students who are having difficulty beginning. Hullabaloo U classes
finding community, specifically during the time
help a lot.”
Freshman Leadership Organizations (FLO) choose
their members.
• Consider creating a First-Year Experience Advisory
“Hullabaloo U class was a ‘drag’
Board comprised of current first-year students, FLO
and I felt it could have been
leadership and current/former HU mentors who
can provide input and review of first-year
online. I didn’t learn much
programs/initiatives. because it seemed repetitive. I
• Explore an option to develop a new student did feel that the peer mentors
experience map that would collect interest and were helpful.”
engagement data from incoming students, match -Current Students
them with available campus opportunities and
aligned student organizations to provide each
student with a customized first two to three weeks of student experience and
engagement schedule.
• Explore opportunities to expand curriculum to encompass information on how
to navigate resources such as Howdy Portal, TAMU bus map and others.
Consider adding to curriculum “Aggie Network Specific Tools,” such as how to
navigate Jobs for Aggies/Hire Aggies, Find an Aggie and Aggie Ring ordering.

START-OF-SCHOOL-YEAR PROGRAMS
Essential to a well-thought-out and robust first-year experience goes beyond NSCs and
HU. Howdy Week, Extended Orientations (Fish Camp, T-Camp and spring Howdy
Camp), Freshman Leadership Organizations (FLOs) and other intentional first-year
integration programming needs to be more systematically incorporated into a full FYE
plan.
Howdy Week is Aggieland’s official welcome for new and returning students and takes
place each fall between move-in and the start of classes at Texas A&M. This campus-wide
“week” (the last few years has been three or four days) is a collaborated effort between
colleges, divisions, student organizations and community events. From the Howdy Week
2023 survey, students indicated that seeing other students they already knew or making
new friends was the primary factor contributing to a positive Howdy Week experience.
Students also expressed that the welcoming community of peers, staff and faculty helped
them feel acclimated to the upcoming semester.
2023 Howdy Week Survey, Student Affairs Planning Assessment and Research
Students did express a desire for Howdy Week to not overlap with move-in, as many
students were unable to attend. According to the Howdy Week survey, over half of
respondents weren't able to participate in programming because they were not moved in.
Additionally, students recommended that it be scheduled for a full week and not just a
weekend, and to not have most of the big events the first two days of Howdy Week when
most students were not moved in or still in the process of moving in.
Student-driven programming that offers first-year students an opportunity to further

integrate into the campus community and form peer connections should also be
considered for sequenced information. While extended orientation programs only host
about 50% of the incoming new students (6,000 at Fish Camp, 200 at T-Camp and 125 at
Howdy Camp), 30% of students (30%) who did not attend Fish Camp in 2023 indicated
they wish they would have attended. For those students who did attend Fish Camp,
freshmen reported positive interactions with all camp staff, especially with their
Discussion Group (DG) leaders and felt that the time spent with their DGs was sufficient.

Participants also indicated they would prefer more free time and slightly more time spent
with DG groups focused on involvement and cultivating peer connections.
Freshman Leadership Organizations (FLOs) are perceived by freshmen as coveted

experiences. Student Experience Study committee members commented that feedback
from students, HU instructors and parents in the Aggie Parents Facebook group
indicated that, at least anecdotally, FLOs create stress and sometimes a sense of
loss/disappointment from application through selection. Currently, TAMU houses 24
FLOS, which support immersive leadership experience for approximately 1,500 freshmen.
Students who applied for FLOs, whether selected or not, indicated in the FLO Student
Experience – Fall 2020 survey that their primary reason for applying for a FLO was to
make friends. Additionally, students indicated that they hoped the FLO would help them
get involved on campus, have fun and build leadership skills.
Freshman Leadership Organization Student Experience – Fall 2020, Student Affairs

Planning, Assessment and Research
Recommendations:
• Consider a more intentional investment of resources and structure into Howdy
Week, helping to utilize the week as an all-campus orientation and shared
experience with particular emphasis in college programming/belongingness
events that cultivate first-year integration into the degree department, which is
especially important for students who may not have a course in their major their
first semester or first year.

• Ensure student-led initiatives, such as FLOs, are connected with campus partners
(Office of Student Success, Career Center, etc.) that advance students' knowledge
of campus resources.
• Consider alternative options to FLOs that could promote freshman connections
for making friends and getting involved on campus, while highlighting
leadership, social and service in a way that can be scaled to meet the needs of a
larger number of new students.
• Develop a roadmap that incorporates a full-year FYE moving beyond start-of-
school programs that fosters social belongingness, connectivity and
communication between students and the larger campus community.
ACADEMIC CALENDAR CHANGES

Given the importance of connecting with students at the start of the semester, the
university needs to examine the impacts of recent university academic calendar changes.
With modifications to the fall schedule, including Labor Day as a holiday, the two-day fall
break with no classes and the reading day on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the
start of school has been pushed back into August earlier than previous academic
calendars. After three summers of operating with four days between graduation and
summer II and 10-week grades being due, the compressed schedule has produced strain
on the student experience infrastructure and limited academic preparation time for
faculty. The constraint and compression on residence hall make-ready and move-in time,
the last two NSCs that support out-of-state and international students and start-of-the-
school-year programs such as Howdy Week have impacted the university’s ability to
orient students to campus in a conducive manner.
All of the changes have been made with good intentions intent on helping students and
meeting their needs. However, a broader review of the total impact should be considered.
For example, the introduction of Labor Day as a faculty/staff holiday along with
Juneteenth and Memorial Day has resulted in semesters in which staff do not have a day
off at spring break in some years.
Having multiple weeks with a single day off in that week complicates the delivery of
laboratory courses that are designed to deliver the same topic in a given week for all
students in a given course. Since these courses meet only once each week, a single day off
impacts the laboratory prep for the faculty and the delivery of content in a timely manner
for some students.
The introduction of the fall break was an attempt to address concerns over mental well-
being and provide a mid-semester break for students similar to spring break. However, a
full week was not feasible unless it was at Thanksgiving, and that was thought to be too
late during the semester. The evidence from University Health Services indicates that the
fall break has had a mixed impact on students’ well-being.

In 2022 and 2023, a Labor Day break occurred in week 2 and 3. Overall crisis numbers were lower
than in 2021 (no Labor Day break).
In 2022 and 2023, a fall break occurred in week 7 and 8. Total weekly crisis visits declined for week 8
in 2022 and 2023 in comparison to week 8 in 2021.
Recommendation:
Reconsider the academic calendar as it relates to the
Reflections from the Committee
start of the fall semester, as the engagement activities
and preparation for the fall are too compressed Approximately 25-30% of
between the end of the summer term and the undergraduate students enrolled in
beginning of the fall term. There are two options that the fall semester also are enrolled
were considered with a stronger preference for the in at least one summer class.
second one — (1) remove the added break days and
holidays in the fall semester to start a week later or (2)
reimagine the summer term to move from a 10-week
term with two 5-weeks to an 8-week term with two 4-
weeks or a variety of options within the 8-week
semester (such as retaining the first 5-week period).
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Student organizations are a valued aspect of student life at Texas A&M and are an integral
way for students to find community and connection on campus. Data from the
Graduating Senior Survey shows that 76.8% of graduating students report participation in
a Recognized Student Organization (RSO). Unique to Texas A&M are the variety and
number of RSOs for students to join; the university boasts over 1,200 RSOs and has seen a
36% increase in new student organizations over the past ten years. However, students face
the enormous challenge of filtering through organizations to find their best fit. The

university-sponsored practices that assist students in discovering student organizations
include the “Get Involved” online tool and in-person and virtual options at the Memorial
Student Center (MSC) Open House. Students remark that the “Student Org search” and
“Org Match” functions within the “Get Involved” tool are cumbersome and lack user-
friendliness. Additionally, student feedback suggests that the MSC Open House
experience is overwhelming and crowded.
Recommendations: Listening Session Reflections

• Explore and consider options to reimagine the “A&M can feel very daunting as
MSC Open House Experience for fall of 2025. a freshman; I want to get
• Enhance opportunities for students to connect involved and ‘buy into’ the Aggie
with student organizations that have open Experience.”
membership throughout the semester.
-Current Student
• Incorporate student feedback on potential new
tools and platforms that are designed.
• Consider investing in digital platforms that
allow for students to easily navigate finding student organizations that match
their interest.
• Increase campuswide knowledge of student organizations and student leader
funding opportunities such as the Good Bull Fund and the Aggie Experience
Fund.
• Continue to invest and create opportunities for student leader development.
“BIG T” AND “LITTLE T” TRADITIONS

While the student experience at Texas A&M has continued to evolve,
the university’s cherished traditions remain a central aspect of student life, from the
beginning of their first year to the end and beyond. As the student body grows, students
remain committed to the rich history of older, established traditions while embracing the
newer and smaller activities that make Texas A&M feel like home. Traditions at large can
play a vital role in fostering authentic connection on Texas A&M’s campus in the face of a
nationwide loneliness epidemic.
Throughout the listening sessions, students expressed that the institution's “Big
T” traditions, such as Muster and Big Event, give a strong sense of belonging to
something larger than themselves, a larger family, but are experienced best when they can
find the “Little t” tradition of a student organization, group or program from which they
can engage in the “Big T” tradition. “Little t” traditions create a vehicle for
Texas A&M’s traditions overall to feel personal.

Recommendations: Listening Session Reflections

• Share the story of traditions, small and large, and
their role in fostering community for students in “Traditions themselves aren’t
Texas A&M’s marketing efforts (universitywide and anything special — they are
within individual units). processes. Participation is the
• Colleges and departments are an important special sauce — nothing else is
dimension of the “Little t” traditions. These units like it. Big Ts [traditions] make
should provide opportunities in which students from this place feel like family.
shared disciplines can together participate in “Big T” Meaningfulness is developed by
traditions (i.e., a department signs up for Big Event the other students/people
so students can volunteer alongside peers from their sharing that experience with
academic unit, or a college sponsors a meet-up you.”
before Midnight Yell). -Current Student
AGGIE NETWORK
The Aggie Network and its base of over 600,000 former students worldwide create a
unique opportunity for current students to have meaningful interactions with alumni
even before graduation. In this way, the Aggie Network plays a vital part in shaping the
current student experience through investing in the success of Aggies while they are on
campus and connecting them to an array of possibilities after graduation. There are
numerous examples of this engagement, such as the investment by The Association of
Former Students in student and academic programs through the annual fund
distributions, through a partnership with the Career Center for a mentoring solution that
connects former students with current students, and through the many engagements of
former students with colleges, departments and student organization support.

The Aggie Network is often cited as a lifelong component of the overall Aggie experience
and something that begins the day a student accepts their admission to Texas A&M. The
university must continue to develop strategic ways for current students to be integrated
into the Aggie Network in their first year and throughout their time at Texas A&M.
Recommendations:
• Consider how to connect the Aggie Network to the first-year experience and
include a representative of The Association of Former Students in the president’s
task force on the early student engagement effort.
• Examine the distribution of the annual fund resources that The Association of
Former Students provides to the university to determine how resources could be
reallocated in support of new initiatives within the student and academic
experience.

III. High-Quality Academic Experience from
Advising to the Learning Environment
ACADEMIC ADVISING
Academic advisors are essential to a student’s ability to plan
“I now have an advisor for my
their academic roadmap and navigate their degree plans
effectively. As enrollment has grown, the growth of academic [neuroscience] major, which is
advisors has not grown at the same pace. The most often cited lovely. The new challenge is
minimum standard for student to academic advisor ratio is that there is just one advisor
300:1, but given the importance of advisors, turnover and who really knows the program,
vacancies, the university should ensure all colleges can remain so it makes it difficult to
below the target even with turnover. Currently, eight colleges schedule appointments.”
were under the target threshold, while three colleges exceeded
the threshold, but vacancies regularly push the actual
“Academic advising makes or
experience of students to advisors above that threshold. A
breaks the student
275:1 ratio would better keep the experience closer to the
minimum standard (an addition of 14-15 advisors).
experience.”
The listening session feedback suggests that there are varied -Current Students
experiences based on the number of advisors within a
department or unit. Early general advising has impacted time to degree due to missteps in
courses and registration sequencing. For students, it is essential that they can access an
academic advisor who understands the curriculum they are studying and is
knowledgeable on related opportunities that will enhance their academic experience.
Students desire to meet with academic advisors who understand the relationship between
course options and career paths/goals. In this way, advisors should serve as an entry and
extension into the work of the Career Center. Greater availability, accessibility and
consistency in advisors are crucial to improving the student experience in academic
advising.
Current Advisor and Student Headcounts

Advisor Undergraduate Undergraduate Student
College
Headcount Headcount to Advisor Ratio
Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts 4 498 125
Education and Human Development 14 3,282 234
Bush School 5 1,272 254
Public Health 9 2,456 273
Architecture 8 2,189 274
Agriculture and Life Sciences 25 7,160 286
Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences1 8 2,305 288
Undergraduate Studies2 11 3,264 297
Arts & Sciences1,2 38 11,498 303
Mays Business School 16 5,198 335
Engineering 52 18,473 359

1
BIMS majors were included in the Veterinary Medicine headcount.
2
Blinn Team and General Studies majors were included in the Undergraduate Studies totals, as well as students enrolled
in Study Abroad courses.
Note: Advisor headcounts include those employees in the following titles: Academic Advisor I-IV, Senior Academic
Advisor, Coordinator of Undergraduate Advising (50%) and Manager of Advising (50%)
Recommendations:
• Ensure academic advisors in units understand the relationship between course
options and career paths. Academic advisors must be equipped to understand
how to balance the rigors of course schedules with competing workloads, and not
just work through one-size-fits-all approach with catalog requirements.
• The university should conduct a systematic and rigorous assessment of advising
practices to explore which models for advising have been more effective.
• The university should work to determine factors that contribute to the retention
of academic advisors within colleges.
• Incorporate student education on academic advisors and their role in students’
academic experience.
• Provide professional development to academic advisors aimed at enhancing their
knowledge of the relationships between the courses in an academic program and
the career paths students in the program might pursue.

DIGITAL PLATFORMS AND ONLINE COURSE OFFERINGS
Texas A&M operates in a modern educational environment
where all students benefit from digital platforms associated
“I think my biggest frustration
with their classroom experience. All instructors have the
option of using Canvas as a digital platform, and most is my online business classes,
classes use Canvas. During the listening sessions, students which are large and feel lack
reported inconsistent quality in Canvas usage between
luster.”
colleges or departments. Furthermore, students expressed
dissatisfaction with the quality of many of the online course
offerings. In Fall 2023, 43% of undergraduate students were “Online major courses make
enrolled in at least one distance education class, compared the student feel like they are
to 34% in Fall 2018. The university has a robust process to missing out on something.”
assess the quality of degree programs and thus, online
degrees are high quality. However, there is not a robust -Current Students
process for assessing online courses outside of online
degrees, and therefore, there is varying quality of those
courses.
Online courses require students to pay an additional fee (i.e., the distance education
differential tuition), which some students reported being unknown to them when they
registered for the courses. Many students also find their class experience to be inferior to
an in-person section of the same course. Many students desire in-person class experiences
and are frustrated when their only option is to enroll in an online section. Of course, it is
also true that many students enroll in an online course by choice and out of convenience
to fit their schedule and needs.
The distance education differential tuition has presented challenges for students and for
administrators trying to manage sufficient in-person course availability for students, so
no one is forced into the online courses for required courses. Further, it is theoretically
possible for a student to complete most of the core online, and therefore, the university
has to constantly monitor for students not exceeding more than 50% of courses in their
degree online, for which the university does not have approval.
The university was poised to phase out the distance education differential tuition several
years back but stopped that process. Some colleges have the ability to charge the
additional tuition while others do not. Further, with three-fourths of our students
choosing a fixed tuition plan, there is the potential for issues if the university does not
monitor appropriately. The distance education differential tuition generates between $16-
18 million annually, focused in a few colleges.

Note: In Fall 2020, most students were enrolled in online classes due to the ongoing pandemic.
Recommendations:
• The university should reestablish the process to phase out the existence of the
separate, course-based distance education differential tuition for undergraduate
students during the fall and spring semesters.
• The university should establish minimum quality standards for online course
delivery based on established (national) guidelines.
• The university should encourage colleges to review the quality of approved online
courses. Consider tasking the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), the Office
for Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation (OIEE) and the Director of Digital
Learning and Technology to compile and disseminate resources to assess the
quality of online courses and programs.

FACULTY AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Listening Session Reflections
While Texas A&M University offers a wide variety of ways “It’s the Aggie Family that
for students to engage with faculty, within and beyond the makes the student experience.
traditional classroom, listening session feedback and survey [It’s the] relationships with
data from the Wellbeing Improvement Survey in Higher fellow students and
Education Settings (WISHES) indicate that personal professors. Lots of these
connections with faculty are an integral component to a [relationships] were fostered
positive student experience. According to the WISHES through involvement or
Report, “Students who reported having a professor who
traditions.”
cared about them the first year they took the survey were
significantly less likely to be experiencing academic risk in -Current Student
the following academic year.”
The university’s large introductory courses can feel overwhelming, specifically for first-
year students. Since Fall 2019, the number of lower-level undergraduate, in-person
sections of 100 students or more has risen by 31%, as seen in the chart below. In some of
the larger colleges, students find it challenging to build relationships with professors. For
many students, engagement with faculty members is their only formal linkage point to
a representative of the institution. Strong relationships between students and faculty
create an access point for students to connect to the essential campus resources and
support they need.
Note: The dip in Fall 20 is due to the pandemic.

Recommendations:
• Highlight and recognize examples of faculty who have excelled in fostering
connections with students by providing college and university awards or grants.
• Expand opportunities for students to build meaningful interactions with faculty
within their department or college through campus programs or university
traditions and by offering high-impact/transformational learning experiences
with relatively small student-to-faculty ratios.
• Offer faculty development opportunities that highlight active learning strategies,
including those specifically for connecting with students in large lecture settings.
• Explore ways to better embed teaching assistants (TAs) into the classroom to
better support large lecture settings, specifically for core curriculum courses.
• Add an item to the standardized Student Course Evaluations (SCEs) that
specifically asks students to rate how connected they felt to the instructors and
utilize data to support continued faculty.
COURSE REGISTRATION
For many students, course registration is a stressful and time-consuming process.
Feedback from the listening sessions suggests that some departments release seats later in
the registration period, making it difficult for students to register for necessary core
curriculum classes. Furthermore, students cited barriers to course registration, such as
course curriculum changes after enrollment and required courses not offered during the
semester they expected to enroll. Students desire the registration process to become more
streamlined for easier course scheduling.
Further, despite university investments in bottleneck courses, multiple examples were

given by students regarding difficulty in getting into certain courses when needed,
particularly core curriculum courses. There are two areas of concern: (1) courses
prohibited to senior classification and (2) courses with high demand or high enrollment
that students cannot easily register for.
Students expressed concern with internal policies of specific departments that restrict
courses to prevent seniors from registering for them — ENGL 104 and COMM 205 were
specifically cited. This is a capacity and course availability issue and an attempt to
encourage students to take courses earlier. However, the internal policy is not well known
by students. The solution proposed to students, often in their final semesters, is to refer
them to a community college, often increasing the total cost of education and creating
added stress of late transfer of grades for the completion of the degree. There are 16 core
curriculum courses identified by the Office of the Registrar with this restriction.
In addition, the university and the colleges have made great strides to address bottleneck
or high-demand courses students need as part of the core curriculum. While bottleneck

courses are difficult to define, an analysis of registration data identifies 13 core
curriculum courses that regularly have more than 50 students unable to take the course in
the semester in which they attempt to register. Of these 13, seven are at more than 95%
capacity across all sections, and more than half of the students are juniors or seniors
(AGLS 235, COMM 203, COMM 205, COMM 243, DCED 202, ENGL 210 and SPMT
220). The remaining six courses are above 95% capacity across all sections, but the
majority are still underclassmen (AGSM 105, COMM 257, KINE 223, PBSI 107, PHIL
111 and SOCI 205).
Graduation Survey, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation
Recommendations:
• The university should ensure that adequate funding is in place to eliminate all
bottleneck courses, especially in required core curriculum courses, by the Fall
2025 semester if the only constraint is sufficient faculty to teach the courses.
• If the university continues to grow, the university should consider a policy that
would guarantee a student has access to the courses they need to graduate on
time if they follow the prescribed curriculum, and if the student is unable to do so
because of limited course availability, the student would receive a scholarship or a
full or partial tuition reimbursement for each semester the university forces the
student to attend beyond the normal tenure due to course availability.

PREPARATION FOR WORKFORCE OR POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
A consistent finding in the listening session feedback and the
pop-up survey data is that students perceive their
coursework and degree as crucial for their career preparation “Students must learn how to
and outcomes. Students report that the level of career forge their own way if their
preparation varies from one academic unit to the next. goals don’t align with what the
Students observe that some colleges and departments better college or program is
prepare students for post-graduation success than others. preparing them for.”
-Current Student
Student Experience Pop-Up Survey

Graduation Senior Survey
Recommendations:
• Career preparation should be embedded in each major. Information about career
skills and career opportunities should be provided at multiple stages, rather than
provided exclusively at the end of a degree program. Students should receive
advice on how to market their skills and expertise based on their degree programs
and co-curricular experiences.
• Introductory courses should consider weaving in information that helps students
understand various disciplines and career opportunities in each college.
• Expand opportunities within colleges and departments for students to access
networking and career development opportunities outside of the classroom.
• Units should integrate transformational learning experiences (i.e., high-impact
experiences) into their majors as early as possible, including reflection on
marketable skills learned through these experiences.

IV. “Nickel-and-Diming” Students
OVERALL CAMPUS AFFORDABILITY
As a publicly funded institution, Texas A&M University is committed to providing a
high-quality and affordable education to Texans and beyond. Texas A&M’s average cost
of attendance has fluctuated subtly over the past three years, and the net price by income
levels has stayed relatively the same over the past two years. The university has
consistently made investments in scholarships and financial assistance, including
allocation of emergency assistance for acute needs. The Office of Scholarships and
Financial Aid administers almost $900 million in student financial assistance annually,
and supported by the Aggie One Stop and Student Business Services, ensures students are
advised on financial solutions for attending Texas A&M.
Students continue to want to understand exactly what they are paying for when they are
billed. Students reported confusion over the detailed statement they review online,
whereby the descriptors used often have codes, acronyms or abbreviations. While one can
discover what all the charges are on the Student Business Services website, students desire
more transparency. Further, the University Advancement Fee is often cited as a charge
that generates more questions given it is used to cover a wide variety of services, from
technology and the university network to library and career services, academic advising
and student activities, among many others. While there are technical limitations on the
number of characters used as descriptors, the bill and language used should be reflective
of the charge and easily understood by students.
Nevertheless, a degree from Texas A&M is an investment of resources that the university
must remain cognizant of and focused on strategies to address student financial concerns
and needs. In the Student Experience Survey, 44% of respondents indicated overall costs
as an improvement area to strengthen. As the average cost of attending college across the
country still rises, the university must remain dedicated to taking a holistic approach to
addressing college affordability and student needs beyond the scope of tuition and fees.
TAMU Student Assistance Services reported that of their 2,279 cases in FY23, 26% were
related to food insecurity, 11% were related to financial insecurity and 2% were related to
housing insecurity/homelessness support. These numbers are further validated by the
Financial Wellness Survey conducted by Trellis Strategies that indicated 13% of students
“ran out of money 6 or more times in the past year.” Strong partnerships with campus
affiliates, such as the Texas A&M Foundation and the Texas A&M Association of Former
Students, are an integral part in enhancing the value of an undergraduate education while
keeping costs within reach. Financial literacy and education are valuable support
components for students getting the most value for the dollars they and their families are
investing in their education.

Graduating Senior Survey, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation
Recommendations:
• Increased financial transparency is a crucial component of improving the student
experience. Students should receive clear information upfront on their expected
out-of-pocket costs for course materials, increased transparency on what they are
paying for and where their dollars are going, and how to connect with additional
financial resources on campus.
• Texas A&M should work proactively to understand and address the “gap” in
unmet need for students who struggle to finance their education. This should
include students who are Pell eligible or grant eligible and still have need, or
students who are not Pell eligible but still have unmet need.
• The university should continue to encourage students and families to be
informed on “smart borrowing” and “college financial literacy” prior to their
matriculation to Texas A&M and throughout their time here.
• The university should consider re-invigorating the Money Education Center that
ceased many of its programs following changes in structures from the Path
Forward.
SUPPLEMENTAL COURSE MATERIAL COSTS

Additional out-of-pocket costs for supplemental course materials can be a surprising,
hidden expense for Texas A&M students despite efforts to publicize that information at
the time of registration. These extra course material costs threaten the financial
transparency students desire from the university. Students report that some courses
require a third-party platform for turning in assignments or for completing coursework

in which subscriptions are costly and often nonrenewable. In this way, faculty preferences
for platforms unintentionally drive up student costs.
For example, for students required to use Packback, the cost is at least
$39/course/semester. For AY24, students were billed $1.16 million. In some cases,
students are forced to purchase multiple products that function almost identically. For
example, a student buys a Spanish language package for the first semester and then must
buy a different one for the second semester because the faculty member chose to use
something different.
The university should work proactively to reduce

excessive out-of-pocket costs for students. A separate
university committee is examining which third-party “Why am I paying [extra] to do
tools can be supported at the institutional level. my homework?”
Additionally, the committee is working on creating
-Current Students
professional development to inform faculty about how to
use university-funded online tools, such as Canvas, that
do not have additional costs for students.
Open Educational Resources (OER) is an area that the university has invested in and
should continue to invest in as it promotes affordability of course materials. There is great
potential in savings for students as OER is adopted by more faculty. It is also important to
consider high-enrollment courses for the greatest impact on the most students. Out of
more than 14,000 sections in the fall semester, just over 3.5% are currently identified as
utilizing OER course materials, with almost 10% of sections offered through the College
of Arts and Sciences with the highest adoption in the Departments of Biology and
English. The enrollments in all sections with OER in the fall total over 21,000
enrollments.
Recommendations:
Request the Provost, working with the Faculty Senate, to develop more robust policies
and processes for the adoption of course materials, homework systems, learning
management tools and other course resources that students often pay for and are
surprised by. It is not clear that the faculty and campus community understand the
impacts on students and the additional expenses the students incur. Students often feel
like the university is “nickel-and-diming” them and question why their tuition and fees
are not already covering many of these “added” costs. Additionally, these should be
incorporated in this process:
• Remain committed to encouraging and supporting the use of Open Educational
Resources (OER) and other affordable course materials.
• Establish a university standard that colleges/units can use to evaluate OER.
• Consider adding a standard Student Course Evaluation question that focuses on
course material cost transparency.

• Assess colleges and departments’ progress in reducing students’ out-of-pocket
costs for field experiences/off-site campus experience costs.
• Create awareness among faculty that these tools cost students, including looking
at including cost in description and potentially notifying faculty when they adopt
this in a course.
• Investigate Canvas and other enterprise options that provide similar services and
adopt them.
• Create professional development options that help faculty know how to provide
some of these options with existing tools.

External Sources
Barefoot, B. O. (2000). The First-Year Experience: Are We Making It Any Better? About
Campus, 4(6), 12-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/108648220000400604
Das, R., Schmitt, E., & Stephenson, M. T. (2024). A Quasiexperimental Analysis of First-
Year Seminar Outcomes at a Large University. Journal of College Student Retention:
Research, Theory & Practice, 25(4), 940-954. https://doi.org/10.1177/15210251211038591
Strayhorn, T.L. (2018). College Students' Sense of Belonging: A Key to Educational Success
for All Students (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315297293

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2024 Student Experience

THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE IS ROBUST __________________________________ 6

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION TO THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE __ 7

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT THREATS TO THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE _________ 9

HIGHEST PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS ________________________________ 9

I. Impact of Enrollment Growth in Serving Students

CAMPUS DINING _____________________________________________________ 13

ON- AND OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING ______________________________________ 14

UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES ________________________________________ 16

II. Meet Changing Needs for Early Engagement of Students

START OF SCHOOL YEAR PROGRAMS ___________________________________ 23

ACADEMIC CALENDAR CHANGES ______________________________________ 25

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS ___________________________________________ 26

“BIG T” AND “LITTLE T” TRADITIONS ___________________________________ 27

AGGIE NETWORK _____________________________________________________ 28

2024 Student Experience Study Report 1

DIGITAL LEARNING AND ONLINE PROGRAMS ___________________________ 32

FACULTY AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT ________________________________ 33

COURSE REGISTRATION _______________________________________________ 35

PREPARATION FOR WORKFORCE OR POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ___________ 37

IV. “Nickel-and-Diming” Students

SUPPLEMENTAL COURSE MATERIAL COSTS _____________________________ 40

External Sources _________________________________________________ 43

2024 Student Experience Study Report 2

The spirit and culture of Texas A&M are founded in the

2024 Student Experience Study Report 3

ABOUT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE STUDY

• Surveys administered through the Office of Institutional Effectiveness &

2024 Student Experience Study Report 4

2024 Student Experience Study Report 5

THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE IS ROBUST

2024 Student Experience Study Report 6

Graduation Senior Survey, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION TO THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

2024 Student Experience Study Report 7

The committee’s recommendations include the need to proactively communicate with

2024 Student Experience Study Report 8

HIGHEST PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS

2024 Student Experience Study Report 9

2024 Student Experience Study Report 10

Note: TAMU Main Campus undergraduate student headcount, excludes TAMUQ

2024 Student Experience Study Report 11

2024 Student Experience Study Report 12

Dining Metrics FY13 FY18 FY23

Average Daily Transactions 19,400 34,207 36,319

2024 Student Experience Study Report 13

Listening Session Reflections

ON- AND OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING

2024 Student Experience Study Report 14

Fall 2017 7,452 10,767 69%

2024 Student Experience Study Report 15

New Student Survey, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation

2024 Student Experience Study Report 16

First-year experience programs are designed to familiarize students with campus

2024 Student Experience Study Report 17

According to Barefoot (2000), goals of a strong, intentional FYE program include:

Graduation Senior Survey, Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Evaluation

New Student Conferences

2024 Student Experience Study Report 18

New Student Conference 2023 Student Survey