Advising & Tutoring
Undergraduate Academic Advising Overview
At CSUN, academic advising services help you develop important academic success skills, offer guidance in choosing a major and career path and earn your degree.
Academic advising helps students achieve their academic and professional goals. It is an ongoing collaborative relationship among students, faculty and staff providing support and guidance beginning with a student’s transition into the university and culminating in their graduation.
Our Student Guide to Academic Advisement helps you prepare for your academic advising appointments. You'll learn what to expect from your academic advisors and what you need to know as you move toward graduation.
Note: Graduate students receive academic advising from the graduate coordinator of their program.
The purpose of academic advising extends far beyond once-a-semester advisement on what courses to take the following semester. It will also help you:
- Learn and develop the skills, abilities and resources that enhance academic success.
- Understand how choice of major and career path are informed by individual strengths and challenges.
- Take an active role in researching, understanding, committing to and completing a major.
- Develop an appropriate academic plan to ensure on-time graduation.
- Be aware of the University’s academic expectations and be prepared to accept the responsibilities of being a student.
The majority of freshmen receive academic advising through CSUN’s Matador Advising Hub.
However, students in certain academic programs are advised by different offices, as outlined below:
- Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) freshmen are served by the Student Services Center/EOP Satellite housed in their respective academic college
- Exploratory EOP freshmen are advised by EOP Exploratory Major Advisement
- Liberal Studies Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) freshmen are served through the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and Liberal Studies, while freshmen majoring in all other Liberal Studies options and those majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies are advised by the Matador Advising Hub
- Student athletes are served by the Matador Achievement Center
If you are unsure which advisement office applies to you, please visit the Academic Advising site for new freshmen.
For a complete list of information on freshman student academic advising, including what you need to do prior your advising appointment, please view the Advising Checklist for First-Time Freshmen.
To find a list of academic advisors for your academic college and major, visit the New Transfer Student advising page. From there, you will be able to request an appointment with an advisor in your major.
For a complete list of information on transfer student academic advising, including what you need to do prior your advising appointment, please view the Advising Checklist for First-Time Transfer Students.
All new international students must complete Pre-Enrollment Steps 1-3, as outlined under "1st Semester Academic Advisement Instructions” on the Hub International Advisement page, to be enrolled into first semester classes. For a complete list of information on undergraduate international student academic advising, visit the F-1 International Advising Checklist.
Academic advising for continuing domestic students is determined by their academic college and major, with advisement offered by the Student Services Center/EOP Satellite or a faculty or staff advisors within their academic program.
Continuing international students are advised by academic college-based faculty or staff advisor. International academic advisors provide referrals and help students transition to a college-based advisor.
Contact information for academic departments is located at Academic Programs. Continuing students can also find advisor contact information on the Academic Advising Website for Continuing Student.
Tutoring & Academic Support
To support the academic success of our students, CSUN provides a variety of tutoring and academic support services.
The SMART Lab offers walk-in and appointment-based academic support in accounting, ASL, chemistry, mathematics, physics, psychology and economics both in-person and via Zoom. Tutors are undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of university disciplines.
Supplemental Instruction is a nationally recognized program of peer-facilitated group study sessions designed to help students master difficult course content.
SI sessions are conducted by junior, senior and graduate student leaders who have demonstrated superior competence in different subject areas. SI leaders attend the targeted class, read the assigned material and work with the professors. Sessions focus on understanding content, developing effective study strategies, taking strong notes, learning problem solving skills and effectively preparing for exams. Students enrolled in an SI session receive one unit of credit.
The Matador Achievement Center provides free tutoring in a variety of subjects for all current student athletes.
The University Writing Center’s Peer Writing Specialists are ready to work synchronously with undergraduate students in-person and via Zoom. Faculty Writing Consultants are equipped with the specialized expertise needed to help students with grammar skills, graduate-level work and more!
Visit the writing center for additional information and a list of resources.
In addition to academic support services offered by the Learning Resource Center, students are encouraged to explore department-based tutoring.