Your Guide to Online Student Services and Opportunities

The availability of online student resources can vary considerably by school and program. Below, we highlight six of the most common services provided to online learners. However, you should check with your college’s student affairs office to learn more about specific offerings.

Most colleges and universities pair incoming students with an academic advisor. These faculty or staff members help learners choose a major or concentration, select specific coursework, and navigate the enrollment process. Online students generally participate in an initial consultation with their advisor over the phone or through a communications app like Skype.

During this first virtual meeting, your academic advisor will ask a series of questions about your background, academic interests, and professional goals. Many programs require students to meet with their advisor at least once per semester, though distance learners can typically remain in regular email contact instead.

Academic advisors may also help connect students to other resources, recommend that those with low entrance exam scores work with a tutor, and match learners with career coaches and faculty or alumni mentors. At some schools, advisors even assist prospective students as they apply for admission.

Nearly all high-quality online programs provide tutoring services to students at no additional cost. Most schools offer in-house tutoring in all core subjects, though they may contract with outside providers for more specialized areas, like certain foreign languages. Some institutions also partner with tutoring companies to allow students 24/7 access to academic assistance, a particularly appealing option to those learners who need to study outside of regular business hours.

Students in need of tutoring typically schedule an introductory meeting with a member of their college’s academic support team. This person then connects the student with an individual tutor, though they may also recommend the student join a regular group tutoring session. Distance learners can generally work with their tutor via phone, email, or the school’s online learning management system.

Tutors may be staff, faculty, or even your fellow students. You may be able to serve as an online student-tutor yourself if you qualify for federal work-study support and excel in a particular subject.

Regardless of your major, you must know how to write well to succeed in college. As a result, many schools offer free access to writing assistance for online students. Writing advisors work one-on-one with students, providing guidance on how to draft a persuasive essay, conduct research, and appropriately cite academic sources. They may also provide feedback on essays that learners must write for class.

Writing centers generally also maintain an online resource library for students. For example, the website for your school’s writing center may host detailed guides on grammar, formatting, and developing a thesis statement for a paper.

If your online program does not offer writing assistance, you can still find many of these same resources at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), one of the most comprehensive sources of online support for writers around the world. The OWL does not provide customized feedback to students who do not attend Purdue.

Your college’s career services office can provide various kinds of support to help you find a job after graduation. Career advisors may review and offer feedback on your resume, explaining how to highlight your unique strengths. They may also help you develop a cover letter template that you can customize for specific opportunities. In addition, career services personnel often conduct mock interviews with students and organize both on-campus and virtual job fairs.

These staff members can also help you consider your career options. They may administer career assessments that help online students consider their potential success and satisfaction in different fields and work environments. Career advisors can also help place you in an internship, though online students may need to take the initiative in identifying internship opportunities in their community. Finally, career counselors can help arrange informational interviews and ongoing mentoring relationships with alumni.

Schools with large and diverse alumni networks can more easily help their students explore career options and find jobs. As mentioned above, alumni often participate in informational interviews with current students, offering insight on the day-to-day nature of their work. They can also provide insider guidance on educational requirements, job prospects, and earning potential in their field.

Many colleges administer formal mentoring programs, giving you the chance to develop a networking relationship with an experienced professional. Your mentor may offer general career advice, weigh in on important decisions, and even recommend you for open positions. Though online students can meet with their mentor virtually, you may still benefit from finding a mentor in your own area.

You can continue to attend online and in-person alumni events long after you graduate. These events can help you grow your professional network and learn about new professional opportunities. You may also choose to act as a mentor yourself, paying forward the assistance you received as a student.

While online students have less need for physical health services available through their school, they can still benefit from easy access to counseling and other mental health services. If you feel stressed and overwhelmed by your coursework, a mental health counselor can direct you to relevant resources or work with your instructor(s) to develop an accommodation plan.

Mental health professionals can also offer support for nonacademic issues that may interfere with your classroom learning, such as depression, loss of employment, or the death of a loved one. If you feel like you need help, contact your college’s student affairs department to arrange a session with a counselor. Depending on the nature of your problem, they may need to connect you with an outside specialist.

As a note of caution, if you do not have health insurance, your college may require you to sign up for a student plan, even if you study online. You can usually waive this requirement by submitting documentation of your current insurance.