AASCU Takes Aim at One of Higher Education’s Most Overlooked Barriers to Graduation: The Course Schedule 

Contact:
Kellee Edmonds
(202) 478-4662

WASHINGTON, October 15, 2025 — The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) today announced the launch of Student-Centered Course Scheduling, a new national initiative to help regional public universities remove one of the most persistent—and least visible—barriers to student success: the course schedule.

Funded by a $2.4 million grant from Ascendium Education Group, the project will support 20 regional public universities, including:

• California State University Channel Islands
• Central Connecticut State University
• Chicago State University (IL)
• Eastern Oregon University
• Fresno State University (CA)
• Indiana University South Bend
• Jacksonville State University (AL)
• Middle Tennessee State University
• San José State University (CA)
• Texas A&M University-Central Texas
• Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
• Texas A&M University-San Antonio
• Texas State University
• University of Michigan-Flint
• University of Southern Maine
• University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• University of Guam
• University of North Georgia
• University of West Georgia
• Western Kentucky University

Each participating institution will receive detailed course scheduling insights, data coaching, and guided change management support to make course scheduling a central student success strategy. Working with a trusted partner, Ad Astra, campuses will receive technical assistance to identify bottlenecks, reduce scheduling conflicts, and align course offerings with student demand.

These institutions will transform course scheduling on their campuses to ensure that the way courses are offered ensures productive and timely progress toward students’ degrees.

The initiative builds on AASCU’s earlier course scheduling pilot project, which helped 11 institutions improve how courses were offered, sequenced, and staffed. Between fall 2022 and fall 2024, participating campuses saw a 12% increase in students completing first-year English and math courses and a 1.4-credit increase in average productive credits earned per student annually — an 8.1% improvement that significantly accelerates student progress toward on-time graduation. This increase reduced the credit gap that often delays degree completion, helping more students stay on track and persist toward graduation. Based on those results, the expanded project is expected to help thousands more students complete foundational courses and earn their degrees across participating institutions.

“Learners need college schedules that reflect their busy lives and advance their career goals,” said Sue Cui, senior program officer at Ascendium. “Ascendium is proud to support AASCU institutions in demonstrating how learner-friendly, strategic, and data-informed course schedules can improve student success.”

“We believe that course scheduling is central in many ways. It is central to students’ progress toward on-time degree completion and central to delivering the academic mission of the institution. But it is the most overlooked of factors in student success,” said Terry Brown, vice president for academic innovation and transformation at AASCU.

This initiative is part of a larger effort to remove the everyday barriers that stand between students and their degrees. By sharing the tools and strategies developed through this project, AASCU aims to help institutions across the country build systems that make on-time graduation possible—for every student.

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About AASCU: The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association that represents the sector of over 500 regional public colleges, universities, and systems whose members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to serving today’s students, and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural development. These are institutions delivering America’s promise.

About Ascendium Education Group: Ascendium Education Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to helping people reach the education and career goals that matter to them. Ascendium invests in initiatives designed to increase the number of students from low-income backgrounds who complete postsecondary degrees, certificates and workforce training programs, with an emphasis on first-generation students, incarcerated adults, rural community members, students of color and veterans. Ascendium’s work identifies, validates and expands best practices to promote large-scale change at the institutional, system and state levels, with the intention of elevating opportunity for all. For more information, visit https://www.ascendiumphilanthropy.org

About Ad Astra: Ad Astra, the industry leader in higher education scheduling software solutions, partners with more than 500 colleges, universities, and systems worldwide. Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Ad Astra offers data-informed software and professional services that help institutions effectively allocate space and faculty resources, forecast student demand, and accelerate student completions. The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company currently holds a United States patent for its innovative method of determining student demand for academic courses. Academic institutions that partner with Ad Astra experience improved stewardship of instructional resources, streamlined student access to courses, and accelerated student completions. Ad Astra was the 2018 recipient of the Complete College of America Seal of Approval for Structure. Learn more at aais.com and follow us @AdAstraIS or on LinkedIn.