Georgia Southern awarded $600,000 to lower equity gaps, increase graduation rates for low-income students

Students at Georgia Southern University now have even more opportunities to excel with the help of two new grants from the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) at Georgia State University totaling up to $600,000.

The first is a $500,000 Acceleration Grant that will be distributed to Georgia Southern over the next two years to cover start-up costs for critical implementation steps of an ambitious program that further catalyzes Georgia Southern’s student success outcomes. 

“As Georgia Southern’s Fall 2024 enrollment continues to increase at record levels through freshman applications and admits, we are pleased to partner with the National Institute for Student Success to reinforce our commitment to providing exceptional student experiences and support that nurtures future leaders and global citizens,” stated Alejandra C. Sosa Pieroni, Ed.D., executive vice president, Division of Enrollment, Marketing and Student Success.

Funding through the Acceleration Grant will contribute to Georgia Southern’s existing initiatives to improve graduation rates and student success outcomes through the adoption of a suite of innovative, evidence-based programs. These programs, which deploy tools such as predictive analytics, AI technology, CRM platform, and big data to deliver personalized support to students, have been shown to help universities increase their graduation rates by 50% or more and to reduce discrepancies in graduation rates significantly.

The second NISS award to Georgia Southern is the Keep HOPE Alive grant, which offers $100,000 across one year to support students who have lost the HOPE Scholarship as they work to regain eligibility.

“We are enthusiastic about our partnership with Georgia Southern and working to deploy strategies that will contribute to substantive improvement in student outcomes,” said Timothy M. Renick, Ph.D., NISS executive director.