ACE - Academic Coaching For Excellence

A student proud and confident of their academic success

What is ACE and is it for me?

Academic Coaching for Excellence (ACE) is a support program for first and second year students who have faced academic challenges in the Fall term and have a GPA of 2.0 or less.

ACE can help you:

  • Improve your skills as a student
  • Build your confidence in the classroom
  • Enjoy your studies more
  • Connect you with helpful campus people and supports
  • Set practical and achievable goals
  • Stay positive and on track


What will I do?
As part of ACE you will meet with a Success Specialist and take an online study skills survey to help identify goals and create a step-by-step action plan. By meeting monthly with your Success Specialist, you'll be able to check-in and stay on track. Depending on your needs and goals, your action plan may include activities such as:

  • Attending skill-building workshops
  • Meeting one-on-one for Learning Skills Coaching
  • Completing modules online to learn about and apply strategies for academic success
  • Connecting with other campus resources and supports such as Academic Advisors, Financial Support, Health and Wellness Support, faculty/course-specific help centres, Peer Success Coaches etc.

In total, ACE requires a time commitment of around 2-3 hours per month over the winter term.

Important Information
Note that participating in ACE does not guarantee your GPA will increase during the time of the program. Faculty administrators may ask us which students have completed the ACE program.

If you have any questions, please contact the Student Success Centre at studentsuccess@smu.ca or visit us in room 301 of the Student Centre.

Learn more and register for ACE!