Welcome to OASIS
The Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS) is one of the largest learning communities at UCSD that empowers students personally, academically, and professionally. Our students and staff are innovative, productive, and engaged global citizens who are committed to social responsibility and promoting a diverse community of people, ideas, and perspectives. We accomplish this through academic success initiatives, leadership development, and bridging partnerships that move our students to change the world.
The mission of OASIS is to facilitate the intellectual and personal development of UC San Diego students, with a particular focus on students who have overcome significant obstacles to become successful (e.g., students who are the first in their families to attend college, students from under resourced communities, underrepresented students on campus, English language learners, etc.). Through a challenging and supportive environment that emphasizes collaboration, validation, equity, and social justice, OASIS contributes positively to students’ retention, achievement, learning, and empowerment.
OASIS Transition Programs (OTP)
- TRIO Student Support Services Program (SSSP): Celebrating our 25th year anniversary in 2018, SSSP is a federally-funded grant program that provides tutoring and counseling services for up to 200 students from the time they step on to campus to their graduation. SSSP also provides financial and economic assistance to students interested in applying to graduate and professional programs. As of Fall 2017, 60% of SSSP students were transfer students from California community colleges and 40% were first-time incoming students.
- Summer Bridge: With 40 years of rich history, Summer Bridge is a nationally recognized academic transition scholarship program that provides 300 incoming freshmen with tools and resources to jumpstart their first year in college. Summer Bridge students live on campus and take two progress-to-degree courses during the second summer session. Additionally, students become eligible to receive a $500 merit-based textbook scholarship. Students are assigned an Academic Transition Counselor – a peer mentor – that provides guidance and access to resources from the moment they begin the program, to the end of their first year.
- 2Excel: In 2016, 2Excel was founded to tackle a profound and fundamental challenge sophomores were facing. National research suggests that a quarter of sophomores do not feel at home on their campuses or energized by their classes. Students are faced with overwhelming questions, like what are you majoring in and what are you going to do with your life? The 2Excel Program aims to holistically support students in their academic, professional, cultural and personal development during their sophomore year at UCSD. The program provides support to 120 students through peer one-to-one mentoring, a Winter quarter 2-unit seminar learning community, and access to special programming and events catered to the needs of second year students.
- Hope Scholars: The Hope Scholars Program supports former foster youth and students with housing or food insecurity by delivering unique benefits, such as access to on-campus housing all year round (including the summer before your first fall term), priority course enrollment, student employment opportunities, assistance with financial aid applications, and personal and career counseling. In collaboration with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, the Hope Scholars program also awards scholarships up to $5,000 per academic year to eligible students.
Tutoring Programs
OASIS also offers tutoring services to all UC-San Diego students through our Math and Science and Language Arts Tutorial Programs. In Fall 2017, our tutorial programs served over 1,700 unique students, 60% of which found us through referrals from our campus partners. Our tutorial services are inspired by Uri Treisman’s (1985) model on effective academic support systems and Sam Museus’s (2014) model on culturally engaging campus environments (CECE), and are led by facilitators and tutors who create learning communities that foster collaborative, fearless, and student-centered learning. We also work collaboratively with the Teaching + Learning Commons and other tutoring opportunities across campus to ensure consistent quality, training, and a variety of academic support services based on students’ needs and interests.