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Home > Driving Student Success > APLU Excellence in Student Success (ESS) Award > Apply for the Excellence in Student Success (ESS) Award 

Apply for the Excellence in Student Success (ESS) Award 

View the Award Packet and Guidelines

Applications for the Award are now open. The award recognizes APLU member institutions that are advancing student success through coordinated, institution-wide approaches that improve outcomes for students and strengthen institutional practice.


Eligibility

The Excellence in Student Success Award is open to APLU member institutions.

Previous award recipients are ineligible to apply for two application cycles following recognition. Previous finalists are ineligible for one application cycle following recognition.

Criteria for Recognition

Applications for the Excellence in Student Success Award will be reviewed based on these key areas:

  • Comprehensive Coverage of Student Success (25%):
    The extent to which the institution demonstrates coordinated progress across multiple dimensions of the student experience.
  • Institutional Levers and Alignment (20%):
    Strength of leadership, governance, faculty and staff engagement, student partnership, technology use, and evidence-informed practice. 
  • Design Quality and Intentionality (20%):
    Clarity, coherence, and strategic integration of institutional student success efforts.
  • Demonstrated Impact (25%):
    Evidence of sustained improvements in student outcomes aligned with institutional goals.
  • Scaled Design and Replicability (10%):
    Durability, scalability, and relevance of institutional practices for peer institutions.

Application Timeline:

  • Application Opens April 3, 2026
  • Submission Deadline: July 3, 2026
  • Review Period: July – August 2026
  • Finalist Announced: September 10, 2026
  • Recipient Announced: 2026 APLU Annual Meeting

Application Components

Applications should describe institutional approaches to advancing student success and may include:

  • Institutional context and student population
  • Strategic goals and institutional priorities
  • Cross-campus coordination and leadership
  • Evidence of impact and outcomes
  • Approaches to scale and sustainability
  • Supporting data and institutional materials
  • Institutions are encouraged to highlight coordinated efforts that span multiple areas of institutional practice

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When submitting files thorugh shareable links on GivePulse, each uploaded file must be in PDF, DOC, EXCEL format and no larger than 50 MB. This helps ensure smooth access for reviewers and avoids technical issues during submission.

While you do not need to include ten years of data, multiple years are necessary to show meaningful trends and impact. The goal is to help reviewers understand how your efforts are working over time.

Institutions are welcome to highlight efforts aimed at specific student populations, as long as those efforts are part of a larger, coherent strategy. Reviewers will be looking for how these targeted initiatives contribute to broader student success goals across the institution.

Yes. Stories from students, observations from faculty or staff, and other qualitative examples can be essential parts of your institutional narrative. Reviewers appreciate when this type of evidence is paired with data to paint a fuller picture of impact.

The structure of the application is designed to let you tell your story in a way that makes sense for your institution. Reviewers will apply the evaluation rubric separately, using it to assess the five core dimensions based on all aspects of the application, not just one section.

If you are having trouble uploading files, or with the application portal, please contact us at ESS@aplu.org.

Questions

For questions related to eligibility, submission materials, or the application process, please contact Levi Shanks.

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