Hullabaloo U, Texas A&M's common first-year experience (FYE), was launched in 2019 in an effort to retain more students, increase four- and six-year graduation rates, and decrease achievement disparities. The Office for Student Success is now beginning the certification process for courses to be included as Hullabaloo U certified courses for Fall 2025.
Certified courses must include the following minimum requirements:
The deadline for certification submissions for Fall 2025 is Friday, January 17, 2025. To ensure that college/unit leadership are aware of programs submitted, each college/school/unit must submit only one certification form for all of their programs. Non-academic departments should also coordinate submissions (ex. LAUNCH, Student Affairs, etc.).
Each submission requires:
Questions? Contact Meredith Malnar at meredithm@tamu.edu or see FAQs below.
Certified courses must include the following minimum requirements:
- Weekly group meetings throughout the fall semester
- Four required content lessons (Wellness & Mental Health, Academic Success Strategies, Aggie Core Values and Goal-Setting & Careers)
- Two required social activities (in or out of the classroom)
- A cap of 25 FTIC students per section
- 1 Peer Mentor per section of 25 students
- 1 instructor (faculty or staff) per section of 25 students
- Instructor participation in the All-Instructor Symposium and New Instructor Workshop (new instructors only) in the spring/summer
- Peer Mentor participation in common training in the summer (online)
- Participation in Hullabaloo U assessment, including but not limited to the inclusion of Hullabaloo U items on Student Course Evaluation
*New for 2025* - In order to minimize the impact of students who are in multiple Hullabaloo U courses: If the course seeking certification is a requirement for a specific population AND there are 10 or more sections of the course offered, at least one section of the course must be offered that is not HU certified to provide a streamlined experience and reduce redundancy. The non-HU certified section should not include the common HU lessons, and may:
Meet for fewer weeks
Exceed the HU capacity of 25 students in a section
Choose to include a peer mentor for the section or not, however no funding from OSS will be provided for a stipend.
- During NSC registration, if a student has attributes that necessitate the student registering for two Hullabaloo U certified courses, every effort should be made for the student to register for one of the non-HU certified sections.
The deadline for certification submissions for Fall 2025 is Friday, January 17, 2025. To ensure that college/unit leadership are aware of programs submitted, each college/school/unit must submit only one certification form for all of their programs. Non-academic departments should also coordinate submissions (ex. LAUNCH, Student Affairs, etc.).
Each submission requires:
- Completion of Certification Submission Spreadsheet to provide basic logistical information about the program(s)
- Proposed syllabus/course outline to review for adherence to the overarching Hullabaloo U outcomes (sample syllabus provided for reference) and inclusion of the required content lessons and social component. The Office for Student Success will use the Hullabaloo U Certification Form and Rubric to evaluate each submission.
- Materials must be submitted for all new AND previously certified programs; previously certified programs will have an expedited review process.
Questions? Contact Meredith Malnar at meredithm@tamu.edu or see FAQs below.