The Hidden Business of Surviving College: Why Executive Function Coaching Is Filling the Gap for Students Who Can’t Keep Up

The Access Divide

The growth of these services highlights a troubling equity issue within higher education. While some universities have begun offering limited executive function support – often housed within disability services – access remains inconsistent. Recent research shows that 8% of college students report receiving no academic assistance since starting university, with disproportionate impacts on first-generation and financially insecure students.

Boston University’s Newbury Center represents one institutional attempt to address these gaps, providing centralised support for first-generation students across all degree levels. Led by faculty director Anthony Abraham Jack, the centre recognises that students need more than subject-specific tutoring – they need fundamental guidance on navigating higher education systems.

‘Students are arriving at university with academic credentials but without the executive function skills needed to manage the complexity of college life,’ explains Maria Rodriguez, a licensed educational therapist who has worked with hundreds of college students. ‘They can handle advanced coursework but struggle with the seemingly basic task of managing multiple deadlines simultaneously.’

The Business of Learning to Learn

Private coaching services have stepped into this void, offering everything from virtual check-ins to comprehensive academic coaching programmes. Much like business coaching approaches that focus on systematic improvement, these services teach students practical strategies like learning to say ‘no’ to time-consuming commitments that don’t align with their academic priorities, and creating structured schedules that build in both study sessions and necessary breaks.

The coaching industry has found particular success with students who have ADHD, dyslexia or other learning differences, but increasingly serves neurotypical students who simply never learned these fundamental organisational skills. Some services operate entirely online, making them accessible to students regardless of their campus location or schedule constraints.

The Regulatory Challenge

The U.S. Department of Education initially proposed stricter regulation of third-party contractors in higher education through 2023 guidance, but rescinded these plans in 2024 following pushback from higher education groups concerned about unintended consequences.

The regulatory retreat reflects broader tensions about where responsibility for student success should lie. Critics argue that outsourcing basic academic support allows universities to shirk their fundamental obligations to students, while supporters contend that specialised third-party providers can offer more targeted and effective assistance than overstretched campus resources.

Beyond Time Management

Effective executive function coaching from generic productivity advice is its focus on building long-term systems rather than quick fixes. Drawing from principles similar to those used in professional executive coaching, successful coaches help students develop personalised approaches to task management, recognising that strategies effective for one student may be counterproductive for another.

The most effective programmes also address the emotional aspects of academic struggle. Students often develop anxiety around time management after repeated experiences of falling behind, creating psychological barriers that purely technical solutions cannot address. This mirrors approaches found in student stress management techniques that recognise the need to balance academic pressure with mental wellbeing.

The coaching process typically begins with assessment of a student’s current time management approaches and identification of specific challenge areas. From there, coaches work with students to implement structured systems gradually, providing accountability and adjusting strategies based on what proves most effective for each individual.

The Institutional Response

Some universities are beginning to recognise the need to integrate executive function support directly into their academic support systems. Programs like Emory University’s peer mentorship initiatives represent attempts to provide this guidance through trained student mentors rather than external services. These efforts align with broader discussions about preparing students comprehensively for post-graduation challenges.

However, the scale of demand often exceeds what universities can reasonably provide through existing staff and resources. The University of Denver’s Learning Effectiveness programme, for example, offers executive function support but serves only a fraction of students who could benefit from such services.

The growth of third-party coaching services reflects both the genuine need for these skills and the limitations of traditional higher education structures. As universities face ongoing financial pressures and enrollment challenges, the question becomes whether they can adapt quickly enough to meet students’ fundamental learning needs or whether private coaching will continue filling these gaps.

For students like Emma Chen, the immediate priority is academic survival rather than institutional accountability. ‘I don’t really care whether my university should be providing this support,’ she says. ‘I just needed help figuring out how to manage everything, and the coaching gave me tools that actually work.’ Her grades improved significantly within one semester of beginning coaching, demonstrating the practical impact these services can have.

The executive function coaching industry’s rapid growth suggests that it has identified genuine gaps in higher education support systems. Whether these services represent a valuable addition to the educational ecosystem or a concerning privatisation of basic student support remains an open question, but their popularity among struggling students indicates they are meeting real needs that universities have yet to adequately address.