Frequently Asked Questions

We're sorry that you’re having trouble accessing tutoring! Here are some common reasons you might not see an appointment and what to do about it:

Your course is not supported (check our list of supported courses.)

• Contact your department to see if they offer support services. We also strongly recommend attending your professor’s office hours, study sessions, or any TA-related resources.
• Please also fill out this survey to let us know what you need. The survey does not grant you an appointment, but it helps us collect data on how to expand our tutoring services in the future.

All appointment slots for your selected modality are full. If you searched for in-person appointments, try searching for virtual or vice-versa.

All appointment slots for your subject are full. Try drop-in tutoring or Knack tutoring.

It still looks like I can’t get an appointment.

• If your course is on our list of supported courses and these suggestions did not help, it is possible that we do not currently have any tutors supporting your course.
• Please consider these additional academic support services at Virginia Tech.

At the Student Success Center, you can view three weeks' worth of appointment availability on Navigate. Within this window, you can make up to three appointments per course per modality (i.e., three in-person appointments and three virtual appointments per course). You also have unlimited access to drop-in tutoring.

Through Knack, you can request as many tutoring appointments as you would like, but you are limited to no more than one appointment with the same tutor per day.

For the most part, no--most appointments are made as one-time appointments through Navigate or Knack.

However, the Student Success Center does provide weekly appointments upon request to students who are (1) registered with Services for Students with Disabilities, (2) on academic probation, or (3) repeating a course after previously failing it. To request weekly appointments, please email tutoring@vt.edu.

Please cancel unneeded appointments through Navigate or Knack at least 24 hours in advance. See How to Cancel (PDF) an SSC tutoring appointment. If you cancel less than four hours before your SSC tutoring appointment starts, you will be marked as a No Show.

Students who do not show up or cancel at the last minute (within four hours) three or more times in a semester will be temporarily banned from making tutoring appointments with the Student Success Center, though they may still attend unlimited drop-in tutoring. Appointment bans are lifted at the start of the next semester.

Unfortunately, no. Please see our list of supported courses. Keep in mind that course availability depends on our current tutoring staff.

All students have different situations and goals, so there’s no guaranteed outcome for tutoring. However, if you truly commit to developing your academic skills in a course, you will:

• Think about your current learning strategies and habits
• Understand what changes you can make to improve your grades
• Have specific strategies to use now and in your future classes
• Become a more efficient learner by studying smarter, not just harder

Your tutor will ask what you want to work on and explain how they can help. Then you’ll get to work. Be ready to participate! As peers, tutors aren’t here to lecture or judge. They offer fresh perspectives and activities to help you learn course concepts and strategies.