Academic success centers at us universities as an effectivefactor in ensuring the quality of higher education

The aim of the work is theoretical analysis of the peculiarities of the activity of the Academic Success Centers in the U.S. universities. The methodological basis of the study are official websites of Academic Success Centers, scientific articles by Ukrainian and American researches and analytical reports. Results. The article is devoted to a review of the activities of Academic Success Centers in U.S. universities. It is found that there is no single definition of «Academic Success Center» due to the variety of services offered. It is determined that Academic Success Center is a structural institution that provides academic and social-psychological support to students, helps to reveal their potential and prepare them for a career. The author emphasizes the technologies of support for students of higher education institutions. The main support technologies are tutoring, mentoring, academic coaching and Supplemental Instruction. It is proven that these technologies contribute to the improvement of the academic achievements of students and increase students’ retention rate of the educational institution. Special emphasis is placed on the interaction of the Center with freshmen, who most often face a number of problems in a new academic environment for them. The Centers provide academic advising for students on choosing courses. Academic advising lasts from admission to graduation at the university. Moreover, Academic Success Centers provide an opportunity not only to learn, but also to teach. Seniors have the opportunity to become tutors, mentors and academic coaches. A special feature of Centers is career guidance work with applicants. Universities organize meetings of future first-year students with students, graduates, teachers and administration of the institution to provide complete information about admission, studies and further employment prospects. Conclusions. The conducted study proved the need for further thorough research of the basic principles and areas of activity of centers of academic success in US universities in order to introduce better experience into educational practice.