Recent growth in tertiary education has allowed access to a greater proportion of the population. At the same time, funding strategies have become more focussed on success, retention and completion. This has led to pressures on institutions to actively support students to optimise their chances of success. One response has been the development of student learning centres staffed by specialist learning development tutors. However, many students do not avail themselves of the assistance offered. This paper describes an intervention in first year accountancy courses to encourage better uptake of support services. The early results of the study indicate that a significant number of students have inaccurate perceptions about their academic skill level in mathematics. When those perceptions are tested, there is a far greater uptake of the available academic support services. The resulting implication is that early testing of specific, subject-based academic skills, followed by targeted and focussed support is a promising factor in optimising success and maintaining student engagement.

Keywords: student support, utilization, learning centres