Referring Students for Help

Wanting guidance on when and how to refer students to other offices on campus is a common theme we hear from advisors, support staff, and instructors. Pathways, Pitt’s advising and student success platform, allows for an intentional way to connect students with other staff on campus and provides coordinated support to students. Visit the referral section on the Pathways website to learn more.

If you have an immediate safety concern for a student, do not make a referral in Pathways. Instead, please call 911 or contact Campus Police.

  • Pittsburgh Campus: 412-624-2121
  • Bradford Campus: 814-368-3211
  • Greensburg Campus: 724-836-9865
  • Johnstown Campus: 814-269-7005
  • Titusville Campus: 814-827-4488

If a referral is not an emergency but will require collaboration across a variety of departments (e.g., academic advisor, Financial Aid office, University Counseling Center), please consider contacting your campus Care Team instead of making a Pathways referral.

Making a referral for a student does not violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). However, the information included in a referral would be subject to a student access request under FERPA. If you are not familiar with FERPA, the Office of the University Registrar has some great information on FERPA Training & Resources. In addition, the Pathways team has developed a robust set of resources on documenting student interactions in Pathways.