Developmental advising is a system founded on shared responsibilities and mutual trust. It is the goal of developmental advising that the student become increasingly more self-sufficient in their ability to implement career and educational goals

While students enter college with "course selection" questions that require immediate attention from advisors, developmental advising advocates moving students towards career and life planning through a process of growth that becomes increasingly more self-directed. Developmental advising promotes selecting sound goals through increased knowledge of self (aptitudes, interests, values), careers (realistic information), and curriculum (appropriate academic preparation).