University Mentorship is a voluntary, selective program for first-year students which means students must apply to the program and be selected. Incoming, enrolled first-year students are eligible to apply online and will receive an email inviting them to apply. Applications are typically available early May through mid-July and are reviewed on a rolling basis. First-year students accepted into the program are notified July-August. 

Transfer students interested in a mentoring program should apply to Transfer Connections.

Applications are now closed. New students entering the university for the fall 2025 semester should check back in May if interested in applying.

A Message for Parents

Many parents are enthusiastic about their student's acceptance into the University of Michigan and want the best for them! Often parents see the bigger picture about student success and emphasize the importance of making connections at such a large institution. We love to speak with parents about their student's interests and on many occasions have had the privilege of meeting parents and students when they visit the university.

It is imperative for parents to allow their students to complete an application on their own for a few reasons: 

  • We rely on volunteer mentors and are only able to select a limited number of students from the incoming class. 
  • If a student does not want to participate in the program and a parent fills out an application for them, and then the student is not actively engaged, our mentors (and other entering students) miss out on a valuable opportunity to participate fully in the program.
  • College is a wonderful time to allow your student the space to make the difficult, rewarding, and necessary decisions about their extracurricular and academic life.

As a program, we are invested in creating a positive, engaging community for students with involved mentors and mentees. We encourage parents to tell their students about mentorship but would like students to make their own decision about whether to participate and to submit their own applications. We anticipate hearing students' actual voices in their application; this is the core of our acceptance criteria. As such, our choices for accepting students are not made based on prior grades, test scores or perceived level of success in high school, but in the student's ability to articulate their interest in the program and desire for mentoring. For more information about our matching criteria, please read our FAQs.

When we can learn about a student's personality, interests, and self-identified needs, we can make better matches and ensure our program's success. Please do your student a service by allowing them to complete their own application.

Thank you for your interest in mentorship!