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[Case Study]
University of Wisconsin - Madison Increases Intent to Enroll Rates with Peer Mentorship
UW-Madison’s Office of Student Financial Aid implemented a near-peer mentorship program for the 2020-21 academic year that provided low-income students with a volunteer peer mentor upon point of admission and followed them throughout their first year of college. With this strategic enrollment model, they anticipated upper-division student mentors could be a mechanism to build a sense of belonging and connect the incoming class to campus resources.
Being able to provide immediate support before a situation is elevated to need a crisis response is important. The other piece of it is being able to tell the story of what our students are experiencing. ‘Student with higher financial need’ is not a visible identity. In order for us to better serve that group from an enrollment and financial aid perspective, we have to be aware of what they’re facing to be effective advocates.
Justin Mumford, Deputy Director for Strategic Engagement, UW-Madison