When you picture university life, mentoring might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But giving an hour a week to help someone through a hard process turns out to be one of the better ways to build your own experience too, alongside making a real difference to theirs.
At Project Access, we think of mentorship as a genuine two-way exchange. Applicants get the guidance they need to reach top universities. Mentors build practical skills, a global peer network, and a real sense of purpose. And it takes about one hour a week.
Here is what makes stepping up as a mentor worth it.
Purpose and Impact: Levelling the Playing Field
Mentoring gives you the chance to make a real difference to one person’s future, in a direct and lasting way.
University admissions can be daunting, especially for students from underrepresented backgrounds who may not have the insider knowledge, confidence, or network that other applicants take for granted. As a mentor, you become that missing bridge.
Guiding a student through their application brings a kind of purpose that is hard to match. It isn’t only about reflecting on your own path. It’s about helping an ambitious student get past the barriers in front of them and reach something that once felt out of reach.
Professional Growth and Guest Summits
We try to invest back into the mentors who give their time. As part of the network, you get access to development opportunities you wouldn’t otherwise have:
Our annual global summit: our flagship event, bringing together mentors and team members from around the world.
Guest keynotes: talks from senior executives, tech leaders, and people who have built careers worth learning from.
Career and industry insight: a chance to hear what competitive fields are really like, straight from people working in finance, law, tech, and social enterprise.
Join a Global Network of Ambitious Peers
As a mentor, you join an international community of over 2,700 active mentors at world-leading universities. These are driven, like-minded students who care about the same thing you do: opening up access to higher education.
You also connect with our wider network of Project Access alumni who have moved into careers across a range of industries, which is a useful bridge between university and whatever comes next.
Maximum Impact, Minimal Time
The model is built around your studies, not the other way round:
Just one hour a week: enough to make a real difference without disrupting your schedule.
Fully remote and flexible: meet online at times that work for you and your mentee, wherever you both are.
A Role That Grows With You
This is a real role with real responsibility, not a passing interest, so you’ll have concrete examples to draw on:
Beyond the impact itself, mentoring quietly sharpens skills you’ll lean on for years. Because you’re guiding a real person through a real, high-stakes process, the experience is genuine rather than performed. That’s exactly why it holds up later, when you talk about it in interviews or applications.
- Structured one-to-one coaching: setting goals, tracking milestones, and guiding an applicant through a multi-stage process.
- Explaining complex systems: turning personal statements and admissions criteria into clear, usable guidance.
- Giving constructive feedback: helping a student refine their application and articulate their strengths.
“Mentoring has given me real-world experience in active listening, adapting to the needs of an individual, leading conversation, and time management and planning. It’s also extremely valuable to help someone achieve their dream and give back to the next generation of students.”
Sophie, Mentor at the University of Cambridge
How to Sign Up as a Mentor
Joining the team takes a few simple steps:
- Apply: head to projectaccess.org and complete our short application form.
- Get matched: we pair you with an applicant based on academic background and target universities.
- Start mentoring: connect for your first online session and help your mentee take their first big step.
Ready to get started?
One hour a week can change the direction of someone’s future, and build experience you’ll carry well beyond your degree.