2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The number of international students enrolling in U.S. engineering graduate programs continues to increase, and currently make up the majority of full-time graduate student populations in most engineering graduate programs. It is also well-documented that international students face additional challenges than their American counterparts when transitioning to graduate school due to the need to acclimate to a new culture and learning environment. As a result, international students are subject to higher rates of academic and social isolation. To fill this gap at an R1 U.S. university, a graduate women in engineering program implemented a student-led peer mentoring network designed to provide support for first-year graduate students, of which over 2/3 have temporary visa status. In its first two years of operation, the mentorship network has paired 36 new students with senior-level graduate students from a variety of engineering disciplines. Mentors were encouraged to meet with their mentees on a monthly basis to discuss topics including strategies to manage student-worker duality, navigating challenging advisor or research lab relationships, prioritizing mental health, setting goals and time management, and creating and maintaining social networks beyond the department level. To better understand the effectiveness of the mentorship program, mentors and mentees provided feedback through a survey administered twice during the academic year. Specific prompts included questions to assess the expectations and impacts of the mentorship program on participants and their acclimation to graduate school. Initial analyses of the survey results show participants building a stronger sense of belonging and connection to the college of engineering. In addition, mentors expressed the importance of finding a platform to sharpen their mentorship skills. Moving forward, mentees will be followed throughout their graduate school tenure to evaluate their level of engagement in engineering sponsored events, leadership roles, and graduation rates.