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Case study · Partner data

Salem State’s first-year retention went from 76 to 82 percent.

Salem State UniversitySalem, Massachusetts

salem state university logo
By the numbers
197

Students on the platform in 2026-27, first-year and transfer.

MentorPRO platform data, Oct 6, 2026 Evidence: Platform data
+56%

Students served, 126 in 2025-26 to 197 in 2026-27.

MentorPRO platform data Evidence: Platform data
76% to 82%

First-year retention, program’s multi-year average against the first year of goal-directed mentoring.

Calculated and reported by Salem State University Evidence: Program reported

Salem State adopted MentorPRO alongside an intentional shift toward goal-directed peer mentoring. Program leaders report that first-year retention, which had averaged 76 percent, reached 82 percent in the first year of the new model. Retention is associated with many factors, and these figures are the program's own reporting.

Program facts
Organization
Salem State University, Bertolon School of Business
Segment
Higher education, AACSB-accredited business school, Hispanic-Serving Institution
Program
MentorLink: Helping Students Succeed Academically and Personally
Population
First-year business students, extended to transfer students in 2026
Cohort
126 students and 10 peer mentors in year one. 198 students in year two across two cohorts.
Model
Goal-directed peer mentoring, with a career mentoring track
Live since
2025-26 academic year
Measurement window
Academic years 2025-26 and 2026-27
Comparison group
None. Retention compared against the program's own multi-year average.
Analysis
Retention calculated and reported by Salem State. An independent evaluation is underway with Dr. Elizabeth Raposa.

Standfirst
A business school where half the students commute and most work twenty hours a week replaced hand-matched peer mentoring with goal-directed mentoring.

What changed
Mentees set goals and mentors see them. Matching now uses first-generation and commuter status. The mentor certification course became mandatory.

What did not work
The transfer cohort launched badly. Of 46 transfer students auto-enrolled in September 2026, 10 engaged in the first two weeks. 14 students sent invitation codes by hand logged in zero times. Transfer onboarding is being rebuilt for spring.

Methods
No comparison group. An independent evaluation with Dr. Elizabeth Raposa links platform data to registrar records and reports on the 2026-27 cohort.

Most programs are seeing a 5 to 10 percent improvement in retention and a 25 to 30 percent ROI. Our first-year retention has been averaging 76 percent. This year, using MentorPRO, and adopting intentional goal-directed mentoring, we retained 82 percent.
Don White, Assistant Dean, Student Success and Strategic Partnerships, Bertolon School of Business, Salem State University
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Seventy-two percent of the CLA First cohort logged in, and check-ins started in week one.

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Tirzah Suribory, CLA First! Peer Mentor, UMass Boston
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