MentorPRO Named National Leader in Evidence-Based Mentor Matching by New Peer-Reviewed Study

Boston, MA — October 27, 2025 — A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Studies in Higher Education spotlights MentorPRO as a national leader in evidence-based mentor matching for college students. The study, conducted by a multi-institution team led by Jean Rhodes and colleagues at the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring, used MentorPRO’s innovative technology to evaluate the real impact of matching peer mentors and first-year students by demographic characteristics.

The investigation followed 2,072 first-year undergraduates and their mentors at a major university, using MentorPRO’s platform to measure outcomes such as academic achievement, engagement, well-being, and student relationships. The study found that matching mentees and mentors by race was associated with higher GPAs, while matching based on first-generation or international status was linked to higher engagement and belonging but sometimes predicted lower GPA. Within-group analyses revealed that matched male mentees reported higher engagement and self-efficacy, and matched first-generation students reported higher belongingness.

The findings clarify previous debates around the value of similarity matching and underscore MentorPRO’s unique advantage: the ability to enable real-time responsive matching and support for diverse student needs. By leveraging technology to analyze large datasets and facilitate ongoing connections, MentorPRO is redefining best practices for mentor assignment in higher education.

This research puts MentorPRO’s proprietary matching algorithm firmly at the forefront of matching innovation and offers actionable, data-driven guidance for university leaders and mentoring program directors nationwide.

For media inquiries or interviews with the authors, please contact moc.orprotnem@naej

Read the full paper here