Peer Mentoring is a scheme run by the SU to pair current students with new students to offer support, advice and guidance during the transitional period to university.

Any new Foundation Year, Undergraduate, Postgraduate Taught or Postgraduate Research student can join the Peer Mentoring Scheme as a Mentee. This excludes medical students as they already have their own exciting scheme.

We know that the first few months of university can be overwhelming, but by becoming a mentee, you'll have access to encouragement and support from day one. Our Peer Mentors will introduce you to university life in Leicester, signpost you to services and be a friendly point of contact.

Although we'd love to open the scheme up to every student, we unfortunately do not have the resources. Hence, we want to offer this to new students who we know may find the transition challenging at times.

Once you have your university email address, you'll be able to join our mentoring software, Vygo. The Peer Mentoring Team will be supporting your onboarding, so come find us at Induction talks or Welcome Events.

Vygo is our mentoring software. You'll be required to make a profile, select which programme you belong to (depending on whether you are a Foundation Year, Undergraduate, Masters or PGR student), and then you'll be matched to a Mentor. On Vygo, you'll be able to communicate with your Mentor and other students.

You'll be able to join Vygo as soon as you have your university email address. Our Peer Mentors will check in regularly, with the first welcome message being sent in the first couple of weeks of university.

After you have selected which programme you are in (Foundation Year, Undergraduate, Masters or PGR student), you'll be shown a suggested mentor based on your onboarding questions. Please agree to match with them. This will be your Peer Mentor, although you will be able to speak to other students on the platform.

The Peer Mentoring Scheme complements the support that the University of Leicester offers. From your Peer Mentor, you'll receive regular check-ins encouraging you to embrace university life, reminding you of the support available and offering advice from their experiences. You will also have the opportunity to reach out to other students on Vygo, for example, other Peer Mentors who may share similar interests as you.

Your Peer Mentor should be reaching out twice a month, although we encourage our mentees to send messages directly if they have any questions or concerns. Please remember that our Peer Mentors are current students who have different deadlines/commitments to you.

On Vygo, we are asking all Peer Mentors to write a bio which highlights their hobbies, interests and/or aspirations. As you are browsing Vygo, you may find other Peer Mentors who share similar interests to you. We are actively encouraging students to reach out beyond their Peer Mentor, especially if they want to find out more about a particular area.

The Peer Mentoring Team will be hosting regular Networking Events. This is an opportunity for mentees and the Peer Mentors to meet face-to-face and be introduced to the Peer Mentoring Team. These are low-stakes events, so they are perfect if you want to meet new people, find out more about Peer Mentoring, or have some free food and drinks!

The Peer Mentoring Team and Senior Mentors are available on Vygo, so you can send us a direct message. Alternatively, you can email us directly at peermentoring@leicester.ac.uk.

We encourage new students to stay signed up for the scheme as there may be information that you will find helpful in the future. However, please contact the Peer Mentoring Team if you still want to be removed from the scheme.

A Peer Mentor is a current University of Leicester student who has volunteered to support a group of new students during their transitional period at university.

For Undergraduate students, any student (excluding Medicine) who will have completed one full academic year by the time they become a Peer Mentor. For example, if you started in September 2026, you may become a Peer Mentor in September 2027.

For postgraduate students, any students (excluding Medicine) who have completed one full term by the time they become a Lead Buddy. For example, if you started in September 2026, you may become a Lead Buddy in January 2027.

Peer Mentors and Lead Buddies have the exact same responsibilities. Peer Mentors are undergraduates, whilst Lead Buddies are postgraduate students. This is due to the university running their own mentoring scheme for postgraduate students, and we wanted to prevent confusion with the names. Please assume that the names are interchangeable in these FAQs.

Unfortunately, currently, this is not an option. The University runs a mentoring scheme for alumni which we would be happy to signpost you to.

Becoming a Peer Mentor gives you an opportunity to give back to the community, build interpersonal skills, make friends, gain an accreditation and a possible invite to our Awards Lunch!

For Postgraduate students, Lead Buddies are recruited throughout the year and invited to join the next cycle (starting in September, January, or April). For Undergraduate students, recruitment starts in February for a start in September.

The Peer Mentoring Team hosts recruitment stalls in different locations around campus, sends out promotional materials via schools, newsletters and social media and asks former mentees whether they want to return as Peer Mentors.

As this is a voluntary role, as long as you meet the criteria and complete the training you may become a Peer Mentor.

We ask students to express their interest here: Become a Peer Mentor 2026/27 Expression of Interest – Fill out form to receive regular updates and information.

The commitment lasts about 4 months. In that time, we expect you to commit about 3 hours per month, which includes training, sending check-ins, replying to messages, and completing the evaluation.

Vygo is our mentoring software. You'll be required to make a profile, select which program you belong to (depending on whether you are a Foundation Year, Undergraduate, Masters or PGR student), and then wait to be matched to mentees. On Vygo, you'll be able to communicate with your mentees and other students.

All communication between Peer Mentors and mentees will happen on Vygo. The software feels similar to WhatsApp, as you can make group chats or individual chats with mentees. We encourage all communication during the scheme to stay on Vygo as all messages can be viewed by the Vygo and Peer Mentoring Team, which ensures that everyone is keeping themselves safe.

All Peer Mentors are expected to attend a 2-hour training session (usually on Teams) which includes an overview of the role, mentor expectations, safeguarding, available services and how to create a Vygo profile. The accreditation document will also be shared with you.

We unfortunately cannot accept any students as Peer Mentors who do not complete the training. You are expected to attend a training session every cycle to refresh your knowledge, for example, if you decide to stay on as a Peer Mentor for another year.

To recognise our Peer Mentors' contributions and efforts, we award certificates and invite outstanding mentors to our Awards Lunch. The accreditation criteria will be explained in your training.

We actively encourage our Peer Mentors to use this experience on their CV and LinkedIn.

We loved seeing the pictures students shared after the Awards Lunch.

The number of mentees depends on the number of new students from your course that sign up to Vygo. The number has varied between 5-30 mentees.

Although they are not compulsory, we encourage all Peer Mentors to attend 1 of the Networking events which contribute towards higher accreditation. The Peer Mentoring Team also hosts one-off events, including the Awards lunch which you may be invited to.

To complement the training, the Peer Mentoring Team will also upload documents to the Vygo Resource page which can be accessed from your programme page.

Senior Mentors will send regular reminders in a monthly newsletter, which will include items like suggested deadlines and upcoming events.

Peer Mentors can also reach out to the Peer Mentoring Team for any further support.

The Peer Mentoring Team and Senior Mentors are available on Vygo, so you can send us a direct message. Alternatively, you can email us directly at peermentoring@leicester.ac.uk.

A Senior Mentor is a paid student position within the Peer Mentoring Team. There are 4 positions and these students support the Team in running the Peer Mentoring scheme, including hosting Networking events, sending monthly newsletters, recruiting students, and answering questions.

As the Senior Mentor role is paid, there is a recruitment process including an application and interviews. Senior Mentors are members of the SU staff, therefore, they are expected to uphold the policies and procedures, work from the SU office and keep to a set timetabled schedule.

You do not have to be a Peer Mentor before becoming a Senior Mentor; however, having an understanding or experience of the Peer Mentoring Scheme will strengthen your application.

A student role in the SU can complement your studies, and we will be flexible regarding hours during busy periods. You will have the opportunity to gain vital work experience and strengthen your interpersonal skills, which can support future job applications.

Any student who is passionate about the Peer Mentoring Scheme and brings strong communication and organisation skills. You must be a student for the following academic year and available to work on campus, i.e. not on a placement or industry year. You must have been a student for one academic year before commencing the role.

If you are interested in becoming a Senior Mentor, please look for applications opening in the Summer Term on the SU vacancies page. By expressing interest in becoming a Peer Mentor, you will receive an update when the Senior Mentor applications have opened, as we often found our strongest candidates are students who have been involved in Peer Mentoring in some way.

The applications for Senior Mentors will open in the Summer Term. Successful applicants will be offered an interview, and successful candidates will be offered the position around June. Senior Mentors begin their role in September.

The Senior Mentor role is paid National Living Wage. The hours of work are approximately five per week, although this is in discussion with the successful candidates and the Peer Mentoring Team.

The job description will cover the experience and skills that we are looking for in our Senior Mentors, so we would suggest all candidates read this carefully so they can tailor their cover letter and interview answers to tie back to our criteria and mission.

Senior Mentors are the point of contact between Peer Mentors and the Peer Mentoring Team. They send regular newsletters, monitor engagement, answer queries, and are involved in the accreditation and evaluation process. Senior Mentors bring fresh ideas from a student perspective to the heart of the Peer Mentoring Scheme ensuring everything we do is led by students.

Senior Mentors are a direct point of contact for Peer Mentors to be able to ask more frequent questions and reassurance that they are on the right track for their accreditation. If the Senior Mentor is unsure, then they will escalate any issues or concerns to the Peer Mentoring Team ensuring that anything urgent will be dealt with promptly.

A Senior Mentor has the opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills and confidence within the role, therefore the Peer Mentoring Team would like to see them take on the responsibility of planning and hosting events, for example the Networking Events.

The commitment is from September to July.

The Senior Mentors will receive introductory training for their own role, as well as training in the Peer Mentor role, since they will be supporting them.

The Senior Mentors will have access to ongoing support from the Peer Mentoring Team as they'll be on hand to guide and answer any questions. More formally, Senior Mentors will have monthly check-ins to discuss their progress on projects and overcome any challenges.

We do not award our Senior Mentors accreditation as this is a paid position within the SU.