Hear from Klay how a $700 support scheme enhanced her experience as a faculty peer mentor!
If you’re a domestic undergraduate student who’s thinking about helping new students in 2025 by becoming a faculty peer mentor, then you may be eligible to access the Faculty Volunteer Peer Mentor Support Scheme.
This $700 payment is funded by a Commonwealth Government grant as an equity initiative via the Higher Education Participation and Partnership Program (HEPPP). The financial support enables you to gain the benefits of being a faculty mentor while alleviating some financial pressures that might otherwise deter you from volunteering in your faculty program.
If eligible, you may receive a $700 payment for participation each study period you mentor—funding is limited so you need to apply to be a faculty mentor now!
Hear from Business and Law student faculty mentor, Klay Po, on how being a recipient of the support scheme has been essential in boosting her participation in campus and networking opportunities.
Why become a faculty peer mentor?
‘Being a mentor means helping new students adjust and making their transition to university life easier and smoother. As a mentor, it is essential to ensure that all mentees receive helpful information that supports their university journey.
However, mentoring does not just benefit the mentees. For me and many other student mentors, it is also a golden opportunity to develop valuable transferrable skills such as communication, leadership, and teamwork. Through mentoring, I have formed meaningful friendships and built connections through networking. Working with other mentors also creates a supportive environment where we can exchange ideas that helps us improve as mentors.
I have been mentoring over four trimesters now, and it has been the most rewarding experience of my university journey. I have received the Outstanding Mentor Award three times, which I am incredibly proud of, and I truly appreciate the mentoring team for recognising my efforts. This recognition is something I am excited to include on my resume.’
A group of faculty peer mentors at a recent Mentor Awards Ceremony.
How can the Faculty Volunteer Peer Mentor Support Scheme benefit you?
‘Receiving the $700 support scheme has made it much easier for me to be involved, as it provides the funds needed to travel to campus more frequently, attend events, and get more involved.
In my first trimester of mentoring, I mostly conducted meetings via Zoom and did not attend many events … However, during my second trimester, I began helping out with more campus events, which I thoroughly enjoyed as it allowed me to meet new students and connect with other mentors. Still, due to the cost of public transport and living far from campus, I could not attend as many events as I wanted.
That is when I applied for the support scheme, and I have been a recipient for two trimesters now. This funding has allowed me to cover travel costs and participate in more campus events, such as welcoming new students during OWeek, attending mentor lunches and drop-in spaces … The scheme has given me the chance to get more socially involved and continue improving my transferrable skills. Most importantly, it has allowed me to give back to the community that helped me integrate into university life while motivating me to join university clubs and take on roles within them.
For students considering becoming a mentor but feeling unsure, I say go for it! And I strongly encourage any mentor who is eligible for the $700 support scheme to apply for it.
The funding can open up so many opportunities, helping you get more involved at Deakin and build lasting friendships and professional connections. Apply to volunteer with our supportive Peer Mentoring Program teams, who will help you develop the skills to become the best mentor you can be. Mentoring can be completed on campus, online or a blend of both so explore mentoring with our Faculty Programs now.
Who’s eligible to be a Faculty Peer Mentor?
You can become a Faculty Peer Mentor if you’re a current undergraduate or postgraduate student and you meet the specific eligibility requirements for your faculty. Find the eligibility requirements through the webpage for your faculty listed below.
- Faculty of Arts and Education
- Faculty of Business and Law
- Faculty of Health
- Faculty of Science, Engineering and Build Environment (SEBE)
Once confirmed as a mentor in one of the faculty programs you may apply for the support scheme. Apply early to avoid disappointment as there are limited number of support schemes available.
Who’s eligible for the $700 Support Scheme
To be eligible for the scheme you must be an undergraduate domestic student with further eligibility listed below:
- be an domestic (Australian citizen, a holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa, an Australian Permanent Resident or a New Zealand citizen) undergraduate student in a Commonwealth Supported place
- be enrolled full time or part time
- be accepted into one of our four faculty peer mentor programs for the Faculty of Business and Law, Faculty of Health, Faculty of Arts and Education or Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, as a volunteer peer mentor within the given study period and participate in agreed tasks within your applicable faculty peer mentor program.
- not already hold a bachelor degree from any university
- be able to demonstrate one of the following:
- be from low SES background, which for the purpose of HEPPP funded scholarships is defined as either:
- having a home address in the lowest quartile of the SEIFA Education and Occupation Index, or
- being in receipt of Youth Allowance, ABSTUDY (Living Allowance), Austudy, Pensioner Education Supplement, ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement or ABSTUDY Away From Base Assistance
- be from a regional or remote area as defined by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard – Remoteness Ares (ASGS-RA)
- be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person.
- be from low SES background, which for the purpose of HEPPP funded scholarships is defined as either:
Find out more
To find out more details, please see the Faculty Volunteer Peer Mentor Support Scheme webpage.
You may receive a $700 payment for participation in each and every study period you mentor provided you qualify and grants continue to be available.
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