The Lasting Impact of Natural Mentors on College Students’ Educational Attainment

The current study examined natural mentoring experiences across the college years among underrepresented students attending a predominantly White institution (N = 340) and how various dimensions of these experiences (i.e., quantity of natural mentors, relationships with institutional natural mentors, natural mentor support, and the retention of natural mentors) may be associated with subsequent educational attainment. A latent class analysis revealed 5 distinct classes, with students who had a greater number of natural mentors more consistently across time showing greater educational attainment relative to students with consistently fewer mentors or those whose mentor quantity declined shortly after starting college. Regression analyses suggested that the total quantity of institutional natural mentors, natural mentor support, and quantity of natural mentors retained across two or more time points were positively associated with greater educational attainment. Findings suggest that more natural mentor presence, received support, and sustained connections may bode well for underrepresented students’ future educational attainment.