Want to bring more engagement and peer support to your large Science Course? The Faculty of Science Peer Mentoring Program allows all instructors in the Faculty of Science teaching courses with an enrolment of 150 or more students to apply for peer mentors and once approved, appoint senior undergraduates as mentors.
Award: $400 for 25/30 hours per term
Availability of awards
On average, we are able to fund up to one peer mentor for every 100 students enrolled in a course. If you feel your course would benefit from additional peer mentors, let us know in Question 5 of the application form.
Selection Process
Requests will be evaluated by the Office of Science Education (OSE), based on these criteria:
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The course is a Science course with an enrolment of 150 or more students.
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The application form is fully completed.
After reviewing all the applications, we will assess what is possible within our budget. We will then follow up to confirm how many peer mentors can be provided for your course.
Deadlines and important dates for Winter 2027:
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November 4, 2026: Deadline for submission of applications by instructors.
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December 7, 2026: Date by which OSE will inform instructors whether their application is approved, and if so, how many peer mentors they will be awarded.
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January 11, 2027: Deadline for instructors whose requests are approved to submit peer mentor names (a separate form will be provided for this submission).
N.B. Please note that the Peer mentor awards cannot be combined with other funding to form a salary.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for peer mentors, instructors must:
- Teach a Science course
At this time, the Faculty of Science Peer Mentoring Program is only available for Science courses. - Large class size
The course should have 150 or more students enrolled (as listed on Minerva). - Stay connected with your peer mentors
As the instructor, you will be expected to stay engaged with your peer mentors throughout the term. This includes:
- Give your peer mentors an orientation at the beginning of the term to go over expectations and their role.
- Check in regularly to offer support and make sure everything is on track.
- At the end of the term, take some time to reflect on the experience together—this could be through a survey, a casual debrief or even a social event.
Selecting students
To be a peer mentor students must meet these criteria:
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Be a current McGill undergraduate student
Peer mentors must be registered as McGill undergraduate students and remain registered throughout the semester in which they receive the Award.
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Have completed the course or lab they are mentoring
This ensures they are familiar with the material and can confidently support others.
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One award per course per semester
Students can only receive one Faculty of Science Peer Mentoring award for each course in a given semester.
Sample activities
Examples of activities peer mentors can perform:
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Attend lectures and support in-class activities that involve interaction with a course’s students.
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Respond to student emails regarding course content and post questions and answers on discussion boards.
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Attend the SciLearn Peer Collaboration to support students with homework and exam preparation.
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Co-facilitate tutorials and pre-exam review sessions (generally best when supervised by an instructor or TA).
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Participate in study groups to assist peers with developing effective study methods and approaches to learning course content.
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Participate in training offered by the instructor, the Department, or Faculty related to the Peer Mentoring Program experience.
Examples of activities peer mentors cannot perform:
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Grading of assessments.
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Invigilating quizzes and exams.
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Reviewing assessments.