Engineering Peer Advising Program

A staff of fourteen returning engineering students serve as Peer Advisors who are trained and readily available to assist new students in understanding their academic requirements (both for the Core and their majors), as well as the many campus resources and engineering opportunities that are available to them.

Each new student is assigned a Peer Advisor in their department for individual mentoring and advising throughout their first year. Peer Advisors reach out to their students during the year to connect and provide assistance as needed. Students are also encouraged to contact their assigned Peer Advisor with any questions they may have about their requirements, the School of Engineering, or Santa Clara University. The Peer Advising resource exists as a supplement to students' faculty advisors, with whom new students will interact regularly as well.

If you have any questions about the program or your assigned Peer Advisor, please contact our Lead Peer Advisor, Samia Ahmer, and Vice Lead Peer Advisor, Tanvi Gandhi, at engineeringpeeradvising@scu.edu. 

Mandatory Fall and Spring Advising Sessions

All new engineering students (first-years and new transfers) are required to meet with their faculty advisor in the fall and spring mandatory advising periods prior to course registration. To prepare for these faculty meetings, all first-year and new transfer engineering students must participate in advising sessions, facilitated by our Engineering Peer Advisors. During these sessions, Peer Advisors will assist students in identifying courses for their next quarter's schedule and will help acquaint them with the advising and course planning resources available to students. Upon completion of a session, Peer Advisors will sign a completed advising form for students to take to their faculty advisor meeting. Your assigned faculty advisor can be found on Workday. Students who do not complete the Mandatory Advising processes will have a hold on their record, preventing them from registering for courses until it is completed.

The fall quarter mandatory advising period takes place from October 28 - November 8. To prepare for these faculty meetings, new students must attend one group academic advising session, facilitated by our Engineering Peer Advisors. There are several sessions scheduled between October 21 - November 1. We strongly encourage students to choose a session led by your assigned Peer Advisor, though students may register for any of the listed sessions regardless of major if needed. Session registration will open in the Fall Quarter. 

Peer Advising Events

Be on the lookout for information about several events each quarter tailored towards first-year and new transfer students hosted by Peer Advisors. Examples of typical events include:

• Academic Success Workshops
• Professional Development Workshops (research opportunities, career fair/resume prep)
• Social Events
• Study Abroad Info Sessions

Meet Our Engineering Peer Advisors!

Our peer advisors are returning undergraduate students representing many of the degree programs in the School of Engineering. Each Peer Advisor is currently an upper division student who is heavily involved at the School of Engineering, through research and student organizations. They are eager to assist our new students and share their knowledge of Santa Clara University academic requirements, campus resources, and engineering opportunities!

2026-2027 Peer Advising Staff