UTM is piloting an advising model for incoming first-year students whose high school admission average falls at the lower end of the admissible range: an identified group typically linked to elevated risk of early academic difficulty. The pilot integrates peer mentorship into a proactive advising approach by combining early outreach and guided navigation of academic expectations and campus resources. Rather than relying on students to self-identify or seek support only after challenges arise, UTM’s initiative emphasizes personalized touchpoints and warm referrals to academic advising and student support resources. The program is designed to reduce barriers to engagement by making support more relational and easier to access early in the student journey. The pilot leans on an experimental design, randomly assigning students to one of three pilot groups: (1-control group) continued access to existing supports, (2-treatment group) continued access to existing supports, plus proactive advising emails, (3-treatment group) a dedicated academic advisor and group advising workshops. The pilot includes a structured assessment plan (i.e., a control-experiment comparison group model) to understand impact on academic standing and persistence and to inform whether the model should be refined and scaled for broader use at UTM.