Apply to be an Academic Peer Mentor

• Have completed a minimum of 27 total credit hours.  
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75.
• Have lived at least one semester in the residence halls by the contract start date.  
• Be in good academic and judicial standing with the university, Housing and Residence Life, and the Office of Student Conduct.
• Be enrolled in or have completed the EDHI 200 course with a grade of B or higher. 

Note: Preference may be given to those applicants with two or more semesters of experience living on-campus at Ball State University and/or experience living in an LLC. 

• Full room and board
• Stipend of $1,500 per year (paid in installments every two weeks)
• 200 block meal plan
• Private room in the Living-Learning Community you are assigned

ADMINISTRATIVE

STEP 1: APPLY

• Head to Ball State Workday to access Student Employment Positions
• Search for "Academic Peer Mentor"  or "APM"
• Click on the 2026-2027 Application
• Begin your Application! Make sure to complete it thoroughly and without error.

APPLY TO BE AN APM

STEP 2: SIGN UP FOR AND COMPLETE EDHI 200

EDHI 200 is a one-credit hour academic course focused on residence hall leadership and is a required part of the selection process. Students can sign up for EDHI 200 when registering for other spring courses. Academic Peer Mentors who have completed EDHI 200 with a B or Higher are given preference during the hiring process. If you have not completed EDHI 200 prior to employment, your employment will be contingent on enrollment in this course in your first semester of employment. Please check the course catalog to see the sections scheduled for the semester, as well as availability. 

STEP 3: APPLICATION STATUS NOTIFICATION

After the Academic Peer Mentor application closes, the Housing and Residence Life Selection Committee to review and assess all submitted applications for the following criteria: 

• Job Eligibility 
• Completion of all required questions 
• Quality of submitted materials 

Note from the Selection Committee: We encourage you to engage sincerely with the content and understand that how you present yourself in these questions is our first impression of you as an Academic Peer Mentor. Most questions do not have a single “Right Answer” but will benefit from sincere answers that draw on your unique experience and approaches to the role. 

If your application is accepted, you will be able to sign up for your interview in late January/early February. If you are not offered an interview, you will be notified via email that your application has been removed from consideration. 

STEP 4: GO THROUGH IN-PERSON INTERVIEW

Students who pass the written application will connect with the Living-Learning Community Team in a 30-minute interview. A professional or graduate staff member and 2 current APMs will ask you questions about the position and your skills.  

During the interview, applicants will be interviewed by Housing and Residence Life staff members. This is typically a 30-minute interview process. Make sure to arrive on time and ready for your interview on time. Given that this is a professional interview, please dress in business casual attire.

Note from the Selection Committee: We understand that “Business Casual” or “Professional Attire” differs greatly between professions and backgrounds. We encourage candidates to dress in a way that they are comfortable, able to afford, and feel like they are presenting their “best self” to the hiring committee and interview team. If you are in need of “professional attire”, please visit the Cardinal Closet. 

STEP 5: ANTICIPATE A NOTIFICATION LETTER

Following the conclusion of interviews, you will be notified via email about your status. Due to limitations in the hiring management system, please read the information below closely to ensure a smooth process.  

All candidates will receive one of three kinds of notifications:

• Academic Peer Mentor Position Offer: An offer letter for a Academic Peer Mentor in a specific building. 
• Alternate Pool Notification: A notification of your status in our “Alternate Pool”  
• Removed from Consideration: A notification that you have been removed from consideration for the Academic Peer Mentor role.  

Please refer to the detailed information below on what to expect from each notification scenario.  

Academic Peer Mentor Position Offer

• A congratulations letter offering you a position in a specific building or community.
  • You will receive an email from Workday offering you the position as an Academic Peer Mentor for Ball State Housing and Residence Life. This email will not include your hall assignment.
  • You will also receive an email from the Selection Committee about which residence hall or community the offer is for. 

Please allow up to 2 hours between these email notifications. If your decision relies on your residence hall placement, please wait for both emails prior to making your decision. 

Alternate Pool Notification 

• An alternate letter explaining that while we consider you a hirable candidate, we are not extending an offer of employment at this time. If you receive this letter, you will be placed in an alternate pool and will be kept on file for consideration if/when positions become available. 

If at any point you would like to remove yourself from the alternate pool consideration, please indicate on Workday you would like to withdraw your application from consideration or cancel your application within Workday. If you experience any issues with this process, please email the HRL Recruitment Coordinator, Garrett Tur at gjtur@bsu.edu.  

Removed from Consideration 

• This notification email will thank you for your time and interest in the position and that you will no longer be considered for the Academic Peer Mentor position in Housing and Residence Life.  

Please understand that this decision does not prevent you from applying again in subsequent years, nor does it prevent you from applying for other Housing and Residence Life employment opportunities. 

Please recognize that these decisions (including your placement if hired) are final and not subject to negotiation. If hired, you will need to formally accept the position and complete a contract.

APM weekly responsibilities include interacting with residents, holding a small-scale weekly programs (i.e. study tables), and administrative responsibilities such as program planning and makerspace/resource room upkeep. On weeks where APMs have large-scale programs planned, their week is usually busier as they are publicizing their event, setting up, implementing the program, and cleaning up afterwards. We encourage APMs to look at their class schedules when selecting dates for programs, as to not overbook themselves.  

APMs primary focus is academic support, connections, and programming. APM conversations with students are typically centered more around classwork, academic experience, and personal situations that may be impacting their ability to succeed academically. The APM builds a community centered on academic connection and success. While APMs are trained in limited crisis response procedure, they are not on duty. 

Not necessarily. While we strive to place APMs in communities that match their academic major, we hire APMs that will succeed in the position regardless of the community. An APM’s ability to program and connect with residents successfully is not dependent upon their own placement in that academic major. APMs are tasked with connecting with the academic department representatives that can help inform the content-specific aspects of their job.