The Econ Pathways mentoring program empowers undergraduate students studying economics to overcome the unique challenges of university life and career planning. As a mentee in the program, you'll be paired with a mentor from our alumni who will be able to assist you to:

• discover the kinds of careers and opportunities that are open to you with a degree in economics
• attain advice on skill development, CVs, and interviews
• learn about what to expect from working in the professional world.

Attending university is a tremendous achievement, and something you as a student should be immensely proud of. However, academic success alone does not always equal positive graduate outcomes. You may find yourself struggling to navigate the university environment or hit roadblocks when planning your future career. This could be exacerbated for you if you have entered university without an existing network in your chosen field or with more limited support structures than your peers. This could be for many reasons:

• you may be the first member of your family to attend university or to enter your chosen field
• in coming to university, you may have left behind community and support (for instance coming from a rural or remote area)
• you may be a member of a group in society which experiences disadvantage or discrimination.

This program aims to help you overcome these hurdles and offers you an equitable opportunity to access the networks and support you need to effectively plan for your future career.

The program starts in April and runs through to November. If accepted into the program, you're expected to commit to the full duration.

• The School of Economics will pair you with an alumni mentor based on your current needs, future goals, experience and interests.
• You'll meet at least once a month.
• You'll have the chance to meet other alumni, mentors and mentees to network and learn from each other through other School events.
• We'll support throughout the program so that you get the most out of your time with your mentor.

Our mentors have been selected from our alumni community based on their life and work experience and come from a wide variety of industry sectors. All our mentors have an economics background, so they'll be able to demonstrate where your studies in economics might lead.

As a mentee, you'll:

• attend the program launch to meet your mentor
• meet with your mentor at least once a month during the program
• attend a mid-program mentee workshop
• submit reflective journal entries following your monthly meetings
• attend the program's graduation event.

You're eligible to apply if enrolled in your second, third or fourth year in:

• the Bachelor of Economics
• a degree within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences with a major in:
  • Economics
  • Financial Economics
  • Agricultural and Resource Economics
  • Econometrics.

As the program has a limited capacity, applications will be assessed and places awarded on a needs basis.

Once applications open, we'll send the application form via a Canvas announcement.

• The form will ask you about why you want to join the program, as well as your experiences both in and outside the University.
• You'll need to attach your current CV.

For more information, please send an email to econ.connect@sydney.edu.au.

Applications for the 2026 program open on Monday 23 February 2026.

The program runs from April to November.

What happens next

• We'll assess your application.
• If shortlisted, we'll invite you to attend an interview (online). This interview will assess your goals for the program and help us match you with a mentor.
• If successful, we'll set you up with a suitable mentor based on your career goals, skill development needs and the mentor’s areas of expertise.
• We'll contact you with the outcome of your application.