# Mentorship Statistics (2026)

> Anonymized MentorCruise platform data on who hires a mentor, why, and how it goes. Refreshed daily, last updated October 22, 2026. Human version: https://mentorcruise.com/stats/

Free to quote with credit to MentorCruise and a link to https://mentorcruise.com/stats/.

## Headline numbers

- Mentorships started on MentorCruise (monthly plans and one-off sessions): 39,000+
- Monthly mentorships in progress right now: 1,500+
- Mentee accounts: 59,000+
- Mentors: 4,400+
- Countries with at least one mentorship: 139
- Average review: 4.92 out of 5 (12,058 reviews, 98% rated 4 or 5 stars)
- Median length of a paid mentorship: 94 days

## Key findings

1. 40% of mentees want to change careers or land a new job. It's the most common reason to hire a mentor.
2. Only 9% come for help with their studies or a first job after graduating. The rest want a new role, a new skill or a growing business.
3. 60% of mentees want to reach their goal within three months.
4. 35% contact two or more mentors before choosing one.
5. 40% of requests go to software engineering mentors, and 18% to mentors in AI and data.
6. 53% of plans include two calls a month, with chat in between.
7. The median paid mentorship lasts 94 days, about 3 months.
8. Mentees rate their mentors 4.92 out of 5 across 12,058 reviews, and 98% give 4 or 5 stars.
9. 59% of mentorships are with mentees outside the US, across 139 countries.

## Why people hire a mentor

Share of mentee applications in the last 12 months that stated a goal.

| Goal | Share |
|---|---|
| Change careers or land a new job | 40% |
| Level up a skill | 26% |
| Grow a business or product | 20% |
| Start a career after graduating | 6% |
| Ship a personal project | 5% |
| Get help with studies | 3% |

## How soon they want to get there

| Timeline | Share |
|---|---|
| A few weeks | 16% |
| About a month | 15% |
| About three months | 29% |
| About six months | 19% |
| A year or more | 8% |
| No set timeline | 13% |

## What they want help with

Share of mentee applications in the last 12 months, by the mentor's field. AI & Data covers engineering mentors whose role is in AI, machine learning or data.

| Field | Share |
|---|---|
| Software Engineering | 40% |
| Business & Management | 18% |
| AI & Data | 18% |
| Product & Marketing | 17% |
| UX & Design | 7% |

## How often mentees meet their mentor

Paid mentorships started in the last 12 months, by calls included in the plan.

| Calls per month | Share |
|---|---|
| 1 call a month | 14% |
| 2 calls a month | 53% |
| 3–4 calls a month | 27% |
| 5 or more calls a month | 2% |
| No fixed calls (chat and async) | 4% |

## Where mentees are

Share of all mentorships, by the region the mentee lives in. Mentees come from 139 countries.

| Region | Share |
|---|---|
| United States | 41% |
| Europe | 30% |
| Asia & Pacific | 13% |
| Rest of the Americas | 9% |
| Middle East & Africa | 7% |

## Most searched skills right now

1. [AI](https://mentorcruise.com/filter/ai/)
2. [Software Engineering](https://mentorcruise.com/filter/softwareengineering/)
3. [Startup](https://mentorcruise.com/filter/startup/)
4. [Engineering](https://mentorcruise.com/filter/engineering/)
5. [Product Management](https://mentorcruise.com/filter/productmanagement/)
6. [Career](https://mentorcruise.com/filter/career/)
7. [Leadership](https://mentorcruise.com/filter/leadership/)
8. [Design](https://mentorcruise.com/filter/design/)
9. [Cybersecurity](https://mentorcruise.com/filter/cybersecurity/)
10. [OpenAI](https://mentorcruise.com/filter/openai/)

## Methodology

### Where do these numbers come from?

From anonymized MentorCruise platform data: mentorships, mentee applications, plans and reviews. We only publish counts and shares, never individual records. The numbers refresh daily.

### What counts as a mentorship?

A mentee and a mentor working together, on a monthly plan or in a one-off session. The headline total counts every monthly plan ever started on MentorCruise, including ones that ended during the trial, plus every session that was booked and not refunded. The breakdowns on this page cover monthly plans only.

### Which time window do the breakdowns use?

Goals, timelines and fields come from mentee applications in the last 12 months, without drafts or spam. If someone skipped a question, their application is left out of that breakdown. Fields follow the mentor's specialty: engineering mentors whose role is in AI, machine learning or data count as AI & Data. Call cadence comes from paid mentorships started in the same 12 months.

### How are the review numbers calculated?

From every public review a mentee has left their mentor on MentorCruise, across all years. Reviews from deleted accounts are not counted.

### Does a mentor guarantee a result?

No. A mentor won't do the work for you, and nobody can promise an outcome. What you get is someone who has already cleared the bar you're facing, a plan, and honest feedback between calls. Every mentor offers a free intro call, so you can talk to a few before you commit.

### Can I use these numbers in my article?

Yes. Quote any number on this page, as long as you credit MentorCruise with a link to mentorcruise.com/stats/. A plain Markdown version for AI tools and researchers lives at mentorcruise.com/stats.md.

## Find a mentor

Every mentor offers a free intro call. Browse mentors at https://mentorcruise.com/mentor/browse/