Mentoring for historically marginalized students in the post-secondary education years has been used as a means to mitigate factors of attrition in academic programs. As a student development construct, academic resilience utilizes protective processes for managing behavioral and emotional responses to difficult situations inside and outside of the classroom environment. This research study explored the relationship among academic resilience, mentoring, and academic progress in predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Using a quasi-experimental design, the researcher investigated retention and academic program progress rates for historically marginalized students from PWIs as each relates to academic resilience and mentoring. The study focused on students who have recently participated within or were currently participating in a mentoring program instituted by the PWI since 2008, examining the effects of the program on their matriculation. Two research sites were studied in relationship to determine the effect their institutionalized mentoring programs had on the academic resilience of students who were a part of their programs. One institution had a peer-to-peer mentoring program, whereas the other institution utilized faculty and staff to mentor their students. The treatment group of 287 students who participated in a mentoring program was compared to the control group of 482 students who did not participate in one (T = 769). Both research site groups were comparable in age, race/ethnicity profiles, and length of time in programs. No other variables were used in this study. Out of the 287 mentoring program participants between the two sites, 19 students completed the Academic Resilience Inventory (ARI) to measure academic resilience between the two research sites. Findings revealed that mentoring is one of a multitude of mitigating factors of retention for historically marginalized students. The findings also revealed that the type of mentoring (peer-to-peer vs. faculty/staff) for historically marginalized students had an influence on retention rates. The treatment group started its programs with lower aggregate grade point averages than the control group but performed on par with the control group or outperformed it consistently from academic year to academic year. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]