Help Center

Alma is an AI-powered mentorship platform that connects students with alumni mentors who share their background, interests, and career path. Our AI analyzes your profile and goals to identify the most relevant mentors, then helps you craft a personalized introduction that gets a real response. Whether you are exploring college options, navigating your career, or looking for guidance from someone who has been in your shoes, Alma makes it easy to find and connect with the right people.

Creating an account on Alma is simple. Visit joinalma.ai and click "Get Started" or "Sign Up." You can register using your email address or sign in with Google or LinkedIn for a faster setup. After creating your account, you will be guided through an onboarding process where you will complete your profile by adding your educational background, interests, and goals. For the best matching experience, we recommend verifying your school or work email address through Settings, which helps us verify your institutional affiliation.

Alma uses proprietary AI algorithms to match you with the most relevant mentors. Our system analyzes multiple factors including your educational institution, field of study, career interests, extracurricular activities, and stated goals. It then identifies alumni mentors who share overlapping backgrounds and experiences. The AI ranks potential matches by relevance, so the mentors you see first are the ones most likely to be a great fit. You can also use our AI chat assistant to describe what you are looking for, and it will help you discover mentors you might not have found on your own.

Alma offers a free tier that includes basic access to the platform, limited mentor discovery, and one free introduction credit per month. For users who want more introductions and advanced features, we offer paid subscription plans (Starter, Pro, and Premium) with different credit allocations, priority matching, analytics, and other benefits. You can view our pricing page for full details on what each plan includes. We also offer a founding member discount for early users.

Credits are the virtual currency used on Alma to request introductions to mentors. Each time you want to connect with a new mentor, you spend credits to send an introduction request. The credit cost varies by mentor tier: Bronze mentors cost 1 credit, Silver mentors cost 2 credits, and Gold mentors cost 3 credits. Credits ensure that introduction requests are thoughtful and intentional, which leads to higher response rates and better connections for everyone.

There are several ways to get credits on Alma. All new users receive a signup bonus of free credits. Subscription plans (Starter, Pro, Premium) include monthly credit allocations that refresh each billing cycle. You can also purchase one-time credit top-up packs if you need more credits beyond your subscription allowance. Refer friends using your unique referral link — when they sign up, you both get 20 bonus credits. Additionally, if you sign up as a mentor and help other users, you can earn bonus credits as a reward for your contributions. Note: unused subscription and top-up credits do not carry over to the next month. Founding member bonuses, mentor earnings, and referral bonuses are permanent and never expire.

The cost of an introduction request depends on the mentor's tier. Bronze-tier mentors cost 1 credit per introduction. Silver-tier mentors cost 2 credits. Gold-tier mentors cost 3 credits. The tier reflects factors such as the mentor's experience level, response rate, and demand. You can see the credit cost before you send any introduction request, so there are no surprises.

Alma accepts all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) through our secure payment processor, Stripe. All payments are encrypted and processed in accordance with PCI-DSS standards. We do not store your full card information on our servers. Prices are displayed in US Dollars (USD).

You can cancel your subscription at any time. Go to Settings in your account, then navigate to Manage Subscription and select Cancel. Your subscription will remain active until the end of your current billing period, and you will continue to have access to your plan's features until then. After the billing period ends, your account will revert to the Free tier. No further charges will be made after cancellation.

All subscription payments are non-refundable. You can cancel your subscription at any time and keep access until the end of your current billing period. Credits that have been used to send introduction requests are non-refundable. Unused subscription credits and top-up credits expire at the start of each new billing cycle and do not carry over. Top-up credit purchases are non-refundable once the credits have been added to your account. Founding member bonuses, mentor earnings, and referral bonuses are permanent and never expire.

Every user gets a unique referral link, which you can find on your Credits page under "Share & Earn." When someone signs up for Alma using your referral link, both you and the new user receive 20 bonus credits. There is no limit to the number of friends you can refer. Referral credits are awarded after the referred user completes their account setup. You can track your referral stats (friends invited and credits earned) on your Credits page.

When you send an introduction request, the credit cost is placed in escrow — meaning the credits are temporarily held rather than permanently spent. If the mentor accepts, the credits are settled (a portion goes to the mentor and a portion is retained as a platform fee). If the mentor declines, 100% of your credits are immediately refunded. If the mentor does not respond within 7 days, the request automatically expires and your credits are fully refunded. You can see escrowed credits on your Credits page under "In Escrow."

When you find a mentor you would like to connect with, you can send them an introduction request. Alma's AI drafts a personalized introduction message based on your profile and the mentor's background, highlighting shared connections and relevant interests. You can review and edit the draft before sending it. Once sent, the mentor receives a notification and can choose to accept the introduction. If they accept, a direct messaging channel opens between you and you can begin your mentorship conversation.

Response times vary by mentor, but most mentors respond within a few days. Some may respond sooner, especially if they have high availability. We encourage mentors to respond promptly, and their response rate is reflected in their profile. If a mentor does not respond within 7 days, the credits you used for that introduction request are automatically returned to your account and you will be notified via email.

Yes, absolutely. You can connect with as many mentors as you like, as long as you have sufficient credits. In fact, we encourage connecting with multiple mentors who can offer different perspectives and guidance. Each introduction request is independent, and you can maintain ongoing conversations with all of the mentors who accept your requests.

If a mentor does not respond to your introduction request within 7 days, the credits you spent on that request are automatically returned to your account. You will receive an email and push notification when this happens. This ensures you are not penalized for unresponsive mentors. If a mentor consistently does not respond, their availability status may be updated to reflect this.

To become a mentor on Alma, sign up for an account and select the alumni/mentor path during onboarding. Complete your profile by adding your educational background, professional experience, and areas of expertise. You can set your availability preferences and choose what types of mentees you would like to help. Once your profile is verified, you will begin receiving introduction requests from students who match your background. As a mentor, you earn rewards for each connection you make.

Yes. We take data security very seriously. All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using TLS. Data stored in our databases is encrypted at rest. We implement role-based access controls and conduct regular security assessments. Alma is designed to comply with GDPR and CCPA, giving you full control over your personal information. We never sell your data to third parties.

Your profile is visible only to other verified users on the Alma platform. This includes other students and mentors who are actively using the service. Your profile information is never shared publicly on the internet or with search engines. You can control what information is displayed on your profile through your account settings.

AI is used on Alma exclusively for matching you with relevant mentors, generating introduction drafts, and powering the AI chat assistant. We do not sell your data to any third party, and we do not use your personal data to train external AI models. When we use third-party AI services (such as OpenAI for certain features), your data is processed under strict data processing agreements that prohibit the use of your data for model training. You always have the opportunity to review and edit any AI-generated content before it is sent.

Yes. You can delete your account at any time by going to Settings, then Account, and selecting Delete Account. When you delete your account, your personal information is removed from our active systems within 30 days. Encrypted backups may retain your data for up to 90 days, after which it is permanently deleted. Alternatively, you can email support@joinalma.ai with your deletion request.

To update your profile, navigate to the Profile tab in the app or on the web and tap/click the Edit button. From there, you can update your name, bio, educational background, interests, goals, profile photo, and other information. Keeping your profile up to date helps our AI provide better mentor matches.

To change your password, go to Settings, then Account, and select Change Password. You will be asked to enter your current password and then your new password. If you have forgotten your current password, you can use the "Forgot Password" option on the sign-in page to receive a password reset link via email.

Email verification helps us confirm your identity and institutional affiliation. To verify your email, go to Settings and find the Verification section. Enter your school or work email address and we will send you a verification link. Click the link in the email to complete the verification process. Verified users may receive higher trust scores and better visibility in mentor searches.

You have the right to export your personal data at any time. Go to Settings, then Account, and select Export My Data. We will compile your data (including profile information, messages, and activity history) and send it to your email address in a machine-readable format (JSON or CSV). Data export requests are typically processed within 48 hours. You can also email privacy@joinalma.ai to request a data export.