The problem addressed in this study was that African American women do not receive adequate academic mentoring to complete graduate school. The purpose of the qualitative case study was to identify the effect of academic mentoring on African American female graduate students. A qualitative exploratory case study approach was selected to gain a deeper understanding of academic mentoring needs of African American female graduate students. The study implemented a constructivist theory framework and collected data to understand the importance of academic mentoring to African American graduate alumnae. Purposive sampling was used to select eight African American graduate alumnae who participated in academic mentoring programs. Data collection was conducted through the use of semi-structured open-ended interviews via one-to-one Zoom video conference. Semi-structured interviews, documents from research participants, and member checking supported participant responses. NVivo was used to transcribe the data along with manual coding and categorizing until themes were discovered. Six themes emerged based on the three research questions of this study. Findings revealed that African American graduate alumnae were able to persist and graduate due to the support offered by their academic mentors. The implication was that despite obstacles and challenges encountered during their academic journeys, the African American graduate alumnae were able to persist because of the support provided by their mentors. Recommendation for practice is to develop a plan of action for African American female graduate students that promotes the use of academic mentoring support services. Recommendation for future research is to diversify the sample to include other women of color. In conclusion, academic mentoring is essential to the academic success of African American female graduate students. Academic mentoring promotes academic confidence, motivation, persistence, and provides an extra support system to African American female graduate students. [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/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]