The Oliver Scholars Program works with an extensive number of New York City junior high and intermediate schools (public, charter and parochial) as well as community-based youth service organizations to identify the highly motivated and academically talented seventh graders of African American and Latino descent for admission to The  Oliver Scholars Program.

• Candidates generally have a minimum junior high school grade average of 90% or above, score excellently on citywide reading and math tests, and are in the top 10% of their class.

• Candidates undergo an intensive and highly competitive admissions process that includes:
  • a formal nomination and recommendation from their junior high schools
  • submission of a six part family application, a critical expository essay, and a writing sample
  • a pre-test of the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT)
  • individual and group interviews
  • a five-week intensive summer immersion program

Oliver staff members are available throughout the application process to help and guide applicants and their families.