The Davidson Institute has partnered with Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development (CTD) to offer the opportunity to take an official practice SAT powered by Khan Academy. Scores from this administration can be used to apply to any Davidson Institute program, including the Young Scholars program.
Due to the eligibility testing accepted by Davidson programs, this opportunity is open to students in 6th-10th grades.
For more information and to register, click here.
The Davidson Young Scholars program application is available online through our digital application system. Applications are reviewed year-round during seven specific application periods.
Application Due Dates for 2022 are:
Applicants can expect to hear back regarding a decision for their application within 2 weeks of their cycle’s application due date. That is, if you submit your application by February 28, you will hear back by March 14 (two weeks after the February 28 due date).
Please review the following application components that are required before an application is considered complete.
This section collects basic information about the applicant and their family.
This section includes a series of questions to better understand how giftedness manifests in the applicant.
In this section, the application asks for the applicant’s current school, grade level, and education history.
An official and complete testing report must be uploaded as a PDF to the application. For more information, please see our Eligibility and Testing Requirements.
If you are submitting testing that is PSAT, SAT, or ACT scores, a portfolio of three (3) work samples is required. While supplemental information will not override scores that fall significantly below the Eligibility and Testing Requirements, this section can be used to enhance the review committee’s understanding of the applicant’s abilities.
If you are not submitting testing that is PSAT, SAT, or ACT scores, submitting a portfolio is optional.
Digital signatures are required on Parent Agreement Form(s) from all persons sharing legal custody of the applicant. Applicants must provide contact information for all persons who share legal custody, regardless of any "physical custody" arrangements. Once the online application has been submitted, each person listed as having legal custody will be sent an email automatically that includes a link to a Parent Agreement Form. Each person with legal custody must fill out and submit a Parent Agreement Form before an application is considered complete.
Applicants must provide the name and email address of an individual who can nominate the applicant for the Young Scholars Program.
Possible recommenders include teachers, instructors, extracurricular activity leaders, librarians, mentors, coaches, or tutors.
Once an application has been submitted, an email will be sent to the recommender with a link to a Recommender Form. The recommender must fill out and submit a Recommender Form before an application is considered complete
When the Recommender Form has been submitted, a notification of receipt will be emailed to both the Recommender and the parent/guardians included on the application.
CREATE YOUR APPLICATION ACCOUNT HERE >
If you already applied for a Davidson Institute program using the Davidson Application System, you may use the same login information to apply for the Davidson Young Scholars program.
All components must be completed before you can submit the application. This includes completion of the Parent Agreement Form(s) and the Recommender Form. Custodial parents and recommenders will receive emails with links to complete their respective forms. The application will not be considered complete until all these forms have been received by the Davidson Institute.
Applications are available year round and considered on a rolling basis. Once the application is complete, the application will go to review. Important Note: Applications are not considered complete until all custodial parents have signed and submitted a Parent Agreement Form, and the Recommender Form has been submitted.
You will be notified of your application decision within 2 weeks of the end of your application’s submission period. That is, if you submit your application within the application period ending February 28, you will hear back by March 14 (two weeks after the February 28 due date). Please do not contact staff to check on an applicant’s status during the review month as this delays the process for all applicants.
See our Frequently Asked Questions for additional application information or please contact ysapplications@davidsongifted.org for assistance. You are also invited to join us for our next live Young Scholar Application Q&A.