Middle School Fellowships Parents Have Asked About in the Past
We are sharing information about fellowships that parents have asked about. These fellowships provide a 10-year educational model that offers children various services, including after-school activities, summer camp, and college counseling. The fellowships can offer the excellent opportunity to attend a top-ranked private school and, from there, a stellar college.
Please note that many of the fellowships listed below have a long, demanding, and selective application process that can include the following. Please check individual websites for information specific to each program's admissions process.
SBC buddies can help their students apply to these fellowships by assisting them in brainstorming and revising their personal statements, conducting mock interviews, or familiarizing them with the tests used for admissions purposes.
Please note that SBC will not act as a case manager on our student’s application. If the parent and the child decide to apply for these programs, it is up to the family to attend info sessions, manage different application deadlines, and collect required documentation. Any questions about the application process should be directed to the admissions office at the fellowship programs instead of to SBC.
A Better Chance (https://abetterchance.org/)
What services does this program offer?
A Better Chance places high-performing students of color in the US’s best independent and public schools and supports them on their educational and leadership journeys.
What grade should I be in to apply?
Students in Grades 4-9 can apply.
What are they looking for in applicants?
You identify as a person of color: Black/African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, or Multiracial
Consistently performs at or above grade level in math and English
Has an overall academic average of a B+ or better
Ranks in the top ten percent of their class
Participates in extracurricular activities, both within and outside of the school community
Demonstrates leadership potential in school or through activities outside of school
Receives good teacher recommendations
Is of upstanding character
Family makes less than $250,000 per year
Cannot be the child of one of A Better Chance's Alumni
Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) (www.beammath.org/)
What services does this program offer?
The mission of Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) is to create pathways for underserved students to become scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and computer scientists. BEAM accepts current 6th grade applicants and supports them for a number of years in middle and high school.
What grade should I be in to apply?
Students in the sixth and seventh grades can apply.
What are they looking for in applicants?
BEAM is designed to support students who are underrepresented in STEM careers. Our primary admissions criteria are mathematical (are you ready for BEAM’s programs?) with priority given to those who come from lower-income families or who wouldn’t otherwise have access to similar programs.
Breakthrough New York (www.btny.org)
What services does this program offer?
Breakthrough New York is a free program that prepares students to succeed in middle school, high school, and college. It is a ten-year program that starts the summer before 7th grade.
What grade should I be in to apply?
Only 6th graders are able to apply.
What are they looking for in applicants?
They are in the 6th grade during the 2023-2024 school year
They have an 83% or above in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Stduies as of their first 6th grade report card
The student and at least one guardian have been vaccinated against COVID-19 by April 6, 2024
They come from a low-income household (see chart)
Harlem Educational Activities Fund (www.heaf.org)
What services does this program offer?
HEAF offers its students experiential classroom learning, engaging real-world experiences, personalized youth development and counseling support, Specialized High School Acceptance Test (SHSAT) preparation, SAT preparation, college tours, international service-learning opportunities, college search and application support, financial aid application support, and comprehensive career-development opportunities.
What grade should I be in to apply?
In 2022-2023 academic year, rising 6th graders to rising 12th graders were eligible to apply.
What are they looking for in applicants?
Attend school in NYC (one of the five boroughs)
A minimum score of 2 in Math and English Language Arts on state standardized tests
Can attend programming during the school year and summer
Cumulative average of 70% or better; a minimum of 70% in all major subjects
Good school attendance
Strong character and leadership potential
Qualify for free or reduced-price lunch
Prep for Prep (www.prepforprep.org/)
What services does this program offer?
PREP 9 helps the brightest and most hardworking African American and Latino students in New York City and the metropolitan areas of Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut prepare for success at leading independent boarding schools across the Northeast.
What grade should I be in to apply?
Students can apply as a 5th, 6th, or 7th grader.
What are they looking for in applicants?
Average 90% or above, or mostly 4's
Scored 3's and 4's on previous state ELA and Math exams
Be African American, Latino, Asian, or Multiracial
Oliver Scholars (www.oliverscholars.org)
What services does this program offer?
Oliver provides support and academic enrichment that prepares our Scholars for success in competitive middle school, high school, college, and professional environments.
What grade should I be in to apply?
Students must be in the seventh grade to apply.
What are they looking for in applicants?
We accept applications from Black and Latinx students in seventh grade with a 90% Overall GPA, 600 or Higher on NYS Standardized tests, and who also demonstrates leadership potential through school involvement, from all New York City districts.
TEAK Fellowship (www.teakfellowship.org)
What services does this program offer?
TEAK is a free program that helps talented students from low-income families achieve their potential. Through intensive after school and summer classes, TEAK prepares middle school students to get into the nation’s most selective high schools and colleges.
What grade should I be in to apply?
Students must apply in the sixth grade.
What are they looking for in applicants?
Be an NYC resident enrolled in sixth grade in the 2023-2024 academic year
Achieved 90% or above in all classes
Come from families with financial need
Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States (parent status not required)
Have strong attendance and punctuality record
Meet the following income criteria
