SEO Scholars
Unmatched college prep and personalized support from ninth grade through college graduation.
SEO Scholars
Are some of the best prepared students in the country. They comprise ~1,500 public high school students, and ~1,200 college students enrolled at ~180 schools in 30+ states. 80% are first-generation college graduates. This talented group of young people have dreamed of attending top tier colleges — and put in the work to get there. As an admitting college or university, you can make a life-changing impact for talented and motivated students.
More than academics
As part of our rigorous eight year program, SEO College Scholars have already completed four years of after school, Saturday and summer classes — receiving over 700 hours of additional ELA and math instruction. They’ve proven their motivation to invest in themselves and are ready to take the next step in their journey to academic excellence.
Our students build confidence, critical thinking skills, and quality academic preparation along the path to achieving competitive college admissions, scholarships, and life success.
“With support from my SEO CPA and my school’s career services, I was able to secure a research internship at the French Institute of Pondicherry in India. Their feedback helped me connect my long-standing interests in global health, environmental justice, and South Asia to the program, making my application authentic and competitive.”
Rabbia Batool SEO Scholars ‘24, University of Pennsylvania, Health and Societies
“Thanks to SEO I will be a Hope Reichbach Fellow this summer, using my passion for social justice to develop my skills and civic leadership to make an impact in the NYC community.”
Paulina Gordula SEO Scholars ‘22, University of Rochester
“The experiences I’ve gained through SEO have been invaluable, from machine learning at Dotdash Meredith to now software engineering at Angi and IAC. I firmly believe undergraduate research opportunities add incredible skills and experiences to your resume while opening doors for the future.”
Jack Yang SEO Scholars ‘21, New York University
How we help them succeed
Throughout their undergraduate journey, Scholars work with SEO College Persistence Advisors (CPAs), professionals with backgrounds in social work, school counseling, or education, who provide psychosocial support, academic counseling, and career readiness advising.
This includes:
- • Personalized advising sessions
- • College success workshops and seminars
- • Individual guidance on coursework, course load, and major
- • Nurturing lifelong learning
- • Advising on personal life adjustments
- • SAT test prep Navigating financial aid
- • Career exploration
- • Internships
- • Professional skill building
What SEO Scholars bring to your campus
SEO College Scholars arrive on campus prepared to thrive — academically, emotionally and socially. They’re resilient, motivated and ready to contribute to your community from day one. By admitting SEO Scholars, your institution gains high-potential students and a strong return on investment in student success.
Your institution will see:
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- Students with a proven track record of academic resilience and program completion
- Increased cohort stability and reduced attrition risk
- Improved institutional metrics and outcomes
- A reliable pipeline of mission-aligned, high-achieving applicants
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Have questions about Scholars applying to your school, want to learn more about our programming, or find out ways to partner with us?
“SEO Scholars are ready for college and they’re ready to take on the world. They’re dedicated, disciplined, and driven. SEO Scholars’ programming provides the academic enrichment and interpersonal skills that students need to be successful in college. SEO Scholars are intelligent leaders who make a positive impact on our community.”
Jonathan J. HosterAssociate Director for Undergraduate Admissions & Recruitment, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University
What our partner colleges and universities
have to say
Hear directly from SEO Scholars college and university partners about the experience and rewards of empowering the next generation of talented young people.
Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for more information? Check out our FAQ for deeper answers to the most common questions.
SEO Scholars is NOT a college access program, it’s a college success program. SEO Scholars MUST commit to the full eight years which includes high school and college participation. SEO Scholars differs from other programs in two major ways:
- In high school
- We provide an engaging and challenging college preparatory curriculum in addition to an array of other services, including SAT prep, college trips, college admissions advising, and scholarship and financial aid services. This academic programming makes a huge difference to our Scholars’ success on the SAT and in college admissions. Our Scholars also enter college ready to succeed.
- In college
- Scholars receive 1:1 ongoing support from a College Persistence Advisor through college graduation. This includes support with college adjustment, academic advising, and career advising, internships, etc. Career readiness workshops are provided during college vacations.
- Our outcomes demonstrate the success of this approach. 100% of SEO Scholars are admitted to college and 85% of SEO Scholars graduate, a rate higher than the national average for all college students (~60%) and dramatically higher than the average for students from similar backgrounds (20%).
No. We’re committed to getting students academically prepared for college, which makes them more likely to earn admission to competitive schools and to earn financial awards like scholarships and grants. The SEO Scholars program assists students in navigating the college admissions, scholarship, and financial aid processes with the goal that they’ll attend a good college without incurring large debts. In the end, however, the student’s effort and commitment is what will determine their admission to colleges as well as their scholarships and/or financial aid packages.
By completing the High School Scholars portion! College Scholars is the second half of our eight-year flagship program, SEO Scholars. All Scholars begin their journey in high school. Over the course of grades 9-12 you’ll complete rigorous academic classes, 700+ hours of additional ELA and math instruction, plus Saturday and Summer Academies and after school sessions. You’ll also receive college advising, application support and SAT test prep.
We look for driven and eager students who are willing to put in the extra time and effort to succeed academically. In addition, we know that a college education can have the greatest long-term impact on lower income families. Therefore, we do not make admissions decisions based solely on income, but we do consider this factor in our deliberation process.
Financial eligibility is assessed on a case by case basis. While financials are evaluated alongside all parts of each students’ application, SEO Scholars have an average income of $40,000.