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Young Scholars Academy

Young Scholars Academy is built upon the foundational belief that equitable access to and support through postsecondary education should be available to all young people.  

Creating an environment for and by first-generation college students is in our DNA.

Young Scholars Academy (YSA) is an immersive dual-credit, early college experience for high school juniors and seniors based at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). Founded in 2020 through a pilot partnership between Kenton County School District and NKU, Young Scholars Academy was designed to fill an early-college access gap for students in the Northern Kentucky region. The successful pilot led to a regional expansion in 2022 that brought additional scholars from Bellevue Independent, Bracken County, Covington Independent, Dayton Independent, Erlanger-Elsmere Independent, Ludlow Independent, Newport Independent, and Pendleton County. Through participation in the academy, scholars experience wraparound support that empowers them to grow personally, academically, and professionally - all while earning their high school diplomas and creating personalized plans toward their goals, including options to complete Kentucky general education requirements, an Associate's degree, and beginning progress toward a Bachelor's degree!
YSA Cohort 4

YSA Cohort 4

Scholar Selection

Sophomores from partner schools may be invited to join our community if they have a 3.0 GPA, can demonstrate college readiness in math, and have a recommendation from their school based on social-emotional readiness, behavior, and attendance.

To promote access, 15 conditional admission spots are held in each cohort for Emerging Scholars which provides math support in their first semester of YSA. 95% of scholars have demonstrated college readiness in math during this time and continued in YSA.
Raniyah, Scott High School

Raniyah, Scott High School, 2024 Alumni

Aidan, Simon Kenton High School, 2023 Alumni + Current NKU Student

Aidan, Simon Kenton High School, 2023 Alumni + Current NKU Student

Ainsley, Holmes High School

Ainsley, Holmes High School, 2024 Alumni + Current NKU Student

Alfonso, Dixie Heights High School, 2023 Alumni

Alfonso, Dixie Heights High School, 2023 Alumni