Admission to the STEP Academy is selective and based primarily on a student’s academic record. Interested students must submit a completed program application by the stated deadline. Personal essays, report cards or transcripts, teacher evaluations, and income verification documents (for students claiming eligibility based on economic factors) are essential components of the application. We are unable to consider incomplete applications.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the STEP Academy program a student must be:

Enrolled in grades 7 -12 with good academic standing with a minimum grade point average of 80 overall, and an 80 or above in both math and science courses.
A resident of New York State.
A member of a historically underrepresented group (as defined by the New York State Education Department) in the scientific, technical, health-related, and licensed professions. This includes African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American Indian, and Alaskan Native or must qualify as economically disadvantaged based on the household income criteria indicated in the following table.

Income Eligibility Criteria 2021 -2022

Household Members	Maximum Household Eligible Income for New York State Opportunity Programs Ending for Tax year 2020
1	$23,606
2	$31,894
3	$40,182
4	$48,470
5	$56,758
6	$65,046
7	$73,334
8	$81,622

* For 2021-22, add $8,288 for each additional family member in excess of 8.

Program Expectations

Once admitted to the program students are expected to:

Attend and participate in all STEP activities and classes
Arrive at STEP sessions on time and ready to participate with applicable assignments and materials
Conduct themselves in a manner conducive to their own learning and to the learning of others