AlphaStar Academy is partnered with Carina Initiatives to support, train, and motivate talented low-income students for long-term success. We aim to boost their presence in higher academic echelons, particularly in Computer Science and Math Olympiads, opening up a world of possibilities for their future.

This is a 3-year need-based nationwide scholarship program for students who will be enrolled in 6th grade in 2025-2026 academic year. The program ends by the end of the 8th grade (2028). The program consists of a special online one-on-one training towards the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO)* supported by necessary math topics under the guidance of an expert coach.

* USACO is the most prestigious pre-college level computer science contest.

Eligibility Requirements

• Grade: Incoming 6th graders in 2025-2026 in the United States.
• Income Status: Eligible for free or reduced lunch at school, or classified as low-income by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
  As an example, a student in a family of four with less than $146K income in Santa Clara County, California is eligible for the scholarship.
• Academic Level:
  • Above grade level in 4th grade state tests in math and reading (e.g., “Standard Exceeded” in California, “Masters Grade Level” in Texas), or
  • Identified as gifted and talented, or
  • 97th percentile or higher in a common IQ test (e.g., WISC-V, Stanford-Binet 5)

Application Process

• AlphaStar Application Form: the application form needs to be submitted along with
  • Proof of low-income status (reduced lunch eligibility letter from school for 2024-2025 academic year OR 1040 tax form of 2023)
  • Academic verification (4th grade state test report, gifted program enrollment verification, or IQ test report)
  • Student 4th grade report card
• Recommendation letter: a recommendation letter from a teacher/coach/tutor etc. (not a family member) who is familiar with the applicant’s potential and passion for programming, math, or problem solving should be submitted via the recommendation form.
• AlphaStar Diagnostic Exam: students who pass the initial screening will take the AlphaStar online live diagnostic exam.
• Interview: AlphaStar will have an interview with the student and parents.

Program Timeline

• The deadline for the applications is March 1, 2025. However, early decisions will be done by January 15, 2025. Decisions will be made on rolling bases after that.
• Scholarship winners will begin to be announced after January 15, and all announcements will be finalized by May 1, 2025.
• The program will start in September 2025 and will finish in May 2028 consisting 32 week online live training sessions per year. Each session will be 2 hours and one-on-one with a mentor. The classes will follow AlphaStar Computer Science Curriculum. Mentors are Olympian high school students specifically selected and trained for this program.

Please contact info@alphastar.academy, for further questions.