Open Door Scholars
Each cycle we take on a small cohort of students with the talent to build something real and no access to the advice that usually surrounds it. Scholars receive the same team, the same Hook Program and the same Admissions Roundtable review as every family we work with. Ivy Brothers sponsors every scholar in full.
Nominate a StudentFive scholars a cycle. Entry by nomination.
Where It Came From
Open Door Scholars came out of the non-profit work one of our team members did in New York City schools.
The best admissions information in the world sits with a small number of people, and it reaches the families who already know to go looking for it. Everyone else works from guesswork. The gap that produces has nothing to do with ability, and it shows up in outcomes every year.
Democratizing access to that information is the long project. Open Door Scholars is the part of it we can do directly, five students at a time.
What Scholars Receive
Senior advising from the first month. Strategy sessions with a senior advisor, beginning as soon as a scholar joins.
The Hook Program. We find the spike, design the project and build it with the student over two years.
Research placement. Where it fits the direction the student is already moving in.
The application itself. A school list, essay development and interview preparation.
Admissions Roundtable review. Every application is read by the Roundtable before it is submitted.
Scholars work with the same senior team as every Ivy Brothers family. The scope and the standard are identical.
Who It Is For
Any one of the following is enough to qualify.
A College Board, ACT or Common App fee waiver.
Free or reduced price lunch eligibility.
A letter from a school counselor or partner organization confirming household income.
We never ask families for tax returns.
Scholars join in the spring of sophomore year or the fall of junior year. That gives a student the time to build a project worth writing about.
Students who would be the first in their family to attend college receive strong preference.
Selection
Partner organizations and school counselors nominate up to three students each.
We meet every nominee and their family, one on one.
We choose the students where two years of work will change the outcome.
Scholars and families sign the same engagement agreement every Ivy Brothers family signs, covering attendance and deadlines.
For Counselors and Partners
We would like to hear from you. Nominations for the 2027 cohort open in January. Your student keeps all of the support you already provide.
Nominate a StudentQuestions before you nominate? Write to welcome@theivybrothers.com.