Early Identification Program

Vision

To produce civically engaged first-generation, college-bound students who value learning and are actively pursuing higher education.

Mission

EIP will inspire students toward higher education and the development of professional goals. Using a holistic approach to educate students, EIP strives to maximize student potential and academic achievement. In partnership with local school divisions, the private sector, and the George Mason community, our goal is to improve students' access to higher education and quality of life by providing academic enrichment, personal development, and community engagement; thus ensuring students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to become productive and responsible global citizens.

Program Benefits - What Students Receive

Academic

• An intense summer academic enrichment program that prepares students for the school year
• Multi-year and yearlong academic coaching and support from 8th grade through 12th grade
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities at a major research university
• STEM+ H enrichment

College & Career Readiness

• College readiness, such as practice SATs, ACTs, FAFSA completion, and application support
• Guaranteed admission to George Mason University for eligible students
• Scholarship opportunities and financial support for eligible students who attend Mason
• College and scholarship essay completion
• Career and professional shadowing experience

Personal & Social Development

• Family engagement and support, focusing on navigating high school and the college application process
• Leadership development
• Service learning opportunities

Here are a few facts about the EIP program

• 95% of EIP students enroll in college
• Students who complete the EIP and graduate from high school with a 3.2 or higher GPA and meet the admission requirements of the university are automatically accepted. Students who earn a 3.5 or higher will be eligible to apply for the EIP scholarship (four years of full tuition, in-state tuition rates)

The Youth Research Council is a research collaborative and community-based experiential learning innovation. Launched in fall 2021, the Youth Research Council is a partnership with George Mason University’s Sociology and Anthropology Department’s Center for Social Science Research and Early Identification Program. PWCS currently has eight students serving as Youth Research Council Fellows and 195+ students participating in the EIP program.

The Youth Research Council aims to promote community capacity building and racial equity through research activities; build a more durable student pipeline for the social sciences; and serve as a bridge between community area schools and GMU. Students, over the course of one academic year, identify research problems, study them using rigorous social science methods, and offer evidence-based recommendations and solutions for change.