How To Apply

To be eligible for the Davidson Academy, applicants must:

• Meet or exceed the minimum eligibility criteria; documented through the online application process
• Exhibit an academic level of advanced middle school or higher in core course subjects that meets placement requirements for Davidson Academy curriculum
• Demonstrate motivation, social and emotional maturity, and overall readiness for an accelerated educational environment; and
• If applying to the Reno campus, are, or intend to be, residents of Nevada; or
• If applying to the Online campus, reside in the United States or Canada and be committed to actively participating in a full-time online educational environment with a synchronous component (live sessions). We strongly recommend that applicants have experience with online learning, especially a synchronous component (live sessions).
  • The Davidson Academy online campus also offers English and math courses for single-course enrollment. Single-course enrollments have the same curriculum and workload expectations as Davidson Academy Online courses.

Applicants will need to decide if they will be attending the Davidson Academy's public, day school on the University of Nevada, Reno campus for local residents, or if they will be attending Davidson Academy Online, for those living anywhere in the United States or Canada. While the application process for the two options is similar, the assessment process is different.

For Online campus applicants residing outside of Nevada, there is an application/assessment fee of $100.  Tuition is also required for online students not living in Nevada.

For both campuses, it is strongly recommended that applicants at minimum have 6^th grade in progress at the time of application.

• View our application system FAQs before you begin the Application Process.
• Read the eligibility criteria page for information on specific testing requirements for applicants who are: in 7th grade or above; in 6^th grade or below; homeschooled; or reapplying. Applicants should thoroughly review these testing submission requirements.
• The following contact information is required for every applicant. These contacts will be prompted to complete a form generated by our application system that serves as a letter of recommendation:
  • Mathematics teacher
  • English teacher
  • Generic Teacher or Personal

Access our Application System. If you already have an account from a previous Academy or Davidson Institute  application you should log in with those credentials. If you are creating your first application with Davidson, you will need to create a user account first. Once you are logged in, please select Davidson Academy from the list of available applications.

The Davidson Academy strongly recommends keeping a copy of your application materials for your records, as all applications and uploaded documents become the property of the Davidson Academy and will not be returned.

Applications are not considered complete until Parent Agreement Forms have been signed by each custodial parent, and the Nominator Form has been submitted. See ‘Email Correspondence’ section below for more information regarding these forms.

Davidson Academy applications are reviewed on an individual basis to determine if an applicant meets initial eligibility requirements, if more information is needed, or if the Davidson Academy is not a good fit at that time. Upon review of the application, additional testing or information may be requested in order to determine the applicant’s eligibility.

In order to minimize the chance of email sent by the application system and the Applications Team being classified as spam by your email provider, please add @www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu to your safe sender list and notify your recommenders and all parent/guardians to do the same. Please note the email address used by the online application system, onlineapplication@www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu, is an unmonitored mailbox and emails sent to that address will not be read. For further details on adding an email domain to your safe sender list, please search online or see our FAQ: "Q. Will I be receiving any email notifications after I apply through the Application System?".

Immediately upon submission of the application, each custodial parent and the listed recommender will receive emails with links to complete their respective forms. The application will not be considered complete until all these forms have been received by the Davidson Academy.

Parent/guardian(s) listed as the Primary Contact on the Parent/Guardian page of the application will receive emails at each of the following points:

• After submitting the online application, to notify you it has been received. At this point, any custodial parents listed will also receive a link to the Parent Form.
• Once a recommender has submitted their Recommendation Form.
• Once the entire application and forms are confirmed to be complete.
• If the application or forms are deemed incomplete, you will receive an email indicating next steps.
• Once the review period is complete and decisions have been made, all applicants will receive an email stating whether the applicant is invited to assess, not eligible, or if more information is needed.

Applicants who meet the Davidson Academy's eligibility criteria and application requirements will be invited to assessment. This process is unique for both campuses. See our Application Review Process.