Hickory, NC – Lenoir-Rhyne University will hold a High School Scholars Academy information session Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. at Belk Centrum on campus for high school juniors, high school seniors, and their parents. No advance registration is required; check-in begins at 6:30 p.m.

The program, which began in 2007, is designed for high school students who wish to pursue a more advanced academic program for their junior or senior year of high school. Students selected for the program can enroll in English III or IV Honors, plus two or three college classes in the fall, and three or four additional undergraduate courses that range from biology to psychology to world history to chemistry in the spring. Students have the potential to earn 18 or more college credits by the time they graduate high school in spring 2021 or 2022.

Admission consideration for the program is based on high school GPA, courses taken during high school, SAT, ACT, PSAT, or PLAN scores, and high school or community involvement.

According to Kelli Barnette, associate vice president of undergraduate enrollment, high school juniors and seniors earn college credit to give them an advance start at LR or another institution after high school graduation.

“One advantage to our program is that students are immersed in campus life, learning from professors with terminal degrees,” Barnette said. “Our students have a jump start on college by learning to manage college-level assignments and gain exposure to future degree options. Plus, HSSA students have access to all college student support services such as our library, peer mentors, and tutoring labs.”

Applications for the 2020-21 school year are due Feb. 1, 2020, and can be found online at lr.edu/apply. First preference for admission will be given to students enrolled in the Catawba County, Hickory Public, or Newton-Conover school systems. If space is available, the University will also consider students from private schools, homeschools, and other school systems.

For more information, contact Jessie Haynes, assistant director of undergraduate admission and coordinator of the High School Scholars Academy, at [email protected] or 828.328.7365.