Application for the 7th and 8th grade PROMISE Program (Spring 2024) is now available!
Deadline to apply: January 10, 2024
The PROMISE Leading Students 2 Success (LS2S) Program is designed for Illinois students currently enrolled in the 7th and 8th grade. This program runs for the duration of 8-10 sessions on Saturday mornings each Spring, typically February through April. Students attend various classes in mathematics, science, computer science, and more. Program sessions take place at on IMSA’s campus located at 1500 Sullivan Road in Aurora (60506)
Eligibility
IMSA's PROMISE Programs aim to address the challenges of culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (CLED) students. PROMISE is a proven model of success for realizing the vision of a highly diverse and creative STEM workforce. Illinois students enrolled in the 7th-9th grade who demonstrate high academic achievement and meet one or more of the following criteria are eligible to apply:
- Student identifies as Black or African American and/or Latinx
- Student resides in a rural Illinois county
- Student qualifies for National School Lunch Program
Application Items
Our PROMISE Program application opens at various points in the year depending on grade level. Application deadlines are listed on each webpage. The application will consist of the following items. All materials must be submitted by listed deadlines in order to be eligible:
- Complete the online application
- Student Essay
- Parent Statement
- Teacher Evaluation Form from a current Math or Science teacher
- Counselor Form which includes the request for official grade reports
Teacher Evaluation
Official Grade Report/Counselor Form
Send the Counselor Form to the current school counselor (or school administrator who oversees transcript requests). Once you have started your online application, you will be provided a link for the appropriate form. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide this link directly to your school official. The form will be completed electronically and submissions come directly to the PROMISE team.
If an academic school counselor is not available at your school, we encourage you to speak with your school about the appropriate school official to send the request to. The form will request general information about the school the applicant attends and will include the request for grade reports for the last 1.5 years.
Application Timeline
Fall PROMISE Program for 9th grade students:
November 20: Application Opens
January 10: Final date to submit application
January 26: Decisions are released via email
*Check back in March for the summer PROMISE Program timeline details*
Program Dates
The Fall PROMISE Program for 7th and 8th grade students will be held on Saturdays February through April from 9:00AM to 1:00PM at IMSA (located in Aurora, IL).
- February 3 - Virtual Family Orientation
- February 10
- February 24
- March 2
- March 9
- March 16
- April 13
- April 20
