Dates & Application Instructions

Getting Started

The application portal for 2024 will open on December 1, 2023.

1. There is no application fee to apply to NIAHD's Pre-College Program in American History.
2. Go to William & Mary's Application Portal, select "Sign Up" (below the green "SIGN IN" button), and create a username and password.
   • If you've previously submitted an online application for NIAHD or other W&M programs through this portal, you will use the same ID and password you used in the past.
     • If you forgot your user information, please contact W&M's Technology Support Center.
   • If you've ever received a W&M Username and Banner ID (aka, your 93#), these will also remain the same.
   • You must provide at least one valid email address that you use regularly so that we may contact you if we have any questions regarding your In-Progress or Submitted application.
     • Your high school's email security settings may send emails from NIAHD and the W&M Application Portal to your spam folder or prevent these messages from being delivered. 
3. Select the blue "START NEW" button
4. "How do you wish to apply?"
   • Non-Degree Seeking
5. "For which level are you applying?"
   • Undergraduate
6. "To which school would you like to apply?"
   • Arts and Sciences
7. "To which program are you applying?"
   • NIAHD Pre-College
8. "Term"
   • Summer 2024
9. A Red Asterisk denotes required information, and you will not be able to submit your application until you complete these fields.

Uploading Documents

The file name of your documents must include your first and last names. Please also include your name at the top of your document.

Avoid special characters (~, #, %, &, *, {, }, \, :, <, >, ?, /, |) in your file name. Special characters will prevent your document from being uploaded, which will prevent you from submitting your application.

Uploaded documents must be in a format supported by Microsoft or Google Docs.

Teacher Recommendation

You will be asked to enter contact information for a teacher. The application portal will then send a Recommendation Request email to your teacher that contains a link to upload their recommendation directly to your application.

For students whose first language is English, NIAHD requires only one teacher recommendation.*

For students whose first language is not English, NIAHD requires a second recommendation from an English as a Second Language teacher indicating your ability to work in an English-only environment.

IMPORTANT: The application portal automatically sends the Recommendation Request email to your teacher before you complete and submit your application.

Before you begin your application -

• Please speak with your teacher, and tell them that you are applying to NIAHD's Pre-College Program and that you would like them to write a recommendation.
• The email sent to your teacher will be addressed from "W&M Applicant", and the subject line will read "Recommendation Requested for (Your Name) - William & Mary Pre-College Program".
  • Your high school's email security settings may put communications from NIAHD and the W&M Application Portal in your teacher's spam folder or stop these messages from being delivered. Please keep your teacher informed, and make appropriate accommodations as needed.
• There is no timetable between when your teacher receives the Recommendation Request and when they must upload their letter. However, once the application portal closes on June 10, the upload link in the Recommendation Request email will not work.

Please do not wait for your teacher to upload their recommendation to submit your application. You may submit without the recommendation, and we will let you know when we receive it.

If you realize you've misspelled your teacher's email address and they never received the recommendation request, or you need to ask a different teacher to write a recommendation, DO NOT withdraw your submitted application. You may make changes to your submitted application by logging back into the portal, click on your application, and select “Change Recommender.” Once you have entered corrected or new contact information for your recommender, the portal will immediately send a Recommendation Request email to them with a new link.

*Homeschool students, please see the "Homeschool Students" section below for Letter of Recommendation help.

Official High School Transcript

Your Official High School Transcript should include your final grades from the first full semester, first trimester, or the first two quarters of the current academic year in addition to grades from the rest of your high school classes. However, if your school is unable to or traditionally does not include Fall semester grades on your transcript, your school may supplement your transcript with a mid-year report card or progress report.

If you are studying under Block Scheduling in which you complete half of the year's courses in the Fall, and the other half in the Spring, you are not required to send NIAHD an additional progress report or report card for the new courses you are working on in the Spring. Simply include a list of courses you are scheduled to study in the Spring Semester with your transcript.

If you've attended more than one high school, we prefer a single transcript from your current school with your grades from every high school you've attended. However, if necessary, we will accept one transcript from each high school's administrator.

IMPORTANT: Your High School Transcript must be sent directly from your school to NIAHD to be considered Official*. Your school may send your transcript to NIAHD at one of the addresses below -

• Email (preferred)
  • If your school has a records management portal (for example, Parchment, Score, or National Student Clearinghouse, etc), please send the invitation to view and download the transcript to precol@wm.edu. If the email goes to W&M's Undergraduate Admissions Office or the Registrar's Office, it may be significantly delayed in getting to NIAHD, or it may not be delivered to us at all.
  • The administrator from your school who handles transcript requests (for example, a Counselor or Registrar) may send a PDF copy of your transcript and/or progress report or report card to precol@wm.edu directly from their official school email address.
• Mail (in a sealed envelope, signed and/or stamped)
  • William & Mary / NIAHD / P.O. Box 8795 / Williamsburg, Virginia 23187

Any transcript, report card, or progress report uploaded to the W&M Application Portal is considered Unofficial.

Please do not wait for your school to send NIAHD your Official High School Transcript before you submit your application. You may submit without the transcript, and we will let you know when we receive it

*Homeschool students, please see the "Homeschool Students" section below for Official High School Transcript help.

Homeschool Students

Homeschool students will be subject to the same review process as students applying from traditional high schools.

Letter of Recommendation for Homeschool Students
We would like to receive a recommendation letter from someone who is not your parent or guardian. This recommender can be a teacher or tutor, or the advisor of an activity in which you participate.

Official High School Transcripts for Homeschool Students
We understand that an "official" transcript may not be available; however, NIAHD requires information about the classes that you have taken so we can understand your Homeschool Program and the measures your teachers used to determine your grade in each academic area.

Some options of how students have sent documents to NIAHD in the past include -

• If you take your classes from your own parents, a document that includes full titles for the classes (eg: "Calculus," rather than "Math") and the grades that you received, can count as your transcript.
• If you are part of a homeschool cooperative and take classes from a group of parents, guardians, or teachers, the transcript should be compiled as in the first example, however, it should be signed and sent by a parent or guardian other than your own.
• If you have taken a class at a community college or an online course, you should have these transcripts submitted to NIAHD.
• If you have taken any standardized tests (AP Tests, PSAT, SAT, ACT, etc), please submit these scores as an assessment tool.

Please have your documents emailed or mailed to one of the addresses provided in the "Official High School Transcript" section above. Any transcript, report card, or progress report uploaded to the W&M Application Portal is considered Unofficial.

International Students

International students will be subject to the same review process as students applying from traditional, United States high schools.

Additionally, NIAHD's Pre-College Program is conducted entirely in English and requires high-level English speaking, reading, and writing abilities. Only students who are confident in their English language abilities should apply.

Non-native English speakers will need to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores taken after April 1, 2021. NIAHD will only consider students who meet or surpass these minimum test scores:

SAT and ACT scores cannot be submitted in place of either the TOEFL or IELTS. However, if you have taken the SAT and/or ACT, it is recommended that you submit these to supplement your application packet.

As mentioned in the "Letter of Recommendation" section above, you must also request a second Letter of Recommendation from an English as a Second Language teacher indicating your ability to work in an English-only environment.