Pioneer scholars can list the Pioneer Research Program not as another activity but instead as a credit-bearing college course on college applications

Because of Pioneer’s rigorous academic system, students who complete the Pioneer Research Program can list that they received two college course units from Pioneer’s academic partner, Oberlin College, on their applications through the Common Application, the University of California system, and the Coalition Application.  

The Common Application has a section that states, “If you have ever taken coursework at a college or university, please indicate the number of colleges.” Most high school students will leave this part blank, as most activities, even research experiences, do not confer college credit and therefore do not count in this section. However, students who have completed the Pioneer Research Program can list their Pioneer experience by choosing “Oberlin College” as the credit-granting institution in the college course section. Students can further describe their Pioneer Research Program experience and research paper in the activities section. 

On the University of California system application, students can enter “Oberlin College” in the “Academic History – Colleges Attended While in High School” section. Students can then use the “additional comments” section to describe the Pioneer Research Program, Pioneer’s selectivity, and their research paper topic.

The Coalition Application system asks, “Have you taken college courses or earned college credit?” and students who have completed the Pioneer Research Program can select “yes” and then list Oberlin College in the “College Information” section. Students can then further describe their experience in the Activity Resume section. 

Upon completing the program, the team of program coordinators at Pioneer Academics work with each student to provide resources and advice on the specifics of inputting the Pioneer Research Program into the form of application students are using. While most of our students attend US universities, each year our students also receive offers from top non-US universities, including the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. Pioneer therefore also provides guidance on how to discuss the Pioneer Research Program on applications to non-US universities.