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Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery Awards

The Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery with Distinction waives tuition at Massachusetts public colleges and universities.

The purposes of the Certificate of Mastery are to:

• Recognize high academic achievement on MCAS and other measures of academic achievement;
• Recognize high academic achievement as identified by outside forums including competitions, student publications, and awards;
• Provide an incentive for students to perform to their best abilities on MCAS and on the course of studies beyond grade 10; and
• Recognize high academic achievement in areas not included in MCAS.

Who is Eligible?

To be ELIGIBLE TO APPLY for a Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery Award, a student must:

• Must be currently enrolled in a Massachusetts public high school. (Students who have graduated high school are not eligible to apply)
• Be a permanent Massachusetts resident.
• Be a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen.

• 2 AP exams with scores of 3 or better;
• 2 SAT II exams (Minimum score dependent upon subject area. Scores are listed on the Koplik application   );
• 1 SAT II exam and 1 AP exam; or
• 1 SAT II exam and 1 other achievement; or
• 1 AP exam and 1 other achievement.

Award Amounts:

Recipients of the Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery Tuition Waiver are eligible for an award of a non-need-based tuition waiver for state-supported undergraduate courses. Individual student awards shall be no more than the resident undergraduate tuition rate at the participating institution.

Students are also required to maintain a G.P.A. of 3.3 for continued eligibility.

How to apply?

Koplik Application forms    should be submitted to the Koplik coordinator* at your high school.

Application Process:

Students who meet the initial qualifications are notified in their Junior year by letter to the students' parents or guardians. The letter includes a Koplik application form. The letter, in combination with the application form, explains the remaining requirements should the student wish to pursue them.

*Every public high school, regional high school, regional vocational technical high school and public charter high school is asked to assign a person to serve as the Koplik coordinator. The Koplik coordinator is responsible for:

• notifying students in their junior year who initially qualify for the Koplik Certificate;
• advising students on how they may fulfill the requirements;
• reviewing applications; and,
• submitting the names and addresses of students who successfully complete the requirements to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education via the security portal (this information may not be submitted via email)

All applications and supporting documentation should be submitted directly to the school's Koplik Coordinator, please do not send copies in to the ESE.

For students in their senior year, applications must be submitted to the Koplik coordinator by May 1. It is important to note that since scores from tests taken in May and June are not reported until early July, the application need not be complete when submitted however notifications will not be sent until scores are received. Koplik coordinators are asked to submit scores for these students by the end of July.

For any questions you may have regarding the Koplik Certificate of Mastery, please contact Alexia Cribbs.