District of Columbia College Access Program

District of Columbia College Access Program Changing lives by giving every student a chance at a college education!

Established in 1999, the District of Columbia College Access Program (DC-CAP) is a privately-funded, nonprofit dedicated to encouraging and enabling District of Columbia public and public charter high school students to enroll in and graduate from college.

BIG NEWS: DC CAP is partnering with the NBA Foundation to help our scholars turn their degrees into careers 🎓New grant ...
08/06/2026

BIG NEWS: DC CAP is partnering with the NBA Foundation to help our scholars turn their degrees into careers 🎓

New grant funding from the Foundation will expand our Career-Connected Learning programming – career and labor-market data, coaching, and preparation built to carry scholars past graduation and into meaningful careers. It starts this fall with our incoming cohort of scholars and will scale across our whole university network.

We're grateful to the NBA Foundation for investing in D.C. scholars. 🎉

To learn more, check out our announcement: https://www.dccap.org/blog/nbafoundation-partnership

Vote for our panel and help us get back to Austin for SXSW EDU 2027! 🎓✨Our proposed panel, "Building the AI Tool That St...
08/06/2026

Vote for our panel and help us get back to Austin for SXSW EDU 2027! 🎓✨

Our proposed panel, "Building the AI Tool That Students Deserve," is about a free tool we've been building at DC CAP, hand in hand with the counselors who use it — one that connects a student's interests to real career paths, local wages, and the college programs that help them get there. Attendees will see a live demo, hear from the data scientists who built it, and the counselor who uses it every day.

Community voting is open now through August 23 – it takes about a minute to vote: create an account, tap the heart, and help us bring this one to Austin.

https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1784902797185001M9EC

🎓 Congratulations to our DC CAP scholars who graduated from Alabama A&M University this semester — we are so proud of ev...
06/16/2026

🎓 Congratulations to our DC CAP scholars who graduated from Alabama A&M University this semester — we are so proud of every one of you!

Alabama A&M is one of our incredible DC CAP university partners, and so much of the success of our partnerships comes down to the people who show up for our students every day. A huge thank you to Linda McClellan, Coordinator of the Tutorial Assistance Network and our DC CAP Partnership Advisor, and to Aaron Dixon, Acting Assistant Vice President of Student Success and Executive Director of the Freshman Academy. Your dedication to these scholars makes all the difference. 🙌🏽

Congratulations to this year’s graduates: Nacala Williams (Sports Management), Amah Ogechukwu (Business Administration), Tonyae Butler (Biology), Janelle Cosbert (Biology), Gregory Cousart (Criminal Justice), Biankan Garner-de Kouadio (Environmental Science), Jaeveon Jordan (Accounting), Clarke Weathersby (Criminal Justice), and Kendall Shields (Psychology). We can’t wait to see what comes next for all of you! 🎉🎓

06/03/2026

🎓 Congratulations to Ledeya Fikre, a proud DC CAP Scholar graduating this May from The Catholic University of America with a bachelor's in Business, specializing in Marketing and Technology Management — a full year ahead of schedule.

Ledeya is a first-generation college student whose parents moved to this country without speaking the language and built a life from the ground up. She's been shaped by that example every step of the way. This semester alone, she carried 21 credits, worked part-time, and held an internship — all while preparing to cross the finish line early.

We're so proud of everything you've accomplished, Ledeya!

Ledeya is one of many DC CAP scholars we're celebrating this season. Tonight, we're celebrating our biggest graduating class ever at Turning the Tassel – a DC CAP grad celebration – hosted at Philippe Chow at The Wharf. 🎉

This evening, DC CAP will host Turning the Tassel 2026 — our inaugural graduation celebration, and the first time in our...
06/03/2026

This evening, DC CAP will host Turning the Tassel 2026 — our inaugural graduation celebration, and the first time in our history that we're honoring graduating scholars from every one of our University Partners in a single room.

Since 1999, we've worked from one conviction: a student’s personal circumstances should never determine whether or not they earn a college degree. Today, we work hard to support our scholars by pairing financial support with intensive, year-round coaching to ensure they succeed. Tonight's celebration is a testament to what becomes possible when a city invests in its students and refuses to accept anything less for them.

To the partners, champions, sponsors, and donors who made this possible — thank you. Tonight wouldn't happen without you. Your support translates to the scholarship that kept a student enrolled, the coach who picked up the phone, and the network that opens doors after graduation.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! 🎓

Read more: https://www.dccap.org/blog/inaugural-turning-the-tassel-celebration

Attention DC CAP Graduating Scholars 📣You've worked incredibly hard to reach college graduation — and WE want to celebra...
04/27/2026

Attention DC CAP Graduating Scholars 📣

You've worked incredibly hard to reach college graduation — and WE want to celebrate YOU.

Join your fellow DC CAP Scholars for a special night at Philippe Chow DC at The Wharf on June 3, 2026.

Here's what to look forward to:

🤝 Networking — Connect with industry leaders, DC CAP corporate partners, and alumni ready to help launch your career. Think career fair meets party — casual conversations that could lead to internships, jobs, or mentorship.

🍽️ Incredible Food & Drinks — Enjoy passed bites and beverages courtesy of Philippe Chow.

🎁 Prizes & Gifts — Walk away with keepsakes, surprises, and special giveaways curated just for you.

🎶 Music & Activations — Enjoy live music and interactive experiences designed to celebrate YOU and your achievements.

If you haven't already received an invite, or for more details on how to register, please reach out to your student success coach. They'll be able to share our RSVP link and any additional details you might need.

Please note: registration WILL BE required to attend. For any additional questions, please reach out to [email protected].

We are proud to announce a new partnership with the Trae Young Family Foundation! The Trae Young Family Foundation, led ...
04/16/2026

We are proud to announce a new partnership with the Trae Young Family Foundation!

The Trae Young Family Foundation, led by Washington Wizards guard and four-time NBA All-Star Trae Young, is committing $50,000 to support our scholars and the work we do every day, helping D.C. students get to and through college.

Partnerships like this make a real difference. They fund scholarships. They keep our coaches in students' corners. And they send a powerful message to young people across the District: your city is invested in your future.

We're so grateful that the Foundation and Trae are making this kind of commitment to DC. Thank you for partnering with us on this important work. 🎓

03/30/2026

Earlier this month at SXSW EDU, we hosted "Passing the Baton: Strengthening Local College Ecosystems" and unpacked what it takes to carry students through college completion.

The takeaway: persistence is a shared responsibility. When communities build real infrastructure across schools, colleges, nonprofits, and funders, students get aligned advising, warm handoffs, and support that does not disappear after move-in day.

Grateful to our panelists:
Eric Waldo (DC CAP President & CEO); Allyson Bautista (DC CAP Scholar, recent George Mason University grad); Rachel Cleaver (Senior Associate Director of K–12 Partnerships, George Mason University); Joe Del Guercio (President & CEO, A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation)

Check out some highlights from the panel!

03/10/2026

Recent George Mason University graduate and DC CAP Scholar, Allyson Bautista, joined us at SXSW EDU today for a powerful conversation on what it takes to build local ecosystems that truly help students get to and through college.

One of the most important reminders she shared: do not try to put students on a conveyor belt.

Every student is different, every path is different, and success is rarely linear. As we continue building stronger systems of support, we have to keep students and their real experiences at the center.

📢 Attention DC students! The deadline to apply for DC CAP Scholars' Ward 7 & 8 and University Partner Scholarships is Fe...
02/26/2026

📢 Attention DC students! The deadline to apply for DC CAP Scholars' Ward 7 & 8 and University Partner Scholarships is February 28, 2026, at 11:59 PM.

If you or someone you know is eligible, now is the time to apply. Submit your application and take the next step toward your academic goals. 🎓 apply.dccap.org

Address

1425 K Street, NW
Washington D.C., DC
20005

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12027837933

Website

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