Talent Identification Program

The Talent Identification Program (TIP) is a gifted education program based at Duke University. It was founded by Dr. William Bevan in 1980.

The purpose of TIP is to identify gifted children and help them to reach their full potential. Children are identified in 4th/5th grade and/or in 7th grade. In the 7th grade search, students take the SAT or ACT. TIP operates in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

TIP also runs several summer and weekend residential programs for the students.

TIP's Summer Studies Program consists of the Academy and Center for Summer Studies. These programs are offered for rising 8th through 11th graders, known as 1st to 4th years, respectively. College campuses currently hosting Summer Studies Programs include Davidson College, University of Kansas, Appalachian State University, Texas A&M University, Duke Marine Lab, and Duke University East and West campuses. The Summer Studies program has two terms at each campus, except Duke Marine Lab. Participants can choose from a variety of courses and focus on one area for 3 weeks of intense study.

The three-week Summer Studies program is an intensely social environment for most students. Often seen as more of a vacation or escape than a solely educational opportunity, the experience is usually likened to college life. The TiP schedule includes weekend dances and scheduled nightly recreation jokingly known among students as "mandatory fun"; thus, even outside of class, students are constantly occupied and social. The program has its own entire systems of lore and tradition, such as the Llama and "Toga Tuesday". Because of the program's socially immersive qualities, end-of-term goodbyes are extremely emotional, especially for departing fourth years. "There's nothing like TIP," said one participant, "but you don't realize it until you leave and realize how fantastic TIP people are."

Duke also hosts academic enrichment programs for older students, including the PreCollege Program at Duke West campus, the Leadership and Great Debates Institutes at Duke's East Campus, and the International Affairs Institute at Wake Forest University. In addition, there are a variety of two-week field study programs which take place across the country and around the world. In select cities, scholar weekends are held throughout the year.

The students that participate in the program have 7 hours of class each weekday, and 3 hours on weekends.