Columbia University Pre-College Programs Academic Year Weekend

Every class is live on Zoom at a fixed time on Eastern Time, so you have to be free at that slot each week, since there are no recordings to catch up on later. The Spring 2027 sections Columbia lists meet once a week for two hours, for example Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET or Friday 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET, while the Fall 2026 sections ran for three. Each class has an instructor plus a separate facilitator who deals with technical problems, and homework, feedback and messages to your instructor go through CourseWorks, Columbia's learning platform.

Columbia expects discussions, group work and student presentations, so you'll have your camera on and be speaking, not just listening. Outside class, optional activities run on Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00 p.m. ET, including college prep and career workshops, leadership seminars, virtual clubs and Digital Community Groups, where a Student Life Intern mentors a core group of peers.

• Equipment

  You need a computer that runs current browsers and software, a webcam, a microphone and permission to install Zoom.

• Connection

  Columbia asks for a wired Ethernet connection and warns that weak Wi-Fi causes lag, choppy audio and dropped calls.

• Time zones

  If a course's meeting time doesn't work where you live, Columbia suggests picking another course that meets at a better time.

Columbia calls admission selective and looks for academically exceptional, motivated students, but it sets no minimum GPA and doesn't ask for SAT, ACT or PSAT scores. Your unofficial transcript and a teacher's recommendation have to show you're ready for the work instead. Columbia publishes no acceptance rate or cohort size.

International students can apply. You don't have to send TOEFL or IELTS scores (the two main English tests), but Columbia expects English equivalent to at least 90 on the internet-based TOEFL or 6.5 on IELTS, enough to keep up with fast discussions and read everything without translation help. Some courses also list their own prerequisites, and you'll need evidence that you've met them.

• Recommendation

  It has to come from a teacher, and Columbia won't accept a principal or school counselor in their place. Homeschooled students can use their primary instructor.

• Returning students

  Past participants have to reapply, but they get a shorter application and the application fee is waived.

One course costs $2,868, which covers the $2,700 course fee plus activities ($100), health services ($32) and technology ($36) fees. Each extra course adds $2,700, so two courses come to $5,568 and three to $8,268. On top of that there's an $80 application fee, and Columbia suggests budgeting at least $50 for books and supplies.

You pay a $500 deposit to hold your place, which counts toward the total but is never refunded. Everything else is due in full before classes begin, with no payment plan, and paying by credit card adds a processing fee of 2.85% on US cards or 4.25% on international ones. If you withdraw from Spring 2027 by 13 January 2027 (11:59 p.m. ET), you get everything back except the deposit. After that date you owe the full tuition and fees.

If you complete your course, you get a Columbia University Certification of Participation and a written evaluation letter from your instructor, uploaded to your Slate account about 6 to 8 weeks after the program ends. There are no grades and no college credit. The letter comments on your effort, participation, assignments, progress and potential in the field and in college, and Columbia says you can ask your school counselor to add both documents to their recommendation letter.

Completing the course isn't automatic. Instructors decide based on attendance, participation, finished assignments and conduct, and missing several sessions can cost you the certificate even if the absences were excused. Plagiarism, intentional or not, means dismissal, and dismissed students get neither document and no refund.

You apply through Columbia's application portal, picking the round labeled "Fall 2026, Spring 2027, Summer 2027" for the spring term.

1. 1

   Choose Academic Year Weekend and the Spring 2027 term, which runs 15 January to 21 March 2027.

2. 2

   Get your unofficial transcript and ask a teacher to write your recommendation.

3. 3

   Pick your top two courses, bearing in mind you're admitted to the program rather than to a course, so neither choice is guaranteed.

4. 4

   Create an account, pay the application fee and submit by 21 December 2026, then check your checklist, because Columbia only reviews complete applications.

5. 5

   Expect an email decision 1 to 2 weeks after your application is complete, and note that decisions can't be appealed.

6. 6

   If you're admitted, pay the $500 deposit and send your enrollment forms by the date in your acceptance email.

7. 7

   Register for your classes, which only opens to you after the deposit and depends on which courses still have space.