Columbia University Pre-College Programs Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, AI, and Beyond

Class meets Monday to Friday from 9:10 to 11:00 a.m. and again from 1:10 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, usually with a ten-minute break halfway through each meeting, and Columbia expects an hour or two of homework a night. The two hours between classes are for lunch, the gym and campus activities.

If you live on campus, Columbia's sample day starts with breakfast and an optional fitness activity from 7:30 a.m. After afternoon class come optional clubs, then dinner paired with a cultural outing or a college workshop depending on the night, and a special event on Fridays. Weekly special events run on Fridays and Saturdays too.

Commuters take the same classes and can stay for late-afternoon master classes and college workshops, but Columbia asks them to leave campus by 6:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday. Friday evening community events are open to them with a parent's permission.

Columbia sets no minimum GPA, but it calls admission selective and wants your application to show the academic background, motivation and maturity to take an active part in class. Summer 2027 is open to rising 9th graders through current 12th graders from the US or abroad. Living on campus has an age rule: you must be at least 15 and turn 16 by 31 December 2027. If you're younger, you can still commute, and the commuter option also takes students about to start college.

You apply to the summer program rather than to this course, name your top two courses, and register only after paying the deposit, so a place in the program doesn't guarantee a seat in this class. Columbia publishes no acceptance rate or class size.

• Transcript

  An unofficial transcript that clearly shows your name, your school, every course and every grade, with the official one sent before you start.

• Two recommendations

  One from a current teacher in a related subject, plus one from a school counselor or administrator, which both the residential and commuter options require.

• Two short responses…

  answered inside the online application.

• English

  Test scores aren't required, but Columbia expects the equivalent of 90 on the internet-based TOEFL or 6.5 on IELTS, enough to keep up in fast discussions without translation help.

• No coding

  Columbia says the course needs no prior knowledge or programming experience.

Three weeks living on campus cost $12,838, which covers the course, a room, all meals and Columbia's activities, health services and technology fees. Commuting costs $6,381 for the course and the same fees, but no meals. Both are Columbia's estimates for summer 2027 and still need its Board of Trustees' approval.

On top of that comes a $95 application fee, and Columbia suggests budgeting about $50 for books and materials. This course isn't on Columbia's list of courses with extra fees. Paying by card adds 2.85% for US cards or 4.25% for international ones, and there's no payment plan. Families coming from further away should add flights and the trip to campus, because Columbia doesn't meet students at the airport.

A non-refundable deposit holds your place, $3,500 to live on campus or $2,000 to commute, and it counts toward the total, with the balance due by 11 June 2027. Withdraw by 24 June 2027 for Session A or 15 July 2027 for Session B and you get everything back except the deposit. After that you owe the full amount.

Need-based aid covers 25% to 50% of the course cost, but only for commuters who are US citizens or permanent residents living in the US or its territories, and it doesn't cover the fees. You have to say you're applying for aid before you submit your application, and the aid deadline is 10 February 2027.

You leave with a Columbia University Certification of Participation and a written evaluation letter from your instructor, which comments on your effort, participation, progress and potential in the field. There are no grades and no college credit. Columbia usually issues both by mid-October, uploaded to your applicant account rather than mailed.

Two limits matter. Miss more than two classes and you lose the certificate, and the absences show up in the letter. Columbia also says taking part has no influence on admission to Columbia College, its undergraduate school. Your counselor can attach the certificate and letter to your school recommendation, but Columbia warns that misusing them, such as presenting them as credit, can delay a college application decision.

Residential students have a staff-to-student ratio of 6 to 1, with live-in Resident Assistants who complete two weeks of training and Resident Directors on call around the clock. Public Safety officers guard every residence hall entrance 24 hours a day, and nobody gets in without a Columbia ID or special clearance.

Curfew is 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight at weekends, and Columbia dismisses students who break it. Off campus, students must stay between 110th and 120th Streets and between Amsterdam Avenue and Riverside Park unless staff are with them. Commuters must live with family or family friends, never in a hotel, hostel or Airbnb. Instructors pass background checks and Columbia's Protection of Minors training.

You apply through Columbia's summer programs application.

1. 1

   Columbia expects summer 2027 applications to open in mid-November 2026.

2. 2

   Gather your unofficial transcript, tell your teacher and counselor recommenders, and pick your top two courses, with this one among them.

3. 3

   Submit by 1 February 2027 for early course registration, or by the general deadline of 1 March 2027 to live on campus or 1 April 2027 to commute.

4. 4

   Expect a decision by email 3 to 5 weeks after your application is complete.

5. 5

   Pay the deposit and send your enrollment forms and immunization records, which can take 2 to 3 weeks to clear.

6. 6

   Register for the course yourself, from 3 March 2027 if you applied early or 17 March 2027 otherwise, and keep a backup choice because full courses have no waitlist.