Columbia University Pre-College Programs Climate School in the Green Mountains

Columbia's sample schedule mixes taught sessions with fieldwork, excursions and afternoon activities. After arrival on Day 1 and orientation on Day 2, you move from climate science primers to hands-on work such as tree coring, proxy data analysis and a lake excursion for biological surveys and water-quality sampling. Later days turn to policy and solutions, with the EN-Roads climate simulator, sessions on the Paris Agreement, international law and climate negotiations, and a model electrical grid demonstration.

Recurring "Climate Action Plan Time" blocks are where your own project takes shape, from assessing your community to identifying stakeholders. Day 9 brings excursions in Burlington and four climate tracks: Climate Finance & Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Planning & The Built Environment, Biodiversity & Conservation, and Food Systems & Climate. On Day 11 the group goes to Montpelier for State House tours, and Day 12 brings final presentations and a poster session, followed by a talent show and a final dinner.

Afternoon options on the schedule include a pollinator walk, ultimate frisbee, berry picking, biking, a creative writing workshop and a local concert series. Columbia notes that the schedule is subject to change.

Columbia Climate School faculty, researchers and staff teach the academic side, while Putney Student Travel runs housing, supervision and logistics. The experts Columbia names include Josh DeVincenzo of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, who developed courses for this program, Martin Dietrich Brauch of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, who works on climate investment policy, and Sandra Goldmark, a Barnard professor who works on the circular economy and wrote Fixation: How to Have Stuff without Breaking the Planet.

The list also includes Laurel Zaima-Sheehy, Associate Director of Pre-College & Partner Programs at the Columbia Climate School, and two Columbia PhD students in Earth and Environmental Sciences, Alex Parsells and Aandishah Tehzeeb Samara. Putney lists a typical group of 60 to 80 students with 10 instructors, which works out at roughly one instructor for every 6 to 8 students.

Students in grades 9 to 12 from any country can apply, and so can rising 9th graders who finish 8th grade in spring 2027. Columbia describes admission as selective and says it looks for motivated students who want to take climate action in their own communities. Putney Student Travel, which handles admissions, says most applicants to its programs are accepted, but it gives no figure for this one. Recent cohorts give a sense of scale, with 65 students in 2023, about 60 in 2024 and 58 from six countries in 2026.

Along with the application form, you submit a personal statement of up to 300 words covering your interest or experience in climate activism, how the program fits your goals and what you hope to gain. You also need two references. At least one must be a teacher who knows you academically, while the other can come from someone who knows you through a job, sports team or club, and references from family and friends aren't accepted. Putney also asks students not to apply if their families want them under constant supervision or if they're likely to behave disruptively.

A family pays $7,890 before travel and personal costs, which is the $7,690 program fee plus the $200 nonrefundable application fee. The fee covers the dorm room, three meals a day, all teaching, transport during the program, entry fees, field excursions, guest lectures, social events, taxes and tips. Getting to and from Burlington is up to you, as are baggage fees, laundry, health care, snacks and spending money, and Putney adds classroom supplies and some optional activities to that list. Every student must have their own medical insurance, and Putney offers optional trip cancellation insurance to US residents at extra cost.

The refund rules turn on 15 March 2027. If you're accepted and withdraw before that date, you get the $500 deposit back but not the application fee. If you withdraw after it, you lose everything you've paid, which for most families by then is the full fee. If you aren't accepted, the full $700 comes back.

Columbia offers need-based scholarships to US residents only. A full scholarship covers the whole program fee, round-trip travel from home and a small amount of spending money for excursions, while a partial one covers half the fee plus the same travel and spending money. Eligibility depends on adjusted gross income, and for a household of four the limit is $90,000 for full funding and $120,000 for partial funding, rising by $15,000 for each additional person. Scholarship materials must arrive by 15 March 2027, and late or incomplete applications aren't considered.

Staff live on the dormitory floors with students, who share double rooms with bathrooms down the hall. Putney says its program staff are trained in first aid and CPR and its leaders are background-checked. If a student needs medical care, staff take them to a nearby clinic or hospital, and health decisions are made together with the student and family. Putney's Vermont home office can be reached 24 hours a day during the summer.

Phones are allowed, but expert lectures and some group activities are phone-free. Students sign Putney's Program Standards, and anyone dismissed for breaking the rules travels home at the family's expense. If you have dietary or medical needs, Putney asks you to call before applying.

Standard applications go through Putney Student Travel's online application, and places are offered on a rolling basis until the program is full.

1. 1

   If you're a US resident who may meet the income limits, use the scholarship application instead, since Columbia asks scholarship applicants not to start a standard one. It asks for two statements of about 500 words (the second can be a video), two references and your parents' tax return, all by 15 March 2027.

2. 2

   Complete the online application form and sign the Agreement Form with a parent or guardian.

3. 3

   Pay $700 to hold a place, made up of the $200 nonrefundable application fee and a $500 deposit that counts toward the program fee.

4. 4

   Submit your personal statement of up to 300 words and your two references, and check with your referees yourself, since Putney leaves that follow-up to students.

5. 5

   Putney's admissions team reviews a complete application within a few days and emails you the decision.

6. 6

   If you're accepted before 15 March 2027, the balance is due on that date. If you apply after it, you pay in full within five days of your first $700 payment.