Columbia University Pre-College Programs Contemporary Architecture in New York City

Class meets Monday to Friday from 11:10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and again from 3:10 to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, with a two-hour break in between for lunch and campus activities. During that break and in the early evening, Columbia runs talks by program instructors, which it calls Master Class Moments, along with college-preparation workshops and other activities. As a commuter, you can join early-evening programming that ends before 6:30 p.m., but you should plan to leave campus by then Monday to Thursday. On Friday evenings there are weekly community-building events, which you can stay for with a parent's or guardian's permission.

Columbia doesn't publish a day-by-day plan, so it isn't clear which days the field trips fall on. Lunch isn't included, but you can buy meals in the campus dining halls, which serve vegetarian and vegan food and offer kosher and halal meals on request at enrollment.

The commuter option is open to students entering grades 9 to 12 or their first year of college, so a high school senior can apply for the summer just after graduating, and Columbia takes both domestic and international applicants. Columbia calls admission selective and looks for academically exceptional students, but it sets no minimum GPA and doesn't ask for SAT, ACT or PSAT scores.

The application rests instead on an unofficial transcript, two short written responses and two recommendations. One comes from a current teacher in a subject close to your course choice, and because this is a commuter program, the other comes from a school counselor, advisor or principal. Homeschooled students can use their primary instructor as the teacher recommender. If English isn't your first language, you don't have to send test scores, but Columbia expects a level equivalent to at least 90 on the internet-based TOEFL or 6.5 on IELTS, because classes run on fast-paced discussion.

You apply through Columbia's summer programs application, and Columbia admits you to NYC Commuter Summer rather than to this course, so a place in the program doesn't guarantee a seat in it.

1. 1

   Choose NYC Commuter Summer Session C and name this course among your top two choices.

2. 2

   Collect your unofficial transcript and ask your teacher and school counselor to recommend you, and if you need financial aid, say so on the application before you submit it.

3. 3

   Submit the application with the $95 fee by 1 February 2027 for the early registration round, or by 1 April 2027 at the latest.

4. 4

   Expect a decision by email about 3 to 5 weeks after your application is complete, then pay the $1,000 deposit by the date in your acceptance email and send in enrollment forms, including immunization records.

5. 5

   Register for the course on your registration date, 3 March 2027 for early registration or 17 March 2027 for general registration, while seats remain.

6. 6

   Pay the balance by 11 June 2027.

Expect to pay about $3,028 in all, from the $2,883 program price, the $95 application fee and roughly $50 for the course's trip expenses. The $2,883 covers the course plus Columbia's activities, health services and technology fees, and Columbia calls it an estimate until its Board of Trustees approves it. Meals and your daily travel to campus are on top.

The $1,000 deposit you pay on acceptance counts toward the total but is never refunded. The balance is due by 11 June 2027, Columbia offers no payment plan, and paying by credit card adds 2.85% for US cards or 4.25% for international ones. Withdraw by 29 July 2027 and you get a full refund minus the deposit, but after that you owe the full amount.

Need-based aid covers 25% to 50% of the course cost for US citizens and permanent residents living in the United States or its territories, which works out to roughly $675 to $1,350 of the $2,700 program cost, but it doesn't cover the fees. You have to request it on the application, and the aid paperwork, including your parents' tax returns and W-2s, is due by 10 February 2027. Columbia awards it on a first-completed basis while funds last. Dependents of eligible full-time Columbia employees get 50% off the course cost, excluding fees.

You leave with a Columbia University Certification of Participation and a written evaluation letter from your instructor, covering your effort, participation, assignments, progress and potential in the field. There are no grades and no college credit. Summer certificates and letters usually arrive by mid-October, uploaded to your Slate account rather than mailed, and your school counselor can add both to their recommendation letter for college applications.

Attendance matters a lot in a one-week course. Miss more than one class and you're no longer eligible for the certificate, even if the absences were excused, and Columbia notes multiple absences in the evaluation letter.

The biggest rule for families is about housing. If you won't be living at home, you must stay with family members or family friends in the same residence and show this during enrollment, and Columbia doesn't allow commuters to stay in hotels, Airbnb rentals or hostels. Students and parents also review the community standards and sign an agreement before the course, and a breach normally means dismissal on the first offense, with no refund.

On campus, Columbia's Department of Public Safety runs Columbia University EMS, 24-hour guard booths and safety escorts. Instructors are background-checked and trained in protecting minors, and program staff are legally required to report suspected abuse. Parents tell the Student Services Office in advance if their child will miss class, and the Student Wellness Office and on-campus health services are there if a student needs support or medical care.