Columbia University Pre-College Programs Globalization: Challenges in International Economics & Politics

In person, this course 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, clubs and campus activities.

Columbia's sample residential day starts with breakfast and an optional fitness session from 7:30 a.m., and evenings bring dinner followed by cultural outings or college workshops, with a special event on Fridays and more events on Saturdays. Commuters can join early evening programming but should leave campus by 6:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and Friday evening events need a parent's permission. On top of class, Columbia says to expect an hour or two of homework a night.

The in-person sections typically include a visit to United Nations Headquarters, so pack a business casual outfit and bring a photo ID such as a passport or driver's license.

The online section runs live on Zoom from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Monday to Friday, from 12 to 23 July 2027, and you have to attend at those hours because every class is taught in real time. Between classes you hand in homework, contact the instructor and join discussions on CourseWorks, Columbia's learning platform, while a Course Facilitator sits in each class to sort out technical problems.

That adds up to about 30 hours of class, against roughly 55 for a three-week in-person section (just under four hours a day over 15 days), and the UN visit is only for in-person students. Columbia requires a webcam, a microphone, a wired internet connection and a quiet, well-lit space, and online Session A students may add a second course if they want one.

Students from rising 9th grade through current 12th grade can apply, from the US or abroad, and seniors can attend the summer after they graduate. Living on campus has an extra rule: you must be at least 15 and turn 16 by 31 December 2027, so a younger student would need to commute or take the online section.

Columbia calls admission selective and says it looks for academically exceptional, curious students, but it sets no minimum GPA, doesn't ask for SAT, ACT or PSAT scores and publishes no acceptance rate. The application rests on your transcript, recommendations and two short written answers. English matters in a discussion-heavy course like this one, and while no test is required, Columbia expects a level equal to 90 on the internet-based TOEFL or 6.5 on IELTS. Admissions decisions are final, with no appeal.

For summer 2027, Columbia lists $12,838 to take this course while living on campus for three weeks, $6,381 to commute for three weeks and $4,018 for the two-week online section. The residential price includes housing and all meals, and every price includes the activities, health services and technology fees. Columbia notes these totals are estimates awaiting approval by its Board of Trustees.

On top of that come a $95 application fee, about $50 for books and field-trip costs, and travel to New York, since there's no airport pickup. In-person students must have medical insurance, and international students need a plan that covers them in the US. A second online course costs $3,850.

• Deposit

  A non-refundable deposit holds your place and counts toward the total: $3,500 residential, $2,000 commuter or $1,000 online.

• Payment

  The balance is due by 11 June 2027 with no payment plan, and paying by card adds 2.85% for US cards or 4.25% for international ones.

• Withdrawing

  You get everything back except the deposit if you withdraw by 24 June 2027 for in-person Session A, 15 July 2027 for Session B or 8 July 2027 for the online section. After that you owe the full amount.

• Financial aid

  Need-based awards of 25% to 50% of the course cost, not the fees, are available for the commuter and online options only, to US citizens and permanent residents living in the US or its territories. You must request aid in the application before submitting it, the aid file is due 10 February 2027, and funds go out on a rolling basis until they run out.

Residential students are supervised by live-in Resident Assistants who complete two weeks of training, backed by professional Resident Directors on call around the clock, and Columbia gives its staff-to-student ratio as 6 to 1. Public Safety officers guard every residence hall entrance 24 hours a day, and parents may enter only to help with move-in and move-out.

Every student signs Columbia's Student Conduct and Community Standards, and breaking them normally means dismissal on the first offense.

• Curfew

  Students must be on their floor or in their suite by 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight at weekends, and Columbia dismisses students who break it.

• Boundaries

  Without staff, students must stay between 110th and 120th Streets and between Amsterdam Avenue and Riverside Park, and can't visit parks unsupervised.

• Rooms

  Rooms are randomly assigned singles or doubles on single-gender floors or suites, with non-binary housing available, and you bring your own Twin XL bedding and towels.

• Commuters

  A commuter who isn't living at home must stay with family members or family friends in the same residence, never in a hotel, Airbnb or hostel.

• Staff checks

  Instructors pass background checks and Columbia's Protection of Minors training, and program staff are legally required to report suspected abuse.

You apply through Columbia's summer application portal, and the student has to submit it personally.

1. 1

   Pick your format and session, and tick the financial aid option before submitting if you'll need aid.

2. 2

   Gather your unofficial transcript and latest report card, and ask a current teacher in a related subject to recommend you.

3. 3

   If you're applying to come in person, also ask a school counselor, principal or academic advisor for a second recommendation.

4. 4

   Submit the application with two short written responses, your top two course choices and the $95 fee, by 1 February 2027 for early registration or by the general deadline of 1 March 2027 (residential) or 1 April 2027 (commuter and online).

5. 5

   Expect an emailed decision three to five weeks after your file is complete.

6. 6

   If admitted, pay the deposit, sign the enrollment forms, have your school send an official transcript and, for in-person students, upload proof of immunization within two weeks.

7. 7

   Once your holds clear, register yourself for this course in Columbia's registration system.