Columbia University Pre-College Programs Online Summer

Every class is live on Zoom at set Eastern Time hours, so you need to be there when your course meets, and Columbia asks you to log in about 10 minutes early. Alongside the instructor, each class has a Course Facilitator who quietly sorts out tech problems so the lesson isn't interrupted. Expect discussions, group work and your own presentations, with your webcam and microphone on. Between classes, homework, feedback and discussion boards run through CourseWorks, Columbia's learning platform, and some courses set extra work to finish between sessions.

Instructors are scholars and practitioners in their fields who have passed background checks and Columbia's Protection of Minors training, although you can't choose your instructor or section. Columbia doesn't overenroll full courses, which it says keeps classes small. You'll need a computer that runs current software, a wired Ethernet connection (Columbia warns that weak Wi-Fi causes dropouts), a webcam, a microphone with headphones, permission to install Zoom and a quiet, well-lit place to work. A mandatory Zoom orientation before your session covers policies and expectations, and parents are welcome to join.

Classes run Monday to Friday, and the hours depend on your session. The 1-week session meets from 10:00 a.m. to noon and again from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET, with an hour's break for lunch. In the 2-week sessions each course meets for one three-hour block, either 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., noon to 3:00 p.m. or 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET, although not every course follows these patterns. Each course section has its own set time, so check that it works in your time zone before you register.

Lectures on college applications, leadership workshops and clubs run by current college undergraduates happen outside class hours and are open to everyone, whatever their class schedule. Columbia also says to expect an hour or two of homework a night on average.

Online Summer is open to students from rising 9th graders through current 12th graders, in the US or abroad, and seniors can take part in the summer right after they graduate. There's no minimum GPA and Columbia doesn't ask for PSAT, SAT or ACT scores. Instead, the admissions committee looks for academically exceptional, motivated students, and Columbia describes admission as selective.

The application asks for your unofficial transcript, a recommendation from a teacher (a principal or counselor can't stand in) and your top two course choices. You apply to the program rather than a course, so a place doesn't guarantee your first choice. Non-native speakers don't need to send English test scores such as TOEFL or IELTS, but Columbia expects English equivalent to at least 90 on the internet-based TOEFL or 6.5 on IELTS, enough to keep up in fast discussions without translation help. Some courses have prerequisites, such as a year of high school biology for Introduction to Neuroscience, and you must have passed them with a B or higher to register.

The 1-week session costs $2,868, and a 2-week session costs $4,018 for one course. Both prices include the course plus Columbia's activities, health services and technology fees. In Session A or B you can add a second course for $3,850, which brings that session to $7,868. On top of that comes a $95 non-refundable application fee, and Columbia suggests budgeting about $50 for books and supplies, while some courses list their own fees or equipment.

Once admitted you pay a $1,000 deposit, which counts toward the price but is never refunded, and the balance is due in full by 11 June 2027. There's no payment plan, and paying by card adds a 2.85% fee for domestic cards or 4.25% for international ones. Columbia describes the 2027 figures as estimates still awaiting its Board of Trustees' approval. If you withdraw by your session's deadline (17 June 2027 for Session AA, 8 July 2027 for Session A, 22 July 2027 for Session B), you get everything back except the deposit. After that you owe the full amount.

Need-based financial aid covers 25% to 50% of the course cost, though not the fees, for US citizens and permanent residents living in the United States or its five major territories. It applies to a single course in a single session only. You have to say you're applying for aid in the main application before you submit it, and the aid application and documents, including parents' tax returns and W-2 forms, are due by 10 February 2027. Columbia awards the money on a rolling basis until it runs out.

If you complete the course, you receive an official Columbia University Certification of Participation and an evaluation letter from your instructor. The letter comments candidly on your effort, participation, assignments, progress and potential in the field, and Columbia says you can ask your school counselor to add both documents to their recommendation letter. They're the only record of participation Columbia provides, and summer documents are typically ready by mid-October 2027 as downloads in your applicant portal.

Attendance decides whether you get them. Miss more than two classes in a 2-week session, or more than one in the 1-week session, and you lose eligibility for the certificate even if the absences were excused. Plagiarism, even by accident, leads to dismissal, and a dismissed student gets no certificate, no letter and no refund.

Applications go through Columbia's Summer Programs application, which covers all its summer options.

1. 1

   Applications for summer 2027 open in mid-November 2026, and you choose Online Summer and your session or sessions on one form.

2. 2

   Gather your unofficial transcript and ask a teacher to recommend you, or your primary instructor if you're homeschooled.

3. 3

   Pick your top two courses of interest, remembering that admission is to the program, not a specific course.

4. 4

   If you need financial aid, say so in the application before you submit it, because it can't be added afterward.

5. 5

   Submit by 1 February 2027 to join early course registration on 10 March 2027, or by the general deadline of 1 April 2027.

6. 6

   Expect an email decision three to five weeks after your file is complete, since applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

7. 7

   If admitted, pay the $1,000 deposit, sign the enrollment forms, upload an ID photo at least four weeks before the start and have your school email your official transcript.

8. 8

   Register yourself for courses in Vergil, Columbia's registration system, with backup choices ready, because full courses have no waitlist.