Columbia University Pre-College Programs Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE)

Columbia faculty teach every course, and classes average 25 students. If a faculty member becomes unavailable, Columbia lets applicants move to their second-choice course or get a refund. Columbia students help run the whole program, and undergraduates teach the electives alongside professional staff. A research series also brings in Columbia students talking about their own projects and Dr. Richard Hagan on the path to a PhD.

You take one course per session, so it's worth checking which session your favorite falls in. Columbia says the course list may change for 2027. In 2026, Robotics and Autonomous Driving, Moving Forward: Walking Robots, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Sustainable Engineering and Healthcare Engineering ran in both sessions. AI Builders, Introduction to Computer Programming, Electrical Engineering (built around solar energy) and Math in Action ran only in Session 1, while Data Science and Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithms ran only in Session 2.

Days run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and most of that time goes to your course, with two professor-led classes, an hour of lab time and an hour of project time. Mornings open with a speaker session, presentation or workshop, lunch runs from 12:15 PM to 1:45 PM, and the last hour is for your elective or a social hour.

The workshops cover skills such as public speaking and presenting yourself online, and Columbia's undergraduate admissions office runs college preparation sessions. Every student visits the Columbia Makerspace, which has 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC (computer-controlled cutting) machines, and some courses build their prototypes there regularly. Residential students spend evenings and weekends on group outings around New York City, including a Broadway show.

You leave with a program certificate, a letter of recommendation from your course's faculty member and the experience of seeing a project through, whether that's building a robotic car or a solar oven or designing an AI project of your own. SHAPE gives no college credit.

Columbia also says that attending a program on its campus earns no automatic preference in its own undergraduate admissions, so the letter and the project you can describe are what you'll actually be able to use on applications.

Any current high school student, freshman through senior, can apply as a commuter, while the residential option is only for students who are 16 or older on the program's first day. Columbia says it plans to admit 450 students across 18 classes and receives many more applications than it can accept, so it encourages applying early.

The application asks for three essays (plus a fourth if you want housing), your latest transcript or report card, a resume of school and activities, and a recommendation from a math or science teacher, with transcripts and letters in English or officially translated. Columbia can't review an application until every document is in. Rolling admissions start on 15 January 2027, so if you wait for the 5 March 2027 final deadline, some places may already have been offered. Decisions come by April.

A few courses set their own bar. Chemical Engineering requires high school chemistry, and Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithms is for students who can already program.

In summer 2026, a three-week commuter session cost $6,241 in total and the residential option cost $11,492, and Columbia will publish 2027 prices in spring 2027. Both totals bundled the program fee with lab, course materials, health and activity fees. The residential price also covered room and board and gym access, and its activity fee was $700 rather than the commuters' $100. Fees are charged per session, so a commuter taking both sessions pays for two. Getting to and from Columbia is always on you, even with a scholarship.

When you accept a place, you pay a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 for commuters or $3,000 for residential students, which counts toward tuition, although scholarship recipients don't pay one. The balance is due one week before the program starts, and parents sign a binding agreement making them responsible for the fees. If you start and change your mind, you have until 5:00 PM on the second day to leave without owing full tuition, though the deposit stays with Columbia. After that you owe the full amount, and days you miss aren't discounted.

Need-based scholarships cover the full cost, including housing for residential students, but there are only a limited number. They're open only to domestic families who can document their income, and priority goes to students at New York City schools in Districts Five and Six and to those who complete their application by 16 December 2026. There are no merit scholarships. Applying before that date also waives the $50 application fee.

A Residential Director and resident advisers with residential life experience, who know Columbia's protocols, run the residential program, and there's a 10 PM curfew every night. In 2026, residential students lived in Furnald Hall in furnished, air-conditioned rooms with bedding provided, and ate three meals a day through Columbia Dining, which can accommodate dietary restrictions. The residential health fee covered urgent care and counseling services.

For everyone, Makerspace work happens only after safety training and under close supervision, and admitted students have to meet Columbia University's public health requirements.