Northeastern University Pre-College Programs Acting Intensive

Studio sessions run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., filled with coaching, rehearsal and skill-building, and Northeastern expects evenings to go on assignments, practicing your material and getting ready for the next day. Across the week you cover monologue selection and coaching, scene study, script analysis, self-tape and digital pre-screen technique, and movement, voice and speech work.

The New York part happens around that. The program takes students to professional productions and brings in working artists to talk, while the Student Life Team runs orientation and some optional social events. Expect a working week rather than a summer camp with acting on the side.

You need to be a rising junior or senior in high school by the time the program starts. International students are welcome, although Northeastern doesn't sponsor student visas for non-credit programs like this one, so any visa is yours to arrange with the official authorities. Northeastern reviews applications holistically, weighing the academic and extracurricular parts equally. It doesn't publish an acceptance rate, but it says a typical program has 15 to 30 students.

Northeastern doesn't say what the Acting Intensive audition video should contain, although it gives detailed rules for musical theater applicants, so it's worth emailing the pre-college team at precollegeprograms@northeastern.edu before you film.

• Online application

  Available from early December 2026.

• Transcript

  An unofficial high school transcript or report cards.

• Personal statement

  Up to 250 words on your passion for acting, why you want to enroll and what you hope to gain.

• Headshot and actor resume

  Required for Acting Intensive applicants.

• Audition video

  Also required for this program.

• Reference

  Optional, the name and contact details of a teacher or counselor.

You apply through Northeastern's pre-college admissions page, choosing one of three rounds, each closing at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

1. 1

   Priority round

   Apply by 15 January 2027, hear back by email in early February and pay your deposit by 18 February 2027.

2. 2

   Regular round

   Apply by 28 February 2027, hear back in mid-March and pay your deposit by 1 April 2027.

3. 3

   Late round

   Apply by 15 March 2027, hear back in early April and pay your deposit by 15 April 2027.

4. 4

   Final payment

   Whichever round you're in, the rest of the tuition is due by 1 May 2027.

An offer doesn't guarantee a place. Northeastern admits more students than it has spaces, takes deposits first come, first served and says programs typically fill before the deposit deadline. If interest is very high, it can also close applications after the priority deadline, so the later rounds may not happen at all.

Tuition is $2,595, which covers classes, course materials, your residence hall room, a few group meals and social activities. Most meals aren't included, and Northeastern tells families to budget at least $400 for meals and personal expenses, so plan on at least $2,995 before travel to New York. You'll also need health or travel health insurance that covers you there for the week.

To hold a place you pay a non-refundable deposit of 20% of tuition after any aid or discounts, which comes to $519 at full price. There's no formal payment plan, but Northeastern asks families who need more time for the final payment to contact the pre-college team, and families have used 529 college savings plans before (check with your plan provider).

Every admitted student is considered for need-based aid, usually given as scholarships or discounts. You apply for it within the application by giving your household's adjusted gross income and number of dependents, and the award arrives with your admission decision. Children of benefits-eligible Northeastern faculty and staff get 33% off tuition.

You leave with one coached, recorded monologue that Northeastern says suits a number of college pre-screen submissions, plus a Recognition of Completion signed by a faculty member. There's no college credit or transcript. Nothing Northeastern publishes suggests the program helps with admission to its own theater programs or anyone else's, so think of it as training and audition material rather than a credential.

Students live together in a campus residence hall with Northeastern's Student Life staff, a mix of professionals and current Northeastern students who live in the housing and run residential life. There's a 10:00 p.m. curfew. Living in is expected, and Northeastern only considers letting a student commute for extreme medical or personal reasons, which matters if you live nearby.

The one gap to think about is food. Students head out on their own for most meals, so it's worth being sure they're comfortable finding their way around a big city without an adult.