Northeastern University Pre-College Programs Cybersecurity & AI Pre-College Program

Classes run from about 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, and evenings and weekends are given over to optional social activities. Northeastern's sample day-by-day plan dates from summer 2023, when the course was called Cybersecurity and Privacy, so treat it as a rough guide rather than the 2027 timetable.

In that version, you moved in around midday on Sunday and had dinner and welcome activities that evening. Weekday mornings were lectures on topics such as types of threats, how the internet works and wireless networks, while afternoons were labs, discussions or group work. The first week also included a visit to a smart home lab and a guest speaker, and Saturday was optional social programming. The second week moved on to digital forensics and protecting your devices, then finished with project presentations, a talk on cybersecurity as a career and move-out on Friday.

Expect some work outside class too, since Northeastern says students typically work with peers on group projects after hours.

Most Northeastern pre-college programs are led by Northeastern faculty, supported by other faculty, instructors or graduate students, and current Northeastern students may serve as teaching assistants. The instructor for this course isn't named, and Northeastern says faculty assignments can change, so ask the pre-college team if it matters to you. The course also includes guest lectures. Northeastern gives 15 to 30 students as a typical program size.

Northeastern staff live in the residence hall with students, and Residential Life proctors staff the building entrance around the clock. Everyone has to be back in the hall by 10:00 p.m. each night. You'll usually share a room with one roommate and a bathroom with suitemates, and you can request a roommate on the program form.

Evening and weekend outings are chaperoned. When students get time to explore a set area on their own, staff set a meeting point and time and encourage everyone to buddy up with another student. To leave campus independently, a parent or guardian has to submit a leave request. Families can also list allergies, dietary restrictions and preferences on the program form, and Northeastern's staff work with campus dining to meet them as far as they can.

You need to be a rising junior or senior in high school by the time the program starts, and Northeastern expects a working knowledge of coding basic computer programs, which matters in a course that has you in Linux from day one and writing code to fool an image classifier. International students are welcome to apply as long as they can attend in person.

The application asks for an unofficial transcript or report cards and a personal statement of up to 250 words on your passion for the subject, why you want to enroll and what you hope to gain. You can add a teacher or counselor as a reference, but it's optional. Northeastern weighs every part of the application equally, in the same holistic way it reads undergraduate applications. It doesn't publish an acceptance rate, though it says it admits more students than it has places.

The fee is $6,995, and it covers tuition, course materials, housing, meals and social activities. That leaves three main extras: getting to Boston, a personal laptop (most Northeastern programs require one) and health or travel health insurance covering you in Boston for the whole program, which every student must have.

Admitted students secure a place with a non-refundable deposit of 20% of tuition after any aid or discount, which is $1,399 on the full $6,995. There's no formal payment plan for the balance, but Northeastern asks families who need more time to get in touch. Families have also used 529 college savings plans to pay in the past, so it's worth checking with your plan provider.

Every admitted student is considered for need-based aid, which usually comes as a scholarship or a discount on the fee. You ask for it within the program application by giving your household's adjusted gross income from the latest federal tax return and the number of dependents, and the award arrives with your admissions decision. Children of current benefits-eligible Northeastern faculty or staff get 33% off tuition, and some partner high schools and community organizations sponsor students.

1. 1

   Apply

   The online application opens in early December 2026. Submit it by the priority deadline of 15 January 2027, the regular deadline of 28 February or the late deadline of 15 March, all at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

2. 2

   Aim for the priority round

   Northeastern recommends it if this is the program you want, because a very popular program can stop taking applications after 15 January.

3. 3

   Hear back

   Decisions arrive by email in early February, mid-March or early April, depending on your round.

4. 4

   Pay the deposit

   Deposit deadlines are 18 February, 1 April and 15 April 2027 by round, but places go first come, first served and programs typically fill before then, so pay as soon as you're admitted.

5. 5

   Pay the balance

   Full tuition is due by 1 May 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.