Northeastern University Pre-College Programs Dance Intensive

Classes run from 10am to 5pm, and the days are full. You'll move between technique classes in ballet, modern, Embodied Africanist Aesthetics and jazz and courses in dance and cultural history, stagecraft, anatomy and somatic awareness, with body conditioning and repertory rehearsals that build toward a performance at the end of the week.

Evenings are looser. The Student Life Team runs orientation activities and optional social events, and since most meals aren't provided, you'll often be eating out or shopping for food in the neighborhood with your cohort. Northeastern notes that the schedule and course content it publishes are illustrative and can change.

You need to be a rising junior or senior in high school by the time the program starts in July 2027, which means this school year's sophomores and juniors. Northeastern reviews every application holistically, weighing the academic and extracurricular parts equally, and says it's looking for motivated students who are passionate about the subject and ready for a rigorous program.

Being admitted doesn't guarantee you a spot. Northeastern admits more students than it has places and says programs typically fill before the deposit deadline, so places go to admitted students who pay first. Across its pre-college programs, a typical group is 15 to 30 students.

• Transcript

  An unofficial high school transcript or your report cards.

• Personal statement

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

• Headshot and dance resume

  Both are required for Dance Intensive applicants.

• Dance photo

  A photo of you in first arabesque or tendu a la seconde.

• Reference (optional)

  You can name a teacher or counselor in the application, but it isn't required.

Tuition is $2,595, and it covers your classes, course materials, a room in the residence hall, a few group meals and social activities. Most meals aren't included, so Northeastern tells families to budget at least $400 more for food and personal expenses, which puts the realistic minimum at about $2,995. You also need health or travel health insurance that covers you in New York for the program dates.

Once admitted, you hold your place with a non-refundable deposit of 20% of tuition after any aid or discounts, about $519 on the full $2,595, and the rest is due by 1 May 2027. There's no formal payment plan, although Northeastern will consider extra time if you ask, and families have paid with 529 college savings funds in the past, so check with your plan provider.

Every admitted student is considered for need-based aid, which usually comes as a scholarship or a tuition discount. You apply for it inside the program application by giving your household's adjusted gross income and number of dependents, and you hear about any award with your admissions decision. Some partner high schools and community organizations also sponsor students.

Student Life staff, a mix of professionals and current Northeastern students, live in the residence hall with the dancers, run orientation and social activities and are there for support all week. Everyone has to be in by the 10:00 p.m. curfew, and the program as a whole is overseen by Northeastern's pre-college team, led by Senior Director of Pre-College Programs Liz Quinn.

You leave with a Recognition of Completion signed by a faculty member, but no college credit and no transcript. Beyond that, you get a close look at studying dance in college, since you perform at the end of the week and spend it with faculty from the Dance Department. Past participants quoted by Northeastern describe meeting faculty, students and alumni who explained what being a dance major involves. Northeastern doesn't say that attending makes any difference to admission to its own dance program.

Applications go through Northeastern's pre-college admissions page, and because a popular program can close after the priority round, the first deadline is the one to aim for.

1. 1

   Complete the online application, which opens in early December 2026, with your transcript, personal statement and dance materials.

2. 2

   Submit by the priority deadline of 15 January 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time to hear in early February, with the deposit due by 18 February 2027.

3. 3

   If you miss that, the regular deadline is 28 February 2027, with decisions in mid-March and the deposit due by 1 April 2027.

4. 4

   The late deadline is 15 March 2027, with decisions in early April and the deposit due by 15 April 2027.

5. 5

   Pay the full tuition by 1 May 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.