Northeastern University Pre-College Programs Design & the Modern Makerspace

Class runs from about 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays with a break for lunch, and evenings and weekends are for optional social activities.

In Northeastern's sample schedule, you move in on Sunday and the first week opens on Monday with orientation and a tour of the makerspace, followed by five Maker Rotations spread across Monday to Wednesday. Thursday brings a Design to Crafting session, a guest speaker and a makerspace work session, Friday has a design challenge and group work, and Saturday is an off-campus outing with lunch.

The second week turns to your own project. Alongside a studio visit and a museum visit, you get the project prompt, long blocks of project time and two rounds of design critiques, and the week ends with final presentations before move-out on Friday. Northeastern marks the sample schedule as subject to change.

Northeastern takes rising juniors and seniors, which means you should be heading into 11th or 12th grade by the time the program starts in July 2027. It reviews each application holistically, modeled on its undergraduate admissions process, and gives academics and extracurriculars equal weight.

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 also name a teacher or counselor as a reference, but that's optional. Programs typically have 15 to 30 students, and international students are welcome, although Northeastern doesn't sponsor student visas for non-credit programs like this one.

Applications go through Northeastern's pre-college admissions page, which lists every round's dates.

1. 1

   The online application for summer 2027 opens in early December 2026.

2. 2

   Submit by the Priority deadline of 15 January 2027, the Regular deadline of 28 February 2027 or the Late deadline of 15 March 2027, each at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

3. 3

   Decisions, along with any financial aid award, arrive by email in early February, mid-March or early April, depending on your round.

4. 4

   To hold your place, pay a non-refundable deposit of 20% of tuition after any aid or discounts ($1,399 on the full $6,995) by 18 February, 1 April or 15 April 2027, depending on your round. Pay it sooner if you can, because Northeastern admits more students than it has places and accepts deposits first come, first served.

5. 5

   Pay the rest of the tuition by 1 May 2027.

The full price is $6,995, which covers tuition, course materials, housing in a Boston residence hall, meals and social activities. You'll need to budget separately for travel to and from Boston and for health or travel health insurance, which every student must have for the length of the program. Most of Northeastern's programs also require a personal laptop.

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

There's no formal payment plan, but Northeastern asks families who need more time for the final payment to email the pre-college team. Families have also paid with 529 college savings funds in the past, subject to their plan provider's rules.

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., and Student Life staff, a mix of professionals and current Northeastern students, run residential life and the evening and weekend activities.

You'll usually share a room with a roommate and a bathroom with suitemates, and you can request a roommate on the program form. Field trips are chaperoned, and when students get time to explore a set area on their own, staff fix a meeting point and time and encourage everyone to buddy up. Parents can submit a leave request if they want their student to leave campus independently. Dietary allergies and restrictions go on the program form, and staff work with campus dining to meet them.