Northeastern University Pre-College Programs Ethics & Emerging Technology Pre-College Program

Classes run from about 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, with a break for lunch. Evenings and weekends are for dinner and optional social activities on and off campus. Northeastern's sample schedule is from summer 2023 and may change, but it gives a good sense of the rhythm. A morning lecture such as Fairness in Machine Learning or Attention Economy leads into an activity like the Rawls Game or Mapping Your Data Selves, and afternoons bring a guest speaker and an exercise such as A City Decides on Facial Recognition Technologies.

In the second week the focus moves to virtual reality, social media and democracy, fake news, filter bubbles and far-future AI ethics, and the sample includes a field trip each week. You move in on Sunday 11 July and leave on Friday 23 July. Northeastern says to expect some work outside class, typically group projects with other students.

A faculty member in philosophy leads the class. Academic collaborators and guest speakers come from other departments in Northeastern's College of Social Sciences and Humanities, such as English, international affairs, Africana studies, political science and history. Northeastern doesn't name the instructor and notes that faculty assignments can change.

Across its pre-college programs, Northeastern says most are led by its faculty with support from other faculty, instructors or graduate students, and current Northeastern students may serve as teaching assistants.

You need to be a rising high school junior or senior by the time the program starts in July 2027. Northeastern reviews applications the way it reviews its own undergraduate applicants, weighing academics, extracurriculars and everything else equally, and it says it wants motivated students who care about the subject and are ready for a rigorous program. It doesn't publish an acceptance rate. It does say it admits more students than it has spaces and that programs typically fill before the deposit deadline, so an offer only becomes a place once you've paid the deposit.

Applications go through Northeastern's Accelerate admissions page, and every deadline falls at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

1. 1

   Complete the online application, which opens in early December 2026. You'll need an unofficial transcript or report cards, a personal statement of up to 250 words on your interest in the subject, why you want to enroll and what you hope to gain, and, if you like, the name of a teacher or counselor as a reference.

2. 2

   Apply by the priority deadline of 15 January 2027 to hear by email in early February and pay your deposit by 18 February 2027.

3. 3

   Or apply by the regular deadline of 28 February 2027, with decisions in mid-March and deposits due 1 April 2027.

4. 4

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

5. 5

   Pay the rest of the tuition by 1 May 2027.

The fee is $6,995. It covers tuition, course materials, your room in a campus residence hall, meals on a Husky Card at the dining hall and campus eateries, and the social activities. Getting to Boston isn't included, and every participant must have health or travel health insurance for the whole program.

Once admitted, you hold your place with a non-refundable deposit of 20% of tuition after any aid or discounts. On the full fee that's $1,399, and the rest is due by 1 May 2027. There's no formal payment plan, but Northeastern asks families who need extra time to get in touch, and families have paid with 529 college savings funds after checking with their plan provider.

Every admitted student is considered for need-based aid, which usually comes as a scholarship or a program discount. You ask for it in the application by giving your household's adjusted gross income and number of dependents, with space to explain anything else about your circumstances. The award arrives with your admission decision, so you know the real price before you pay anything. Some partner high schools and community organizations also sponsor students partly or fully, and children of benefits-eligible Northeastern faculty and staff get 33% off.

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 inside by 10:00 p.m. each night. Students typically share a room with a roommate and a bathroom with suitemates, and you can request a roommate.

To leave campus on your own, a parent or guardian has to submit a leave request. On program outings where students explore an area independently, staff set a meeting point and time and encourage everyone to pair up with a buddy. Families can ask for academic, disability, dietary or religious accommodations by emailing the pre-college team before enrolling.