Northeastern University Pre-College Programs Exploring Modern Physics

You need to be a rising junior or senior in high school by the time the program starts, and Northeastern expects you to understand linear momentum and its conservation, energy conservation in collisions and basic trigonometry. Calculus isn't required.

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 reviews applications holistically, in the same way as its undergraduate admissions, giving the academic and extracurricular parts equal weight.

International students are welcome to apply and are considered for need-based aid, but Northeastern doesn't sponsor student visas for its non-credit programs, so you'd need to arrange your own entry to the US.

Classes run from about 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, mixing lectures with lab and group sessions, with a lunch break and an afternoon break. Evenings and weekends bring dinner and optional social activities.

Northeastern's sample schedule is from summer 2023 and may change, but it shows how the two weeks build. In the first week you build your own cloud chamber, calibrate a muon detector, launch the experiment, measure radiation with a Geiger counter and get an introduction to data analysis in Excel, while the lectures work through special relativity, the Bohr model and nuclear physics. The second week turns to team analysis of the muon data in Python, alongside lectures on the Standard Model, nuclear energy and cosmology, a field trip, guest lectures and a panel of Northeastern physics majors. It ends on the final Friday with students presenting their lab results, followed by move-out.

Northeastern says most of its pre-college programs are led by Northeastern faculty, supported by other faculty, instructors or graduate students, and current Northeastern students may act as teaching assistants. It hasn't named the 2027 instructor and says faculty assignments can change, so if that matters to you, ask the pre-college team who will teach.

A past participant credits Dr. Brent Nelson with teaching time cones, four-dimensional space, black-body radiation and nuclear reactions conceptually and with minimal math. Guest speakers also appear several times across the two weeks.

Northeastern staff live in the residence hall, Residential Life Proctors staff the entrance around the clock, and every student has to be in the building by 10:00 p.m. You'll usually share a room with a roommate and a bathroom with suitemates.

Field trips and social outings are chaperoned. On some off-campus outings students may explore a set area on their own, but staff set a meeting time and place and encourage everyone to pair up. Parents or guardians can also submit a leave request for their student to leave campus on their own. Dietary needs can be flagged on the program form so staff can work with campus dining.

Tuition for summer 2027 is $6,995, which covers teaching, course materials, your residence hall room, meals and social activities. On top of that you'll pay for travel to and from Boston and for the health or travel health insurance Northeastern requires for the whole program. You may also need your own laptop, since Northeastern says most of its programs require one.

Admitted students secure a place with a non-refundable deposit of 20% of tuition after any aid, which works out to $1,399 at full price. The rest is due by 1 May 2027. There's no formal payment plan, but Northeastern asks families who need more time to email the pre-college team.

All admitted students are considered for need-based aid, which usually comes as a scholarship or a program discount. On the application you'll be asked for your household's adjusted gross income from your latest federal tax return and the number of dependents, and the award arrives with the admission decision. Children of benefits-eligible Northeastern faculty and staff get 33% off, and some partner high schools and community organizations sponsor students.

Applications for summer 2027 open in early December 2026 on Northeastern's pre-college admissions page, and all deadlines fall at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

1. 1

   Submit the online application with your transcript, your statement of up to 250 words and the financial aid questions if you want aid.

2. 2

   Priority round

   Apply by 15 January 2027 for a decision in early February and a deposit due by 18 February 2027. If interest is very high, Northeastern may close applications to a program after this date.

3. 3

   Regular round

   Apply by 28 February 2027 for a decision in mid-March and a deposit due by 1 April 2027.

4. 4

   Late round

   Apply by 15 March 2027 for a decision in early April and a deposit due by 15 April 2027.

5. 5

   Pay the deposit as soon as you're admitted. Northeastern admits more students than it has places, accepts deposits first come, first served and says programs typically fill before the deposit deadline.

6. 6

   Pay the remaining tuition by 1 May 2027.