Northeastern University Pre-College Programs Game Design in Extended Reality

Classes run from about 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, though some days in the sample schedule start with an 8:00 a.m. lecture. Evenings bring dinner and optional social activities, and Saturdays are given over to optional social programming. You move in on Sunday 11 July 2027 and leave on Friday 23 July.

Northeastern's sample schedule dates from 2023 and may change, but it shows how the work builds. The first week opens with orientation, an introduction to XR terms and technology, and a first Unity exercise building a mini Rube Goldberg machine. It then moves through a lecture on immersive storytelling and gaming in XR, Unity workshops including one on textures, materials and audio triggers, a visit to an immersive media lab and a field trip. Later in the week you present storyboards to a guest critic, and the week ends with a play session. The second week is mostly about your own piece, with world-building iterations, work-in-progress presentations with guest critique, user testing and long stretches of scripting and debugging before move-out.

Expect some work outside class hours too, which Northeastern says usually means group projects with other students.

You need to be a rising high school junior or senior by the time the program starts, and Northeastern reviews applications the way it reviews undergraduate ones, weighing academics, extracurriculars and the rest of the application equally. The application itself is short: an unofficial transcript or report cards and a personal statement of no more than 250 words on why the subject excites you, why you want to enroll and what you hope to gain. You can also name a teacher or counselor as a reference, but it isn't required.

Northeastern doesn't publish an acceptance rate. It does say it admits more students than it has places, so a place is only yours once you've paid the deposit, and programs typically fill before the deposit deadline. Across its programs, a typical group is 15 to 30 students.

International students are welcome as long as they can attend in person, but Northeastern doesn't sponsor student visas for non-credit programs like this one, so check what you'd need to enter the US before you apply.

Applications go through Northeastern's Accelerate admissions page, and the later rounds aren't guaranteed, because a popular program can close applications after the priority deadline.

1. 1

   The online application for summer 2027 opens in early December 2026, and you answer the financial aid questions inside it if you want need-based aid considered.

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

4. 4

   If you're admitted, pay the 20% deposit by 18 February, 1 April or 15 April 2027 for the priority, regular or late round, though sooner is safer because deposits are taken first come, first served.

5. 5

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

The 2027 price is $6,995, which covers tuition, course materials, housing in a campus residence hall, meals and social activities. You'll need to budget separately for getting to and from Boston and for the health or travel health insurance Northeastern requires every participant to have for the whole program.

Every admitted student is considered for need-based aid, which usually takes the form of a scholarship or a discount on tuition. To apply, you answer a few questions in the program application: your family's adjusted gross income from its most recent federal tax return, the number of dependents in your household, and an open question where you can explain anything else about your circumstances. Children of benefits-eligible Northeastern faculty and staff get 33% off tuition.

To hold a place you pay 20% of the tuition after any aid or discounts, which comes to $1,399 at the full price, and that deposit isn't refundable. There's no formal payment plan, although Northeastern asks families who need more time for the balance to get in touch, and families have used 529 plans in the past. Northeastern doesn't say whether any of the balance is refunded if you cancel after paying it, so ask before you pay.

Student Life staff, a mix of professionals and current Northeastern students, live in the residence hall with you and run the evening and weekend activities, while Residential Life Proctors staff the building entrance around the clock. Everyone has to be back inside by 10:00 p.m. each night.

Off campus, trips are chaperoned, and when students get time to explore a set area on their own, staff name a meeting point and time and encourage everyone to buddy up. Leaving campus alone takes a leave request from a parent or guardian. You'll usually share a room with a roommate and a bathroom with suitemates, and you can request a roommate on the program form, where you also list any dietary allergies, restrictions or preferences for the dining team.