Northeastern University Pre-College Programs Public Health in Action: Local to Global

Classes run from about 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Northeastern warns you'll also have some work after hours, usually group projects with classmates. You move in on Sunday 20 June 2027 and leave on Friday 2 July, so the 12 days include one full weekend in the middle.

The program opens with orientation and welcome events. After that, evenings and weekends bring optional social activities, from arts and crafts and outdoor recreation on the 135-acre campus to trips around Oakland and the Bay Area, and past outings have included touring San Francisco. Meals might be in the dining hall, catered or at local eateries.

Northeastern says most of its pre-college programs are led by its own faculty, supported by other faculty, instructors or graduate students, with current Northeastern students sometimes working as teaching assistants. Northeastern hasn't named an instructor for this course, and it notes that faculty assignments, like the schedule and content, can change.

Much of the learning also comes from outside the classroom, through Oakland physicians, public health practitioners and community leaders. Northeastern puts a typical program at 15 to 30 students.

You need to be a rising junior or senior in high school by the time the program starts, which means finishing 10th or 11th grade in spring 2027. Northeastern reviews applications holistically, the way it reviews undergraduate applications, weighing academics, activities and the rest of your file equally, and says it wants motivated students who are passionate about the subject. It doesn't publish an acceptance rate.

Being admitted doesn't guarantee you a seat. Northeastern admits more students than it has places, accepts deposits first come, first served, and says programs typically fill before the deposit deadline, so it's worth paying soon after your offer arrives.

The full price is $6,995, and it covers tuition, course materials, your room in the residence hall, meals and social activities. To accept a place you pay a non-refundable deposit of 20% of tuition after any aid, which is $1,399 at the full price, and the rest is due by 1 May 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. There's no formal payment plan, although Northeastern asks families who need more time to email the pre-college team.

Getting to Oakland isn't on the list of what tuition covers. You'll also need health or travel health insurance for the whole program, and most programs require a personal laptop.

Every admitted student is considered for need-based aid, which usually comes as a scholarship or a tuition discount rather than cash. You ask for it in the application by giving your household's adjusted gross income from its latest federal tax return and the number of dependents, and you can add anything else that explains your family's need. The award comes with your admissions decision. Children of benefits-eligible Northeastern faculty and staff get 33% off, and some partner high schools and community organizations sponsor students.

Northeastern Student Life staff, both professionals and current Northeastern students, live in the residence hall with you, and you have to be back in the hall by 9:00 p.m. every evening. Trips off campus are chaperoned, and if you want to leave campus on your own, a parent or guardian can submit a leave request.

Northeastern expects every student to live in the hall and may let a student commute only as an exception for extreme medical or personal reasons. Enrolled students can list allergies and dietary needs on the program form, and families can ask about academic, disability, dietary or religious accommodations by emailing the pre-college team before enrolling.

Applications go through Northeastern's pre-college admissions page.

1. 1

   Fill in Northeastern's inquiry form if you'd like an email when the summer 2027 application goes live in early December 2026.

2. 2

   Complete the online application with an unofficial transcript or report cards and a personal statement of up to 250 words on why the subject excites you, why you want to enroll and what you hope to gain.

3. 3

   Add a teacher or counselor as a reference if you like, and answer the financial aid questions in the same application if you want aid.

4. 4

   Submit by the priority deadline of 15 January 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time if you can, because Northeastern may close a program with very high interest after that date. The regular and late deadlines are 28 February and 15 March 2027.

5. 5

   Watch for an email decision, along with any aid award, in early February, mid-March or early April 2027, depending on your round.

6. 6

   Pay the deposit by 18 February, 1 April or 15 April 2027, depending on your round.