Northeastern University Pre-College Programs Wildfire Ecology in a Changing Climate

Classes run from about 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. In Northeastern's sample schedule, a typical day starts with breakfast, followed by a three-hour morning session, lunch at noon, an afternoon session and an hour of team project work from 4:00 p.m. Evenings are for dinner and optional social activities.

The sample schedule takes you out of the classroom several times. On the first Wednesday there's a field trip about how ecosystems from the mountains to the coast respond to fire, and the first Thursday afternoon is a visit to the UC Berkeley Fire Ecology Lab. The second week includes a session on the Ventana Wildlife Society's work to save the California condor after the 2020 Dolan Fire and a session collecting data in Marin County for a long-term project on fire and invasive species. The first Saturday and second Sunday are kept for optional social programming, and the program ends with final presentations on the last Friday morning, before move-out. Northeastern says the schedule is only an example and may change.

A Northeastern professor leads the course alongside working professionals, although the professor for 2027 isn't named. Northeastern lists National Park Service fire ecologists, wildland firefighters and Indigenous land managers among those professionals, and the sample schedule also includes a session with a US Forest Service fire ecologist.

Across its pre-college programs, Northeastern says faculty are supported by other instructors or graduate students, current Northeastern students may serve as teaching assistants, and a typical program has 15 to 30 students.

You need to be a rising junior or senior in high school by the time the program starts. Students from any country can apply as long as they can attend in person, although Northeastern doesn't sponsor student visas for non-credit programs like this one. Northeastern reviews applications holistically, much as it does undergraduate ones, and gives equal weight to your academics, extracurriculars and the rest of the application.

The application itself is short. You send 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 you don't have to.

You apply through Northeastern's pre-college admissions portal, which handles all of its residential programs.

1. 1

   Complete the online application once it opens in early December 2026, with your unofficial transcript and personal statement.

2. 2

   Submit by one of three deadlines, all at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time: priority on 15 January 2027, regular on 28 February 2027 or late on 15 March 2027.

3. 3

   Decisions arrive by email in early February, mid-March or early April 2027, depending on your round.

4. 4

   If you're admitted, pay the deposit by 18 February, 1 April or 15 April 2027, depending on your round.

5. 5

   Pay the rest of the tuition by 1 May 2027.

Tuition is $6,995, which covers classes, course materials, a room in a residence hall on the Oakland campus, meals and social activities. Travel to and from Oakland isn't on Northeastern's list of what's included. You'll also need your own health or travel health insurance for the length of the program.

Every admitted student is considered for need-based aid, which usually comes as a scholarship or a tuition discount. You ask for it in the program application by giving your family's adjusted gross income and number of dependents, and you find out what you'll get along with your admission decision. Children of benefits-eligible Northeastern faculty or staff get 33% off, and some partner schools and community organizations sponsor students.

To hold your place, you pay a non-refundable deposit of 20% of tuition after any aid, which comes to $1,399 at the 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. It also says families have paid with 529 college savings funds before, after checking with their plan provider.

Northeastern staff live in the residence hall on the Oakland campus with students, and everyone has to be back in the building by 9:00 p.m. each evening. Student Life staff, both professionals and current Northeastern students, run residential life and the social program, and outings around Oakland and the Bay Area are chaperoned. Outside curfew hours you can explore the campus, but leaving it on your own needs a leave request from a parent or guardian.

Students are expected to live in the residence hall, and commuting is allowed only as an exception for serious medical or personal reasons. Families can request academic, disability, dietary or religious accommodations by emailing Northeastern before enrolling.