Rutgers Pre-College Summer Pre-Law and Mock Trial Academy

Classes run from about 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with breakfast at 8:30am and dinner at 6pm followed by evening activities with your cohort. You move into a dorm on Sunday and out on Saturday.

In Rutgers' sample schedule, the week builds steadily toward Friday's trials. Monday covers legal terminology, courtroom roles, writing direct and cross examinations, openings and closings, and playing a witness, before teams and roles are assigned. Tuesday brings five-minute drills and a long session on evidence, including hearsay, character evidence and expert testimony, plus two afternoon panels. Wednesday is mostly team practice, broken up by a session on objections and an objections game. Thursday is an all-day field trip, and Friday brings two mock trials and a closing ceremony.

Evenings bring supervised activities such as a movie night at the Rutgers Cinema, arts and crafts and sports. Rutgers says work across its academies is mostly done during the day, though you may occasionally have short readings or project work in the evening.

Rutgers says the academy is taught by a distinguished Rutgers Law faculty member, and it names Veronica Finkelstein, J.D., as the person who designed and taught it. It doesn't say which summers she taught, so if the instructor matters to you, ask Rutgers who will lead the year you apply for.

Beyond the lead instructor, the Tuesday panels bring in guest speakers on what lawyers do and law school faculty and students, and Rutgers promises mentorship from legal professionals. Across all its academies, Rutgers says most groups have 25 to 30 students.

For Summer 2026, Rutgers took high school students finishing 10th or 11th grade who were aged 16 to 18, had turned 16 before the summer, held at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA and were proficient in English. Rutgers reviews and accepts eligible applicants as their applications arrive until each week is full, then waitlists further qualified applicants and offers any places that open up in order. It doesn't describe any further selection, so timing matters most, and in 2026 both weeks filled to capacity.

The application itself is light, and decisions come by email within two to three weeks of a complete application.

• Transcript

  At least two marking periods of grades, and an unofficial copy is fine.

• Essay

  Up to two paragraphs answering "Why do you want to attend the Rutgers Pre-College Summer Academy and what do you hope to learn?"

• Recommendation

  A letter from any teacher or other person who can speak to your achievements, which they must submit themselves. Your application isn't complete until it arrives.

• International students

  You also need an F-1 or J-1 visa, a passport copy, proof of funding and health insurance. Rutgers recommends a TOEFL score of 79, an IELTS score of 6.5 or a Duolingo English Test score of 105, and without a score it may arrange a phone or video interview.

In 2026 one week cost $2,899 and both weeks cost $5,798, plus $55 if you stayed the Saturday night between them, which made $5,853. In-state and out-of-state students paid the same, and Rutgers says residential academies include dorm lodging and meals in the campus dining halls.

Accepted students paid a $500 deposit to confirm a place and the balance by 1 June 2026. The deposit isn't refunded under any circumstances, and Rutgers decides refunds of the rest case by case, with scheduling conflicts or a place on another program not counting as reasons. Nothing at all is refunded within two weeks of the start date, so settle your summer plans before you pay.

International students also pay for an F-1 or J-1 visa and must buy Rutgers health insurance, which Rutgers puts at about $60 for the week. Rutgers doesn't mention financial aid for the academies.

Program assistants and resident assistants supervise students around the clock, in the dorms, in class and at evening activities, and you can't leave campus unsupervised, not even for food, family visits or errands. Staff work under the Rutgers Protection of Minors Policy, which requires background checks and training.

You share a room with one other student, usually from your own academy. You can name a preferred roommate, but Rutgers can't promise it, and single rooms are given only for medical need. Students with food allergies or medically necessary diets get labeled, pre-packaged meals from Rutgers Dining. Rutgers enforces a zero-tolerance policy on alcohol and drugs, and bullying or harassment can get a student dismissed.

Medical, dietary and housing forms and waivers have a firm deadline, and a student who misses it can't check in.

You leave with a Rutgers Pre-College Digital Badge, issued through Accredible, which you can share online and list on college applications or a resume. The academy is non-credit, so there's no grade and no Rutgers transcript, and Rutgers says taking part doesn't guarantee admission to Rutgers. Rutgers suggests drawing on the experience itself in applications, essays and interviews, and here that means two mock trials you prepared and argued with a team.