As an admissions strategy, most pre-college programs are not worth the price: Stanford says attending its summer session does not increase a student's chances, Yale says its flagship summer program is not a feeder, and deans at Brown and Johns Hopkins have said the same, while two to three weeks on an elite campus costs about $5,800 to $12,800. They can be worth it for other reasons, such as testing a subject or trying campus life, especially with financial aid. The summers that carry weight with admissions offices are selective programs that admit on merit, research that ends in a finished result, and competitions.

Prices below come from each university's own pre-college pages, and statements from admissions officers come from university pages and named news reports, all linked in the Sources section. Older quotes are dated so you can weigh them.

What a pre-college program is

A pre-college program is a short summer program that a university runs for high school students. Most last one to three weeks, take place on campus or online, and do not give grades or college credit. Harvard describes its version as a two-week, non-credit, residential experience. Stanford's Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes are two-week online courses for students in grades 8 to 11, ungraded and without credit.

The university name is on the program, but the undergraduate admissions office usually is not behind it. A 2019 Washington Monthly investigation found that many pre-college programs are run by separate units, often a school of professional studies, or by outside companies. Yale Young Global Scholars, for example, is run by Yale's Office of International Affairs.

What pre-college programs cost in 2027

ProgramFormatCostYear posted
Harvard Pre-College Program2 weeks, residential, non-credit$6,250 plus $75 application fee2027
Yale Young Global Scholars2 weeks, residential$7,500, aid up to 100% of tuition2027
Columbia Pre-College, NYC Residential3 weeks, residential$12,8382027 estimate
Columbia Pre-College, NYC Commuter3 weeks, day program$6,3812027 estimate
Columbia Pre-College, Online2 weeks$4,0182027 estimate
Summer@Brown, on campus1, 2 or 3 weeks, residential$3,748, $5,786 or $8,3722026
Summer@Brown, online2 weeks$3,3642026
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes2 weeks, online$3,200 plus up to $100 in materials2026

Travel is extra everywhere. Brown's fees are per course, so two courses cost two fees. Columbia's costs are estimates pending trustee approval.

Aid varies widely. YYGS offers need-based aid up to full tuition to U.S. and international students and met 99% of admitted students' aid requests in full in 2026. Harvard offers a limited number of need-based scholarships that typically cover part of tuition. Brown's need-based Sibley scholarships are first come, first served, and Brown had no scholarships for international students in 2026. Stanford's summer institutes offer need-based aid to domestic and international families.

At these prices, two weeks at Harvard works out to about $3,125 a week, and three weeks in Columbia's residential program to about $4,280 a week.

What admissions officers have said publicly

The clearest statements come from the universities themselves.

  • Stanford. Stanford Summer Session's FAQ says admission to the summer session does not guarantee or increase a student's chances of admission to Stanford's degree programs, and that Stanford has no preference for students who attend Stanford-specific summer programs.
  • Yale. The YYGS FAQ says the program is not a feeder for Yale and was not founded to generate revenue.
  • Brown. In 2015, Brown's dean of admissions, Jim Miller, told PBS NewsHour that the extra weight his office gives summer programs is "zero," and that the office does not even know who attended Brown's summer school.
  • Johns Hopkins. In 2019, the assistant dean for summer programs told Washington Monthly that Hopkins is not a feeder to its undergraduate programs, while noting that doing a program well does not hurt.
  • Rice. Washington Monthly quoted Rice's summer site saying admission to its summer sessions does not influence undergraduate admission.
  • MIT. MIT Admissions says there are no right or wrong ways to spend a summer and advises students to choose what suits their own needs and goals. It also says most summer programs admit all or most students who can pay, and it points students to selective programs that are free or have generous aid.

Former admissions officers say the same. Beth Heaton, who read files at the University of Pennsylvania, told PBS in 2015 that she did not place much value on these programs when reviewing applications. Christine Kim, a former assistant director of admissions at Yale and Georgetown, told CBS MoneyWatch in 2020 that most are not administered by the main college office, and that selective programs such as MIT's Research Science Institute are as hard to get into as top colleges and free.

To be fair to the programs, Harvard's pre-college page says participation can help, because finishing a rigorous course shows readiness, and the program includes essay workshops and panels with admissions officers. That is a useful benefit for preparation. It is not the same as an admissions advantage.

Why most pre-college programs carry little weight

Three reasons come up again and again in these sources.

  1. Admission is open to most students who can pay. MIT says so directly. The former Penn officer quoted in Washington Monthly said she could not recall a student who applied to these programs and was turned away. Exceptions exist: YYGS received more than 14,000 applications for about 2,000 places in 2026.
  2. They show interest, not output. Two weeks of lectures, with no grades or credit, tells an admissions reader the student was curious. It does not show what the student can do alone.
  3. They can read as a signal of money. College Transitions, a college counseling firm, warns that colleges may see participation in pay-to-attend programs as evidence of wealth rather than ability, even when the program is on an Ivy League campus.

For more on how admissions readers judge activities, see the extracurricular that matters.

When a pre-college program is worth it

A pre-college program can be money well spent when the goal is the experience itself:

  • Testing a subject. A two-week medicine or engineering course is a low-risk way to find out whether a student likes the field before choosing a research topic or a major.
  • Campus life. Parents in the Washington Monthly report used these programs to let students practice living in a dorm and to decide between a city campus and a college town.
  • A selective, aided program. YYGS admits a fraction of applicants and offers full need-based aid to U.S. and international students. Our YYGS guide covers the 2027 dates and odds.

It is not worth it when the plan is to buy an edge at the host college, or when the family would borrow to pay for it.

Which summers carry weight

Admissions officers have not published a ranking, so this is our reading of the statements above, and it is opinion.

  1. Selective programs that admit on merit. RSI, the Summer Science Program, Clark Scholars, Garcia and Stanford SIMR appear on MIT's list of selective programs, which MIT describes as free or offering generous need-based aid. Our free research programs list covers these and more.
  2. Research with a finished result. A paper submitted to a peer-reviewed journal or a full science fair project is the student's own work, with a result a reader can check. See how research papers help with Ivy League admissions.
  3. Competitions. A placement at a regional fair, ISEF or JSHS is judged by outside experts, which is why it carries weight. Our ISEF guide for parents explains the path.
  4. Work and responsibility. MIT says there are no wrong answers, and even YYGS's own application lists paid work and family responsibilities as activity types. A summer job is a legitimate summer.

What these have in common is selection on merit or a result the student produced. It is also what a college application spike is built from.

A decision table for parents

Your goalBest fitPre-college program?
Try a subject before committingShort pre-college course, on campus or onlineYes, if the cost is comfortable
Practice dorm life and independenceResidential pre-college programYes
Improve chances at the host collegeNone that the colleges endorseNo. The colleges say it is not a path in
A selective credentialRSI, SSP, Clark Scholars, Garcia, YYGSApply, and have a backup plan
Proof of ability in one fieldMentored research with a finished paperRarely
A science fair, ISEF or JSHS runOriginal research projectNo
A tight budgetFree selective programs, a paid job, an independent projectNo

For a side-by-side of the main summer options, read YRI vs summer programs and our ranking of the best summer programs for Ivy League admissions.

Where YRI fits

If the goal is a result an admissions reader can verify, the YRI Fellowship is the research option. It is 10 weeks, one-on-one with a PhD mentor matched to the student's field, and it ends with the student as first author on a paper submitted to a peer-reviewed IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venue. ISEF and JSHS preparation is included, the mentor writes a letter of recommendation, and mentorship continues at no extra cost until the paper is published.

87% of Fellows publish, 73% place at competitions, and Fellows have been admitted to Brown, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Caltech and Harvard. It costs $2,997, less than two weeks at Harvard's pre-college program, with a three-month payment plan and scholarships considered case by case. It is online with rolling admissions, so it fits around a summer job or a short campus program.

FREE GUIDE · PDF

Download the YRI Fellowship brochure

The program, the outcomes, the mentors and the tuition, in one PDF you can read with your family.

Related guides

Frequently Asked Questions

Are pre-college programs worth it?

For exploring a subject or trying campus life, they can be, especially with financial aid. As a way to improve admission chances, usually not: Stanford, Yale, Brown and Johns Hopkins have each said their summer programs are not a path into their undergraduate colleges.

Do pre-college programs help college admissions?

Rarely on their own. MIT Admissions says most summer programs admit all or most students who can pay, and former admissions officers have said they placed little value on them. Selective programs that admit on merit are the exception.

Does attending a college's summer program help you get into that college?

The colleges say no. Stanford says its summer session does not increase admission chances, Yale says YYGS is not a feeder, and Brown's admissions dean said in 2015 that his office does not know who attended its summer school.

How much do Ivy League pre-college programs cost?

For 2027, Harvard's two-week program costs $6,250 plus a $75 fee, YYGS $7,500, and Columbia's three-week residential program an estimated $12,838. Summer@Brown cost $5,786 for two residential weeks in 2026, before travel.

Which summer programs impress colleges?

Programs that select on merit and are free or well aided, such as RSI, SSP, Clark Scholars, Garcia and Stanford SIMR, plus summers that produce a result: a research paper, a science fair project or a competition placement.

Are Ivy League pre-college programs selective?

Most are far less selective than the colleges that host them. Harvard says its program is selective but designed to be more accessible than Harvard College. YYGS is an exception, with more than 14,000 applications for about 2,000 places in 2026.

What is a better use of summer money than a pre-college program?

A project with a finished result. The YRI Fellowship costs $2,997 for 10 weeks one-on-one with a PhD mentor, ends in a first-author paper submitted to a peer-reviewed venue, and includes ISEF and JSHS preparation. 87% of Fellows publish.

Sources

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