Is Cornell's CURIE Academy still running in 2027? No. Cornell's engineering college, renamed the Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering in January 2026, says it will not offer its High School Outreach Programs, including CURIE and CATALYST, going forward, and that it expects to announce next steps in 2026. CURIE was a one-week residential engineering program at Cornell for high school girls who were rising juniors and seniors, created in 2000. Any site still listing a 2026 or 2027 CURIE deadline or fee is out of date.
Facts come from Cornell's own pages, the Cornell Chronicle and MIT's program pages as of November 2026, all linked in the Sources section.
What Cornell has said
The Duffield College of Engineering's Office of Inclusive Excellence states on its page that, after a thorough review, it will not be offering its High School Outreach Programs, including the CATALYST and CURIE academies, going forward. It says it found options to advance its mission more efficiently, aims to significantly expand outreach to future engineers, and expects to share next steps in 2026. As of November 4, 2026, we found no replacement program announced on the Cornell pages we checked.
Two other signs match this. The old CURIE website, which ran on a Cornell Engineering server, now returns a "site no longer available" message, and the newer outreach academies site it pointed to no longer resolves. Old engineering.cornell.edu links now redirect to duffield.cornell.edu, after the college was renamed on January 22, 2026 following David A. Duffield's gift, which Cornell called the largest in its history.
What this means for families:
| Question | Answer as of November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Is there a CURIE Academy in summer 2027? | Not announced; Cornell says it will not offer the program going forward |
| Is CATALYST Academy running? | No, it was discontinued with CURIE |
| Should I pay an application fee listed on a third-party site? | No; check Cornell's Office of Inclusive Excellence page first |
| Could Cornell announce something new? | Possibly; Cornell says next steps were expected in 2026 |
What CURIE Academy was
CURIE, named after Marie Curie, was created in 2000 as a branch of Cornell Engineering's High School Outreach Program. It ran for one week each July and gave high school girls who excel in math and science a first taste of engineering in a college setting.
| What Cornell reported | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 |
| Who it was for | High school girls who were rising juniors and seniors |
| Length | One week, residential (virtual in 2021) |
| Typical dates | Mid-July, for example July 12 to 18, 2015 and July 14 to 20, 2024 |
| Class size | 52 in 2015, 43 in 2021, 45 in 2024 |
| Academic bar | GPA of at least 3.0; admission was competitive (2015) |
| Cost | Fees not stated in Cornell's articles; scholarships could cover tuition and room and board (2015) |
| Run by | Cornell Engineering's diversity and inclusion office, with faculty and graduate students |
| Funding | Alumni donors, plus grants and donations for some years |
Each year had a different hands-on theme. In 2015 students learned MATLAB in afternoon workshops and manipulated digital images, such as repairing old photos. In 2021 the program, held online, had students build logic-gate circuits, program microcontrollers in C++ and design small Internet of Things systems such as a flood warning system. In 2024, co-sponsored by the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems, students used DNA to change protein production in yeast and built soil moisture sensors from inexpensive parts. Faculty also gave sessions on different engineering majors, and students had a taste of college life in Ithaca.
Why CURIE mattered, and what it did not do
CURIE's value was exposure. In one week a student could see several engineering fields, work on a team project and meet Cornell faculty. For a student unsure whether engineering was for her, that was useful.
It was never designed to produce independent research, a paper or a science fair entry. One week is too short for that. So families who planned on CURIE for a junior summer are not losing the thing selective engineering schools weigh most. They are losing a good introduction, which other programs below still offer. For how Cornell reads applications, see how research helps with Cornell admissions.
Cornell options that still exist
Cornell Precollege Studies is Cornell's main summer option for high school students now. It is a credit program, not an outreach program, and it is priced like one.
| Cornell Precollege Studies (summer 2026) | |
|---|---|
| Who | Students entering junior or senior year of high school |
| Formats | Residential (three or six weeks), commuter and online |
| Credit | Regular Cornell undergraduate courses and a Cornell transcript |
| 2026 sessions | Three-week: June 1 to 18 (no residential), June 22 to July 10, July 13 to 31; six-week: June 22 to July 31 |
| Tuition | $1,940 per credit for summer 2026; three-week sessions $5,820 for 3 credits or $7,760 for 4 |
| Six-week residential total | $18,402 to $22,282, including a $6,595 residential fee and $167 health fee |
| Application fee | $75, nonrefundable |
| 2026 deadlines | Application opened January 12, 2026; residential application form due May 14 and materials May 19 |
Precollege lets a student test an engineering-adjacent course for credit. It is not girls-only, not an engineering sampler and not research. Compare prices with other options in how much research programs cost.
Programs similar to CURIE
The closest current match we verified is MIT's Women's Technology Program in Mechanical Engineering (WTP-ME): a four-week residential summer introduction to engineering for students with strong math and science records and little or no engineering background.
| MIT WTP-ME (summer 2027) | |
|---|---|
| Who | Students in 11th grade when they apply, living in the US year round |
| Length | Four weeks, residential in MIT dorms |
| 2027 dates | June 26 to July 24, 2027 |
| Cost | Free to apply; free to attend for family income under $120,000; fees from $2,000 to $20,000 above that, with help for hardship |
| Housing and food | Provided |
| Seats | About 20 admitted, with a waitlist of about 15 |
| Application | Online application, three essays, two teacher references (one math, one science), grade 9 and 10 transcript plus fall grade 11 grades; test scores not required |
| Key dates | Applications open in mid-October; deadline December 21; decisions in mid to late March |
The WTP FAQ we read does not state a gender requirement beyond the program's name, so ask the program if that matters for your student. The deadline is December 21, so juniors interested in summer 2027 need to act now.
Other options to compare, depending on the student:
- MITES Summer, MIT's summer STEM program for rising seniors, covered in our full guide.
- RSI and the Summer Science Program, for students ready for research.
- Free research programs for high school students, for a wider list.
- Computer science research programs, for engineering students leaning toward computing.
How the options compare
| CURIE (as it ran) | Cornell Precollege | MIT WTP-ME | YRI Fellowship | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status for 2027 | Discontinued | Running | Running | Rolling admissions |
| Length | One week | Three or six weeks | Four weeks | Ten weeks, then support until published |
| Format | Residential | Residential, commuter or online | Residential | Online, one on one |
| What the student leaves with | Exposure to engineering fields | Cornell credit and transcript | Engineering coursework and team projects | First-author paper submitted to a peer-reviewed venue |
| Cost | Not published by Cornell | $5,820 tuition (three weeks) to $22,282 (six weeks residential) | Free to $20,000 by income | $2,997 |
| Selectivity | 43 to 52 students a year | Not published | About 20 admitted | Application, no fee |
The odds, frankly
With CURIE gone, the remaining girls-focused engineering summer programs are small. WTP-ME expects to admit about 20 students. Most strong applicants to any program of that size are turned away, through no fault of their own. Apply to the programs that fit, and plan the summer so that a "no" in March does not leave it empty.
If CURIE was your plan
A one-week academy was a starting point. What selective engineering schools look for is evidence that a student took a question further: a design she built and tested, data she collected, a result she can explain to a skeptical engineer. That takes months, not a week, and most students admitted to selective colleges with a research profile built it on their own timeline with a mentor, whether or not they attended a selective summer program.
The YRI Fellowship is built for that: ten weeks one on one with a PhD mentor on a question the student chooses, the student as first author, a paper submitted to IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venues, ISEF and JSHS preparation, and a letter of recommendation from the mentor. Mentorship continues at no extra cost until the paper is published. 87% of Fellows publish and 73% place at competitions, and Fellows have been admitted to Brown, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Caltech and Harvard. It costs $2,997, with a three-month payment plan and case-by-case scholarships. Admissions are rolling, so a student can start this winter, before summer programs even decide. To plan a competition run with the work, see how to win science fairs.
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
- How research helps with Cornell admissions
- Best summer programs at Ivy League schools
- MITES Summer guide
- Free research programs for high school students
- Summer research programs for 2027: deadlines, costs and odds
- Are pre-college programs worth it
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cornell CURIE Academy still offered?
No. Cornell's Duffield College of Engineering says it will not offer its High School Outreach Programs, including CURIE and CATALYST, going forward. It said it expected to announce next steps in 2026; check its Office of Inclusive Excellence page for updates.
What was CURIE Academy at Cornell?
A one-week residential summer program, created in 2000, that introduced high school girls who were rising juniors and seniors to engineering through faculty lectures and a hands-on team project. Recent classes had 43 to 52 students.
When is the CURIE Academy 2027 deadline?
There is none. Third-party listings with 2026 or 2027 deadlines and fees are out of date, because Cornell has stopped offering the program.
How much did CURIE Academy cost?
Cornell's articles about the program do not state a fee. A 2015 Cornell Chronicle article said scholarships were available to cover tuition and room and board.
Is CATALYST Academy at Cornell still running?
No. Cornell discontinued CATALYST together with CURIE as part of the same decision about its High School Outreach Programs.
What are good alternatives to CURIE Academy?
MIT's Women's Technology Program in Mechanical Engineering is the closest match: four weeks, residential, free for family income under $120,000, with a December 21 deadline. Cornell Precollege Studies offers credit-bearing summer courses for rising juniors and seniors at a much higher price.
Does a summer program at Cornell help with Cornell admission?
Cornell's pages we checked do not say that it does. What helps any engineering application is sustained work with a result, which is why a finished project carries more weight than a short program.
What should I do instead of CURIE Academy?
Do a serious engineering or science project over months with a mentor. The YRI Fellowship pairs a student with a PhD mentor for ten weeks, one on one, and ends with a first-author paper submitted to a peer-reviewed venue plus ISEF and JSHS preparation. 87% of Fellows publish. Admissions are rolling, and the application takes ten minutes with no fee.
Sources
- Cornell Duffield College of Engineering: Office of Inclusive Excellence (High School Outreach Programs, including CURIE and CATALYST, not offered going forward)
- Cornell Chronicle: Largest gift in university history names Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering (January 22, 2026)
- Cornell CURIE Academy: former program site (now no longer available)
- Cornell Chronicle: CURIE Academy fuels girls' passion for engineering (2015: founded 2000, 52 students, GPA, scholarships)
- Cornell Chronicle: DPE puts its mission into practice with CURIE Academy (2021: 43 scholars, virtual, IoT project)
- Cornell Chronicle: High schoolers investigate programmable plants (2024: 45 students, one week, co-sponsors)
- Cornell Precollege Studies: overview (formats, eligibility, credit)
- Cornell Precollege Studies: Summer dates and deadlines (2026 sessions and deadlines)
- Cornell Precollege Studies: Residential tuition and fees (summer 2026 per-credit rate and totals)
- MIT Women's Technology Program: homepage (WTP-ME, four weeks, 2027 dates)
- MIT Women's Technology Program: FAQ (eligibility, fees by income, seats, application components)
- MIT Women's Technology Program: WTP-ME key dates (application window, December 21 deadline, decisions)