1. What is the NYU High School Summer Program?
NYU high school summer programs (not NYU precollege) include subjects in Arts & Media, STEM, Humanities & Social Science, Business & Entrepreneurship, and College Prep/Internship. NYU offers significantly more summer programs in Arts & media (20+) and STEM (10+) compared to other topics. There are less than 10 programs across Humanities & Social Science, Business & Entrepreneurship, and College Prep/Internship combined. Students who are more oriented toward the Arts or STEM fields would benefit most from NYU High School summer programs.
Students looking to further develop their artistic skills, and those with niche interests should consider applying to NYU High School summer programs. NYU Steinhardt’s Music Summer Programs offer unique classes such as Broadway Percussion Seminar, Jazz and Improv Composers Workshop, Musical Theater Conducting, and Music Therapy. NYU’s Steinhardt High School Summer Art Intensive trains students in either digital art, painting, or sculpture. STEM NYU high school summer programs teach urban infrastructure, conduct STEM research with NYU faculty and graduate students, build augmented reality, create user experience design, and many more topics.
Both Humanities & Social Science programs—on social justice and journalism—provide full scholarships, but are limited to local NYC high school students. NYU offers numerous one-week career-focused workshops ($6,000+), a one-week leadership intensive for Jewish students ($600+), and a six-week paid internship experience for Jewish students.
NYU High School Summer Program dates vary greatly for each topic. See a full list of NYU High School summer programs. Programs start as early as the first week of June and end as late as the last week of August. Programs may be 5 days or 6 weeks long. For the most part, housing/meals are optional. Each program has different grade-level or age requirements, but most programs are open to 9-11 graders.
2. How competitive and prestigious are NYU High School Summer Programs?
NYU offers many full-scholarship high school summer programs across all topics, aside from Arts & Media. However, most of these full-scholarship programs are limited to NYC/tristate area residents. Credit-earning Arts & Media programs cost around $7,000 to $11,000. Non-credit NYU summer programs in S.T.E.M. on average cost $2,500 for two-week programs and $6,000 to over $11,000 for six-week programs. These prices do not include materials/events fees and housing/meals, which can add another couple thousand dollars.
All NYU summer programs are non-credit, except for select Arts & Media programs. Students can earn 4-6 credits for programs in Filmmaking, Screenwriting, Dance, Drama, Game Design, Photography, Music, and Production. Students who want to earn transferable college credit in other disciplines may want to consider summer programs hosted by other universities.
For programs that are not fully funded by the University or its sponsors, NYU is not able to provide generous financial aid and scholarships to students. Compared to other universities, some of NYU’s high school summer programs are significantly more expensive, even though students do not earn college credit. Without a doubt, NYU summer programs are best for high school students from/currently living in NYC or surrounding areas, because of the many full-scholarship programs exclusive to residents. However, non-local students interested in NYU high school summer programs should carefully consider whether its high price is worth the value.
There are a few selective NYU high school summer programs looking for high-achieving students in upper grades. However, most programs have relatively low-medium standards for academic standing, and are open to lower grades (including 8th grade and 9th grade). Some programs don’t have any GPA requirements, some require a bit of previous experience in the topic, and others suggest a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Each program has a different application deadline ranging from February to June, and some admit on a rolling basis. Each program also has different application requirements such as four short essays, longer 650-word essay, (un)official high school transcripts, 1-2 high school teacher/counselor recommendation letters, portfolios/creative resumes with around 10 pieces, proof of English language comprehension, personal/educational/family history, and various other materials.
Combining the following factors of limited subjects outside of STEM and Arts, high prices, non-credit courses, residency limitations, and non-competitive GPA requirements, many NYU high school summer programs are not competitive or prestigious. Students should make their own judgment based on their program of interest. A typical rule of thumb is that lower cost programs with high GPA/academic standing requirements are typically more competitive and prestigious.
3. Is NYU Summer Precollege right for you?
NYU Summer Precollege is completely different from topic-based NYU high school summer programs. For six weeks, high school students take up to 2 on-campus classes taught by NYU faculty with NYU undergraduates and earn up to 8 college credits. Students study alongside and work on group projects with NYU undergraduate students and other NYU Precollege high school students. NYU Precollege offers standard courses like Biology, Computer Science, Journalism, foreign languages, Art History, and cultural studies—as well as more niche topics like Hotel & Tourism Management and Food Studies.
Students can also choose to add a non-credit College Writing course. College 101 information sessions are also available to help high school students navigate the admissions process, financial aid application process, essay writing, academic research, and many other vital college preparation skills and tips.
NYU Precollege students are fully expected to take on all the responsibilities of a NYU undergraduate student—often including finding off-campus housing, commuting on the subway to class, managing your time outside of class, and organizing your workload to ensure you finish all your assignments. At NYU, “Precollege is College,” and there’s little to no handholding. Students are not placed in cohorts or groups with other students, but are assigned to current NYU students called Program Assistants (PAs). PAs can help answer any questions and run evening and weekend activities. Off-campus activities include trips to Broadway shows, baseball games, museum visits, and many more to give students a taste of glamorous New York City life.
Just like in college, NYU Precollege students can choose whether to participate in school-organized events, make their own friends to hang out with, and figure out their own commute to events on- and off-campus. PAs can advise, but are not responsible for looking after precollege students. Learn more about NYU Precollege student life and boarding life.
NYU Precollege provides a more realistic, independent college experience than precollege programs at other universities. This, coupled with the many attentive workshops and courses on how to build a strong college application, makes NYU Precollege a particularly special and productive experience.
4. Is NYU Precollege worth it?
When determining competitiveness and prestige of a summer program, high school students should consider the eligibility requirements, admissions cycle, and cost. See below for NYU Precollege program details.
Dates: July 5 – August 16 for Summer 2023
Student Eligibility: Applicants must be rising juniors or seniors in high school with a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Recommended Application Deadlines: *Applications accepted on a rolling basis*
Applications Open: February 1
International Students & Scholarship: March 15
On-campus Housing: May 1
Final Deadline: June 12
Application Requirements: High School Transcript, English Language Testing, optional Personal Statement, and $50 Application Charge
Costs:
NYU Precollege tuition is based on credits. Students should carefully check how many credits each course equates to. The non-credit College Writing Workshop course is $700 and cannot be taken exclusively. Students who want to live on campus must take at least two courses, and international students must be take 6-8 credits to meet VISA requirements. On-campus housing is not guaranteed. Scholarships are very limited, need-based, and only cover partial tuition.
NYU Precollege summer program admits on a rolling basis, which favors accepting early applicants over more academically exceptional applicants. The program is also extremely expensive, and not generous with financial aid, which limits accessibility for students of different socioeconomic statuses– thus lowering competition. Compared to other pre-college programs requiring 3.5+ or 3.8+ GPA, NYU has relatively low requirements for academic standing. These factors combined make NYU Precollege not particularly competitive or prestigious. Similar to NYU high school summer programs, students interested in NYU Precollege should also strongly consider whether the price is worth the experience.
5. Spend your summer with Aralia Education
If you’re interested in Arts & Media or STEM subjects and want a valuable, rewarding, and affordable learning experience, consider taking Aralia Education’s courses! We offer test prep courses in AP Art and Design and every other AP STEM subject, taught by former AP Exam graders. You can also take our portfolio workshops on drawing/painting and photography or competition preparation class on drama writing. Looking for classes to prepare you for college-level writing? Try out our Advanced Academic Writing, English Reading and Writing Advanced, and Historical Research and Writing courses.
Whether or not you’re preparing for NYU high school summer programs and NYU Precollege, Aralia Education’s courses can help you improve your skills in the arts, sciences, and academic writing!
