Program Guidelines

Boston University Summer Term High School Programs have established rules and regulations that apply to pre-college programs. These rules have been designed for your safety and well-being, and to increase your enjoyment of dorm life, and of the Boston area.

These rules and regulations are strictly enforced. Students found in violation of program or Boston University rules and regulations are immediately removed from the dorm and the program regardless of when during the program the infraction occurs. Students removed from the program for a rules violation have 24 hours to vacate the dorm and make travel arrangements to return home. Tuition and fees are not refunded if a student is sent home.

Please feel free to call the program staff at 617-353-1378 if you have any questions.

Curfew

All of our programs have a curfew. All students must be on their dorm floor by 11 pm, Sunday through Thursday, and by midnight on Friday and Saturday for curfew check. Students who are late for curfew will face disciplinary consequences and may be sent home. There are no exceptions or extensions to the curfew.

Once you have been checked in, you are free to visit the other floors of your tower or hang out in the common areas on the fourth floor until 1 am, Sunday through Thursday, and 2 am on Friday and Saturday, when you then have to be in your dorm room with lights out.

Planned Activities

To help students get to know each other, the campus, and Boston, our high school programs include a variety of fun group events that we've organized on campus and around Boston. Our planned social activities occur during the afternoon or evenings, and on weekends. These events are mandatory for all students.

Overnight Absence from Campus*

Only for High School Honors and Research Internship students.
*Overnight absences are not allowed for Summer Challenge or Summer Preview (session two) students.
Due to the High School Honors and Research Internship in Science & Engineering being six weeks in length, occasionally students need to leave campus overnight (family reunions, emergencies, etc.). If a student needs to be away from campus overnight, we must receive notice in writing, via email from a parent/guardian, at least forty-eight hours in advance. This email must provide the name and cell phone number of the person who will be responsible for the student while off campus, as well as when the student will leave and return to campus. We ask that overnight absences be kept to a minimum, as participants are expected to take part in weekend program activities.

Free-Time Guidelines

Students are allowed to leave campus during their free time. However, students are not permitted to leave campus by themselves—they must be accompanied by at least one other student in the program or by a Program Assistant. Summer Preview students must be with a Program Assistant if travelling off campus and with at least one other program participant when on campus. Students may not leave the city of Boston without the permission of their parents and our program. Our program reserves the right to restrict students’ access to any part of Boston for security or other concerns. When students do leave campus, they need to inform a Program Assistant of their destination and time of return, no later than curfew. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in disciplinary consequences and possible removal from the program.

Summer Challenge and Summer Preview Students Only: If a student has a special circumstance (i.e. family reunion) during a planned activity and needs to miss an activity, the parent needs to send in a written request to be considered and approved by our office at least two weeks before the program begins. Requests should be sent via email to the Summer Term High School Programs office and needs to include the reason for potentially missing a planned activity, the date and time the student will be away from the planned activity, and signatures from both the parent and student. Requests made once the program begins will not be considered.

REMEMBER: Students are not allowed to miss any class time and there are no overnight absences for Summer Challenge students. If a student receives approval by our office to miss a planned activity the student must return by curfew.

Family Visits

If a parent or guardian is in town and would like to spend time with their son or daughter or if the student would like to visit relatives or family friends in the area only, it needs to be scheduled during the student's free time when there are no activities planned and the student needs to return to their dorm by curfew. In addition, the parent or guardian needs to send written permission to the Summer Term High School Programs office at least forty-eight hours before the student is planning to leave campus. The parent or guardian can email a letter of permission including details such as the time of when the student will leave and return to campus, and the cell phone number of the relative or family friend the student will be with to summerhs@bu.edu.

Drugs and Alcohol

No illicit drugs or alcohol are allowed in the dorm or on campus. Illicit drugs or alcohol are not permitted to be consumed during the duration of the program. Students found in possession of, under the influence of, in the presence of, and/or suspected of consuming these prohibited items will be removed from the program immediately and may receive additional penalties. Students may also receive penalties ex post facto, if evidence surfaces that students were engaged in these prohibited activities during the program. There are no exceptions. Decisions on incidents involving illicit drugs and alcohol are up to the discretion of the Boston University Summer Term High School Programs.

Student Conduct

Students may be withdrawn from the Summer Term High School Programs if, in our judgment, they pose a direct threat to their own health or safety or to that of others, or refuse to cooperate with efforts deemed necessary by the University to evaluate their conduct.

A fundamental goal of the Summer Term High School Programs is to foster a community environment based upon mutual respect and openness. Therefore, any form of discrimination, including but not limited to that based on race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation, constitutes unacceptable behavior.

Send Word Now: Boston University’s Emergency Alert System

Boston University uses an on-demand alert and response system called Send Word Now. In the event of a campus emergency, Send Word Now’s technology allows us to contact the entire campus community immediately through a variety of electronic means, including text messaging, email, and voice mail.

To ensure the effectiveness of the Send Word Now system, all students are required to provide their emergency alert phone number (typically their cell phone), so they can be reached on campus.

How to Comply:

When completing the registration form provided in the acceptance packet, please remember to fill out the BU Emergency Alert Contact Phone Number on the right side of the form. This is the phone number that the University’s Send Word Now system will use to reach you in case of a University-wide emergency. If you will be living on campus, we recommend that you provide your own cell phone number (not your parent's number), since there are no landlines in the dorm rooms. If you are commuting, you can use either your cell phone or home number.

Please contact our office at summerhs@bu.edu or 617-353-1378 if you have any questions.

More Information

More information about University rules and policies can be found online at the Boston University Lifebook. Removal from housing for violations of University rules and regulations will lead to removal from the High School Programs and may also result in additional penalties.