Summer Challenge: Frequently Asked Questions

You need to be entering your sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school in fall 2026.

Summer Challenge is open to both commuter and residential students. You must be 14 years old by the time the program begins in order to participate as a residential student.

No, Summer Challenge is noncredit. After the program concludes, you will receive a certificate of completion and letters of evaluation from your seminar instructors.

Please visit the Tuition & Payment page for a detailed description of the cost of attending the Summer Challenge program.

There are several methods of payment. Please click here for a description of your options.

Yes, international students are welcome to join the program. You can find more details about applying as an international student on our Information for International Students page.

You can find application instructions and a link to the online application on the How to Apply page.

We are looking for motivated high school students who are taking a college preparatory curriculum. Your high school transcript and personal statement are both taken into account when admission decisions are made. See the How to Apply page for details.

There is no financial aid for the Summer Challenge program.

Your application is considered complete only after all required materials are received and verified by our office. We will contact you if any additional or corrected materials are needed to complete your application. You can check the status of your application at any time through your Applicant Portal. See the How to Apply page for details about application requirements.

Applicants will be able to check the status of their submitted applications at any time through their Applicant Portal.

Within three weeks of your application being verified as complete by our office, you will be notified of an admission decision.

You can either accept or decline our offer of admission, but we ask that you inform us of your decision within one week of receiving your offer of admission. Please note that attending students are required to pay a $1,000 nonrefundable deposit to secure a spot in the program.

Summer Challenge students enroll in two seminars. Click here for a list of our 2026 seminars.

Yes, Summer Challenge students are required to bring a laptop or tablet to campus to access online course materials. Only basic functions are needed; any classes that require specific software will be held in a computer lab. If you have any questions or concerns about computer requirements, please contact us.

The number varies by session, typically ranging from 200 to 400 students. There are typically between 10 and 30 students in each seminar.

The full schedule of activities will be emailed to participants two weeks in advance of the program. You can find out more information about the types of activities we offer here.

Yes, there is a curfew for residential students. You must be in the dorm by 11 pm during the week (Sunday through Thursday) and midnight on weekends (Friday and Saturday). You are then free to visit with friends in the common areas until 1 am during the week and 2 am on weekends.

You are allowed to leave campus during your free time as long as you are accompanied by at least one other student in the program and let your program assistant know you are leaving. Residential students must be back in the dorm before curfew or the start of any mandatory activity. You may not leave the boundaries set by the program within the city of Boston without the permission of your parents and our program. These boundaries will be reviewed with students once they arrive on campus. Our program reserves the right to restrict your access to any part of Boston for security or other concerns.

If a parent or guardian is in town and would like to spend time with you, that visit must be scheduled during your free time when there are no activities planned. They are welcome to visit with you anywhere within our campus boundaries.

If you would like to visit your parent or guardian, relatives, or family friends (at least 18 years of age) within city limits, that visit must be scheduled during your free time when there are no mandatory activities planned. In addition, your parent or guardian must submit a Leave Request Form. This request must be received at least 72 hours before you are planning to leave campus and, for weekend leave requests, before 3 pm EDT on Friday. Requests are not reviewed on nights and weekends. Your parent or guardian will need to provide details about the visit, such as the time that you will be picked up and dropped off at campus, and the cell phone number of the relative or family friend (at least 18 years of age) you will be with. You are only authorized to leave once the Summer Term Pre-College Programs office gives permission and sends your parent or guardian approval via email.

Residential students must return to the dorm by curfew.

Yes, there is a $25 fee each time you visit Student Health Services and there may be additional charges for medical supplies or immunizations. These charges will be billed to your student account. Blood work is billed directly to your insurance, so please bring your insurance information.

No, we believe that learning to live with someone new is an important part of the pre-college experience. Program activities and free time provide plenty of opportunities to hang out with friends, who will also be living in a residence hall on campus.

Boston University is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities have equal access to all opportunities the University has to offer. Disability & Access Services (DAS) works to provide services and support to ensure that students are able to access and participate in the opportunities available at BU. Classroom, testing, housing, and dining accommodations may be requested through DAS. For more information, please visit the Admitted Students section of our website.

We are happy to help you. You can find all of our information on the Contact Us page.