High School Summer Locations

New York Summer Programs

On the campus of Columbia University

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Discover Columbia University Summer Programs

Experience summer in New York City

From fashion and finance to engineering, healthcare, sports, and marketing, a summer with NSLC at Columbia University opens the door to careers found across New York City. In Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood, Columbia’s historic campus offers a distinctive university setting within one of the world’s busiest cities. Beyond its gates, New York’s neighborhoods, cultural institutions, and industries give the city its unmistakable energy.

Business, science, media, and public life intersect throughout New York, creating a city where the work of countless professions is visible every day. Through hands-on workshops and practical challenges, NSLC students will investigate the decisions, skills, and ideas behind careers that help shape the city.

Life on a College Campus

Dates, Programs, & Tuition

NSLC provides an immersive pre-college experience that prepares students for life beyond high school, allowing them to study in university classrooms, learn to navigate a campus, and experience college life firsthand. When submitting an application, students will select a residential or commuter option: residential students stay on campus in supervised dormitories, while commuter students attend daily programming and return home each evening.

What does my tuition include?

High School Programs

Business & Entrepreneurship

High School

$4,795 Residential

$3,945 Commuter

Summer 2027

Jul 18 - Jul 26

Trips & Tours Sample Schedule

Business & Entrepreneurship Trips & Tours

Trips and tours may include:

Adonis
Inc. Magazine
Times Square
Statue of Liberty Sunset Cruise

Engineering

High School

$4,795 Residential

$3,945 Commuter

Summer 2027

Jun 24 - Jul 2

Jul 6 - Jul 14

Trips & Tours Sample Schedule

Engineering Trips & Tours

Trips and tours may include:

Nokia Bell Labs
Intrepid Museum
Museum of Natural History
Times Square
Statue of Liberty Sunset Cruise

Fashion Management & Design

High School

$4,595 Residential

$3,745 Commuter

Summer 2027

Jul 18 - Jul 26

Trips & Tours Sample Schedule

Fashion Management & Design Trips & Tours

Trips and tours may include:

Aeffe Showroom
Garment District
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fashion Institute of Technology
Statue of Liberty Sunset Cruise

Finance & Investing

High School

$4,795 Residential

$3,945 Commuter

Summer 2027

Jun 24 - Jul 2

Jul 6 - Jul 14

Jul 18 - Jul 26

Trips & Tours Sample Schedule

Finance & Investing Trips & Tours

Trips and tours may include:

BlackRock
Wall Street Walking Tour
Times Square
Statue at Sunset Cruise

Forensic Science

High School

$4,795 Residential

$3,945 Commuter

Summer 2027

Jun 24 - Jul 2

Jul 6 - Jul 14

Jul 18 - Jul 26

Trips & Tours Sample Schedule

Forensic Science Trips & Tours

Trips and tours may include:

Federal Bureau of Investigation
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Drug Enforcement Agency
Times Square
Statue of Liberty Sunset Cruise

Marketing & Public Relations

High School

$4,795 Residential

$3,945 Commuter

Summer 2027

Jun 24 - Jul 2

Jul 6 - Jul 14

Jul 18 - Jul 26

Trips & Tours Sample Schedule

Marketing & Public Relations Trips & Tours

Trips and tours may include:

NBC Studios
Edelman Consulting
Times Square
Statue of Liberty Sunset Cruise

Medicine & Health Care

High School

$4,895 Residential

$4,045 Commuter

Summer 2027

Jun 24 - Jul 2

Jul 6 - Jul 14

Jul 18 - Jul 26

Trips & Tours Sample Schedule

Medicine & Health Care Trips & Tours

Trips and tours may include:

Weill Cornell Medical Simulation Lab
Mount Sinai Simulation Lab
Times Square
Statue of Liberty Sunset Cruise

Sports Management

High School

$4,795 Residential

$3,945 Commuter

Summer 2027

Jun 24 - Jul 2

Jul 6 - Jul 14

Trips & Tours Sample Schedule

Sports Management Trips & Tours

Trips and tours may include:

Barclays Center
Yankee Stadium
Citi Field
Madison Square Garden Arena Operations Tour
Statue of Liberty Sunset Cruise

* NSLC is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Columbia University.

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NSLC Cancellation & Refund Policy

Cancellation requests may be submitted through the Manage Registration section of your online student portal.

Grace Period

NSLC’s cancellation grace period begins when a new Summer 2027 application is submitted.

Enrollments submitted before April 1, 2027 have 30 days to cancel for a full refund.

Enrollments submitted on or after April 1, 2027 have 48 hours to cancel for a full refund.

After this grace period, the schedule below applies.

Cancel Date	Cancellation FeeNon-refundable
By April 1, 2027	$500
April 2 – May 1, 2027	$1,500
May 2, 2027 or after	100% of tuition paid*

*The NSLC will not charge additional payments. Payment plans will automatically end at the time of cancellation.

Flexible Monthly Payments

Spread your tuition into equal monthly payments at no additional fee.

Enrollments submitted prior to May 1, 2027 are automatically placed on a convenient monthly payment plan. Here’s how it works:

1

Pay your deposit

Applications are completed online and require a deposit (applied to the cost of tuition) by credit or debit card.

2

Pay in equal installments

Any remaining tuition is divided into equal payments, automatically charged to the card you used to enroll.

3

Final payment

Your last payment is due no later than 30 days before your session begins.

Good to know

Want to remove autopay or adjust your payment dates? Contact us to make the changes that work best for you.

If you cancel, no additional payments are charged – your payment plan ends automatically. See our cancellation and refund policy.

Student Protection Plans

Protect your tuition payments against unexpected circumstances.

Affordable insurance for your enrollment

A Student Protection Plan protects your investment in case of emergency.

What’s covered

Trip cancellation and interruption – up to 100% of tuition and trip cost, for covered reasons such as unexpected illness or injury

Emergency medical expenses and medical evacuation

Trip delays and lost, stolen or delayed baggage

24/7 worldwide emergency assistance

Subject to the plan’s terms, limitations and exclusions, including pre-existing medical conditions.

How to add your plan

Add a Student Protection Plan when you enroll, or later in your Enrolled Student portal any time before your program begins.

Review full plan details

Request a brochure

Request alumni references

Find your Program

Email Us

What does my tuition include?

Tuition includes course materials, academic expenses, trips, tours, activities, and off-campus event transportation. Housing and meal accommodations vary by enrollment option, as detailed below. Travel costs to and from the program itself are not included, and students are individually responsible for expenses such as spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and off-campus meals.

Residential Option

Residential students stay in supervised campus dormitories, with room assignments based on availability and accommodations ranging from singles to quads, dependent on location. Roommates are assigned by program, gender, and age. Residential tuition includes housing and an on-campus dining plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Commuter Option

Commuter students participate in the same programming as residential students but do not stay overnight on campus. Commuter tuition does not include housing or breakfast but includes lunch and dinner when the program is on campus. Students follow daily arrival and departure times designated by their chosen campus, typically arriving by 8:30 a.m. and departing by 9:00 p.m. More information about specific logistics will be available closer to the start date of the program.

What does my tuition include?

Tuition covers housing (if applicable) and on-campus meals, plus course materials, academic expenses, trips, tours, activities, and off-campus event transportation. Travel costs to and from the program itself are not included, and students are individually responsible for expenses such as spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and off-campus meals.

Residential Option: Residential students live in a campus dormitory supervised by NSLC staff. Students are housed with one or two roommates on a floor with students in their age range. The front desk of the dormitory is monitored 24 hours a day.

Commuter Option: After Registration Day, Commuter students will check in each morning from 7:00 AM to 7:30 AM and check out each evening from 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Commuter tuition includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day, but does not include housing accommodations. During the active program hours between check-in and check-out each day, we kindly ask that students only be signed out from activities for medical or family emergencies.

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What does my tuition include?

Tuition covers housing (if applicable) and on-campus meals, plus course materials, academic expenses, trips, tours, activities, and off-campus event transportation. Travel costs to and from the program itself are not included, and students are individually responsible for expenses such as spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and off-campus meals.

Middle school students choose a Residential or Commuter option when enrolling:

Residential Option: Residential students live in a campus dormitory supervised by NSLC staff. Students are housed with one or two roommates on a floor with students in their age range. The front desk of the dormitory is monitored 24 hours a day.

Commuter Option: After Registration Day, Commuter students will check in each morning from 7:00 AM to 7:30 AM and check out each evening from 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Commuter tuition includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day, but does not include housing accommodations. During the active program hours between check-in and check-out each day, we kindly ask that students only be signed out from activities for medical or family emergencies.

International Diplomacy Travel Details

NSLC’s International Diplomacy students divide their time between two campuses, spending 6 days at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and 3 days at Columbia University in New York, NY.

All sessions arrive at Georgetown University and depart from Columbia University. Transportation between the two campuses is included in program tuition.

Additional travel details will be made available in your student account closer to the start of the program. Please review this information before finalizing your travel arrangements.

What is the NSLC?

The National Student Leadership Conference provides an immersive pre-college experience that prepares students for life beyond middle and high school, allowing them to study in university classrooms, learn to navigate a campus, and experience living with roommates. Students are able to explore a career concentration they are interested in before going into college and declaring a major. Each NSLC program also contains a leadership curriculum designed to teach skills that can apply to all areas of life.

Am I eligible to attend NSLC?

We encourage all 6th-12th grade students who demonstrate academic excellence and leadership ability to apply to our summer programs.

For high school programs, students must be between the ages of 14-18 and have completed at least one year of high school. Students may attend NSLC through the summer following high school graduation.

For middle school programs, students must be at least 11 years of age and currently enrolled in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade.

How do I enroll?

Click here to get started! NSLC applications are completed online and require a deposit with a credit or debit card. If you would like to place your deposit with a check, please email info@nslcleaders.org.

Is there a deadline to apply?

While we have suggested seasonal deadlines, NSLC will continue to accept applications if space is available in a program or on a program’s waitlist. The online enrollment application will display all current availability.

How are students invited?

Students are selected for NSLC in a variety of ways. Teachers, counselors, and alumni nominate students from across the United States and around the world each year. Students may also be invited based on individual results of standardized testing or selected from one of several national talent identification surveys.

Do you have scholarships?

Yes! We understand that family circumstances may not enable all qualified students to attend our programs without financial assistance.

Students demonstrating financial need, academic merit, and school or community involvement are encouraged to apply for a scholarship to offset their summer tuition costs.

More than $500,000 awarded each year

The majority of scholarships are granted in the range of $500-$1,000.

Apply online

The scholarship application is completed entirely online. You can save your work and return to finish it at a later time.

Good to know

You must be enrolled in a program with your deposit in place before you begin a scholarship application.

Monthly payments are paused once you start your scholarship application and remain paused until after scholarship decisions are announced.

If you’re not awarded a scholarship, or the award isn’t enough, your deposit is fully refundable upon cancellation.

Learn about the scholarship process

What does tuition include?

Tuition includes course materials, academic expenses, trips, tours, activities, and off-campus event transportation. Housing and meal accommodations vary by enrollment option, as detailed below. Travel costs to and from the program itself are not included, and students are individually responsible for expenses such as spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and off-campus meals.

Residential Option

Residential students stay in supervised campus dormitories, with room assignments based on availability and accommodations ranging from singles to quads, dependent on location. Roommates are assigned by program, gender, and age. Residential tuition includes housing and an on-campus dining plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Commuter Option

Commuter students participate in the same programming as residential students but do not stay overnight on campus. Commuter tuition does not include housing or breakfast but includes lunch and dinner when the program is on campus. Students follow daily arrival and departure times designated by their chosen campus, typically arriving by 8:30 a.m. and departing by 9:00 p.m. More information about specific logistics will be available closer to the start date of the program.

What is your refund policy?

Cancellation requests may be submitted through the Manage Registration section of your online student portal.

Grace Period

NSLC’s cancellation grace period begins when a new Summer 2027 application is submitted.

Enrollments submitted before April 1, 2027 have 30 days to cancel for a full refund.

Enrollments submitted on or after April 1, 2027 have 48 hours to cancel for a full refund.

After this grace period, the schedule below applies.

Cancel Date	Cancellation FeeNon-refundable
By April 1, 2027	$500
April 2 – May 1, 2027	$1,500
May 2, 2027 or after	100% of tuition paid*

*The NSLC will not charge additional payments. Payment plans will automatically end at the time of cancellation.

Do you have payment plans?

Yes! Enrollments submitted prior to May 1, 2027 are automatically placed on a convenient monthly payment plan at no additional fee. Here’s how it works:

1

Pay your deposit

Applications are completed online and require a deposit (applied to the cost of tuition) by credit or debit card.

2

Pay in equal installments

Any remaining tuition is divided into equal payments, automatically charged to the card you used to enroll.

3

Final payment

Your last payment is due no later than 30 days before your session begins.

Good to know

Want to remove autopay or adjust your payment dates? Contact us to make the changes that work best for you.

If you cancel, no additional payments are charged – your payment plan ends automatically. See our cancellation and refund policy.

How do waitlists work?

Once a program has reached capacity, you will see a Waitlisted status appear next to the dates on our application. If you would like to join the waitlist, please complete the enrollment process and place a deposit like normal to add your name. Once a cancellation is received, we will offer the newly opened space to the next student on the list. Your deposit is fully refundable if you do not move into the program or choose to remove your name.

Keep reading our Waitlist FAQs for more information.

Summer Program Scholarships

We understand that family circumstances may not enable all qualified students to attend our programs without financial assistance.

Students demonstrating financial need, academic merit, and school or community involvement are encouraged to apply for a scholarship to offset their summer tuition costs.

More than $500,000 awarded each year

The majority of scholarships are granted in the range of $500-$1,000.

Apply online

The scholarship application is completed entirely online. You can save your work and return to finish it at a later time.

Good to know

You must be enrolled in a program with your deposit in place before you begin a scholarship application.

Monthly payments are paused once you start your scholarship application and remain paused until after scholarship decisions are announced.

If you’re not awarded a scholarship, or the award isn’t enough, your deposit is fully refundable upon cancellation.

Learn about the scholarship process

Film Intensive Travel Details

Film Intensive students will divide their time between two campuses, spending 9 days at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA, and 9 days at University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC.

All sessions will arrive at UCLA and depart from UBC.

After you’ve been accepted into the program, please visit your student account before planning travel for more detailed information.

What does my tuition include?

Tuition for our Day Programs covers course materials, academic expenses, activities, and any off-campus trip transportation. Travel costs to and from the program itself, including parking fees, are not included, and students are individually responsible for expenses such as spending money for souvenirs.

Students attending both an AM and PM program will have the option of adding a pre-paid lunch option on their myNSLC page.

Duke University Marine Biology Residential Details

Marine Biology students will divide their time between Duke University and the North Carolina coast, spending 6 nights on Duke’s main campus in Durham and 3 nights in Beaufort, NC. Coastal activities will take place at the Duke University Marine Lab (DUML) and other facilities on the Outer Banks. Hotel accommodations and chartered transportation for in-program activities are included in tuition.

Contact Us

Enrollment Office hours
Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Central

Call us

Talk with our Enrollment Office.

(312) 322-9999 (800) 994-6752

Email us

Send a message and our team will get back to you.

What does my tuition include?

NSLC programs at the University of Oxford are residential only. Tuition includes supervised housing, on-campus meals, course materials, academic expenses, trips, tours, activities, and off-campus event transportation. Travel costs to and from the program itself are not included, and students are individually responsible for expenses such as spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and off-campus meals.

What does my tuition include?

NSLC’s International Diplomacy program is residential only. Students divide their time between two campuses, spending 6 days at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and 3 days at Columbia University in New York, NY. Program tuition includes supervised dormitory housing and on-campus meals, plus course materials, academic expenses, trips, tours, activities, and off-campus event transportation.

All sessions arrive at Georgetown University and depart from Columbia University. Transportation between the two university locations is included in program tuition.

Travel costs to and from the program itself are not included, and students are individually responsible for expenses such as spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and off-campus meals.

Additional travel details will be made available in your student account closer to the start of the program. Please review this information before finalizing your travel arrangements.