| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $2,700; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $2,400–$5,200; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Need-based financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available through the application for accepted, qualified students; award and amount are not guaranteed.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Fall 2026 required activities, health, and technology fees: $168. USD 100 activities + USD 32 health service + USD 36 technology.; Nonrefundable Pre-College application fee: $80. Returning applicants may qualify for a waiver under the published policy.; Academic Year Weekend enrollment deposit: $500. Nonrefundable but credited to program cost; due date is communicated with admission.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Enrollment deposit after acceptance: $1,000. Ordinarily secures the seat after acceptance unless BlueStamp approves alternate payment or financial-aid arrangements; confirm refund and balance terms for the new cycle.; Need-based financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Available through the application for accepted, qualified students; award and amount are not guaranteed.; Meals during the in-person program: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Lunch is generally not provided except a published Friday pizza lunch.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grades 8–11 (provider uses rising grades) | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 9–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Requirement: Be a rising grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 student for the relevant summer cycle; Requirement: Have limited or no prior exposure to Chinese; Requirement: Be able to complete synchronous virtual pre-camp, the full residential component in Boone, and synchronous/asynchronous virtual post-camp work; Requirement: For the completed 2026 cycle, submit the online form and 150-200-word statement of interest while space remained; Exclusion: The 2026 session is complete and the stale form/page must not be used as a current application; Exclusion: Students seeking an advanced-Chinese program were not the target audience; Exclusion: Priority for Southern Appalachia was not stated as a universal residency guarantee or automatic admission; Exclusion: No applicant was guaranteed one of the 18 places, proficiency benchmark, college credit, placement, or home-school recognition | Residency: Academic Year Weekend is open to students worldwide; Residency: In-person summer housing and supervision rules vary by program; Requirement: Academic background, motivation, and maturity sufficient for rigorous study; Requirement: Completion of any prerequisites on the selected course page; Requirement: English fluency adequate for fast-paced discussion and assignments without translation assistance; Requirement: Technology and schedule compatible with synchronous Eastern Time online classes for Academic Year Weekend; Exclusion: Participation does not confer an advantage in Columbia undergraduate admission; Exclusion: Academic Year Weekend and standard Pre-College courses are noncredit | Requirement: Be entering grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 in the applicable summer; Requirement: Choose a published in-person, remote, or approved custom schedule and be available for its required live blocks; Requirement: Show motivation, self-direction, and willingness to solve open-ended engineering problems independently; Requirement: Submit an accurate application with requested short responses and references; Requirement: Attend the admissions interview; a parent or guardian participates in part of it; Requirement: Select an approved project with BlueStamp before the program and follow its budget, parts, tool, safety, and documentation rules; Requirement: For remote participation, have a feasible delivery address, workspace, internet connection, live-session availability, adult support where required, and lawful/safe tool access; Requirement: For in-person participation, arrange daily transportation and meals and comply with site pickup, conduct, safety, and minor-protection rules; Exclusion: Using the middle-school tuition, dates, priority rules, or hours for a high-school application; Exclusion: Assuming a live application form means 2027 dates, tuition, seats, or aid are announced; Exclusion: Expecting BlueStamp-provided in-person housing or daily lunch; Exclusion: Treating the project as a guaranteed invention, patent, publication, recommendation, internship, academic credit, award, or admission advantage; Exclusion: Missing required live time or attempting unsafe, unapproved, unlawful, or infeasible projects; Exclusion: Assuming a custom schedule, financial-aid award, fee reduction, project choice, replacement parts, international shipping, or refund is automatic |
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| Session dates or duration | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 7 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | Hybrid | In person / Online | In person / Online |
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| Housing and supervision | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Boone, North Carolina, Priority consideration: Southern Appalachia, especially western North Carolina and east Tennessee | New York City, Academic Year Weekend is online worldwide; summer programs can be online, NYC commuter, or NYC residential | San Jose, California, In-person at 3800 Blackford Avenue in San Jose; live remote option may accept students elsewhere subject to time-zone and parts-shipping feasibility |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Rolling admission to 18 places, with priority for Southern Appalachian students, especially western North Carolina and east Tennessee. No application count, acceptance rate, rubric, waitlist rule, or decision timeline is published. Application materials: 150-200-word statement of interest explaining why the student wants to participate | Selection: Holistic admission seeks academically exceptional, curious, motivated, and mature students. Columbia publishes no current applicant or admit rate and no fixed GPA minimum. Application materials: One recommendation form from a current teacher in a field related to the applicant's curricular preferences; For NYC Residential or Commuter Summer only, an additional current school counselor/administrator recommendation | Selection: Application and interview review occur in receipt order while seats remain. BlueStamp does not publish applicant counts, acceptance rates, aid rates, cohort size for the next cycle, or a guaranteed decision. Application materials: Admissions interview, including parent or guardian participation for the designated portion |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20Source 6 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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