| Application deadline | January 13, 2027 (2027 cycle) | February 12, 2027 (2027 cycle) | February 17, 2027 (2027 cycle) |
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| Cost | $4,180–$15,980 (2027 cycle) | $600 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | 2027 need-based scholar-fee waiver: $0–$600. Limited waivers may be requested by students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch who do not have a sponsor. (2027 cycle) | Last year's cycle (2026): Limited ESAP financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. 2026 aid was extremely limited, merit- and need-sensitive, and only for U.S. citizens/permanent residents; next-cycle terms unannounced.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | 2027 application fee: $75 (2027 cycle) | 2027 need-based scholar-fee waiver: $0–$600. Limited waivers may be requested by students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch who do not have a sponsor. (2027 cycle) | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 enrollment deposit (historical): $1,500. Nonrefundable; aid-recipient deposit could differ. Part of the total program fee.; Limited ESAP financial aid: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. 2026 aid was extremely limited, merit- and need-sensitive, and only for U.S. citizens/permanent residents; next-cycle terms unannounced.; 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 | Unconfirmed — check official site | Grade 10; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Ages 16–18; Citizenship: International students may apply to eligible formats with visa/English requirements; Citizenship: Financial aid is limited to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and DACA recipients; Residency: Residential students live on campus; Residency: Commuters must live with a parent/guardian or approved adult age 25+ within reasonable commuting distance in New England; Residency: Online students participate from home; Requirement: Graduate high school and enter college in 2027, 2028 or 2029.; Requirement: Be at least 16 by June 13, 2027 and not turn 19 before July 31, 2027.; Requirement: Show maturity and academic readiness for intensive college-level work; Requirement: Meet selected-course prerequisites; Requirement: Submit English-proficiency evidence if English is not the native language; Requirement: Clear the calendar for the full program, especially residential study; Exclusion: An applicant may apply to only one Harvard Summer School high-school program in a year; Exclusion: International students using a Harvard-sponsored I-20 cannot take online classes; Exclusion: Participation does not guarantee Harvard College admission or another institution's acceptance of credit; Exclusion: No minimum GPA or required PSAT/SAT/ACT score is published | Residency: Missouri resident attending high school in Missouri or homeschooled in Missouri; Requirement: Be a current tenth grader during nomination for summer participation as a rising junior; Requirement: Receive a nomination from a counselor, teacher, principal, or other school official, except eligible homeschool self/family nomination; Requirement: Fit within the school's MSA nomination allotment; Requirement: Provide three-semester unweighted GPA and an accepted standardized aptitude or IQ score; Requirement: Demonstrate leadership, creativity, intellectual curiosity, problem solving, initiative, and likely benefit; Requirement: Commit to the full three-week residential Academy without planned absence; Exclusion: Students and families may not self-nominate outside homeschool settings; Exclusion: Incomplete nominations are not considered; Exclusion: Parents and guardians cannot write recommendation letters; Exclusion: MSA provides neither grades nor academic credit; Exclusion: Nomination does not guarantee selection, course choice, roommate choice, fee waiver, college scholarship, or admission advantage | Minimum age 15; Requirement: For 2026, be a high-school student at least age 15 by program start; Requirement: Hold at least a 3.0 GPA or equivalent, with strong math/science preparation preferred; Requirement: Submit a complete official high-school transcript through the school; Requirement: Submit the required original essay and all supplements by the applicable deadline; Requirement: International applicants apply by the priority deadline and independently satisfy passport, visa, SEVIS, insurance, travel, and English-proficiency requirements; Requirement: Non-native English speakers meet the published TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo minimum or obtain the English-medium-school waiver; Requirement: Commit to the complete residential program and selected course; Exclusion: Applicants younger than 15 on the program start date under 2026 rules; Exclusion: Incomplete or late online/supplemental materials; Exclusion: International applicants applying after the priority deadline; Exclusion: International applicants seeking ESAP financial aid under the 2026 restriction; Exclusion: Assuming course credit automatically transfers, guarantees Penn admission, or improves Penn admission odds; Exclusion: Using 2026 requirements as guaranteed next-cycle terms |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4–7 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Starts June 13, 2027; Ends July 3, 2027; 3 weeks (2027 cycle) | Catalog terms: 3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person / Online | In person | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Columbia | Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania campus, Pennsylvania |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Harvard evaluates essays, transcripts/current grades, counselor report, GPA, maturity, readiness, and program fit holistically; it publishes no minimum GPA and does not require standardized academic tests. Application totals, admit rate, option/course capacities, waitlist odds, and scholarship odds are not published. Application materials: Student-created online application and short essays | Selection: School nomination allotments limit the pool, a statewide committee evaluates academic and qualitative criteria, and about 330 scholars are expected in 2027. MSA does not publish a current nomination count or acceptance rate. Application materials: Two PDF recommendation letters, at least one from a teacher and none from parents or guardians; Two named PDF essays of 300-350 words responding to the current character-identification and social-issue prompts | Selection: Very selective holistic review of academic interests, abilities, achievement, peer contribution, and potential benefit. Penn publishes no current applicant count or acceptance rate. Application materials: Essay no longer than two pages with required header and formatting under 2026 guidance |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-09Source 2 · checked 2026-10-09Source 3 · checked 2026-10-09Source 4 · checked 2026-10-09Source 5 · checked 2026-10-09 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-09Source 2 · checked 2026-10-09Source 3 · checked 2026-10-09Source 4 · checked 2026-10-09Source 5 · checked 2026-10-09Source 6 · checked 2026-10-09Source 7 · checked 2026-10-09Source 8 · checked 2026-10-09Source 9 · checked 2026-10-09Source 10 · checked 2026-10-09Source 11 · checked 2026-08-20Source 12 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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