| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | April 19, 2027 (2027 cycle) | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $2,750; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Free attendance; check separate expenses; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): Nonrefundable Pre-College deposit: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Amount is not published; payment plans are available and full tuition is due before the program. Reconfirm for 2027.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: Residential university housing: $0. Scholars live in campus dormitories as part of the 100%-free residential program.; Residential-session meals: $0. The organizer describes scholars eating in the dining hall within the 100%-free experience.; 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 11–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 10–11; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 10–11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher |
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| Additional eligibility | Minimum age 16; Requirement: At least age 16; Requirement: Entering grade 11 or 12, or graduated from high school within the prior 18 months; Requirement: Ability to participate synchronously in English on the Pacific-time schedule; Requirement: Game Programming: successful completion of Algebra 2; Requirement: Music & Sound Design: instrument experience recommended; Requirement: Track-compatible computer, hardware, software, and internet; Exclusion: Students below age 16 are not eligible; Exclusion: Not all tracks or required software are Mac compatible; Exclusion: 2027 details may change and registration is not yet open | Requirement: Be completing grade 10 or 11 before the summer session.; Requirement: Earlier 2026 instructions required one year of chemistry or physics and a counselor/teacher recommendation plus transcript or grade card; confirm the operative 2027 prerequisites.; Exclusion: Two elective credits apply only after later enrollment at Rose-Hulman; Exclusion: Earlier 2026 instructions required outside financial assistance; 2027 aid availability is unverified. | Residency: Preference for students at target schools or living within the published radius of Atlanta, Boston, Detroit/Ann Arbor, or Bay Area sites; Requirement: Minimum 3.0 GPA or equivalent; Requirement: Be in grade 10 or 11 when applying; Requirement: Demonstrate strong grade-level mathematics skills through state-standardized scores; Requirement: Attend a public high school or a private high school through scholarship; Requirement: Show strong interest in a computer-science degree or certification and a CS career; Requirement: Meet site-specific gender eligibility: male for Morehouse and female for Spelman; Exclusion: Applicants who do not meet every published requirement; SMASH states that there are no eligibility exceptions |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 4 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 3 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | Online | In person | In person |
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| Housing and supervision | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: 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 | Online worldwide; synchronous Pacific-time schedule | Terre Haute, Indiana | Atlanta, Berkeley, Boston, Ann Arbor, Georgia, California, Massachusetts, Michigan |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Paid registration subject to track capacity and eligibility; DigiPen does not publish current capacity, application count, acceptance rate, completion rate, or grade distribution. | Selection: Earlier 2026 instructions described selective application followed by first-come session placement after approval. Confirm the current 2027 review and placement process; no acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Earlier 2026 instructions required an online application, a transcript or grade card, and one counselor or teacher recommendation. | Selection: Applicants must satisfy all published requirements, and geographic preferences apply; the current pages do not publish applicant counts or an acceptance rate. |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21 | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21 |
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