| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): $1,940–$22,282; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Precollege financial assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Limited to eligible students nominated by specified community-based partner organizations; not a general open scholarship pool.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Wild Country2027: $5,200. Selected trek only, not a single umbrella tuition quote.; Mountain Desert2027: $8,795. Selected trek only, not a single umbrella tuition quote.; Paleontology2027: $4,400. Selected trek only, not a single umbrella tuition quote. (2027 cycle) | Last year's cycle (2026): Summer 2026 application fee: $75. A limited waiver was available to students at specified Tompkins County schools and local home-school students.; Nonrefundable enrollment deposit: $1,500. Applied toward the program total rather than added to it.; Cornell Student Health Plan when required or elected: $676. Applies only under Cornell's published insurance rules.; Precollege financial assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Limited to eligible students nominated by specified community-based partner organizations; not a general open scholarship pool.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 11–12; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Additional eligibility | Ages 13–18; Residency: Applicants may come from the United States or abroad if they can lawfully travel to the program; no citizenship restriction is published; Requirement: Select the trek and its age/gender band: Prairie14-16 young men; Turquoise14-18 young women; Wild Country13-15; Mountain Desert16-18; Paleontology14-18.; Requirement: Confirm selected trek physical, consent, payment and travel terms.; Exclusion: Applicants outside a selected trek's age band; Exclusion: Applicants who cannot participate safely in the trek's essential physical and community activities with available supports; Exclusion: Applicants unable to attend the full residential dates; Exclusion: Applicants seeking a gender-specific Prairie or Turquoise placement who do not fit that trek's published grouping | Ages 15–19; Residency: Online students must participate from a location and jurisdiction Cornell permits; Residency: Commuter students must arrange local housing with a parent, guardian, or responsible adult; Residency: Residential students live in Cornell housing during the session; Requirement: Have completed grade 10 before the program; Requirement: Meet the age band for the selected format: online 15-19, commuter 16-19, residential 16-18; Requirement: Meet every prerequisite and schedule requirement for the selected Cornell course; Requirement: Demonstrate readiness for college-level work; Cornell says students earning about B+ in rigorous classes are generally prepared; Requirement: Graduates must be under age 18 to participate after high-school graduation; Exclusion: Incoming Cornell undergraduates; Exclusion: Students who have not completed grade 10; Exclusion: Applicants outside the selected format's age band; Exclusion: Commuter applicants without an approved local living and adult-supervision arrangement; Exclusion: Applicants unable to meet course-specific prerequisites or attendance requirements |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 2–6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Starts June 1, 2026; Ends August 1, 2026; 3–6 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person | 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 |
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| Location | Thoreau, New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, American Southwest and Four Corners | Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Ithaca campus, Online participation locations permitted by Cornell |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Trek acceptance is based on the application and ability to participate fully; Pick Your Price selection does not affect admission. Capacity, fit, health and safety, and financial-aid availability can still limit placement. Application materials: For need-based aid: separate scholarship form, amount requested, household financial information, parent statement, and applicant written statement or video | Selection: Admission considers academic readiness, completed materials, course prerequisites, age and format eligibility, and available space; Cornell publishes no minimum GPA or interview requirement. Course admission does not guarantee another institution will accept the credits. Application materials: Essay, with 1,000-1,500 words recommended and 2,000 words maximum; One teacher or school-counselor recommendation |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-10-12Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20Source 4 · checked 2026-08-20Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20Source 6 · checked 2026-08-20Source 7 · checked 2026-08-20Source 8 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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