Ivy League Summer Schools

Hi Crimson,
I’m an AU university student hoping to attend a uni in the US - even just for a month as a part of a summer program. I was wondering, are the Ivy League summer programs (especially those offered at Yale and Harvard) aimed at high school students, or are they open/beneficial to uni students too? If so, are there any statistics on acceptance rates?

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Hi @9021aa8d1f018a3c2f71

This is a great question! And props to you for thinking outside the box and exploring your options!

As you’ve mentioned, there indeed summer school programmes available at the various Ivy League schools which generally fall into four categories:

a) Visiting student, domestic students enrolled at another institution (i.e. Undergraduates, Graduates, High School)
b) Current Student of that institution
c) International Student, students who live outside of the USA (High School, Undergraduate and Graduate)

You would fall into the last category obviously.

As for the second, part of your question as to whether it is beneficial to participate in a summer programme abroad for a uni student. The answer is an unequivocal YES!

For myself, I try to find a balance between doing things for the sake of experience (broadening my scope of the world and trying new things) and doing things to propel myself forward in a certain direction (career development). At certain times of my life and times of the year, I act purposefully toward one or the other. Completing a summer abroad at some of the most elite universities in the world definitely, ticks both of those boxes.

As for the statistics on acceptance rates for the summer programmes, in particular for international students. The schools keep these pretty close to their chests, i.e. they typically don’t disclose these numbers. Different schools, in particular, Harvard and Yale have a significant number of courses available and acceptance will be more competitive for some subjects than others.In saying this if you are a top student, and have achieved good grades to date consistently you will be in good stead.

Oh I didn’t mean to post that on anon, but thanks for getting back to me, the response was really helpful. I’m also wondering if there is any information available regarding the application process. I saw on the Yale website that there is an online application (as well as visa requirements etc., of course) - is this likely to be the same as required for normal admissions or less intense? I’m also wondering what admission will be based on as an international university student. Thanks again!

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At a glance, the application process is similar to that of the of a standard application and maybe slightly less intense because you aren’t actually completing an entire degree. So the typical admissions factors are still in play so things like your grades, extra curriculars etc.

As an international student just ensure that you complete the various requirements that each school sets out and double check that you have submitted all the required forms. The requirements will differ from school to school so the best piece of advice I can give you is make sure your application is a comprehensive and not missing vital documents so as to make as little work for the admissions teams as possible.

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