The application period for YSPA 2026 will open by December 31, 2025.
- The application deadline is midnight on Sunday, March 8. YSPA does not give any priority to early applications nor do any kind of rolling admissions. No applications will be considered until after the application deadline, which will be determined soon. To convert your time to Eastern Standard Time, please use the Time Zone Converter.
- You must include a current school transcript (including your grades through the current Fall semester) with your application. If your school will not give you a copy of your transcript directly, you can ask them to mail the transcript directly to us via the address given on the application form.
- You must have two teachers write letters of recommendation for you, submitted via SmarterSelect. Letters of recommendation will be accepted up until the date specified in the SmarterSelect system. You teachers will automatically receive their link after you apply. Be sure to give your teachers plenty of time to fill out the form (we recommend asking your teachers at least two weeks before the deadline).
- Do not submit standardized test scores (SAT, ACT, etc.) with your application… these will not be considered.
- Students must be rising seniors in order to attend, and you must apply when you are a high school junior or equivalent. Students must be 15.5 years or older by July 5, 2026, in order to attend.
- Students must be available for the two week online directed self-study program. This online study program will require about 2-4 hours per day of study time June 22 through July 3, and you will need internet access most of these days in order to participate in online discussion sections. Failure to participate in the online program may result in an admissions offer into the residential program being withdrawn.
- The on-campus program will run from July through August. Students should plan to arrive on Sunday, July 5th, by 4pm and leave campus on the morning of Sunday, August 2nd.
- International students are welcome to apply, but applicants must be proficient in English. International students are responsible for obtaining a student visa or must be able to get a 30-day tourist visa to visit the US during the on-campus program.
- Full tuition for the 2026 program is $7,800 (this includes academic tuition, room and board, field trips, project costs, instructional materials, computer fees, etc., but does not include travel to and from the program, health insurance, or incidental expenses).
- Financial Aid on a “needs-first” basis is available for successfully admitted students who apply (up to an 80% tuition remission).
- Admissions decisions (of “Awarded”, “Alternate”, or “Declined”) are expected to go out around the middle of April by e-mail and via the SmarterSelect application management tool. Applicants who have received an offer of admission will have one week to accept or reject this offer.
- Admission to YSPA is very competitive. We appreciate being notified if you intend to withdraw your application so that we can remove it from consideration as soon as possible.
- If you are admitted, a deposit of $2,000 is required by midnight on May 1 to secure your spot. The balance of the tuition is due by midnight on June 1. Your offer of admission may be withdrawn and you may forfeit your deposit or your full tuition if it is found that you falsified any aspect of your application. If we must shift the program to fully online, you will receive a tuition refund for the difference between the cost of the in-person program and the online program. If we must completely cancel the program after you have submitted your tuition payment, you will receive a full tuition refund.