We offer 4 core exploratory institutes in addition to our credit-bearing program, shown below:

Summer 2025 Programs

• The NextGen Leadership Institute (Session 1 ONLY)
• Health and Society Institute (Session 2)
• Pre-Baccalaureate Program (credit-bearing)
• Athena Summer Innovation Institute (Session 2)
• Summer Food Institute (Session 2)

The Pre-Baccalaureate Program is the only program that offers college credit. Students will receive 3 credits and a Barnard College transcript after successfully completing the program. 

All of our other programs are exploratory in nature and do not offer credits. 

Our application fees are waived until our priority date of February 10th. Any applications submitted after that date are subject to a $75 application fee.

It may take 2-3 business days for the application fee to be reflected in your portal as we manually verify payments. If it has been more than 3 days, please do not submit another payment. Reach out to our office at pcp@barnard.edu and we would be more than happy to look into the issue for you.

Our application closes April 15th.

Admissions decisions will be made on a rolling admission basis, starting in January. Apply early for the greatest number of class options.

Yes. If the two programs’ dates do not conflict, you may apply to both programs. However, if a student is accepted into one of the programs, preference for admission into the second program will go to those students who have not applied to two programs. If an applicant is closed out of the program for which they apply, the Office of Pre-College Programs will automatically select their second choice. If a student is attending two programs, please note the following:

If a student decides not to attend the second program after starting the first, note our refund policy. 

Our exploratory programs are open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school or Gap Year Students who will graduate in 2025. 

The Pre-Baccalaureate Program is only open to rising seniors and Gap Year Students. 

You will be able to select your class during registration/enrollment. If you are interested in a class that has already reached capacity, the PCP office will reach out to you so that you can select your second choice class. 

A deposit is required at registration to secure your place in the institute/class you choose.  We cannot enroll students in any classes unless we have received their deposit. Unfortunately, we cannot honor requests for class changes once a student has been enrolled.

Please note that the Pre-College Program reserves the right to cancel under-enrolled classes and place students in their next available choice.

We require at least one recommendation from a non-parent that assesses the student’s academic performance. If the only individuals involved in instruction are parents, we accept recommendations for work done in a group situation, extra-curricular, or job setting that speak to a sense of effort, responsibility, teamwork, intellectual curiosity, or particular skills. On occasion, a request may be made for additional recommendation letters.

Decisions are made on a rolling basis starting mid-January. You should receive a decision within 15 business days of the office receiving a completed application. It is up to the student to make sure that all parts of the application have been received by the office.

If you are in this situation, you should contact our office ASAP. There is a chance your application was never completed or your decision letter may have been lost in transit. You can contact us at pcp@barnard.edu.

You can access our FAQ specific to our Pre-Baccalaureate Program here.

Still have questions? You can reach our office via email (pcp@barnard.edu).