Frequently Asked Questions

Students who are currently in their sophomore or junior year of high school are eligible to apply. Accepted students will attend during the summer prior to entering their junior or senior year. Students who are in their freshman or senior year of high school are not eligible.

All students will need to create an online account to start the application. 3 personal insight questions, a letter of recommendation and complete high school transcripts are required. A $35 non-refundable processing fee is also charged at the time of submission.

A complete transcript of all high school courses taken and grades received, including current year, in-progress courses, is required. An unofficial transcript is acceptable; however, all transcripts must include student name and school name. If you have attended more than one high school or have additional coursework to show, you may send in additional files. A transcript from only the current semester or year will not be considered complete by the Admissions Committee.

A letter of recommendation is required from a counselor, teacher, coach, or other adult who can offer a comprehensive assessment of the student’s performance. Please allow time for your recommender to complete the online recommendation form. 

Yes, but you need to follow up with your recommender and track the status of your application in your online portal. Your application will not be considered complete until ALL pieces of the application have been submitted and received, including the payment of the $35 fee. Exceptions for partial transcripts or incomplete letters of recommendation will not be granted, even if all other parts of the application have been completed.

The admissions committee will only accept one student per high school to a given program site. If there are multiple students applying from the same high school to the same program site, only one will be admitted. We encourage applicants to consider their top three program sites when applying. 

Applicants will be notified of their admission status via email approximately three weeks after their application has been marked complete. To check on the status of your application, you can log in to the online application portal.

No. The Admissions Committee will evaluate your complete application and admit qualified students to only one program site. They will take your ranked preferences into consideration when making their decision. Please select sites you would be pleased to attend. Selecting more than one site increases your chances of admittance. 

FTE has a long and successful relationship with the University of Colorado (UCCS). The Department of Economics at UCCS will offer undergraduate credit (optional) for students participating in EFL, EFL Virtual, Advanced EFL, EGE, and E&E programs. Please visit each program’s College Credit page for more information.

We will notify applicants of their admission status through email. Please be sure to provide an email that you check frequently! Your notification email will also provide directions and a link for you to access your portal.  

If accepted, it is your responsibility to follow the directions and complete the additional enrollment forms in your portal before the enrollment deadline stated in your acceptance letter. You will also be prompted to submit your program payment at the same time.

The cost to attend FTE residential student programs is $2,800. Fees include tuition, room and board for the entire program week. Students are responsible for their own transportation costs to and from the program location.

The cost for EFL Virtual is $900. Students must also have a computer/laptop/tablet with internet capabilities and a web camera, an additional mobile communication device such as a phone or tablet, and headphones with a microphone.

Yes! Scholarship funding is available. To apply, please fill out the scholarship section when completing the Student Application. Applications are reviewed for scholarship funding at the same time as program admission. Visit our Costs & Scholarships page for more details about scholarship assistance.

Accepted applicants can pay online with a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express). Payment directions can be found by logging in to your Student Portal.

If you cancel by May 15, 2026, you are eligible to have 50% of the paid program fee refunded to you. Refunds will not be offered for cancellations after May 15th.  

We are willing to work with families to accommodate financial needs. Please call us at 530.757.4630 to discuss options.

Most international students will need a visa to enter the United States for an FTE program. FTE programs are short, recreational courses of study. Please note, the Foundation for Teaching Economics and the universities where our programs are hosted cannot sponsor visas for any student attending our programs.    

Because visa applications can take time and may involve additional review, we strongly encourage you to begin the process as early as possible. 

Further information on the visa application process, including application steps and required documentation, can be found on the U.S. Department of State website. 

Yes, all FTE student programs require competency in English reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. International student must submit exam results from a language proficiency test such as TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo. Students who attend an international school where all instruction is in English are not required to submit test results.

Scholarship funding is currently only available to US citizens or those who reside in the US. We are continually looking for support to fund international students and will update the information on our website if that funding becomes available. Students are still able to complete the scholarship portion of the application, but requests will be denied unless new funding becomes available.

International applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by the priority deadline to ensure ample time to arrange for international travel and visas, where applicable.

Congratulations! You should log into the application portal, complete your enrollment forms, and submit your payment. Your acceptance email will also provide directions and a link for you to access your portal. 

Failure to complete your enrollment forms and submit your payment by the specified date will result in your spot being released to another qualified candidate.

Orientation materials with detailed information specific to your program will be provided approximately four weeks before your program start date.

If we do not receive your enrollment forms and payment before the deadline, we cannot hold a space for you in the program.

If you need more time to decide, or you wish to enroll in the future, please reach out to us at admissions@fte.org to discuss your options and check if space is available in the program. We’d love to have you attend this summer.

Students are expected to fully participate in all program sessions during the week. Those who miss sessions or choose not to participate may be sent home early. In addition, we ask students and parents to sign a Code of Conduct that acknowledges their responsibility to behave appropriately, respectfully, and honestly with FTE and program staff during the application process and the program itself.

All transportation arrangements to and from the program site are the student’s responsibility. FTE does not provide a specific shuttle/bus to pick students up from airports, train stations or transit hubs at any sites.

Orientation materials with local airport shuttle/taxi information will be provided to accepted students approximately four weeks before the start of the program. We encourage students and families to familiarize themselves with the various ground transportation options (taxi, Uber/Lyft, airport shuttle) and discuss/consider those logistics before selecting/applying for a program site.

Dorm rooms include a bed, closet, desk, and chair. Linens are provided for the week and include a set of sheets, blanket, pillow, and pillowcase, as well as a bath towel and hand towel. We encourage participants to bring a sweatshirt or sweater as air-conditioned dorms can become cool at night (and dorm rooms sometimes do not have individual thermostats). You are welcome to bring extra towels or blankets if you wish. 

Additional items such as fans and refrigerators are not included in the dorm rooms. If you have a medical reason for such an item, please contact us at admissions@fte.org to inform us your need as early as possible and we will work with the university to determine what accommodations can be provided.   

Check-in time for each program will be on Monday afternoon, from 2pm until 4pm.  

If air travel is necessary, students should arrange their flights to arrive at the destination airport around 12pm on the first day of the program. This provides enough time to pick up any checked luggage and eat lunch before catching a taxi or shuttle to arrive at the program site during the check-in time window.

No, students are permitted to check themselves into/out of the program. While we realize that solo long-distance travel may be intimidating for some students and families, FTE also considers this process a necessary part of learning about the independence and initiative skills that our programs encourage. We’ve found that students who manage their ground transportation on their own (with parents just a cell phone call away, of course) return home with a gratifying sense of independence and accomplishment that helps prepare them for college! 

No. All students are required to be in attendance for the entire program. Students should plan to arrive on campus for check in between 2 – 4 pm on the program start date. Exceptions are made to the check-in time for travel delays only. Students should plan to check out on the morning of the program end date between 8 – 11 am. 

FTE recommends waiting to purchase your flight until 3-4 weeks before your program starts. FTE is not responsible for any flight cancellations or airline fees.

Students should have casual, comfortable clothes for the entire week, and a light sweater or jacket for air-conditioned classroom and dorm-room temperatures. Check the forecast before you pack! Also, please be sure to have a pair of comfortable, closed-toed shoes or sneakers that can get dirty for the outdoor activities and walking around campus. 

Other suggested items include: your cell phone, charger, notebook, swimsuit, camera, pencils/pens, and enough money for extras and the offsite dinner during your group’s excursion. Sheets, blankets, pillows, and towels are provided at each program. 

Please DO NOT bring expensive electronics or large amounts of cash – we cannot guarantee dorm-room security. Laptops are not required. 

Participants stay in dormitories on the campus of their program site. Dorm rooms are most often a traditional set-up – two participants of the same gender per room, with a communal bathroom down the hall. If the site you have chosen has a different set-up (i.e. suite style), you will be notified in the orientation materials provided approximately four weeks before the start of the program. Students may be placed in a single room without notification due to gender split of program participants and/or dorm availability on campus. Roommates are randomly assigned based on gender and are not shared in advance of the program.

Our participants’ health and safety is of the utmost concern. FTE will follow all guidelines required by the college, county and state of each program’s site. Specific information required by the program location will be provided in the orientation materials.

If your in-person student program is canceled due to health or safety restrictions, participants will be moved online into a virtual format. The virtual program is an online synchronous course that covers the same economic and leadership topics virtually. Participants who remain in the online programs will receive a rebate for the room and board portion of the program fee. For those who wish to withdraw from a program, refunds will be made according to the FTE stated refund policy and schedule.

Please indicate this information when filling out your enrollment forms. We will work with the program site to ensure that any dietary needs, including food allergies, will be accommodated.

Economics for Leaders Virtual is a synchronous online course. Lectures and activities are “live” from 11:30am ET until 4:30pm ET. Economics professors and leadership instructors provide content instruction through Zoom, and economics simulations/activities are facilitated using breakout rooms and other learning applications. Class materials, assignments, resources, and meeting links will be organized in Canvas, our learning management system.

Students are expected to fully participate in all virtual sessions during the week. Those who miss sessions or choose not to participate may be withdrawn from the course and will not qualify for college credit through UCCS. In addition, we ask students and parents to sign a Code of Conduct that acknowledges their responsibility to behave appropriately, respectfully, and honestly with FTE and program staff during the application process and the program itself.

All virtual programs take place from 11:30am Eastern Time until 4:30pm Eastern time. Students will need to adjust their schedules to participate during program hours.

Students will need a computer/laptop with internet access and a web camera as well as an additional mobile device (phone/tablet).

Enrolled students can access the Zoom meeting link in the Canvas Modules labeled Day 1 approximately 30 minutes before the start of the program.

Students should plan to spend approximately five hours per day, Monday – Friday participating in class and completing homework assignments. Each day the program consists of 4 sessions with a 40 minute lunch break in the middle.