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. An essay, 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 or EFL Virtual programs. At this time, college credit is not available for the EGE or E&E program. Please visit the EFL 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 varies based on program location. Fees include tuition, room and board for the entire program week. Tiered pricing reflects the different between campus costs, but program content is identical at all sites. Students are responsible for their own transportation costs to and from the program location.

$2,600 – Cornell University, Duke University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University

$2,300 – Boston College, Purdue University, Rice University, UC Santa Barbara, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University

$2,000 -Emory University, Ohio State University, University of Washington

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 Self Service Center account.

If you cancel by May 16, 2025, you are eligible to have 50% of the paid program fee refunded to you. Refunds will not be offered for cancellations after May 16th.  

International students travelling to the US may require a visa; however, this will vary depending on country of origin and length of stay. Click here to find more information on our International Students page.

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 can not hold a space for you in the program.

If you need more time to decide, or you wish to enroll in the future, you will need to 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 of the situation as early as possible and we will work with the university to see 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 lunchtime 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 get to 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 one dinner your group will have off-site. 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. 

For the EGE program excursion, please plan for business casual dress for this day – long-sleeved, button-down shirts and dress slacks, or a knee-length skirt/dress and sweater (or the equivalent). Please also bring comfortable but work-appropriate shoes suited to a professional work environment for the day.

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 make sure that any dietary needs, including food allergies, will be accommodated.

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.