Apply

Full Pay Applicants

All students applying for full pay admission to the Carleton Summer Liberal Arts Institute MUST submit: 

1. Your completed online application form.

• Background information
• Short essay answers (500 words or less)
• Completed certification and review of your application

After you submit your application, you may submit the following materials through your Application Dashboard:

2. A copy of your most recent high school transcripts.

• Your transcripts can be either official (mailed directly to us from your school counselor) or unofficial (uploaded to your online application dashboard or mailed to us from you).
• Transcripts should begin with grade 9 (freshman year), include Fall 2024 term grades, and include a list of courses you are currently taking.
• Transcripts must include the name of your school, course titles, and grades earned.
• Please do not submit printouts or screenshots from online grade portals.

3. Two recommendation letters

• As a part of your online application, you will be asked to provide contact information for two references. Once you have entered in their contact information and completed the recommendation section of the online application, your references will be emailed a link for submitting their recommendation letter.
• Your references must be able to speak to your academic abilities. All recommendation letters submitted are reviewed by the admissions committee.
• You can submit your online application before your recommenders submit their letters, but your application will not be considered complete without the recommendation letters. However, we allow recommenders to submit their letters up to one week after the deadline.
• Your recommendations are your responsibility, so make sure to check in with your recommenders if the deadline is nearing and they have not yet submitted their letters. Some recommendation request forms get lost in junk or spam folders, so you should confirm your references received and completed the form. If the link expires, you can send an updated link once you have certified and submitted your online application.

4. $75 Application Fee

• Each student will be required to submit a $75 application fee with their application. This covers the detailed processing and review time invested into our applications.
• The application fee can be paid after a student begins their application through the student’s application dashboard. Plan to pay via credit card within the application.

5. Program-specific documents

• This could include a writing sample or portfolio, and not all programs have specific document requirements. Check your application dashboard and program web page for more details.

6. Optional Items (NOT Required):

• An unofficial copy of your PLAN/ACT and/or PSAT/SAT scores.

Need-Based Scholarship Applicants

SLAI prioritizes the elimination of social and financial barriers that can impact access to high quality educational opportunities. Therefore, applicants with financial need are strongly encouraged to apply for scholarship support.

Need-based scholarship applicants may be from either low or middle families. SLAI works to balance the financial need of students applying to our programs based on income levels. Applying as a need based scholar will require you to submit financial documents within your application detailed below. If you question your eligibility for a need-based scholarship, please contact our office.

International students, unfortunately, do not qualify for financial scholarships to attend our programs.

All students applying for scholarship admission to the Carleton Summer Liberal Arts Institute MUST submit: 

1. Your completed online application form.

• Background information
• Short essay answers (500 words or less)
• Completed certification and review of your application

After you submit your application, you may submit the following materials through your Application Dashboard:

2. A copy of your most recent high school transcripts.

• Your transcripts can be either official (mailed directly to us from your school counselor) or unofficial (uploaded to your online application dashboard or mailed to us from you).
• Transcripts must begin with grade 9 (freshman year), include Fall 2024 term grades, and include a list of courses you are currently taking.
• Transcripts must include course titles and grades earned.
• Please do not submit printouts or screenshots from online grade portals.

3. Two Recommendation Letters

• As a part of your online application, you will be asked to provide contact information for two references. Once you have entered in their contact information and completed the recommendation section of the online application, your references will be emailed a link for submitting their recommendation letter.
• Your references must be able to speak to your academic abilities. All recommendation letters submitted are reviewed by the admissions committee.
• You can submit your online application before your recommenders submit their letters, but your application will not be considered complete without the recommendation letters. However, we allow recommenders to submit their letters up to one week after the deadline.
• Your recommendations are your responsibility, so make sure to check in with your recommenders if the deadline is nearing and they have not yet submitted their letters. Some recommendation request forms get lost in junk or spam folders, so you should confirm your references received and completed the form. If the link expires, you can send an updated link once you have certified and submitted your online application.

4. Financial Documents

To be considered for scholarship or tuition aid, your parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) must submit financial documents to our office. The easiest way to do this is by uploading them via your application dashboard, which is available once your online application has been submitted.

You have the option to submit one of the numbered options below:

1. 1040 Federal Income Tax Statement Forms from the previous 3 years for your parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s). If your parents are divorced, please try to include statements for both parents. If that is not possible, please include the statements for the parent(s) with whom you live. We do not need any schedules, just the 1040 for each of the past three years.
   • If you have not yet filed for the current year, please send the 3 most current years. You can update the application by sending us the current year once you have completed your taxes.
   • Remember to black out all social security numbers.
2. Free/Reduced Price School Meal documentation verifying student eligibility
3. Social Security benefit documentation
4. If you have questions about other qualifying factors not listed here that may make you eligible for a full or partical scholarship, email summer@carleton.edu.

5. Waiver Form or $75 Application Fee

• Need-based applicants have the opportunity to waive the $75 application fee by submitting a waiver form via their application dashboard.
• You will be required to pay the $75 until your waiver is complete.
• Your application will not be considered complete for consideration for admission until either you application fee waiver is complete, or you have paid the $75 application fee.

Access the Waiver Form

6. Optional Items (NOT Required):

• An unofficial copy of your PLAN/ACT and/or PSAT/SAT scores

International Students

We require more documents for international student applicants than domestic applicants. Please visit International Student Information to determine if you are considered an international student.

International students do not qualify for financial scholarships to attend our programs.