The Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS) is a fully-funded, five-week residential summer program for high school sophomores and juniors. Hosted at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, TASS prepares and inspires promising young students to lead and serve through transformative educational experiences rooted in critical thinking and democratic community. Participants attend college-level seminars in humanities and social sciences, exploring how power and privilege shape social structures. Outside of class, students participate in democratic self-governance, community service, transformative justice practices, and public speaking. Telluride Association covers all program costs for every student, including tuition, books, room and board, field trips, and facilities fees, with additional financial aid available for travel and to replace summer earnings.
Telluride Association
Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS)
About the Program
Eligibility
Applicants should be intellectually curious, community-minded, and self-motivated. The program studies how power and privilege shape social structures through courses in humanities and social sciences. Applicants may apply to one of two areas of study: TASS-CBS (seminars exploring topics within history, politics, literature, art, and other intellectual and cultural contributions from people of African descent) or TASS-AOS (seminars examining topics in literature, history, art, and other disciplines to investigate how various forms of power shape social structures). Participants must be at least age 15 at the start of the program and no older than 17 by the end of the program. Open to high school sophomores and juniors (rising juniors and rising seniors). International students studying outside the US who do not have a US passport must be sophomores to apply.
Eligible Countries
citizenship, residency permanent, other residency: United States🇺🇸 Worldwide🌎 Both US and international students are welcome to apply. For US students, birthdates must be between July 26, 2008 and June 21, 2011. For international students (studying outside the US without a US passport), birthdates must be between July 26, 2009 and June 21, 2011.
How to Apply
Applications for the 2026 program opened on October 15, 2025 and closed on December 3, 2025. Applicants selected for interviews are notified by January 30, 2026, with interviews conducted in February 2026. Final notifications are sent in March 2026.