Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS)

About the Program

TASS will not run in 2027. On September 21, 2026, the Telluride Association Board announced it will not offer TASS summer sessions in 2027 while it reviews the program following challenges during the 2026 program year, including the early end of the 2026 Ithaca session due to a staffing shortfall. Telluride says it intends for TASS to return, but has not announced a timeline or future application dates.

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.

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: US🇺🇸 All countries 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

There are no TASS sessions in 2027, and Telluride has not announced a timeline for future applications. 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.