Did you know that many colleges offer a free opportunity for students to experience campus life up close, especially students from underserved communities?
These "fly-in" programs not only cover travel and stay, but also offer a chance to meet faculty, explore the campus, and even learn about financial aid and admissions.
It’s a rare chance to see if a school is the right fit—without the financial burden.
Interested in how these programs work and how students can apply.
Access Babson
A Dynamic Introductory Experience for High School Seniors
Sunday, September 27 - Monday, September 28
At Babson College, we believe that entrepreneurial leadership is fostered by Inclusive Excellence. We value the breadth of perspectives and power of our differences. Access Babson is designed to support students who have faced challenges to educational opportunity or have limited access to resources in their college search. Access Babson is open to all rising high school seniors who reside in the U.S., regardless of citizenship or background.
We hope you will join us overnight on campus for the opportunity to stay with a current student in a residence hall and participate in many other sessions. We’re excited to provide you with a deep understanding of the Babson experience. We’ll help you develop a greater understanding of Babson’s approach to inclusion and belonging through conversations with members of our community including “real talk” sessions with current student leaders.
We are excited to share that applications for our Fall 2026 Barnard Bound program are officially open. This year’s program will feature both virtual programming (Sept 13–Oct 19) and a special on-campus experience in October, and we would love to see your students apply.
Barnard Bound is designed for rising seniors who identify as first-generation and/or low-income, offering them the chance to connect with current students, experience academic life, and receive support throughout the college process.
Our programming will feature current students, faculty, and staff—all sharing their unique perspectives on what it means to be first-generation/low-income at Barnard College, a liberal arts and sciences college whose purpose is to amplify women's power to change the world.
Barnard is also deeply committed to affordability; we meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for all admitted students. Because Barnard is need-blind in its application review for US citizens and permanent residents, a family's financial circumstances will never impact an admission decision.
Barnard Bound scholars will get to:
Meet current Barnard students and hear about their unique journeys.
Explore Barnard classes, leadership opportunities, and campus life.
Hear directly from admissions officers and get answers to their college questions.
Work on their college essays in collaborative workshops with their peers.
Spots are limited, so please forward this to your eligible students and encourage them to submit early for the best chance to participate in the full experience!
Priority Deadline: July 10 (Strongly encouraged for students interested in the on-campus experience)
Final Deadline: August 8
Bates College was founded on the principles of civic engagement, inclusivity, and the transformative power of our differences. As we continue to realize our mission of inclusive excellence, we'd love to open our doors to your students through our all-expenses-paid student access fly-in program, Prologue to Bates, Sunday, October 11 – Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
What is Prologue to Bates?
Prologue promises to be a unique and engaging few days of conversation and community for students. Together, we’ll talk about tips for the college application and financial aid processes, connect your students with current Bates Bobcats so they can get a sense of the student experience, introduce them to our devoted faculty and staff, and much more! Prologue is aligned with our larger Fall Visit Day, when students from around the country and the world come to visit and learn more about Bates. Prologue to Bates covers the costs of transportation to and from our campus, meals, and overnight accommodations for program participants.
During Prologue, your students will find opportunities to:
Meet other students who are interested in Bates and a liberal arts education.
Attend academic sessions and learn from professors who will guide them through Bates’ well-rounded and rigorous academic experience.
Stay overnight in campus housing with a Bates College student.
Eat meals in Commons, our nationally-recognized and highly-ranked dining hall.
Learn more about Bates’ athletic, cultural, and co-curricular events and clubs.
Visit Maine and the heart of downtown Lewiston (the diverse city where Bates is located).
See why Bates is a special and amazing place to spend four years and develop the skills needed to succeed.
Who should apply?
Applications are welcome from students intending to enter college in Fall 2027 who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or undocumented/DACA students residing in the United States. Prologue is designed to serve students who are first-generation-to-college students and low-income students.
It’s easy to apply!
We've made applying easier by removing counselor nominations and requirements. In addition to filling out the application, students need only submit a PDF of their unofficial transcripts and an optional school profile.
How can you help?
Please help us spread the word by forwarding this email to students you believe will benefit from the experience and thrive at Bates. Thank you!
How can students apply?
The deadline for students to apply and submit all materials for this program is Friday, August 7, 2026. Please direct students to this online application or the link below to apply.
We are thrilled that applications to our annual Explore Bowdoin fly-in programs are now open.
Explore Bowdoin is an all-expenses paid college visit program for high-achieving low-income and/or first-generation high school seniors.
We hope you will share Explore Bowdoin with students who might be a good match. We value your insights and appreciate your help in suggesting students to Bowdoin.
About Explore Bowdoin
Students in our Explore Bowdoin program will meet with current students, gain support and confidence in the college admissions process, and experience the coast of Maine. Attendees will also have an admissions interview and meet individually with our student aid counselors while on campus.
Bowdoin handles all of the logistics and covers the cost of the program, including transportation to/from campus, lodging, and meals for the duration of the student's trip.
Explore Bowdoin 1: September 17-19, 2026
Explore Bowdoin 2: October 22-24, 2026
Deadline to apply: August 11
We know that a campus visit can be an important factor for students navigating the college search process, but we also recognize that the cost of visiting colleges can be a barrier for many students. Our Lantern Scholars fly-in program is designed to support rising high school seniors from first-generation and limited-income backgrounds to visit campus, stay in residence halls, attend classes, and explore student life at a liberal arts women’s college.
The 2026 program will take place September 26-28. Students should apply here by July 17, 2026.
Sourced from the Bryn Mawr College website: https://www.brynmawr.edu/admissions-aid/visit-bryn-mawr/lantern-scholars-fly-program.
Students should apply here by July 17, 2026.
The STARS Fly-In at Columbia for Rural Students
Columbia Undergraduate Admissions and the Small-Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network are pleased to offer the STARS Fly-In at Columbia. The STARS Fly-In is Columbia's selective three-day, two-night program designed for current high school seniors who are interested in Columbia and come from a rural area or small town. This fully funded experience includes hotel and travel arrangements for students and one parent/guardian to learn more about Columbia, explore New York City and participate in college admissions workshops.
The application for the STARS Fly-In is now available! Apply by Monday, July 20, 2026.
The Dartmouth Bound Program will provide an opportunity for students to visit Hanover, N.H. during one of two possible session dates: July 19-22 or August 2-5. The College will cover travel expenses, housing, and meals for all participants.
The program is open to all rising high school seniors currently living and attending a high school in the U.S. We encourage students from underserved communities—including students who are the first in their families to attend college, students from low-income families, students from rural communities, and students from under-resourced high schools or who otherwise lack access or opportunity to programs or resources that would assist in preparing them for college—to apply.
The program is designed to provide rising seniors with:
An in-depth introduction to the enduring value of a liberal arts education through Dartmouth’s curriculum and faculty
An opportunity to stay in Dartmouth’s residence halls and connect with current student mentors
Engaging workshops led by Dartmouth’s admissions and financial aid officers
A series of panels led by current Dartmouth students
We invite you to learn more about the program here, and to forward the application link to students you think would benefit from this experience: https://apply.dartmouth.edu/register/bound-account-2026.
We welcome applications through Monday, May 18.
If you have any questions about Dartmouth Bound, please contact Christina Moreland, associate director of admissions and coordinator of pipeline development at Christina.R.Moreland@dartmouth.edu.
The Emory Leadership, Enrichment, Advocacy, and Discovery (LEADs) Experience offers resources to support high school seniors as they begin the college application process and explore their leadership potential beyond the classroom. LEADs also includes an in-person Leadership Retreat in late September. LEADs is designed to support the recruitment of talented, high-achieving high school seniors who are either first-generation college students and/or from a rural or lower socioeconomic background, and/or students who do not have the means to visit campus.
Our Purpose
The goal is to motivate students to learn more about themselves, develop their leadership potential, and further solidify their confidence, so that they can navigate the college application process feeling emboldened in the power of knowledge and the informed choices they make.
Through LEADs, you as students will gain a clearer understanding of how to pursue leadership, enrichment, advocacy, and discovery opportunities in college as well as the steps and timeline associated with how to stand out in the college application process, including how to:
Determine the characteristics of colleges and universities most important to you
Understand your strengths and weaknesses to find colleges and universities that best fit your long-term aspirations
Complete the college application in a way that showcases your authentic narrative and lived experiences
Explore academic interests as a way to broaden your potential career paths
At Hamilton College, we realize that visiting campuses is an important part of a prospective student's college search process. That’s why I’m writing to let you know that this fall we will offer a two-day campus fly-in experience, Home at Hamilton, for high school seniors who may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the Hamilton campus and community.
Home at Hamilton will take place from Sunday, September 27 - Monday, September 28, 2026. Hamilton College will cover the direct expenses associated with the student's visit to campus, including air or train fare to and from their home state, ground transportation to and from campus, meals during their visit, and overnight accommodations.
If this sounds like an opportunity that your students would benefit from, please share this message with them. They will need to submit an online application along with their unofficial high school transcript and self-reported standardized test scores (if applicable). The deadline to submit an application is Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT). They will receive a decision by August 10.
About the Bridges Program
Miami University is proud to present the Bridges Program, which was founded 40 years ago by Black students who wanted a Miami degree to be more accessible to students and to ensure that their experiences here would be rewarding. The Bridges Program is an engaging experience that provides an inside look at Miami University to prospective first-generation students or students with demonstrated financial need, allowing them to engage with our current students, faculty, and staff.
Scholarship Information
Students who complete the Bridges Program, apply to Miami University, are accepted, and enroll on the Oxford campus for fall 2027 will be eligible to receive the Bridges Program scholarship. Last year, Bridges scholarship values ranged from $2,500 to $5,000 annually. Students can "stack" this scholarship with other Miami awards, which means multiple scholarships can be used for student expenses. In fact, most Bridges participants receive multiple awards, for total values ranging from half to full tuition.
Discover Middlebury is our annual, all-expenses-paid fly-in program for students who may not otherwise have the chance to visit campus.
Who Should Apply
Apply to Discover Middlebury if you’re a U.S. student who would not otherwise have the financial ability to visit campus, you’re intellectually motivated, and you’re interested in pursuing higher education at a liberal arts and sciences college.
Unfortunately, international students or those living outside of the U.S. are not eligible to attend Discover Middlebury.
What You Can Expect
You’ll get a look into student and academic life on campus that may include the following:
Time spent exploring the Anderson Freeman Resource Center, Middlebury’s intercultural center.
Conversations with current student leaders in affinity spaces.
Meet professors and explore support resources.
Bonding time and games with fellow participants.
Two nights enjoying the camaraderie of life in a Middlebury student residence hall.
The inside scoop on applying to college from the Middlebury admissions team.
Discover Middlebury will be held on campus October 11-13, 2026. The application deadline is September 4, 2026.
For questions about Discover Middlebury, call the Admissions Office at 802-443-3000 or email the Discover Middlebury team at discovermiddlebury@middlebury.edu
The Mount Holyoke College Office of Admission has gone live with our fly-in and overnight program application for Mosaic! Students who apply and are admitted to the program will receive funding to travel to our beautiful campus on one of two weekends this fall.
At Mount Holyoke, we recognize that a mosaic represents much more than a work of art. Each of us has a distinctive story, and when we come together as a community, we form artwork that reflects the intersections and connections of our unique experiences and identities.
Program details:
Mosaic is open to all students and will prioritize extending an invitation to rising seniors who come from low-income, first-generation to college, and/or student-of-color backgrounds. Please share this application widely with your students and don’t hesitate to be in touch with us should you have any questions about the program.
Program Dates:
Application Deadlines:
Mosaic 1: September 27 - September 29
September 5
Mosaic 2: November 8 - 10
October 4
Programs include:
Round trip transportation to and from the college.
All meals covered for programming days.
On-campus lodging with another prospective student.
Access to class visits and renowned faculty.
One-on-one time with Admission & Student Financial Services staff.
An immeasurable amount of fun getting to know our diverse and vibrant campus!
Act fast! We will prioritize applicants who apply by August 1, 2025. Any questions? Contact the Mosaic Team at admissionmosaic-g@mtholyoke.edu.
Pomona College works towards fulfilling the mission of recruiting and admitting diverse groups of students to the College. Through our fly-in program, Perspectives on Pomona (POP), we offer prospective students insight into life at Pomona College, opportunities to learn and connect with our inspiring professors, and invitations to open discussions with current students. POP allows for the exploration of all the layers of Pomona's community and resources.
The College offers POP in the fall and spring semesters. In the fall, there is an additional option to experience Pomona’s campus through virtual POP, an online version of the program offered at two different dates.
While Fall POP is open to all seniors attending high school in the United States (U.S. citizens, undocumented/DACA students, and permanent residents), its programming is focused on furthering the academic journey of students who are first-generation, low-income, or middle income, or whose lived experiences play a defining role in their identities.
The application for our Fall POP program is now available.
Intended for high school seniors, this annual event highlights opportunities offered by Smith College for African American, Asian American, Latin American, Native American, and/or first-generation college students. All students are welcome. Housing, meals, and transportation to and from campus is included.
They’ll have the chance to talk with Smith students, professors, and alums, and additional programming includes workshops and panels.
Student nominations for our Discover Swarthmore (DS) fly-in program, an all-expenses-paid visit to one of the best liberal arts and engineering colleges in the country are currently being accepted. Prospective students get a taste of the college experience by meeting current students and professors, eating in our dining hall, and spending a few nights in our residence halls with student hosts. They also gain valuable information about college admissions and financial aid from our staff of experts.
Discover Swarthmore Nomination and Selection Criteria
While the Fall 2026 program dates have not yet been finalized, we typically offer two Discover Swarthmore programs, in mid-September and late October, to give students maximum flexibility. Last fall, our on-campus programs took place during the last weekends of September and October.
All interested rising high school seniors (U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and undocumented/DACA students attending school in the United States) are welcome to apply to Discover Swarthmore, though preference will be given to students who are the first in their families to attend college, students from low-income backgrounds, and students who might not otherwise be able to afford a trip to campus.
Please nominate students who might be a good match for this opportunity by submitting our online nomination form by Monday, June 15, 2026. You may nominate as many students as you wish, using one nomination form per student. We accept nominations from high school counselors, mentors, community-based organization advisors, teachers, and any person who works with a high-achieving student, so please share this information with your colleagues.
Nominate a Student for Discover Swarthmore!
Next Steps
The application for Discover Swarthmore will be available in May! After you submit a nomination, we will notify your student of their nomination and ask them to complete the program application by Tuesday, July 7, 2026. At the end of junior year and after the student submits the Discover Swarthmore application, we will ask the student to upload a final transcript to the application portal, which is due Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
We also welcome applications from students who have not been nominated. If a student chooses to apply and is accepted to the program, we will pay for round-trip airfare/train fare, housing, meals, and travel incidentals to attend.
“Fly-In” Travel Reimbursement Program
Sweet Briar is focused on a pioneering spirit and entrepreneurship through women’s leadership, sustainability, creativity and science. And we’re seeking young women who are just as passionate as we are in these areas.
That’s why we created the Fly-In Program! It is designed for all female high school juniors and seniors and provides:
Funded reimbursement for travel to and from campus for one student and family member via plane, car, or train.
Complimentary accommodations at our on-campus hotel, the Elston Inn.
All meals while on campus.
Does this sound like something one of the young women you know could benefit from? Find out more here.
We'd love to share information about our WashU FLI-In Program with students!
WashU FLI-In is a special small-group opportunity designed to introduce First-generation and Limited-Income students to the college application process and to WashU. During this three-day program, they’ll engage in deeper exploration of an academic area of interest (Art, Architecture, Design, Arts & Sciences, Business, Engineering, or PreMed) while experiencing campus life and our vibrant community! We will cover the cost of their roundtrip travel to and from campus, along with housing and meals during their stay.
Attendees will:
Learn about the resources and support available to first-generation (first generation in their family to attend college) and limited-income students (come from a household income of $75,000 a year or less).
Spend three days (two nights) on our beautiful campus and get a taste of college life.
Explore St. Louis and take in some of our favorite sights.
Gain expert guidance on sharing their story as part of their college application.
Meet current students, accomplished alumni, and faculty leading in their fields.
WashU FLI-In Dates
Students should choose the program that best suits their academic interest on the application. For each program, students will travel to campus on the first day of the program and stay overnight the first two nights. On the third day, they will participate in an Academic Theme Day with other prospective students.
Art, Architecture, & Design, June 24-26
Business, July 8-10
Engineering, July 15-17
PreMed, July 22-24
Arts & Sciences, July 29-31
Eligibility
WashU FLI-In is an application-based program open to rising high school seniors (graduating in spring 2027) who reside in the U.S. or U.S. territories.
Students who are the first generation in their family to attend college or come from a limited-income household are encouraged to apply.
The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. CT, May 15, 2026.
Applicants will be notified of their decision by May 27, 2026. Students who are not selected will still be able to register for an Academic Theme Day.
Windows on Williams
Windows on Williams is a selective, fully-funded program open to high school students in the U.S. and Puerto Rico who will be seniors in the fall of 2026. Preference is given to high-achieving students who couldn’t otherwise afford to visit Williams.
WOW participants stay in dorms with current students, attend classes, meet with professors and learn about our admission process and extraordinary All-Grant Financial Aid program. Williams will pay for and arrange transportation to campus and cover all additional expenses including meals and overnight hosting in a dorm.
The fall 2026 WOW dates are Sunday, October 4 to Tuesday, October 6. We recognize these dates may not work for any number of reasons, including school commitments or other conflicts. If you’re interested in learning more about Williams outside of WOW, you can do so on our website and through some of our virtual programming.
Apply by August 1 and receive your decision by August 31. There are two ways to apply:
You may complete the full WOW application form OR
If you have applied to the QuestBridge College Prep Scholars (CPS) program, you can re-use that application instead.
Either way, your starting point will be the application form below. Please email WOW@williams.edu with any questions.