Frequently Asked Questions

In consultation with our university partners, NSLC students will be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID by the start of their program. To be considered fully vaccinated, students must receive their final dose of a vaccine authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the World Health Organization (WHO) at least 14 days before the start of their program. Students may request an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for medical or religious reasons. Exemptions may be subject to university policies and approval. Students not granted an exemption will receive a full refund.

For a full description of our COVID safety policies, please visit our COVID updates page by clicking here.

Summer 2022 Cancellation Fees and Refund Policies

The following cancellation fees apply to payments made during 2021/2022 Academic Year.

If you choose to cancel your enrollment, you have the following options:

Option 1: Cancellation

• Cancellation fees are based on the date of cancellation (see above chart). The remaining funds paid during the current academic year will be refunded.
• Within 30 days of your program’s start date, all tuition paid is nonrefundable.
• Any nonrefundable payments may be moved to the following summer (see Pre-Registration details below).
• Student Protection Plan fees are nonrefundable after May 1.
• Payments made during a previous academic year remain non-refundable.
• All payments made during the current academic year are refundable for students who choose to cancel from a waitlist.
• Scholarship students should refer to their separate refund policy. If you were awarded a scholarship by the NSLF, by submitting a cancellation request you are telling the committee that you will NOT be accepting your scholarship award or attending this summer.
• If a session is cancelled by the NSLC, you will receive a full refund of all payments made during the 2021/2022 academic year and any eligible payments transferred from 2020 and 2021 that were moved to pre-registration for 2022.
• Special Note for 2022 Pre-Registration Students: Your refundable payments made during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 academic years will remain refundable until April 1, 2022. Cancellation fees will remain non-refundable.

Option 2: Transfer to Another Session

• Requests to transfer will be processed in the order in which they are received and enrollment is dependent upon session availability.
• If you are currently on a waitlist and are opting to attend a different session instead of waiting for a space in your current program, you will lose your waitlist status. If you choose to transfer back to this waitlist at a later date, you will be placed at the end of the waitlist.

Option 3: Pre-Registration for Next Summer

• As a courtesy, any non-refundable tuition payments/cancellation fees may be transferred to next summer to be used by you or a family member.
• Students who transfer their deposit to Pre-Registration will lock in 2022 tuition rates for 2023. Any funds eligible for return in 2022 will remain refundable through February 1, 2023.
• You will be added to next summer’s early mailing list and contacted by email in the fall with next summer’s dates and locations.
• Students will be charged a cancellation fee each year they cancel. The fee will be deducted from the payments made during the corresponding academic year.
• Note: If you are unable to attend next summer, any cancellation fees paid in the previous academic year remain non-refundable.

Since 1989, The National Student Leadership Conference has been the premier provider of career-focused leadership conferences. Tens of thousands of high school students from across the globe have come to the NSLC for an unparalleled opportunity to meet with and learn from world leaders, academic experts and their peers. Each summer program helps students develop their own leadership potential while exploring some of today’s most exciting professions.

There are several ways in which students are selected to participate in the NSLC. Teachers, counselors, and NSLC alumni nominate outstanding high school students from across the United States and around the world. Candidates may also be selected from one of several national talent identification surveys, including the College Board Student Search Service and the ACT EOS.

Interested students who possess a strong academic record and have demonstrated leadership potential may also apply for admission to the NSLC on a merit basis.

Applications are considered on a rolling basis. As programs fill quickly each year, students are encouraged to apply for admission at online here to speed the application process and help ensure first choice of session.

We encourage students who demonstrate academic excellence and leadership ability to apply to our academic summer leadership programs. Students must currently be enrolled in 6th-12th grade. Students may attend the NSLC through the summer following their high school graduation. A completed Grade Verification Form is required for students who did not receive an invitation.

NSLC is a truly unique experience. No matter which program you attend, you will gain essential leadership skills while learning about group dynamics, team building, goal setting, communication and conflict resolution. Additionally, you will gain a true insider’s perspective into a future career. You will also enjoy exclusive field trips, engaging academic activities and discussions with national and world leaders. College admission officers find participation in the NSLC and earning college credit while in high school of interest when evaluating applications. The NSLC experience is one that our students say they will “remember forever.”

While your invitation included a recommended application deadline, the NSLC operates on rolling admissions. We continue to evaluate applications as long as space is available. Because many of our sessions fill by late March, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to ensure your first choice of program and session.

At the NSLC each day is different and varies by specific conference, but each conference does include several components each day.

For example:

• Classes/Topic lectures
• Off campus briefings and tours
• Guest speakers
• Simulations
• Relaxation/social event
• Leadership exercises/workshops

Please take a look at the sample schedules for each program to see more specific examples of daily activities.

The safety of our participants is our first concern. Our Directors have decades of experience administering programs for students. The student to staff ratio is approximately 9 to 1. Our administrative staff, faculty and Team Advisors stay on campus with the students. Male and female students are housed in separate housing facilities and/or floors. During the day, students are with their groups and supervised by our trained Team Advisors; in the evenings they have mandatory floor checks by their assigned Resident Advisor who sleeps on the same floor.

Program tuition includes housing, all on-campus meals, course materials, academic expenses, and activities. Tuition also includes chartered, air-conditioned motor coaches for off-campus briefings and tours. Note: Students are responsible for the cost of travel to and from the program as well as individual spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and a few off-campus meals during fields trips and tours.

High School Tuition

Middle School Tuition

Program tuition includes housing, all on-campus meals, course materials, academic expenses, and activities. Tuition also includes chartered, air-conditioned motor coaches for off-campus briefings and tours. Note: Students are responsible for the cost of travel to and from the program as well as individual spending money for souvenirs, laundry, and a few off-campus meals during fields trips and tours.

Students are responsible for the cost of travel to and from the conference. NSLC offers private shuttle service between a designated airport near each program and campus on the start and end dates of the program for a fee of $40-80 each way. Upon acceptance, you will receive instructions on how to sign up for the airport shuttle.

You will need to complete the Airport Transportation Request Form in time for us to arrange transportation. NSLC staff members will meet the students at baggage claim and then escort students directly to registration at the University or Conference Center via a private shuttle service.

Please note: Because of conference scheduling, students requesting transportation to/from the airport must arrive and depart within specific times. Please do not make travel arrangements before receiving your acceptance email.

In order to provide the best experience for each student, it is necessary to limit the number of participants in any given session. Once enrollment in a session reaches its capacity, students will be offered the opportunity to enroll on a waitlist. Each year, a small number of students will cancel prior to the start of a session. Once a cancellation is received, the NSLC will offer the space to a waitlisted student. Once offered a space, students will have 24 hours to confirm their enrollment before the space is offered to the next student on the waitlist. While the NSLC anticipates a few students will be offered spaces off the waitlist each year, there is no guarantee a space will become available.

It is not necessary to contact the NSLC Enrollment Office regarding your status on the Waitlist. If a space becomes available, the NSLC will contact you immediately. The NSLC highly recommends that students able to attend another session date that is open enroll in the open session to ensure their participation in the program.

In order to hold a space on the Waitlist, students must submit a deposit with their application. If a student is not eventually offered a space in the session, or is unable to attend the program when a space becomes available, the student’s deposit will be refunded in full.