Programs

Students apply to Horizon with 3-5 pre-approved sub-topics from a list of 300+ topics they wish to explore. If admitted, we help them refine a specific research proposal, guiding them in defining their research scope and focus. Ultimately, students are responsible for selecting their research topic and thesis statement. While we mentor and advise, we do not assign the research topic, as it is a personal decision that holds educational value.

The tuition for enrolling in a Horizon Labs course is $5950. The tuition for a Seminars course is also $5,950. Financial aid is available only for the Seminars courses at this point, and the maximum tuition waiver offered is 90%. In order to be eligible, students must indicate they need financial aid in the application form (household income below $75,000). The pool for financial aid is very competitive and we selectively offer financial aid to students who can demonstrate financial need.

The Seminars take place in the summer and follow a compacted schedule of 10 weeks, to accommodate different summer holidays across the world. The Labs courses are more flexible – usually taking 12-16 weeks.

The total time commitment for Horizon Academic is at least 100 hours. On a weekly basis, students can expect 8-10 total hours of reading, writing, homework, and class time.

Because our instructors and students are based in many different time zones across the world, each class time is carefully considered in order to maximize the convenience of all students. We lay out the class schedule at the beginning of each course.

All online sessions are conducted on Zoom. The only requirements are the Internet and a laptop (with a front-facing camera and a microphone). Some courses may require specific softwares to be installed. Your mentor and TA will do their best to help you install those softwares.

Even for our more STEM-related topics, projects use desktop research methods utilizing publicly available data sets. In today’s big data era, much scientific research happens outside traditional labs, focusing on extracting insights from existing datasets. Our mentors will teach you the tools and skills needed for scientific computing and data analysis.

To get more information about our program, the best way is to download our brochure through the “Download Brochure” button on the homepage. If you have more specific questions, please contact our admissions team at [email protected].

Horizon Academic welcomes all high school students. The majority of our students are sophomores and juniors (meaning that, from the time that they enroll in the program, they expect to graduate high school in 1-2 years).

Horizon does not require that students have prior research experience. Our faculty, as well as our writing advisors, work closely with students on learning the fundamentals of academic research and writing. Our admissions process ensures that we only admit students who are ready for research.

Students applying to Horizon must be enrolled in grades 9-12, with most accepted students being in grades 10 or 11. A strong GPA (3.67 unweighted or equivalent) and a demonstrated interest or achievement in the chosen subject are required. While prior coursework is not needed for most subjects, students should have taken challenging classes and have a basic understanding of the subject (shown through coursework, extracurriculars, or personal reading). Only a few courses have specific prerequisites, as mentioned below.

Only some of the subjects that we offer at Horizon have formal course prerequisites. Formal prerequisites are (A) Protein Biophysics: AP Chemistry or equivalent (B) Advanced Theoretical Math & Knot Theory: AP Calculus A/B or equivalent (B/C is also accepted) and (C) Fluid Dynamics: One year of Calculus and one year of high school Physics (Mechanics)

We ask applicants a mix of questions designed to better understand an applicant’s personal traits, to contextualize their research interests, and to probe their degree of preparedness and prior knowledge about the subject matter. We do not ask extremely narrow factual questions. We are more interested in understanding an applicant’s thought process, sense of personal motivation, and analytical abilities.

The only mandatory document for score is students’ school transcript. Standardized test scores are optional for the application process.

Students first submit an online application form through the website. Shortlisted candidates are invited to interview within 3-5 days of submitting their application. Final admission decisions are rolled out within 7 days of the interview.

Students who successfully complete the program will complete a college-level research paper, most often about 5,000 words. Students also receive a certificate of completion and a grade report (generated by their instructor using a university grading rubric). Our Labs students (publication-track) also purse external publication opportunities.

We encourage students who do well in their Horizon program and obtain an A/A- to request letters of recommendation from their instructors. As an academically rigorous program, we cannot guarantee LoRs and these decisions are at the discretion of the instructors. However, our instructors have usually written detailed and substantial recommendations for students who have done well and requested these in the past.

Yes. Students retain all intellectual property and authorship rights on the work that they complete.