FAQs

REACH has grown nearly every year. 51 students attended in 2024 over both Core sessions. In 2025, we also expect ~50 students.
The number of spots available for REACH Further is dependent on the number of mentors available. We hope to recruit 13-18 mentors each year. 

High school students who are in grades 10-12 at the time of application are welcome to apply. The vast majority of REACH students apply in grades 10 and 11 as they wrap up their sophomore and junior years.

Students outside of Evanston/Chicago and international students are still welcome to apply, but see our FAQ on Housing.

See our Apply page for details on how to apply and what is required.

2023 attending students (41)

• 63% of students identified as an underrepresented gender in STEM
• 27% of students identified as an underrepresented minority in STEM
• 39% requested financial assistance
• 93% applied as a sophomore or junior (grades 10-11)
• 68% were local to the Chicago/Evanston area
• 3 students were international

Mid- to late-April, depending on the number of applicants.

No background in coding or astronomy is required. A firm grasp in algebra would be helpful. 

REACH can offer partial or full tuition waivers to accepted students. In 2023 and 2024, 100% of admitted students who applied for aid received at least partial assistance. Cumulatively, we gave ~$45,000 in waivers in 2024, with most of those funds coming from The Brinson Foundation.

Funding per year can vary, but we aim to lessen the financial burden as much as possible.

Yes, but only a limited number of spots are available to international students. Previous international students have attended from countries such as Spain, Rwanda, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Canada, Uzbekistan.

Important notes for international applicants:

• REACH does not provide housing or food to students. See the FAQ Housing answer below for more information.
• If you require a visa, previous students have submitted a B2 Visitor visa. We can provide a letter of invitation to aid you in your application.
• Some countries have a very long and/or complicated visa process, so be sure to check the timeline of the visa process in your country.
• Internationals are still eligible for tuition waivers.

International students are defined as non-US citizens attending school outside of US territory. US citizens and residents of territories such as Puerto Rico should apply as a Domestic applicant, and note the information on your application.

REACH is a daytime-only program. We are unable to provide housing to REACH students at this time. 

We are open to admitting students from outside the Evanston/Chicago area, but housing is a big barrier for students who are not local. About 30% of students in 2022 and 2023 were from out of the area. We have explored options on campus, but unfortunately, we are not able to offer on-campus housing.

Some students attending from outside of Evanston have family or friends in the area. Some have stayed in AirBnBs, or sublet an apartment for part of the summer. If we are lucky, a local REACH family may offer to host an out-of-state student at their house for the duration of the program. We may be able to connect you to other students looking to share housing costs, or a local family who could host you, but REACH/Northwestern does not take any responsibility in that agreement.

There are a couple events during the REACH program where we will provide food, but meals are largely the responsibility of the student. Students may pack a lunch or visit one of the many take-out restaurants during the lunch hour. 

• Astro 101 presentations and activities 
• Meeting new friends with similar interests 
• Learning about the researchers 
• Applying new coding skills in the mini-projects 
• Solar viewing at Dearborn Observatory

“Please never forget the impact that this work can have on our lives beyond just three weeks. This has had an incredible impact on me, and I could not have imagined this opportunity coming to me.”

“Thank you so much for such a wonderful, fun three weeks that I will constantly think about and cherish forever!! Never stop doing this program and giving new students the opportunity to be a part of something that’s so amazing and fantastic!!”

“This was amazing! I didn’t know much about astrophysics when I started, but hoped to dip my toes into the world of research — and I ended up loving both astro and research!!”

Read more quotes from REACH alumni here.

Generally, only REACH alumni are eligible to join a research team at CIERA, pending availability. REACH gives students the foundation in programming and research skills needed to join a CIERA research team. If this is something you are interested in pursuing, we would recommend applying to REACH Further.

Unofficial Transcripts can be uploaded with your application.
Letters of Recommendation can be sent to ciera-hsprogram@northwestern.edu

See the NU curated list here.

Please contact us at ciera-hsprogram@northwestern.edu