Taking Action

Applications are submitted using MyCTD, the online course application system. Applicants are encouraged to apply early; many courses begin to fill as soon as mid-March. Complete applications are reviewed as they are received starting December 10. Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are completed.  Incomplete applications do not "hold a spot" in the desired course.  Additionally, the $500 deposit does not hold a seat in a course.

Taking Action: Leadership & Service, a collaborative effort between CEP and the Spectrum Summer Program welcomes applications from returning applicants as well as new scores and portfolio applicants in grades 7 or 8. Before beginning the online application, determine which type of applicant you are based on the descriptions below.

Returning Applicant - Please read description carefully. Applicants must make sure they are qualified to apply as a returning applicant.
You are a returning applicant if you are in grade 7 or grade 8 and you meet both of the following criteria: 

• You have successfully completed a verbal qualifying area CTD course through the  Summer Program or Online Program at the Magenta Tier or Indigo Tier, within the previous twenty-four months. 

New Scores Applicant
You are a new scores applicant if you are in grade 7 or grade 8 and you meet either one of the following criteria:

• You have not attended any CTD program for the past two years and you have qualifying verbal/reading test scores that are no more than two years old.
• Participation in above grade-level testing such as the PSAT™8/9 test taken in grades 5, or 6, or the ACT® or SAT® test taken in grades 6, 7 or 8 (NUMATS) within the last two years.

New Portfolio Applicant
You are a portfolio applicant if you are in grade 7 or grade 8 and the following is applicable to you:

• You do not have qualifying test scores because you have either:

             1) never taken the required grade-level assessment or above-grade-level test

OR

             2) taken this type of test but not achieved a qualifying score.

 An Admission Portfolio includes the following documents:

• Required: one teacher recommendation form, the link to which will be available in your MyCTD account once the application is submitted, indicating that the student is performing 1½ to 2 years above grade level in the subject area of the course to which the student is applying, ie English Language Arts or Humanites
• Required: most recent school report card  
• If available: most recent state testing report (e.g. NWEA/MAP) or any results of a grade-level test.

Please note that students are to apply to the grade level that they are in as of January 2nd for Summer Program courses.  For the purposes of the Summer Program, students are considered to be in the grade they just completed and NOT the grade they will enter in the fall.  Due to the requirements of many of the service sites we work with, TALS is only available to students in 7th and 8th grades who will be 13 by the time of the program.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as many courses close by mid-March. Due to the rolling enrollment nature of our program, courses that are listed as available may close before a student's application is complete and comes up for review.  Applications are processed and reviewed by Admissions staff when all necessary documentation has been provided through the applicant's MyCTD account. 

Our residential space is limited.  For the last several summers we have experienced more demand for residential space than we have the capacity to provide.  If you are interested in joining us as a residential student we encourage you to COMPLETE your application as soon as possible.

It can take up to a week for our staff to first review newly submitted applications as well as any documentation added to complete an application later. Until our staff has verified the documents it will not yet be reflected in what you see in MyCTD.  We kindly ask you to not call nor email our office to confirm receipt of documentation or application items within a week of submitting them.

It may take 2 to 4 weeks for an admissions decision to be made once the application is complete.  You will recieve an email once an admissions decision has been made.

Deadlines 

The application period for Spectrum Session 1 (June 28 - July 17, 2020) will close Monday, June 15th, 2020.  

The application period for Spectrum Session 2 (July 19 - August 7, 2020) will close Monday, June 29th, 2020. 

After May 14th, 2020, tuition increases by $100.00.

Applications submitted after Monday, June 8th must be accompanied by full tuition payment.

To qualify for Magenta Tier, Spectrum, Taking Action: Leadship & Service students must be in grade 7 or 8 and must also provide one of the following:

• Achievement of a score of 95^thpercentile or higher on a nationally normed grade-level assessment in the subject area of Verbal/Reading.
• Successful past completion of a CTD course, with a Verbal/Reading qualifying area at the Magenta or Indigo Tier.  
• Submission of a portfolio application, consisting of a teacher recommendation form from the student's English Language Arts or Humanities teacher, and the student’s most recent report card.
• Participation in above grade-level testing such as the PSAT™8/9 test taken in grades 5, or 6, or the ACT® or SAT® test taken in grades 6, 7 or 8 (NUMATS) within the last two years.
• Students from India, UAE, Kuwait or Singapore who have tested with ASSET Talent Search may be able to apply as new students with qualifying test scores.

Tuition 

• Commuter student, tuition only: $2,485
• Residential student tuition: $4,135

Withdrawal Policy

• Requests for withdrawals and refunds must be made in writing by Monday, June 8th, 2020. E-mail requests should be sent to CTD-admissions@northwestern.edu.
• Withdrawals are subject to a processing fee of $60. (Update: With the challenges currently being presented by the spread of COVID-19 CTD is suspending its $60 withdrawal processing fee.)
• Withdrawal requests made after the deadline will recieve 50% of fees paid, less the processing fee.
• Students who withdraw after the start of the program are not eligible for any refund.
• Once a refund has been initiated, it may take up to six weeks to appear in the account from which it was paid, depending on the type of account and the billing cycles.

Financial Aid

CTD offers need-based financial aid awarded as requests are received. Families are encouraged to apply early because the amount of aid available is limited. Please see the Financial Aid page for details. 

• The deadline to apply for financial aid for the Spectrum Summer Program is April 9, 2020.  However, funds are limited and historically our financial aid has been fully dispersed before the deadline date.
• Financial aid applications are not reviewed until a student has completed their course application and has been placed into a class.  Acceptance emails for students who have indicated they are applying for financial aid are not sent until a financial aid decision has been rendered.
• It is imperative that you complete the financial aid application as soon as possible as it may take FACTS up to ten days to process your information.
• If you have previously completed a FACTS application for CTD you must still begin with the current link in the application confirmation email for this year’s program.  You will be able to link your FACTS account to this new FACTS information.  You may need to update financial information.
• If you experience difficulties with the FACTS process please call the FACTS helpline at 866-412-4637.

Payment Plan

A five-month payment plan option is available. The payment plan application is due within 30 days of acceptance. There is a $50 service charge for using the payment plan; families eligible for financial aid will not be assessed the service charge.

Reimbursement through a Flexible Spending Account

Parents with Flexible Spending Accounts may be eligible for tuition reimbursement; please consult your accountant or tax preparer.