In-person program: Rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, and the high school class of 2026 are eligible to apply.
Online program: Rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, and the high school class of 2026 are eligible to apply.
Applications can be submitted online, and admissions are rolling until they are full. For more information on how and where to apply, visit our apply page.
The cost of the residential 2026 Juniper Institute for Young Writers program is $5,200. The commuter cost is $2,330.
The cost of the 2026 Juniper Young Writers Online program is $1,325.
We aim to offer a number of full scholarships each year. Scholarship support is intended for those participants whose families cannot afford the full cost of the program. BIPOC and young writers of marginalized groups are especially encouraged to apply for the available funding. In order to apply for a scholarship, just click the "Scholarship" button in the "Scholarship Consideration" section of the application. On average, 30% of our participants attend with funding for each program.
Writing Labs are capped at 10 students.
On average, there are 50 participants in the residential summer program and 50 participants in the online summer program.
Juniper programs offer intensive and advanced creative writing instruction, and admission is very competitive for the residential summer program. Admission is less competitive for the online program, since the virtual format allows us the flexibility to increase our class offerings based on student demand.
Our Creative Writing Instructors are professional teachers and published poets and writers. They are graduate students at UMass Amherst, pursuing their Master of Fine Arts or English graduate degrees, who’ve participated in Juniper-centric collaborative trainings in order to develop program courses geared for an inclusive learning community.
During the Juniper Institute for Young Writers, participants receive feedback from small groups during their Writing Labs and during their Intensive Week. Participants receive detailed feedback on their work from all peers working in the same intensive genre (poetry, prose, or multimedia). After the Juniper Institute for Young Writers concludes, all participants receive a written feedback letter from their Writing Lab instructor.
During Juniper Young Writers Online, participants receive feedback from small groups during their Writing Labs. After the online program concludes, all participants receive a written feedback letter from their Writing Lab instructor.
Both the residential and online programs feature the same Juniper curriculum, including Writing Labs, Craft Sessions, Participant Readings, Writer’s Life talks, and Write-ins, each specifically adapted to the mode of delivery.
In addition to this core curriculum, young writers in the residential program will have the opportunity to experience student life on the UMass Amherst campus and explore the surrounding nature and literary culture of Western Mass during organized field trips.
Participants in the online program engage with the Juniper curriculum with more flexibility and freedom, and have the opportunity to virtually connect with writers from around the world to find long-lasting virtual community.
The cost to attend each program will differ.
If you would like to be considered to attend both the residential Juniper Institute for Young Writers program and the Juniper Young Writers Online program for this summer, there is no need to submit two applications. Please simply indicate in your application that you would like to be considered for admission to both programs.
To learn more about housing at Juniper, please visit our Residential Life page. For more detailed information, you can check out Pre-College @ UMass Amherst.
- Interest in creative writing
- Desire to meet a writing community
- Notebook
- Writing utensil
- Computer, tablet or smartphone
- Stable Wi-Fi connection
Flying
The closest airport to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst is Bradley International Airport (BDL), located just outside of Hartford, CT. By car, Bradley is about 45 minutes from campus. While farther away, some participants have chosen to fly into Boston Logan Airport (about two hours from campus) or New York airports (about three hours from campus).
From the airport, participants should make use of various Ground Transportation services to get to campus. Please note that these services, including Valley Transporter, must be booked in advance of your travel.
Valley Transporter
(413) 253-1350, provides airport transportation services to and from Bradley and Logan airports.
Seemo Shuttle
413-586-1120, provides shuttle service to and from Bradley, Logan, and New York airports.
Exclusive Car Service Inc.
877-695-4665, provides private car services to and from Bradley, Logan, and New York airports.
Bluebird Transportation
413-221-4512, provides airport shuttle and car services from Bradley, Logan, and JFK airports.
Michael's Limousine & Transportation Service
413-583-6392, provides transportation services to and from Bradley, Logan, and JFK airports throughout the local area.
By train or bus
Visitor Info - here, you'll find directions to campus by car, by bus, and by train.
Please note that the closest Amtrak train station is in Northampton, MA — from there you would need to take a taxi, Uber, or bus to campus.
Peter Pan and Megabus offer service directly to Amherst, while Amtrak and Greyhound offer service to Northampton, MA.
When a student is filling out their application, they will be prompted to send a recommendation letter request to their reference. The reference will receive an email with instructions on how to submit the recommendation letter.
We ask our references to speak to the following qualities in the student in their recommendation letter:
- Enthusiasm for creative writing
- Interest in a pre-college experience
- Maturity, interpersonal and collaborative skills
- Classroom participation
- Ability to adapt to a residential learning environment (for the residential Juniper Institute for Young Writers)
Recommendation letters are due within seven days of application submission, and an application is not considered complete without a recommendation letter. Students are not able to view their recommendation letters.
If you didn't receive a recommendation letter request from Submittable ([email protected]), please email [email protected], and mention the student's name for whom you're providing a recommendation letter. Please check your junk/spam folder.
More questions? Please email @email.