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How to Apply and Session Dates

Summer Courses Accepting Applications

SAVY Information

Jump to: Eligibility | Choosing a Course | Application Checklist | Admissions Process | FAQ

Upcoming Summer Sessions

View Summer 2026 courses!

Summer 2026 Application Priority Window opens January 7, 2026

Each SAVY summer day runs from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM with one snack provided. Students must bring a nut-free lunch with them, lunch is not included. Tuition for summer 2026 will be announced in fall. There is a $50 nonrefundable application fee. Students may apply for multiple sessions with the $50 non-refundable application fee. Please note that typically, students are not eligible to attend more than 4 sessions each summer.

SESSION DATES
Session 1: June 8-12 (SAVY rising 1st-6th only)
Session 2: June 15-19 (SAVY rising 1st-6th only)
Session 3: June 22-26 (SAVY rising 1st-6th + Career Connections rising 7th-8th)
Session 4: June 29-July 3 (SAVY rising 1st-6th + Career Connections rising 7th-8th)
Session 5: July 6-10 (SAVY rising 1st-6th + Career Connections rising 7th-8th)
Session 6: July 13-17 (SAVY rising 1st-6th + Career Connections rising 7th-8th)
Session 7: July 20-24 (SAVY rising 1st-6th + Career Connections rising 7th-8th)
Arrival: 8:30 - 8:50 AM
Dismissal: 3:30 - 3:50 PM
Cost: $625 per week

Summer Session Timeline

Week of December 3Summer 2026 Courses Announced
January 7, noon to January 14, midnight7-Day Application Priority Window for Summer SAVY and Career Connections
After midnight on January 15Review of Priority Applications Begins; Applications Continue to Be Accepted with Admissions Notifications Sent 3-4 Weeks After Receipt
January 29 to February 16Summer SAVY Admissions Notifications Sent for Those Applying During the Priority Window
March 17Summer Tuition and Required Forms Deadline
June 1Tuition Due for Payment Plans

Fall and Spring Sessions

Fall SAVY and Spring SAVY run for three consecutive Saturdays and are open to students in Kindergarten through Grade 8. Students may apply for one session only or both sessions. Each SAVY Saturday runs from 8:45 AM to 3:00 PM with lunch provided. Students must bring a nut-free snack with them. Tuition is $450 for each session. There is a $50 nonrefundable application fee. Students may apply for fall and spring with the $50 non-refundable application fee if applying for both seassions at the same time.

Fall SAVY 2025 Spring SAVY 2026
3 Consecutive Saturdays:
October 25
November 1
November 8		 3 Consecutive Saturdays:
January 24
January 31
February 7
Arrival: 8:45 - 9:00
Dismissal: 2:45 - 3:00		 Arrival: 8:45 - 9:00
Dismissal: 2:45 - 3:00
Tuition: $450 for the three Saturdays (pizza lunch and materials included) Tuition: $450 for the three Saturdays (pizza lunch and materials included)
  • Fall Session Timeline

    Fall SAVY 2025 (1st-8th)

    August 20 Fall Courses Announced
    August 27, noon - September 3, noon Application Priority Window for Fall SAVY*
    After noon on September 3 Applications Continue to Be Accepted with Admissions Notifications Sent 3-4 Weeks After Receipt
    September 17 Fall SAVY Admissions Notifications Sent for Those Applying During the Priority Window
    October 1 Fall Tuition and Required Forms Deadline**
  • Spring Session Timeline

    Spring SAVY 2026 (K-8th)

    August 20 Spring Courses Announced
    August 27, noon - September 3, noon Application Priority Window for Spring SAVY*
    After noon on September 3 Applications Continue to Be Accepted with Admissions Notifications Sent 3-4 Weeks After Receipt
    September 17 Spring SAVY Admissions Notifications Sent for Those Applying During the Priority Window
    December 1 Spring Tuition and Required Forms Deadline**

Jump to: Eligibility | Choosing a Course | Application Checklist | Admissions Process | FAQ

Application Information

Current 6th and 7th Grade Students: Eligibility requirements for Career Connections are slight different than SAVY. The summer application priority window dates for Career Connections is the same as those for SAVY. However, there will be a separate online application for students interested in Career Connections.

When an application goes live for a program season, you will complete your SAVY application by visiting the “Apply Now” section of our website. Programs for Talented Youth uses SchoolDoc as the online application platform. If you have applied for other programs using SchoolDoc, you can use your previously created account to login and submit a SAVY application. With this option, you may upload test scores and select a preferred payment method for the $50 nonrefundable application fee for the program season (fall/spring or summer). For families submitting applications for multiple children, the application fee for the first child will be $50, and a $25 application fee discount is available for each subsequent child’s application for that season. Please contact SAVY (savy.pty@vanderbilt.edu) for the sibling discount code if you are planning to submit applications for multiple children.

SAVY Eligibility

We accept any standardized achievement or ability test including, but not limited to, the following: RIAS, CogAT, ERB, Stanford Achievement Test, OLSAT, Woodcock Johnson, WIAT, WISC IV/V, ITBS, Iowa and MAP/NWEA. We also accept a variety of state achievement tests and select progress monitoring assessments (AIMSweb, STAR, Fastbridge testing) for provisional placement. Out-of-level standardized assessments (e.g., Explore, SCAT) are also accepted.

While scores around the 90th percentile are typically a strong indication that SAVY is an appropriate curriculum match for a student, feel free to contact the SAVY office for questions about scores that do not meet these criteria, as alternative documentation may be acceptable. Returning SAVY students do not need to resubmit test scores unless their scores are more than three years old. Students without test scores should work with their schools to obtain documentation of their assessments.

Visit the Student Eligibility Page for more information about eligibility for SAVY or Career Connections. Additional information about eligibility for Career Connections at SAVY can also be found on the Career Connections page.

Choosing a Course

SAVY classes are designed to provide in-depth study on interesting topics to teach students higher-order thinking skills and to encourage development of conceptual frameworks for understanding new knowledge. Much of our curriculum has been designed by Vanderbilt faculty and graduate students, the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary, and the University of Connecticut.

SAVY courses are accelerated and specifically designed for academically gifted students. The best way to help your child select appropriate courses is to consider your student’s area(s) of strength and interest.

If your child is interested in taking more than one course, please rank them in order of their preference. Ranking courses increases your child’s chance of admission to the SAVY program, but remember, your child could be placed in any class that you rank. Classes fill very quickly, so we often have to place students in their second or third-choice classes. Thus, only rank a class if your child is willing to take it.

Application Checklist

  • Application (online)
  • Test scores (if applicable – see Eligibility below)
  • Application fee of $50
  • Financial aid application and documents (i.e.,1040 and W-2s, if applicable)

Please contact our office (savy.pty@vanderbilt.edu) with questions about the application process.

Admissions Process

The admissions process is the same for SAVY and Career Connections at SAVY.

Our admissions process is intended to facilitate an equal opportunity for all potential participants to be placed in a course of interest.

There is typically a 7-day application priority window for our programs. Students may apply for multiple academic year experiences (fall and spring) or multiple summer experiences with one application and one $50 non-refundable application fee. A different application and $50 non-refundable application fee is needed for academic year Saturday programs and Summer SAVY.

Please Note: If you plan to submit applications for multiple children, you can add all applicants to the same account in SchoolDoc, our online application platform. However, a separate application will need to be submitted for each individual child. Please visit the SchoolDoc Help Page and scroll to the bottom of the page for more information about how to add multiple students to a single account.

All applications received during the priority window for a session/season will be considered part of the primary applicant pool regardless of the specific time within the window they were submitted. All complete and qualifying applications submitted during the application priority window have the same chance for placement.

Upon the close of the window, all applications received will be randomly assigned a number determining their order in the review queue for the season/session (fall, spring, or summer). Applications of siblings will be reviewed and placed simultaneously, space permitting.

Applying during the priority window does not guarantee admission, but it increases your child’s chances. We strongly recommend applying during this window.

Applications received after the application priority window will be time and date stamped upon arrival and reviewed in order of receipt. If space in a course remains after the priority window has ended, courses will be filled on a first-come, first-served system based on availability and eligibility. Waitlists will be maintained for full courses.

  • Admissions Notification

    Once a completed application has been submitted within the priority window, a student can typically expect an admission notification via email on or before the communicated date in the session timeline.

    For students applying outside of the priority window, an admission notification will be sent within approximately 3-4 weeks after the application is received.

    If the student is admitted, the admission notice will also include the tuition statement and next steps. For families who have applied for financial aid, financial aid information may be included in the admission notice if financial aid materials have already been submitted. The tuition deposit for financial aid applicants will not be due until the financial aid materials have been processed and the award communicated to the family.

    Only complete applications are fully processed, so, if any items are missing, PTY will contact you to alert you to the incomplete status. Missing materials may delay review and impact placement.

  • Waitlists

    SAVY maintains waiting lists for courses that have reached maximum enrollment. The status of each course can be seen on our specific course pages.

    Students will be placed in their highest ranked course that has available space, based upon their eligibility. Students will be automatically placed on the waiting list for any higher ranked courses that were full at the time of enrollment, or for all ranked courses if all ranked courses are full at the time of enrollment. If a space becomes available in a higher ranked course, we will move the student into the higher ranked course, even if they had previously been placed in a lower ranked course. However, once the tuition deadline has passed, only families who have either 1) paid their tuition for the currently enrolled course or 2) emailed savy.pty@vanderbilt.edu and have declined enrollment in the lower ranked course but specifically requested to stay on the waitlist for a higher ranked course, will be eligible for placement in higher ranked courses, if space becomes available. There is no guarantee that space will become available in a course. If space becomes available, we will communicate with families via email.

    The application fee is not refundable to families of students who are not admitted from the waiting list. If your student has been waitlisted, and you have questions about their enrollment status, please contact the SAVY office at 615-322-2664 or at savy.pty@vanderbilt.edu for more information.

  • Required Forms

    Before the start date of the program, admitted students will receive access to an electronic packet of required forms which must be completed in their SchoolDoc portal by the required form due date. Required paperwork includes emergency contact information, medical information, and a media release. All students who participate in programs through Programs for Talented Youth must also have health insurance documentation on file with PTY.

    Equal Opportunity

    In compliance with federal law, including the provisions of Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990,the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Executive Order 11246, the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 as amended by the Jobs for Veterans Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, as amended, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, Vanderbilt University does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of their race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, military service, covered veterans status, or genetic information in its administration of educational policies, programs, or activities; admissions policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other university-administered programs; or employment. In addition, the university does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of their gender expression. Requests for information, inquiries or complaints should be directed to these offices: Equal Opportunity and Access Office, eoa@vanderbilt.edu, telephone (615) 343-9336; Title IX Office, Title IX Coordinator, titleix@vanderbilt.edu, telephone (615) 343-9004, 110 21st Avenue South, Suite 975, Nashville TN 37203; Student Access Office, studentaccess@vanderbilt.edu telephone (615) 343-9727.