FAQs

If you question isn't answered here please contact us at summercollege@ithaca.edu.

Travel and Arrival

Arrival - You are expected to attend check-in. Please plan to arrive sometime between 2-5 pm on Sunday, July 14, 2024. At that time you will be given your room key and meal card. You will then go to your residence hall to find your room, meet your roommate, other program participants, and the summer resident assistants. At 5:30 pm there will be a welcome, followed by dinner, campus tour, floor meetings, orientation, and opportunities to connect with other participants.

Departure - On the last day of the program, August 02, your program may have a closing reception for participants and their families. Check with the Faculty Director of your program for more information on this. Students will check out of the residence hall just prior to this closing event. Students depart on August 02 after their closing event.

Travel by Bus

Most bus lines arrive and depart from downtown Ithaca, near the Ithaca Commons, and are less than 10 minutes driving distance from Ithaca College. The Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport is located on Brown Road and Warren Road. Below is the contact information for the transportation you plan to use.

Travel by Air

Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport is 15 minutes driving distance from Ithaca College and serviced by these airlines:

  • DELTA
  • UNITED

GROUND TRANSPORTATION in ithaca

Families who wish to accompany participants to Ithaca are encouraged to stay at the Country Inn & Suites. Call the front desk to make your reservation.

July 15 through August 02, 2024

Country Inn & Suites Ithaca
1100 Danby Road (Route 96B)
Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 256-1100

To find out about Ithaca College and the surrounding area please peruse the following informative websites:

About Ithaca College

About Ithaca, NY.  

The Ithaca Guide is the Ithaca College information guide to Ithaca, NY. Get information on anything from apartments, banks, transportation, and where to eat!

For an Ithaca College campus tour.

Ithaca College Campus Map.

Housing and Meals

You will stay in a residence hall on campus with one other roommate. Upon acceptance, participants are housed according to what they indicate on their Roommate Survey. Bathrooms are single-stall. Curfews are imposed for all residential participants, who are checked into the residential hall at curfew. Participants are also required to be in their rooms by a certain time. Residence staff make regular checks of rooms after check-in.

A residential coordinator is in charge of non-academic portions of the program including life in the residence hall. A staff of residence assistants (RAs), in addition, live on the residence hall floors throughout the duration of the program. This team of RAs is closely supervised by both the residential coordinator and the faculty director. The Director of the Office of Extended Studies, Eric Machan Howd, also has specific responsibility for academics and academic advising. 

  • The Office of Public Safety is open 24 hours and can be reached at 607-274-3333 for actual emergencies.
  • The Office of Extended Studies can be reached at 607-274-3143 during normal summer business hours – 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., M-Th.

More information about safety and security can be found on our summer college Campus Life page.

Meals are served at the Campus Center Dining Hall. You can review more about the college's dining options here at the Dining Services website. Yes! Gluten-free (and vegetarian) menu options are available. For more information or to schedule gluten-free meals during your stay, contact the college's executive chef at 607-274-3009.

Each residence hall has free laundry facilities. You may want to bring a small container of detergent and a laundry bag.

Computer labs with very fast Internet access are available for your use, but you may want to bring your own computer for use in your room. All academic and administrative buildings, as well as all residence halls, have wi-fi coverage.

Yes, your mail will need to be addressed as follows:

[Insert Name of Program Participant Here]
Summer Pre-College Program
[Insert Residence Hall Name Here]
Ithaca College
953 Danby Road
Ithaca, NY 14850-7076

See our What Should I Bring page for suggestions on what to pack for your time with us.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodation related to housing or meals should review How to Get Accommodations at IC. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.

Note: If you need academic accommodation, please contact our Student Accessibility Services department at sas@ithaca.edu.

Health and Safety

COVID-19 Positive or Other Serious Illness or Injury Protocol 

We strongly encourage that participants are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including appropriate booster doses, as defined by the CDC, before arriving on campus for program participation. We are not requiring proof of vaccination to participate in our summer 2024 programs. The College does not offer isolation or treatment services for COVID-19. If your child tests positive for COVID-19, they will be required to isolate. People who are isolated must remain separated from others for a minimum of 5 days since symptoms first appeared and resolution of fever for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and with improvements of any other symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath). Isolation must occur under the supervision of a parent/guardian at home or off campus. The College cannot provide isolation facilities or supervision. 

The College will arrange for appropriate medical care and monitoring of your child in the case of a COVID-19 positive test or other serious injury or illness that may occur during the program. You are required to retrieve your child within 24 hours of notice by the college should such an incident occur. Please carefully consider this as a possibility prior to enrolling your child in a summer program at Ithaca College and have a plan to retrieve your child if needed.  

If you do not retrieve your child within 24 hours after notice by the college, you will be charged a fee of $250 per day, subject to further charges for any additional required support services or resources. 

Costs of Medical Care Services  

If your child requires urgent medical care services, Cayuga Health at Ithaca College Student Health Services will provide treatment for acute illness and injuries. Student Health Services is open Monday-Thursday 9 am-3 pm. If your child needs urgent medical services outside of this time period, Ithaca College staff will make arrangements for transportation to a local urgent care center or Cayuga Medical Center.   

Student Health Services can provide services to individuals ages 12 – 23. Many laboratory tests are offered on-campus and we work closely with local off-campus laboratories where additional tests are processed. If your child requires more intensive care, transport to Cayuga Medical Center will be arranged via ambulance at your cost. 

We partner with an off-site pharmacy to have prescriptions delivered to Student Health Services if needed. Some over-the-counter medications are available for purchase at Student Health Services with parental or legal guardian consent. Participants must have a form of payment for prescriptions or over-the-counter medications.  

Your child’s insurance will be billed in the same manner as when you visit your primary care provider. Therefore, you will be responsible for copayments and deductibles for office visits and labs similar to what you experience at home. Please contact your insurance company for any questions you may have. Billing assistance is offered by Cayuga Medical Associates. It is important to know if our Student Health Services participates with your insurance company to differentiate “in-network” charges from “out-of-network" charges.  It will also be important to understand your deductible.   

You can find a list of participating insurances accepted by Cayuga Health Systems here.  

College Academic Credit 

If your child must be absent from classes for more than 2 days, and given the short duration of the program, your child may not be able to satisfy the requirements for college credit. If they are medically eligible and choose to return to the program, they may have limited participation in program activities but will not receive course credit.   

Refunds 

Refunds are not issued for any program fees, housing, board, travel costs, or other expenses due to a COVID-19 positive test or other serious illness or injury. 

Violations of the program or student conduct code are addressed in accordance with our Summer Pre-College Program Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures process.

Academics

Several forms are required for participation. All participant forms are due by May 20, 2024. All participant forms required will be shown on your Campminder Document dashboard on the landing page of your parent/guardian account LOGIN. They can be uploaded directly to your account. 

Yes, a computer is required for participation. You will have access to the Ithaca College internet service while on campus. Although students may use their phones to engage with faculty, their peers, and the course content, computers will be helpful (if not necessary) for completing assignments.

Faculty may use Canvas (canvas.ithaca.edu), our campus learning management system, to support course activities. It is also possible that some interactions may rely on ZOOM, embedded in IC's Canvas platform. Information for accessing the college's online systems will be delivered via email the week before your course begins. Students will receive an IC ID number and an activation email from the Registrar's Office (homer@ithaca.edu) with the next steps for activating your Ithaca College system and ithaca.edu login credentials.

Textbook requirements will be published on or around May 01 at ithaca.edu/summercollege and will also be communicated to you via email.

Currently, for the 2024 season, no textbooks will be required of participants.

Class sizes may vary depending upon the topic or program from approximately 10 to 25 students.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodation related to academics should review How to Get Accommodations at IC. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.

To request accommodations, contact our office of Student Accessibility Services at sas@ithaca.edu.

All coursework is taught by full-time Ithaca College faculty members. Teaching Assistants may also be present in some classrooms. All program staff and faculty receive training and are background checked in accordance with the College's Minor Protection Policy

College Credit

Participants who fully participate in the Ithaca College Summer Pre-College Program earn three college credits. 

If a participant must be absent from classes for more than 2 days regardless of reason, and given the short duration of the program, they may not be able to satisfy the requirements for college credit. If they are medically eligible and choose to return to the program, they may have limited participation in program activities but will not receive course credit.   

Credits earned during the summer pre-college programs are accepted at Ithaca College and are usually transferable to other colleges. Each institution, however, has its own credit transfer policies. When applying or when accepted to your future undergraduate institution, contact their academic advising office to see which courses will transfer.

Grades and unofficial transcripts are available online by logging into HomerConnect with your Netpass credentials.

If you require an official transcript, you can order them through the Office of the Registrar. You will need your Ithaca College ID number as part of the transcript ordering process. This number was provided to you in your Netpass Activation email from Ithaca College.

For more information on ordering transcripts, please visit our Registrar Services website.

If you cannot remember your Ithaca College ID number, contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@ithaca.edu.

If you forgot your Netpass password to sign into HomerConnect, you can reset it by clicking here or contact the Information Technology service desk by email at servicedesk@ithaca.edu or call 607-274-1000.

Schedule and Activities

A typical schedule is available on the webpages for Summer College, the Summer Theatre Conservatory, and the Ithaca Young Writer's Institute. Final schedules will be posted by early June and accepted participants will receive information about the schedule prior to arrival.

During non-academic time, our Residential Coordinator and Residential Assistants offer a range of structured social activities, although we also provide downtime for participants to relax from the day's academic activities. 

On the weekends, participants can visit the downtown Ithaca Commons as long as they are accompanied by at least two faculty or staff members working in the program, can work out in our award-winning Fitness Center (students must be at least 16 years old to use the equipment in the Fitness Center), play games on the quads, scan the stars in our very own observatory, attend local theater, and hike and picnic in area parks as well as the natural trails behind the college.

All activities are supervised by staff according to Ithaca College's Minor Protection Policy. 

Commuting students should plan to attend, if possible, the program orientation between 5:30-6:15 pm on the day of check-in. Commuting students will start their days at 9:00, so they should be on campus between 8:30 am and 8:45 am. Classes end at 2:30 pm (for Summer College and Ithaca Young Writers Institute) or 4:30 pm (for Summer Theatre Conservatory), but commuting students are welcome to stay for programming later in the day (ice cream socials, hikes, concerts, etc). One meal per day is included in the price for all commuters. 

The weekend activities include trips to local sites like Taughannock Falls and the Ithaca Farmer's Market. Commuters are welcome, but not required, to attend. Commuting students' travel to and from these trip sites can be arranged as needed.