Who Vellum is for, how the application works, what a seminar is, and how guided research fits after the course.
Academically curious high school students, typically grades 9 through 12, who intend to submit competitive applications to top-ranked colleges and want a genuine seminar experience with a real professor rather than another generic enrichment product. Students apply, they are not simply enrolled.
You start with a short inquiry, then a full application ranking up to three courses in order of preference, along with a brief writeup on your college goals. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, roughly ten to twelve weeks before a cohort starts, with a final deadline about three weeks before the course begins.
No. A Vellum seminar does not carry AP, IB, or any other transcripted credit, and it is not designed to. Its value is different: a finished piece of original work to discuss in an application essay or interview, and an honest test of college-level seminar work before it counts toward a degree. Families are choosing a real intellectual relationship and a body of work, not a credit substitute.
Every course needs a minimum of eight students to run. If your top-ranked course does not fill, we place you in the next course on your list that does, or let you know as soon as we can so you can decide how to proceed.
No. There is no cost or deposit to express interest or to complete a full application. We share full pricing directly with each family once a student is matched to a confirmed cohort, before anything is finalized.
Yes, when the two courses meet on different schedules. We cap it at two courses per student per cohort. Indicate interest on the application, rank preferences for the second course, and we confirm the schedule works before admitting into both.
University professors with real subject-matter depth, not teaching assistants or graduate students. We list a course's faculty status plainly. A course marked FACULTY CONFIRMED has a professor in place; a course marked FACULTY UNDER CONSIDERATION does not yet, and we will not run it until it does.
Our inaugural cohort runs in spring 2027, February through April. We plan to add summer and fall cohorts after that, depending on demand.
It is optional, eight-hour, one-on-one guided research or apprenticeship with the same professor a student already worked with in a course. It is only available to students who have completed a Vellum course, we do not open it to outside applicants.
Most paid research programs match a student to a mentor they have never met. Ours follows a live seminar the student already completed with the professor, so the relationship is real before any guided research or apprenticeship begins. There are no gimmicks, no publishing in an affiliated journal, no manufactured credential. We focus on real project outcomes a student can speak to with substance and highlight in their college applications.
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