Economics for LeadersEFL

EFL at a Glance

Host

The Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE), based in Davis, California, at college campuses across the US

Field

Economics and leadership: applying economic analysis to public policy decisions

Grades and age

Current sophomores and juniors, attending in the summer before junior or senior year; freshmen and seniors are not eligible

Citizenship and residency

International students may apply and must submit TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or similar English scores, unless they attend an international school taught entirely in English. Scholarships are currently available only to US citizens or those who reside in the US.

Cost

Residential programs cost $2,800, covering a week of tuition, room and board, with travel paid by the family; EFL Virtual costs $900. The processing fee is a non-refundable $35. In 2026, applying by the early deadline took $200 off tuition and by the priority deadline $100. Scholarships are based mainly on financial need, typically $100 to $2,000 for residential and $100 to $600 for virtual programs, and full-tuition awards are extremely rare.

Dates and format

Residential sessions last one week on college campuses. 2026 sites included UCLA (3 sessions), UC Berkeley (2 sessions), UC Santa Barbara (1 session), Yale, Duke and others, running from June 8 to August 9; EFL Virtual ran four sessions in 2026. Optional undergraduate credit is available through the economics department of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS).

Application dates

Applications for 2027 open in December 2026, and deadlines have not been announced. In the previous (2026) cycle, the early deadline was February 11, the priority deadline March 18 and the final deadline April 15; review is rolling, decisions come about three weeks after an application is complete, and sites often fill early.

Application materials

Online application; three personal insight questions; one recommendation from a counselor, teacher, coach or other adult; a complete high school transcript including current courses (unofficial accepted); the $35 processing fee. Applicants rank up to three sites and are admitted to only one.

Size and selectivity

FTE says EFL is competitive, with roughly two applicants for each available spot, and admits only one student per high school to a given program site. It does not publish an admission rate.

Verified against official pages on 2026-10-06 · fte.org/students/economics-for-leaders-program

How to Apply to EFL

• Only one student per high school is admitted to a given site. Classmates applying together should spread their choices across different sites and rank all three; FTE says selecting more than one site increases the chance of admission.
• In the previous cycle, applying by February 11 took $200 off tuition and by March 18 $100. With rolling review, sites often fill early, so apply soon after 2027 applications open in December.
• Scholarships are based mainly on financial need; requests based strictly on merit are generally not considered, and full-tuition awards are extremely rare. Families needing aid should complete the scholarship section of the application.