Frequently Asked Questions

High school students between the ages of 14 and 18 are welcome to apply. The application process is easy! Visit our How to Apply page to learn more.

We welcome international students! If you are an international student, visit our international student page to learn more about the application requirements.

The tuition for the two-week program is $1800. This includes the cost of classes, housing, meals, books, swag, and activity fees.

Applications received before March 1, 2025 will receive a 10% early-bird discount.

Partial scholarships are available for students with financial need. To apply for financial aid, please complete the Summer Program application and answer the questions about aid within the application. Please reach out to summer.program@drbu.edu if you have additional questions.

We do offer need-based scholarships. 

In order to apply for a scholarship, fill out the Summer Program application and answer the relevant questions. Students will be notified of scholarship awards within the week.

In order to secure your place in the program, a $200 deposit is due. This deposit is not refundable after May 1. The remaining tuition is due by June 1, 2024. If you cancel by June 4 you will receive a 100% refund (minus deposit). If you cancel between June 5 and June 23 you will receive a 50% refund (minus deposit). All payments are non-refundable after June 23, 2024.

July 6 – 19, 2025.

The program is hosted at DRBU’s Sudhana Center campus in Ukiah, California (about 2 hours north of the San Francisco Bay area). Students stay in dormitories and share a room with another student.

Students joining locally can be dropped off at the Sudhana Center in Ukiah on orientation day. For students joining from farther away, we can arrange transportation to Ukiah from SFO Airport in the San Francisco Bay Area. We’re happy to answer any travel-related questions. Please reach out to summer.program@drbu.edu with additional questions.

Each day includes Seminar, Contemplative Exercise, Arts Workshop, meals, and various extracurriculars, including electives and other fun activities planned by the RAs. There is also plenty of time to relax, hang out, and get to know the other students. During the weekend, we venture out into the local area on enriching outings, such as a hike in the redwoods, or a trip to the coast! 

Seminar is a discussion-based class led by DRBU faculty that focuses on philosophical texts. In Seminar, we ask questions in a collaborative spirit and format called ‘shared inquiry.’ The readings for the Seminar are drawn from various ancient and modern philosophical traditions and may include such diverse writers and thinkers as: Plato, Confucius, the Buddha, Kafka, Frederick Douglass, Virginia Woolf, etc. Students will receive their reading lists prior to the start of the program. 

You will also have a small amount of reading for Seminar each day. There will be a time set aside during the day for you to do your reading.

The Contemplative Exercise is a unique aspect of our program that gives you the opportunity to take what you study out of the classroom and put it into practice. While the Seminar provides you with a theoretical framework for investigating deep questions, the Contemplative Exercise offers different tools to continue this investigation in an embodied way that nurtures and supports your well-being. Examples of practices that may be offered include yoga, meditation, and taiji.

The Arts Workshop offers yet another lens for the exploration of significant questions and ideas, this time through your own creative process. Examples of arts workshops that may be offered include writing, drawing, and theater.

Not at all! The program is designed to be accessible for students coming in at all levels.

The Seminar is led by DRBU faculty. DRBU faculty teach across the curriculum in DRBU’s undergraduate and graduate programs. They have experience leading diverse classes, ranging from Rhetoric and Indian Classics to Mathematics and Natural Science. They hold advanced degrees in various academic disciplines. The Contemplative Exercises are led by instructors with extensive experience in the practices they teach.

Our RAs are all current DRBU students or alumni. With firsthand experience in DRBU’s contemplative approach to education, they are uniquely equipped to introduce students to the world of contemplative philosophy, and to support their journey through the program. All RAs participate in mandatory training prior to the start of the Summer Program.

In accordance with DRBU’s commitment to respect all forms of life, all meals served at our Sudhana Center campus are vegetarian. We request that students do not bring non-vegetarian food to campus. We offer three wholesome, nutritious vegetarian meals a day, as well as snacks. If you have any allergies or other specific dietary restrictions, please let us know, and we will do our best to accommodate you.