You can share the application website with your students. TASS 2026 applications open on October 15, 2025.

We do not require a letter of recommendation for students in order to apply. A letter may be requested if they are selected for an interview. Fewer than one in five applicants receive an interview, so we do not suggest that you write letters for your students unless they request them from you after having reached that stage of our application process. Students will receive specific instructions, if applicable, at the time they are notified of their interview status.

TASS applications are open to high school sophomores and juniors (“rising juniors” and “rising seniors”). Participants must be at least age 15 at the start of the program and no older than 17 by the end of the program. Both US and international students are welcome to apply. We admit applicants from all backgrounds, and welcome applications from Black and Indigenous students, other students of color, and/or students who have experienced economic hardship. We seek students who are intellectually curious, community-minded, and self-motivated.

For students currently in high school or homeschool in the US, birthdates must be between July 26 2008 and June 21 2011.

For students studying outside the US who do not have a US passport, birthdates must be between July 26 2009 and June 21 2011. International students (those studying outside the US who do not have a US passport) must be sophomores to apply.