NYFA students living on campus will reside in one of Harvard University’s residence halls. The dormitories are a short walk from campus and students will check-in and check-out of their dorms. Please note that due to safety concerns surrounding COVID-19, NYFA may be unable to offer housing for in-person camps. To learn more about camp housing, please visit our housing page. For additional information, please contact a NYFA Youth Admissions representative at [email protected].

During their time at NYFA, students spend the majority of their time in class, working on their film shoots on campus with their instructors or teaching assistants, and/or working in professional labs. When time allows, students may explore campus and patronize establishments in Harvard Square, but must stay within a certain radius of Harvard Campus proper. That radius is clearly outlined at the onset of the program. Students must inform their counselor of their destinations in Harvard Square and they must adhere to our Buddy System.

Situated north of Boston, Cambridge is a hi-tech and cultured city that has served as an attraction for artists and scholars for centuries. Although the camp’s daily schedule is demanding, non-commuting students will take part in organized activities in and around the Harvard campus. As Cambridge is a vibrant college town with dozens of restaurants, cafés, bookstores, ice cream shops, and pizza parlors encircling the university, students will have plenty of spots to explore. A number of world-class museums are also in the area, as well as theatres. Weekend activities are mandatory for housed students and include daylong trips. Counselors attend and supervise these outings. Additional activities take place nearly every weeknight and on Sundays as well, and these are optional. In addition to exploring Cambridge, students may also make supervised trips into Boston, a twenty-minute train ride away.

For NYFA’s summer programs at Harvard, the cost of meals are built into the program. Students will have a meal plan that they will use at the cafeteria located in Memorial Hall. Any additional on or off-campus snacks or meals will need to be covered by the students.

While campers are not required to reside at NYFA, our teen summer camps are designed to be overnight sleepaway programs. The housing offered is fully-furnished rooms, which include a refrigerator, microwave, internet, air conditioning, and a private bathroom. The accommodations include 24-hour security and laundry facilities on the premises.

Teens staying in the camp residence will be under the supervision of live-in counselors, who plan activities and do nightly curfew checks. Counselors have previous camp experience and/or residential education experience from college. Weekend activities are mandatory for housed students and include daylong trips. Please note that students who drive on and off campus are not permitted to transport other students in their vehicles.

During their time on-campus, some campers may also shoot films in a variety of on-campus and off-campus locations, such as the Universal backlot in locales such as New York Street, Europe, the Old West, Colonial St. and others. During filming, students will work in small crews of 3-4 and are supervised by Teaching Assistants.

Although the camp’s daily schedule is demanding, residential campers have time to take advantage of the amenities the housing residence offers. All campers may take part in organized evening and weekend activities including screenings, visits to Universal Studios, Six Flags, Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood, and sometimes Disneyland. Counselors attend and supervise these outings. Activities take place nearly every weeknight as well, and these are optional. In previous years these have included going to the movies, museums, theatre, shopping, bowling, laser tag, among others. Commuting students are welcome to join all activities, however, an extra cost may apply.

For residential campers, breakfast will be provided in the residence lobby each morning. Breakfast food may include cereal, milk, OJ, toast, bagels, yogurt, fruit, eggs, and waffles, among other hot and cold items. A catering service will provide lunches for residential campers with the option for commuting campers to purchase a lunch plan. Campers will purchase dinner in supervised outings at various local eateries.

Commuting students may bring their own lunch, go off campus with parental permission, or purchase the lunch plan for meals with our caterer. This can be done the night of orientation. If you have dietary restrictions or food allergies, simply alert our caterer on the first night at orientation and accommodations will be made.

Teen campers aged 14-17 may choose to stay in residential student housing. We do not offer housing for kids, and all students aged 10-13 must commute or secure their own local housing.

Students will be directly supervised by our faculty and staff while on-campus and off-campus for any project work or class activities.

Students in our day camp will need to provide their own bag lunch. All students will remain on-campus during their lunch break.

While campers are not required to reside at NYFA, our teen summer camps are designed to be overnight sleepaway programs. Our student housing is only a short commute from our campus in a newly renovated residential building. At the residence, students will live in fully-furnished rooms, which include a refrigerator, microwave, internet, air conditioning, and a private bathroom. The accommodations include 24-hour security and laundry facilities on the premises.

NYFA makes every attempt to keep all of our students on the same floors. To provide supervision, NYFA residential advisors live on each floor with our students and enforce strict curfews. Students that stay in our student housing will require a high level of maturity and responsibility, as they will be accountable for obeying all the rules set forth. To learn more, visit our camps housing page.

At NYFA, the safety and comfort of our students is our top priority. When students are off-campus in New York, they are escorted on foot or via public transportation to and from the student residential building, our NYFA classroom facilities for class, and/or shooting and extracurricular activities. Students that shoot on location in New York City will work in crews of 3-4 students and are always supervised by Teaching Assistants during these productions. In the rare event of a medical emergency, students are taken to the nearest hospital.

While no student is permitted to roam alone, teens are given the opportunity to patronize establishments in accordance with our buddy system. Students must visit areas that are local to student housing and the campus, informing their counsellors of their destination and adhering to all safety rules.

While attending NYFA, residential students will take part in the many exciting activities available in the Big Apple. We visit some of New York’s fantastic museums and see some quintessential New York sights. Nightly activities can include movies, bowling, and walking through iconic NYC neighborhoods, such as the West and East Village, Tribeca, Chelsea, and SoHo, all under staff supervision. The cost of entry tickets and transportation are often covered under the housing cost, but students will be responsible for additional costs such as souvenirs and snacks.

Our Saturday activities are considered to be a part of the residential experience, and include daylong trips within the five boroughs that can include, but are not limited to, visiting Coney Island, attending an IMAX screening, and exploring Central Park. New York Film Academy counselors living at the student residential building plan and supervise these outings.

During our New York camps, students need to supply their own meals. For teens that stay in our residential housing, we will provide snack foods like bagels and cream cheese, granola bars, fruit, and juice for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, students may visit local eateries with their classmates as long as they check in and out with a counselor. Students who are commuting from home to camps will need to bring their own packed lunch or funds to purchase food near campus.

As NYFA does not offer residential housing for kids summer camps, students aged 10-13 need to commute to campus. Parents will be given a specific location for our drop off and pick up procedures closer to the start of their program, as well as forms that ask for approved guardian names. Please note that residential housing is available for teen campers aged 14-17.

When on campus, kids are not allowed to walk around the city on their own and will not be outside of the direct supervision of our faculty. During activities that take place off-campus, students will also be closely monitored by our team.

During our day camps, kids will need to provide their own bag lunch. Students will remain on the New York campus during their lunch break.