Updated: 20th October, 2026

TL;DR

NYLF Medicine & Health Care is an 8-day, paid summer program for grades 9–12, run by Envision by WorldStrides. Tuition starts at $4,499, and you stay on a college campus. You practice simulated clinical skills and hear from health care professionals, but you don't treat real patients or do research. It suits you if you're still deciding whether medicine is for you. If you want to do a research project of your own, look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It pairs you 1:1 with a PhD mentor for an independent research project.

What is NYLF Medicine and Health Care, and where is it held?

NYLF Medicine & Health Care is an 8-day pre-college program for high schoolers curious about medicine. Envision by WorldStrides runs it, and it's open to students in grades 9–12. You learn through classes, workshops, site tours, and talks with medical professionals.

Envision lists six host campuses: Emory University, UCLA, UC Berkeley (Clark Kerr Campus), the University of Michigan, Rice University, and Yale University. A university hosting the program doesn't mean it sponsors or endorses it. Envision bought the NYLF brand in 2007 and still runs NYLF programs under its own name. You can read the official details on the Envision program page.

Here are the quick facts:

Application deadline: Envision lists no fixed deadline. You enroll after a nomination or invitation, and monthly payment plans run from October 1 to April 30.

Duration: 8 days, in summer.

Location: Emory, UCLA, UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, Rice, and Yale.

Eligibility: Students in grades 9–12 who are interested in medicine.

Cost: Starts at $4,499 for the residential program, before travel and optional extras. Tuition includes 2 college credits from George Mason University.

Selectivity: Envision doesn't publish an acceptance rate.

Envision hasn't posted 2027 session dates on its program pages yet. The 2026 residential sessions below show the usual pattern.

What do students actually do at NYLF Medicine?

You practice medical skills in simulations, hear from professionals, and live on campus. You don't see or treat real patients. A typical schedule includes:

1. Clinical skills workshops: You practice taking vital signs, drawing blood, suturing, tying surgical knots, and assessing patients in simulated settings.

2. Medical case scenarios: You work through patient histories and diagnostic puzzles with your peers.

3. Emergency simulations: You take part in disaster triage and outdoor emergency medicine drills, including wound care, bleeding control, and splinting.

4. Career talks: You learn the path to medical school and hear from surgeons, nurses, and biomedical experts.

5. Site visits: You may tour a medical school or simulation center.

6. Other health fields: You get a look at physical therapy, biomedical engineering, and nursing.

7. Medical ethics: You discuss tough situations that health care workers face.

8. College life: You live in a dorm, join evening activities, and explore the host city.

How much does NYLF Medicine cost, and is there financial aid?

Tuition for the residential program starts at $4,499. Envision doesn't list a price for every campus on its program page, so the cost at your campus may be higher. Tuition covers room and board, lectures, simulations, materials, college credit, and staff support. Travel isn't included. Optional extras like airport transport, tuition protection, and a refund program cost more.

You can pay over time. A deposit of $499 holds your spot, and you split the rest into monthly payments. Plans run from October 1 to April 30, and each monthly payment adds a $10 fee. The earlier you start, the lower each payment. Envision also lists scholarships, grants, and fundraising help. The program page doesn't post award amounts or deadlines, so ask Envision's admissions team at (866) 858-5323.

Who can attend NYLF Medicine, and how selective is it?

You can attend if you're in grades 9–12 and interested in medicine. Envision describes the program as selective but doesn't publish an acceptance rate, so there's no number to quote.

Teachers can nominate students. Envision asks them to look at academic promise, leadership, maturity, and how well a student works in a group. Nominated students hear from Envision directly. If no one has nominated you, you can still contact the admissions team and ask about enrolling.

How do you apply to NYLF Medicine?

You enroll after a nomination or an invitation. When you get an invitation, you confirm it and finish enrollment with Envision. If you haven't been nominated, call or message the admissions team.

Enroll early if you have a campus or session in mind. Starting a payment plan in October also keeps your monthly cost lower.

Does NYLF Medicine help with college applications?

It gives you something useful to write about, but it won't set you apart on its own. The biggest benefit is clarity. If you leave knowing what health careers involve, that can guide the classes, volunteering, and research you pick next.

You also earn 2 college credits from George Mason University. Still, admissions officers are unlikely to see an 8-day paid program as equal to long-term research or a project you built yourself. Depth beats exposure. If NYLF starts a longer interest in medicine, it helps. If it's your only medicine activity, its impact is small. For more ideas, see our guides to medical programs for high school students and summer pre-college medical programs.

Is NYLF Medicine worth it?

It's worth it if you're curious about medicine and can afford the cost. It's hard to justify if you're paying for prestige or hoping it will transform your application. Here's how it breaks down.

Pros -

• You can test your interest in medicine in 8 days before you build years of plans around it.

• You practice skills like suturing, taking vitals, and emergency triage in simulations instead of only hearing lectures.

• You live on a college campus, which is good practice for dorm life.

• You meet other students who are serious about health care.

• You earn 2 college credits from George Mason University, which are included in tuition.

Cons -

• Tuition starts at $4,499 before travel and extras, which is a lot for 8 days.

• The program covers surgery, nursing, engineering, ethics, and more, so you get breadth but little depth.

• You practice in simulations only, so you shouldn't call it an internship or patient care on a resume.

• There's no research project or paper, so it doesn't show you can investigate a question.

Who it suits: You're still exploring and lean toward medicine, and the tuition won't strain your family.

Who should skip it: You want prestige, the cost would be hard on your family, or you already know medicine is your field and need something deeper. You might also compare it with other pre-college options, like the one in our NSLC review.

Frequently asked questions: NYLF Medicine and Health Care

Is NYLF prestigious?

Not in the way a highly selective research or academic program is. NYLF is a structured, real pre-college program. Envision doesn't publish an acceptance rate, so you can't measure its selectivity. Its value is the experience. You explore medicine, practice simulated skills, meet professionals, and try college life.

Is NYLF legit?

Yes. Envision by WorldStrides runs it, and it's a real pre-college program for high schoolers. You take part in workshops, simulations, and talks. Just be clear about what it is. It's career exploration, not clinical work or research.

Is NYLF the same as Envision?

Yes, today. Envision bought the NYLF brand in 2007 and runs NYLF programs under its own umbrella. You enroll and pay through Envision. Some pages still use the NYLF name, so you may see both.

How long is NYLF Medicine?

NYLF Medicine & Health Care lasts 8 days and runs in the summer. Envision hasn't posted 2027 session dates on its program pages yet. In 2026, residential sessions ran from June 25 to July 31, depending on the campus. Check Envision for the 2027 schedule.

Where is NYLF Medicine held?

Envision lists six campuses: Rice University in Houston, UCLA in Los Angeles, Yale University in New Haven, Emory University in Atlanta, UC Berkeley's Clark Kerr Campus, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Some campuses also offer a commuter option, so check that if you live nearby.

Does NYLF Medicine give college credit?

Yes. Residential tuition includes 2 college credits from George Mason University. You earn them when you finish the program. Check with the colleges you apply to, since schools decide for themselves whether to accept credit from a summer program.

Want a medicine-focused option that goes deeper than 8 days and doesn't need a $4,499 campus stay? Look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It pairs you 1:1 with a PhD mentor for an independent research project, done entirely online, with no travel. Apply here. If cost is the main barrier, also look at the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students.

Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.