Admissions, Cost & Scholarships

The 2026 Strategic Corporate Research (SCR) Summer School, co-sponsored by the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies and the AFL-CIO, will begin accepting applications in January 2026.

The deadline for applications is April 1, 2026.

The SCR Summer School accepts two types of students:

Individual student

  • NOT employed by a union or non-profit corporate accountability/social movement organization
  • Eligible for a partial or full scholarship

Sponsored student

  • Employed by a union or non-profit corporate accountability/social movement organization
  • Not eligible for a scholarship
  • Sponsoring organization pays program price

Required Application Materials

Application Instructions

The application process, including essays is done online through two online application websites. The application has two parts.

Please read all instructions and gather all materials – including essays and unofficial transcript or proof of degree – before completing and submitting Part I and Part II. See below for Admission Criteria.

Part I: CUNY SLU SCR Summer School Application

With this application you will submit:

  • Personal information
  • Student type – Sponsored or Individual (see above)
  • Union, social movement, or corporate accountability activist experience
  • Education experience
  • Research experience
  • Post-SCR Summer School plans
  • Housing and dietary preferences

Part II: CUNY Gradate Non-Degree Application

With this application you will submit:

  • Union member status
  • Personal information, residency, ethnicity, citizenship, US military status
  • College/university, with dates of attendance, degree, and degree date
  • Unofficial transcript or proof of degree
  • Application essay (see below)
  • Scholarship essay (if individual student applying for a scholarship) (see below)
  • $75 application fee (non-refundable)

Application Essay (required)

  • Two pages, single-spaced
  • Please explain why you are interested in attending the program, why you believe you are qualified, and your plans after completion of the program (very important). Make sure to tell us about how your labor, education, research, and activism experience will contribute to your success in the program and beyond. Include specific plans for how you will use what you learn in the future. The quality of the essay is a major and REQUIRED element of the application process, so be sure to answer ALL of these questions and to include your name at the top of your essay.
  • Upload your Application Essay in the Supporting Materials section of the Graduate Non-Degree Application (see diagram below)
  • Use “1 Please upload Other here” for your Application Essay

Letters of Reference Requirements

  • Two letters submitted BY YOUR RECOMMENDERS DIRECTLY to CUNY SLU at scrsummerschool@slu.cuny.edu.
  • Applicants must NOT submit letters of reference.
  • The letters should speak to as many of the following attributes about the applicant as possible:
    1. Research and writing aptitude and experience
    2. Depth of knowledge and experience relating to strategic corporate research, labor policy, globalization, organizing, bargaining, and comprehensive campaigns
    3. Long-term academic and career goals

Admission Criteria

Acceptance to the program is limited and based on experience and qualifications. Using information provided in the application forms, the application essay, and the references, the admissions committee evaluates applicants based on their activism with unions and/or social movement/corporate accountability organizations, their educational experience in related fields, their research experience, and their plans for after the program. The committee also considers communications and writing skills as demonstrated in the application forms and application essay. We urge students to read all the information on this and the other SCR Summer School web pages and be sure to answer every application question carefully and completely. This is an extremely competitive program, and the admissions committee makes its decisions based solely on the application, essay, and references.

The closing date for applications is April 1, 2026. We will not consider applicants who do not submit complete applications by April 1. We will not consider applications who submit applications after April 1, and your deposit will not be refunded.

Acceptance letters will be sent on May 15, 2026.

Application Fee

Applicants must submit a NON-REFUNDABLE Application Fee of $75 with their CUNY Graduate Non-Degree application, no later than April 1, 2026.

Program Cost

The CUNY SLU SCR Summer School is a week-long intensive program that includes non-instructional activities, such as meals, materials, meetings, and events. In addition to these amenities, students will receive one CUNY credit for the course.

The cost of the CUNY SLU Summer School is $1,300.

Payment is due by June 15, 2026.

All admitted individual students will receive an SLU Foundation scholarship reducing their cost to $500. This scholarship is not available to sponsored students. Individual students may apply for an additional scholarship from the Brooks Bitterman Scholarship Fund to cover individual program costs and housing (not transportation) by submitting an additional scholarship essay, as described below.

Scholarships

The Brooks Bitterman Strategic Corporate Research Scholarship offers a limited number of partial and full scholarships to offset the price of the SCR Summer School. These scholarships are ONLY for individual students who demonstrate significant need for assistance and have a clear commitment to work in the field of strategic corporate research upon completion of the program. Sponsored students do not qualify. To apply for a scholarship, individual applicants must submit an additional scholarship essay:

Scholarship Essay (for individual students only)

  • One page, single-spaced
  • Please explain why you believe you need a scholarship, including any extenuating circumstances that warrant consideration. Explain how a scholarship fits with your prior labor, education, research, and/or activism experience and with your plans after the program.
  • Upload your Scholarship Essay in the Supporting Materials section of the Graduate Non-Degree Application (see diagram below)
  • Use “2 Please upload Resume here” for your Scholarship Essay

Questions

Email scrsummerschool@slu.cuny.edu.