About This Program
The Advanced Sessions are pre-college courses offered to students who are rising 10th, 11th, or 12th graders. Students who will graduate high school before the summer starts are also welcome to apply. These two-week sessions are highly academic and require students to submit lab write-ups, group projects, and individual work related to our activities.
Students are exposed to advanced topics in marine science based on the study interest and research of our faculty. Many former AIO students have gone onto careers in marine science, genetics, medicine, engineering, and even environmental law.
The caliber of our students is so well respected that College of the Atlantic (COA), in Bar Harbor, Maine, offers $10,000/year scholarships to any AIO student (up to $40,000 for the 4 years) who is accepted into their program with a recommendation from one of our Directors. An optional college tour at College of the Atlantic is also offered during these sessions.
About College Credit
Since 2012, AIO has offered students who attend the Advanced Program sessions the opportunity to receive college credit for the program through the University of Maine. Students who are applying to receive college credit for the Advanced Program will incur additional fees over and above the AIO base tuition cost. The cost of the credits from UMaine’s Early College Program in 2025 was $596 for four credits. The price for 2026 is expected to be slightly higher. Students are billed for the tuition at the UMaine website after they have created an account with a maine.edu email address you’ll receive from them.
This is a graded course which allows the credits to be transferrable to any university or college that accepts outside credits. During the session, students will participate in the same activities as those in the Advanced Session but will be responsible for additional homework assignments, labs, a lab practical exam, and final exam. The tuition for the college credit Advanced Program is $3,400. Please review our College Credit page for more information on this program or our Tuition and Fees page for complete tuition details.
Space is limited in each Advanced Session to 22 college credit students. Students applying to the college credit program must be rising 11th or 12th graders. Students who have just graduated from high school are not eligible to take the college credit course but are welcome to apply for the non-credit Advanced Sessions.
What to Expect
Program Schedule
Upon arrival between noon and 4 pm on Sunday, students will begin setting up their own saltwater tank and exploring the many marine environments available on Mt. Desert Island. Working in small groups, students will study the chemical, physical and biological aspects of oceanography during trips to the beach, tidal pools, saltmarsh, and bog. In addition, water sampling, whale watching and fishing boat trips round out the morning and afternoon activities. Departure is the last Friday morning with a family cookout offered starting at 11:30 am for those being picked up. See a sample Advanced Program Schedule.
