Foundational Leadership Course
Academic Year 2026-2027
The year-long Foundational Leadership Course is a one-semester plus summer course for high school graduates between the ages of 18-23 who are academically strong, motivated, and looking to strengthen group leadership skills, develop self-mastery, and dramatically improve their job effectiveness and career development the moment they show up to work.
Upon completion, students who are returning to college or going directly into the workplace will stand out as leaders among their peers: they will be more mature, confident, resilient, adaptable and compassionate. They will be prepared to impress employers in jobs or internships by showing up and executing immediately and collaborating as well as older employees with more experience. Many will accelerate their college careers and graduate early. They will have the tools to take on technical and interpersonal challenges that normally take decades and heartbreaks to develop.
Foundational Leadership Course
Running Academic Year 2026-2027, in Costa Rica, Argentina, & Vietnam
The one-year Foundational Leadership Course contains five parts:
Personal Growth Accelerator (PGA): 12-week semester, on site; focuses on developing the fundamental attributes and skills that peer-reviewed research show are foundational to general career success
Supported Online Learning (SOL): 10 weeks, remote; community and facilitator-supported earning certification in job skill of student’s choice
Futures Forge Internship (FFI): 10 weeks, summer; internship using all learned attributes & skills with a sponsoring company
Business Insights in Success (BIS): Throughout the Courses; semiweekly town hall events with successful entrepreneurs, gaining a foundation in how business works.
Focus: Making an Impact
All content in the Foundational Leadership Course will improve students’ ability to excel in the workplace. Students will learn how to solve difficult problems and execute projects. They will learn how to lead and to work well with others not only through improved communication but also through improved understanding of themselves and one another.
The focus areas in the table below are learned throughout, as students learn the specific skills relevant to working and living: for example, they will learn how to build coalitions and solve complex problems while taking on weekly challenges and learn how to use AI for their work while rapidly developing expertise. They will learn how to deeply understand others and share feedback by giving and receiving that feedback on every project, and by answering deep questions posed by facilitators.
Learn more about the underlying Curriculum and Experience of the Foundational Leadership Course.
Personal Growth Accelerator Curriculum
Focus Areas
Developing Expertise in Giving and Receiving Feedback
Deeply Understanding Yourself and Others, and Identifying Your & Others’ Genius
How to Become an Expert at Anything in Under 4 Weeks
How to Approach Solving Complex Problems
How to Use AI to Do the Boring Part of Your Job to Be 10x More Productive
Communicating Effectively in Any Medium
Focus Areas
Using Science & Data to Manage Your Health, Happiness, &
Well-BeingDeveloping Influence and Building Coalitions
Bootstrapping and Scaling Startups and Small Businesses
Mastering Mindsets, Emotions, and Your Reactions
How to Use Empathy to Navigate Conflict & Confrontation
How to Plan, Manage, and Execute a Big Project
The Career Accelerator
The 10-week spring Supported Online Learning (SOL) period, following the FLC, helps students develop the career general and job-specific skills they need to begin work or their own venture. Some Career Accelerator students use this training as an alternative to a college degree so they can begin their careers earlier, with less debt. Those attending college use the technical certification learned during the Career Accelerator as a “second major” for their advanced career. For example: a computer scientist at MIT might use an Inside Sales certificate to pursue a Sales Engineering career track, or an Engineering major may use a Data Analysis or Project Management certificate to pursue an Operations Consulting career track.
What We Study
In these ten weeks, students simultaneously learn universally applicable career skills and pursue a technical certificate of their choice that will prepare them for a high-paying entry-level role on a powerful career track.
During the summer, students conduct a high-complexity internship with a prestigious employer that may make a job offer at the end of the internship.
Career Accelerator Focus Areas
Advanced problem-solving in the field
Advanced communication skills
How to win friends and influence people
Deepening self-understanding, empathy, and self-regulation
Understanding your North Star and your moral core
Choosing your early career track, and how to train for it efficiently
Building impressive resumes and interviewing excellently
How to build a career plan + path, and own your development
Working well with your team and your manager
The art of goal-setting, prioritization, and delegation
Some of the Degree-Equivalent Certifications Studied
Product Management
UX Design
Project Management
Data Analysis
IT Support
Digital Marketing / eCommerce
Cybersecurity
IT Automation
Business Intelligence
Sales Operations
Inside Sales
SAP / Salesforce Administration
Front-End Development
Database Engineering
Back-End Development
Mobile Development
Data Science / Engineering
Machine Learning
Cloud Architecture
Technical Writing
The 2026-2027 Foundational Leadership Course In Brief
For: Ages 18-23
Scored PSAT 1170+, SAT 1340+, or ACT 28+
UK: A+ or 2:1 and above
(Other cognitive ability scores accepted)
When: Academic Year 2026-2027, each semester (or spring 2026!)
Where: Boston, Costa Rica, Argentina, Vietnam
Total Cost: $42,200
Admissions & Tuition
Applying to the Foundational Leadership Course
Futures Forge welcomes students aged 18-23 to apply if they have scored at least 1300 on their PSAT, 1350 on their SAT, or 29 on their ACT.
UK students are invited to apply if they are A-level graduates and current Sixth Form/College and if they have earned/predicted an A+ within their subjects holistically. UK University graduates with a 2:1 and above are welcome as well.
Students of other nationalities may submit any cognitive ability or IQ test. Those who have not yet taken a cognitive ability test will be invited to take the Ravens Progressive Matrices.
While spots are limited, these cognitive ability tests are sufficient to qualify. Qualified students will be invited to information sessions with facilitators and founders, and interviewed for their ability to operate in complex social dynamics.
Exams
Upon our acceptance of your cognitive ability exam, we will invite you to take our aptitude and psychological exam, proctored online, which will take about four hours with breaks.
Interview
Those who excel in our aptitude exam will be invited for a final interview during interview blocks that are dynamically scheduled based on applicant results and will submit a letter of recommendation from an educator. Offers will be given on a rolling basis, culminating in May 2024. Note that students must demonstrate a strong command of English to participate.
Pre-Apply with your PSAT, SAT, ACT, or other cognitive ability exam:
Tuition
Full-semester costs, including room & board, are $42,200.
These prices include regular tuition, room and board, travel, and travel insurance. Students will need to provide their own international health insurance and incidental spending money.
