East Coast College Tour
Join us for East Coast College Tour, which visits the top schools throughout the North East! Students arrive in Boston by Saturday evening, and make their way from Boston south to Washington DC visiting top universities and sampling the local culture along the way! Our tour is unique in the quality of our housing, food and travel arrangements. Most nights we stay at high quality business and/or luxury hotels, though we sometimes spend the night at a college when a unique opportunity is available. Meals and our tour bus are also always of high quality, and students have often reported that our trip is far better in the quality of the travel arrangements than any other student tour they have ever taken.
East Coast College Tour allows students to visit and experience life at several prominent East Coast Colleges. For many students, the process of figuring out which school best fits their needs is an overwhelming and confusing task. The East Coast College Tour transforms this experience into an enriching and fun summer adventure, in which students take campus tours, have meetings with admissions representatives and receive materials to help evaluate each school. Tour participants are shown how to get the most out of their future college visits. For example, students learn what questions they should be asking of campus officials, how to compare schools to one another, and what factors are most important for their personal college selection process. Many tours are led by the admissions office staff, others by personnel provided by Education Unlimited, depending on the campus and tour dates. Historically, most of the actual campus tours have been provided by admissions office staff.
The East Coast College Tour is a wonderful opportunity for students to tour numerous college campuses and evaluate their college options. Students visit a wide variety of campuses, including private and public schools in both urban and rural areas. Participants will be able to determine if a large or small school is appropriate for them, and, with the comparison materials we give them, they will be able to review their opinions once they’ve returned home. In less than one week, students have the opportunity to experience great American cities. In the past, participants have hiked the liberty trail, dined in Harvard Square, explored Greenwich Village and the South Street Seaport, and witnessed the impressive monuments of DC while shopping in Georgetown.
We encourage students to enroll with friends, but even those who don’t arrive knowing someone will end up with a group of newly-found friends, usually from across the US and around the world, although of course the demographics of attendees for any given trip cannot be predicted. Housing is provided with students each having their own bed, usually in doubles or triples. Most overnight stays are at business class hotels, and are always at least rated as 3 star properties, but most years are 3.5 star properties and better. We stay in the main areas where attractions are when feasible. We may occasionally stay in a campus dorm/residence hall to get a feel of campus living.
Meals are provided, though some students bring some spending money for snacks or optional food items (or souveniers!). All essential items of room, board and transportation are provided during the trip, so it is possible to do the East Coast College Tour without any added cost or expense.
Students have the option to do the tour without the group flight, in which case they should plan to arrive in Boston and meet the tour on the evening of Day 1.
For students doing the group flight, it will leave one of the three main Bay Area airports first thing in the morning on the day of departure (Oakland, San Francisco, or San Jose), often as early as 6 am. The group flight will be finalized in the last few weeks leading up to the tour, typically two to four weeks before departure. If you are coming into the Bay Area from another area, you should fly in the evening before departure on the group flight into Oakland airport and stay at a hotel near Oakland airport (you can email us for recommendations). Education Unlimited will pick up any students who need transit to the final airport of departure early in the morning of actual departure. By paying the additional fee for the group flight you guarantee that fee is all that you need to pay regardless of what the final amount of the ticket costs, as Education Unlimited accepts responsibility for finding a flight within the flight budget or making up the difference (and the flight costs have varied substantially from year to year)! If you choose the group flight option less than 30 days before the start of the trip, however, there may be additional costs for ticketing and any additional costs above the basic fee will be added to the total program fee. If there are additional costs related to signing up less than 30 days in advance of the trip, you will be alerted to any additional fees and be given the option to downgrade to the tour without group flight, in which case you can still go on the trip, but will simply meet up with the group at the Boston airport.
Tour Schedule:
DAY 1
Arrive in Boston
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Arrive at Boston Logan Airport between 2PM and 5PM.
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Welcome to Boston, one of the oldest cities in the United States!
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Greet your fellow travelers and enjoy dinner in historic Boston.
DAY 2
Boston, Massachusetts
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Take in the rich history of the American Revolution as we explore the Freedom Trail. Have lunch in Quincy Market before taking in the breathtaking Boston skyline.
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As time allows explore other Boston landmarks such as the Charles River, Prudential Center, North end, Newberry Street and Faneuil Hall.
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In the evening take a ride on the historic Boston Common swans before enjoying dinner near the park.
DAY 3
Boston, Massachusetts
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Enjoy a quick breakfast in historic Boston
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Begin your adventure Northeastern, Harvard, or Boston University.
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Come together for lunch in Harvard Square.
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Continue with a visit to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston College (BC) or Tufts University
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Have dinner in Providence, Rhode Island as we explore the area.
DAY 4
Providence, Rhode Island and New Haven, Connecticut
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Spend the morning exploring Brown University or Rhode Island School of Design.
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Enjoy lunch in the coach on our way to beautiful Connecticut for our afternoon tours.
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Continue your college tour at Yale University, Wesleyan or Conneticut College.
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Stop by one of Yale’s favorite haunts for their famous milkshakes before taking a rest on the motor coach on our way to New York City!
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Enjoy dinner and dessert as we explore iconic Times Square.
DAY 5
New York City, New York
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Explore Columbia University or Barnard College
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Get a quick peek at the empire state building as we head towards Greenwich Village where you will have lunch before heading to New York University (NYU) or local tour of NYU area.
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Spend a moment reflecting at Ground Zero before leaving New York.
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After your tour, load the motor coach for a trip to Philadelphia and a tour of the City of Brotherly Love.
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Check into our hotel before heading out to one of Philly’s best cheesesteaks and a sweet treat. The locals know it puts Pat and Geno’s to shame. We recommend the Philly with cheese wiz! Really! Vegetarian options also available.
DAY 6
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Start the morning at Reading Terminal where you will take in the mouth-watering aromas Philadelphia’s historic farmers market before heading to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) or Temple University
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Spend your afternoon exploring Swarthmore College or Villanova University
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Spend the evening exploring Washington DC’s greatest monuments lit up by night before having dinner in the historic city center.
DAY 7
Washington, DC
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Spend the morning exploring American University or George Washington University (GWU)
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Do a quick lunch before heading over to Georgetown University for our final tour.
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Don’t forget to thank our motor coach driver before departing the motor coach for your flight home (DCA/IAD/BWI).
Please note:
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Schedule Subject to change.
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We offer an optional "Group Flight add-on." Without the Group Flight add on, families are responsible for arranging transportation to meet the tour at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), and to depart from Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) or Washington Dulles (IAD).
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While rare, some universities may limit the number of students who can be on a tour. While we always try to give students their first choice, registrations are on a first come first serve basis.
East Coast College Tour - Staff Profiles
Education Unlimited believes in small-group, immersive learning with subject matter experts and experienced teachers. We strive to provide industry-leading instruction to all of our students and hold all staff to the highest possible standards. Staff assignments vary by program and location. Some of our recent staff members for this program include:
Check back closer to the start of camp for details on our 2025 staff.
We will continue to add additional staff members as enrollment and availability dictate. Details are posted on additional staff members as they are confirmed.
Upcoming Sessions
* Tentative and Subject to Change
| Session | Grade | Location | Price Range | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20th 2025 - Jul 25th 2025 | 9 - 12 | East Coast Colleges (Tour) | Overnight: $3,115.00 |