The Gull Summer Term

The application cycle for the 2026 Gull Summer Term is open now until January 31, 2026 at 11:59pm ET. Learn more. 

 

 

 

The centerpiece of Gull Island's programming in the Cape and Islands region of Massachusetts, this tuition-free, four-week program runs from mid-May to mid-June each year. Formerly known as the "Junemester" and "Buzzards Bay Term", the Gull Summer Term is the Institute's flagship liberal arts program. In 2026, this program will take place at The Barn House on Martha's Vineyard. 

​​

Over the course of four weeks, a cohort of 8-9 undergraduate students take responsibility for themselves and their community through co-leading a seminar rooted in classic texts and history place, formal student self-governance, and labor projects including land management in critical coastal ecosystems, farming and aquaculture, and engaging with local food systems to plan and prepare all meals. At the core of this experience of collaborative living and learning is a core question: what makes a place habitable, and what does it mean to inhabit it well?

​

Each student cohort is selected by an Application Committee comprised of recent Gull Island student alumni. The program is tuition free.

​

For more on previous iterations of the Gull Summer Term -– the "Junemester" 2023 and the "Buzzard's Bay Term" 2024/2025 – check out this profile in The Boston Globe, and this profile in The Falmouth Enterprise. ​

​​​

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates about future opportunities!