Program for Excellence in Academics & Community (PEAC)

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PEAC 2026 Dates and Deadlines

   Priority Deadline: March 1, 2026 

   Final Deadline: March 15, 2026

    Summer 2026 Program Dates: July 11, 2026 - July 31, 2026

 

 


 

 

Every year, the Miramontes Arts & Sciences Program (MASP) invites incoming first-year students who want to be part of a program dedicated to advancing equity and belonging to participate in its summer Program for Excellence in Academics and Community (PEAC). PEAC is a rigorous 3-week residential academic program that provides students with support to engage in intensive university-level coursework and form a strong community that will serve them during their first year and beyond. Students who complete PEAC become eligible for a four-year MASP participation scholarship. 

PEAC prepares incoming first-year students in the College of Arts and Sciences for CU Boulder academics and student life. PEAC students get a trial run of challenging classes (not for-credit) and campus life, while participating in exciting and engaging community-building activities on and around campus. Past participants said this program was a "life changing experience" and would recommend it to all incoming students.  

Participating in PEAC is free for students accepted into the program, including all activities and the three weeks of room and board. Students must be able to live on campus for the entirety of the summer program, including weekends, to be eligible. Students who attend and successfully complete PEAC will be awarded a $1,000 stipend at the program's end and qualify for an annual $2,000 MASP participation scholarship for up to four years.  

Application to PEAC is open to all CU Boulder students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences who seek to actively engage in advancing equity and belonging across our diverse campus community.  MASP does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, veteran status, marital status, political affiliation, political philosophy, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression in accordance with state, federal and Regents law. 

Check out the Program Components section below with specific information about PEAC 2026! 

PEAC Program Components

Academic Coursework

During the PEAC program students will take a variety of engaging courses taught by CU Professors, including classes in humanities, natural sciences, arts and social science. In the past we have offered classes such as “Chemistry,” “Ethical Puzzles,” “Writing; Vision and Voice,” "U.S. Population Geography." 

Current MASP students report that their PEAC classes are what really prepared them for college classes, giving them a sense of confidence when starting out in the fall.

Beyond coursework, PEAC students will get to know the CU Boulder campus and participate in the following group activities and trips that help develop a sense of community and a strong cohort of friends.

PEAC Community-Building Activities:

  • Challenge Course
  • Free Pass to the CU Rec Center
  • White Water Rafting
  • Shakespeare Festival
  • Fiske Planetarium
  • Local Activities: Volleyball, Frisbee, Soccer, Yoga, and More!

MASP students consistently cite PEAC as the place where they developed their strongest friendships at CU.

The PEAC Peer Mentoring team is composed of current MASP students who serve a hybrid role both as a residential advisor and a learning assistant. Throughout the entire program, peer mentors live in the dorms, take classes alongside students, and most importantly help PEAC students build an inclusive community by learning to lead by examples. 

Students accepted to PEAC participate free of charge. PEAC covers the cost of instruction, room and board and a number of fun community building activities. Students who successfully complete the PEAC program receive a $1000 stipend and become eligible for MASP and its related participation scholarship of $2,000 per academic year.

Students who successfully complete PEAC and enroll at CU-Boulder in the Fall are eligible to become members of MASP. During the academic year, MASP awards to each student in good standing a participation scholarship of up to $2,000/year, provides credit-bearing seminars for first- and second-year students, offers faculty mentoring, holds social events, organizes programs with renowned CU faculty, and provides access to a community space for studying and social interactions. MASP students have many opportunities to develop a network of friends and peers, to meet scholarly professionals in a variety of academic disciplines, and to carry out hands-on research.

"As a first year student I joined PEAC with the expectation that I would gain the knowledge I needed to survive college. What I was not expecting was to find myself surrounded by a supportive network of faculty, staff, and students that not only created an atmosphere conducive to my social and personal growth, but remained unwavering in encouraging my intellectual development as well."

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“The best part about PEAC/MASP was how caring the staff and professors were. It really was a community established to help us make it through.”

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“This was a great opportunity and I feel like it makes college feel more manageable and a realistic goal.”

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“I liked the activities that PEAC provided but the most important of all was the community. I was able to gain friends that will be there for the future.”