How to choose a programme for your teenager: 15 questions to ask before you pay

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The short answer

Start from what the student wants to make or find out, and try the free routes first: school clubs and competitions, free public courses, and government programmes whose pages name no fee. Then ask any paid programme the 15 questions below, from what the student will make to the refund rule, in writing, before paying. A programme that will not answer them in writing, or that sells admission, awards or publication, fails the check, whatever its name.

Facts checked on 12 November 2026 against the sources below.

How this was made: drafted with AI help from the sources listed, and checked by the One Young India editorial desk on 12 November 2026.

What should the student want from a programme before anyone pays?

A programme should serve something the student already wants: a question to answer, a subject to go deeper into, or a thing to make. If the student can say it in a sentence, every brochure has a test to meet. Two limits come next. One is the time the student actually has in the term, after school, homework and exams. The other is what the family is willing to spend.

Write all three down before reading any brochure. Each answer to the questions below can then be held against them. Whether a programme helps with college admissions is a separate question, and this page makes no admissions claim for any programme.

Which free routes should a family try first?

The school comes first. A club, a competition the school already enters, or a project with a teacher who knows the student can show whether an interest lasts before any fee is paid. Beyond the school, three public routes are described below as their official pages stood on 12 November 2026.

SWAYAM, an initiative of the Ministry of Education, lists free courses on its home page, taken at the student’s own pace, with a School category; NCERT and NIOS are among the partners it names. Learners can earn certificates, but the home page does not say whether a certificate costs anything.

ISRO’s YUVIKA (the Young Scientist Programme) is meant to give school children basic knowledge of space technology, space science and space applications. The latest edition on its pages is YUVIKA-2026, for students in Class 9; no 2027 edition is shown, so check the page for the next one. For the 2026 edition, ISRO bears the course material, lodging and boarding, and reimburses travel up to the II AC train fare.

DST’s INSPIRE-MANAK, run with the National Innovation Foundation, is for students in Classes 6 to 12. The school nominates: the home page says each school can send its students’ 5 best original ideas or innovations through the website, with at most two from Classes 11 or 12 (science stream only). The home page names no fee.

A notice on that page says the last date for nominations was extended to 10 October 2026; the page shows no later date, so check it for the next cycle. Our INSPIRE-MANAK explainer has more. Neither YUVIKA nor INSPIRE-MANAK showed an edition a student could still enter on 12 November 2026, so both are for planning ahead.

Which 15 questions should a parent ask before paying?

The questions work for any paid programme: a summer or winter programme, an online research mentorship, a course, or a simulation or competition with a teaching part. Ask by email, before paying, and keep the replies. A written answer is one the family can return to if the programme turns out differently; a promise made on a call leaves nothing to point to.

For a student in Class 10 or Class 12, question 8 needs the most care, since the board’s own timetable comes before any programme.

One row per question; grouped in four parts.

Question	Why it matters	What a clear answer looks like
What the student does: questions 1 to 5
1. What will the student make or do by the last day?	The output is what the fee buys. A programme that cannot name it may not have planned it.	A named piece of work, such as a paper, a product or a project, with a sample from an earlier group.
2. How many hours of live teaching or mentoring are there, and how many students share one teacher?	Days and weeks can hide how little live contact there is. Hours and group size show how much attention the student gets.	Live hours counted apart from homework and recordings, and the size of the largest group the student will sit in.
3. Who teaches, by name, and what is that person’s own work in the subject?	A named teacher can be looked up; a description of credentials cannot.	Names before payment, with each person’s own work in the subject, which the family can read or see.
4. What feedback does the student get on their work, from whom, and how often?	Feedback is what turns sessions into progress on the student’s own work, and it is easy to leave vague.	Who gives it, a person or an automated tool, on what work, and at which points in the programme.
5. Who picks the topic or project: the student, or the programme?	A topic the student chose is one the student can keep working on after the programme ends.	A plain statement of who decides, and how much room the student has to change course.
Fit: questions 6 to 8
6. Which grades is it for, and what must the student know before starting?	A student placed too far ahead or behind spends the time catching up or waiting.	The grades or ages, and any subject, skill or software the student needs on the first day.
7. Is there selection, and what does it test?	Selection can be a real filter or a formality before payment, and the family should know which.	What the student submits, who reads it, what it is judged on, and whether some applicants are turned away.
8. Do the dates and the workload fit around school exams and, for Class 10 and 12, board exams?	A programme that collides with exams costs the student more than its fee. In a board year, the board’s timetable comes first.	Fixed dates and session times, the hours of work outside sessions, and a plan the family has checked against the school calendar and the board’s dates.
Money: questions 9 to 12
9. What is the full price, with taxes, and what does it include?	A figure without its tax wording or its inclusions cannot be compared with another.	One figure, a plain statement of whether tax is in it, and a written list of what it covers.
10. What else will the family pay: travel, lodging, materials, certificates, publication or award fees?	Extras change the real cost, and some appear only after payment.	A written list of every other cost, or a written statement that there are none.
11. What is the refund rule, in writing, and until which date?	Plans change. A rule in writing is what the family can rely on if the student has to withdraw.	The rule as it will apply, with its dates or stages, sent before payment.
12. Are scholarships or fee waivers offered, and are they given on need or on merit?	Awards based on need and awards based on merit suit different families, and the basis is often left unsaid.	Whether aid exists, what it is based on, what the family must share, and when the decision comes.
Claims, ownership and safety: questions 13 to 15
13. What does the programme say about admissions, awards or publication, and what rule stands behind each claim?	These are the claims a family can least check for itself, so the rule behind each matters most.	For each claim, the standard behind it and who applies it, in writing, with no promise of a result.
14. Who owns the work the student makes, and what does the programme keep, share or publish about the student?	The student’s work and personal details can outlast the programme.	A written answer on who owns the work, what is kept, who sees it, and what appears in public.
15. Who is the named contact for a concern, and will the programme answer all of this in writing before payment?	A concern raised during a programme needs a person who answers, not only a form.	A named person and a way to reach them, and written answers to these questions before any payment.

What do programmes cost, and what should the money buy?

Prices make question 9 concrete. The table below holds six examples, each read on the provider’s own page. It is not a shortlist, and we draw no average or range from it.

Examples, not a ranking: six programmes, from free to paid. Four publish a price on their own page, one is free by selection, and one publishes no price on its own pages. Each price or cost line is as the provider’s own page stated it on 12 November 2026. Fees in other currencies stay in the page’s own currency. Rows are in alphabetical order.

Provider and programme	Price as published	What the page says the price includes	Refund or aid line on the page	Read on
AIC NMIMS (NMIMS Atal Incubation Center), Startup Winter School, 7 days in Mumbai	INR 95,000 residential; INR 85,000 non-residential; both including taxes	Programme materials, meals and refreshments, mentorship and guidance, interactive sessions, industry exposure visits	None on the page	12 Nov 2026
Ashoka University, Ashoka Horizons Achievers Programme, online	INR 25,000 plus GST for each course	All course modules; live sessions and recordings (recordings may vary by course); feedback on assignments, the capstone project and quizzes or exams, as applicable; course materials; a digital certificate on satisfactory completion; technical help	A dated refund table: 100% on or before 18 April 2027, 50% from 19 April to 2 May 2027, nothing from 3 May 2027; the page does not name the course dates these deadlines belong to	12 Nov 2026
Inspirit AI, AI Scholars Live Online	USD $1400, which the page calls all inclusive; payment plans available	10 live online sessions, 25 hours in all, a student to teacher ratio of 5:1	The page links a Refund Policy: 100% of course fees for cancellations up to 21 days before the start, 50% up to 7 days before, none after	12 Nov 2026
ISRO, YUVIKA (Young Scientist Programme)	No fee named; free by selection	ISRO bears the course material, lodging and boarding; travel is reimbursed up to the II AC train fare or an AC bus fare, on the original ticket	Not applicable. Latest edition on the page: YUVIKA-2026, for students in Class 9; no 2027 edition shown	12 Nov 2026
Lumiere Education, Lumiere Research Scholar Program	Not published on its programmes page or in the FAQ answers we could read	The page lists four program types without a price; its Individual Research Program has 9 sessions with a mentor and 2 with a writing coach over 12 weeks, ending in a college-level academic paper	None on the pages read	12 Nov 2026
Polygence	From about $3,000 (the page prints “~$3,000”); group Pods from $495; tax not mentioned	The Core Program lists 10 one-on-one mentor sessions of an hour, a project workspace, two rounds of writing feedback and a database of showcasing opportunities; the pages do not tie this list to the starting price	A written refund rule: up to 100% of tuition before the first session, unused sessions after that, minus a 3.25% processing fee; an 8% fee for paying in six instalments; the Core Program page says “Financial Aid may be available”	12 Nov 2026

Dollar fees stay in dollars: the rupee cost depends on the exchange rate on the day the family pays.

Whatever the figure, the money should buy written answers to questions 1 to 4 (what the student makes, the live hours, who teaches and the feedback) and 9 to 11 (the full price with taxes, the extras and the refund rule). A row that leaves those open is a list of questions still to ask.

Read each row for its wording as well as its figure. Tax appears as plus GST, as including taxes, as all inclusive with no tax word, or not at all. Some pages print hours, others sessions or days; some print a refund rule, others none. Where a row is silent, the question stays open until the provider answers in writing.

What are the red flags before paying?

Any one of these is a reason to stop and ask more, whoever runs the programme:

admission or publication described as guaranteed;
an award or distinction that comes with the fee rather than with the work;
talk of review or publication with no named review standard behind it;
a refund rule that is missing, vague or only spoken;
a deadline used as pressure, such as a countdown or a closing offer that expires before the questions are answered.

How does one family run the checklist?

An illustration, not a real family or real programmes

A student in Grade 9 wants to know why a lake near home floods each monsoon. Before paying anyone, the family tries what is free. The school’s science club takes the question on as a project, and the student starts a free online course on water. By the next term the interest has lasted, so the family looks at paid options and narrows them to Programme A and Programme B.

The family sends both the same email: the 15 questions, with a request for written answers before any payment. Programme A replies in writing. It names the teachers and their own work in the subject, gives the live hours and the group size, attaches a sample of past student work with the teacher’s comments, and sends its refund rule.

Programme B answers some questions only after a phone call. It says the student’s paper will be “published”, but names no review standard and does not say who decides. Its replies leave questions 3, 11 and 14 open.

The family asks Programme B for its review standard in writing, which is question 13. If a clear standard arrives, the two can be compared on equal terms. If it does not, the family decides on what Programme A has put in writing, or waits a term, with the club project still running.

Where One Young India fits

We run programmes in this area, so weigh this section with that in mind.

One Young India runs Model NITI Aayog, Entrepreneurship in Action and Model G20 Summit; each includes a year of Learnacy Essential. Model NITI Aayog is an independent educational programme. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with NITI Aayog or any government body. Model G20 Summit is an independent educational programme. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with the G20 or any government body.

The policy programme is a simulation of NITI Aayog, India’s policy think tank; every participant writes an original white paper. The entrepreneurship programme needs no coding: every participant builds and ships a working product and a founder’s pitch. Both run four days on Zoom, 16 hours in all. The summit is three days, residential, on campus in Pune: delegates write position papers and finish with a signed communiqué.

The summit includes food and lodging on campus, but not transport. The dates for the policy programme, the entrepreneurship programme and the summit are on each programme page.

Essential on its own runs for a year, which includes feedback from an AI writing coach on drafts, all 10 self-paced courses, and editorial review, with publication of one paper in the year if it is accepted. Publication depends on review and is not guaranteed. Learnacy Essential pays for the tools, the courses and the feedback. It never buys acceptance.

One Young India’s Learnacy Mentorship is online and by selection; its page says: “We do not write applications, plan profiles or promise admissions.” A family can join an information session first.

Neither the three programmes nor the mentorship offers need-based aid: their scholarships are awarded on merit, on a white paper the student writes (request a scholarship).

Refunds for the three programmes follow our Refunds & Cancellations page.

Our own pages also leave several of the 15 questions unanswered; where a page is silent, the table says so, and the answer is to ask us before paying, as with any provider.

Question	Model NITI Aayog, Entrepreneurship in Action, Model G20 Summit (One Young India)	Learnacy Mentorship (One Young India)	Learnacy Essential (One Young India)
1. What the student makes	Policy: an original white paper; select papers are published by One Young India. Publication depends on review and is not guaranteed. Entrepreneurship: a working product, deployed on the internet, and a founder’s pitch. Summit: position papers and a signed communiqué. All three: a certificate of participation.	One substantial piece of the student’s own work, in a format chosen with the mentor (a white paper, a research paper, a policy brief, or a competition entry where the organiser’s dates fit), and a one-page reflection.	A year to explore any subject, test ideas in labs and write a white paper.
2. Live hours; students per teacher	Policy and entrepreneurship: 16 hours over four days on Zoom; the policy programme is fully live, not recorded. Summit: 36 hours over three days, residential. Students per teacher: the page does not state this; ask before paying. The summit’s page gives a group size of 25 members per group.	About 29 hours of live sessions: a weekly studio group of 6 to 8 students, a one to one with the mentor every two weeks, and a seminar for the whole intake every two weeks.	A year of independent work at the student’s own pace; live sessions come with the programmes.
3. Who teaches, by name	Policy and entrepreneurship: the page does not state this; ask before paying. The policy programme’s page mentions faculty, without names. Summit: its page names three advisors and mentors, but not who teaches; ask before paying.	The founder leads it, including every selection conversation and a reading of every final piece; the page does not name the founder. Each family’s offer names the student’s mentor.	No editor is ever named; feedback on drafts comes from an AI writing coach.
4. Feedback: from whom, how often	The page does not state this; ask before paying. The policy programme includes a panel for the student’s pitch.	Written feedback at the four milestones, and a one to one with the mentor every two weeks.	Feedback from an AI writing coach on drafts; a submitted paper is scored on the review rubric.
5. Who picks the topic	Summit: the delegate chooses a country and committee; working groups are assigned. Policy and entrepreneurship: the page does not state this; ask before paying.	The work is the student’s own, in a format chosen with the mentor.	Open: a year to explore any subject.
6. Grades; what the student must know	Grades 8 to 12. Entrepreneurship: no coding needed. Policy and summit, what the student must know first: the page does not state this; ask before paying.	Grades 8, 9 and 11 (IB DP year 1 and IGCSE year 1 too); Class 10 and 12: see question 8. The page says “Not marks”.	The page does not state this; ask before paying.
7. Selection	No selection: a place is booked with payment.	“Selected, not first come.” A parent applies with the student, with no fee to apply; the student writes a short task alone, without AI writing it; then comes a 20-minute video conversation with the student, a parent and the founder.	None: it is bought.
8. Dates, school and board exams	Dates are on each programme page. School and board exams: the page does not state this; ask before paying.	About 3 hours a week of the student’s own time, more in drafting weeks; the dates are on the programme page. Class 10 and 12 students join a separate intake, because a board year comes first.	Self-paced. “The year starts on the day of payment.”
9. Full price with taxes; what it includes	Each includes a year of the membership in the last column. Policy: with the self-paced course. Summit: food and lodging. The price is on each programme page.	It includes every session, written feedback at all four milestones, a year of the membership in the last column, orientation and the showcase. The fee is on the programme page.	A year’s membership; the price is on the pricing page.
10. Other costs	Summit: “Delegates arrange their own transportation.” Policy and entrepreneurship: the page does not state this; ask before paying.	“No outside fees, and none to add.”	Programme places, organiser entry fees and personal mentorship are separate.
11. Refund rule in writing	Refunds follow the Refunds & Cancellations page.	Ask for the refund rule in writing before paying.	The refund line is on the pricing page.
12. Scholarships: need or merit	On merit, on one white paper written on our brief: “We never ask about family finances.”	A small number of merit scholarships, on a white paper the student writes; need is not considered, and the page names no award level.	The page does not state this; ask before paying.
13. Admissions, awards or publication, and the rule behind each	Policy and summit: select papers are eligible for publication through One Young India; the page does not state the rule the review applies, so ask before paying. Publication depends on review and is not guaranteed. Entrepreneurship ends in a product, not a white paper. Admissions, and awards for the policy and entrepreneurship programmes: the page does not state this; ask before paying. Summit: its page describes recognition for delegates’ position papers, without the rule behind it; ask before paying.	“It promises no result: not selection, not publication, not an admission anywhere.”	A paper is scored on the review rubric and checked for originality; it can be accepted when it averages at least 4 out of 5 with no criterion below 3, and passes the editorial checks. Publication depends on review and is not guaranteed. Learnacy Essential pays for the tools, the courses and the feedback. It never buys acceptance.
14. Who owns the work; what is kept or shared	The page does not state this; ask before paying.	Ownership: the page calls the finished piece “a piece of work that is theirs” but says nothing about rights; ask before paying. Sessions run in One Young India’s Zoom room; a parent may join any one to one; mentors do not message students privately, and any group chat includes parents. Seminars are recorded for the intake only, with parents’ consent at enrolment. Only One Young India’s team sees an application, and a student’s task and details are never used for marketing.	Ownership: the page does not state this; ask before paying. An accepted paper gets a public page under the student’s name, a citation, a PDF and a certificate. Publication depends on review and is not guaranteed.
15. Named contact; answers in writing before payment	The interest form takes no payment: “No payment is taken here.” On the policy programme’s page, the team replies usually within a working day. A named contact for concerns: the page does not state this; ask before paying.	A named contact for concerns: the page does not state this; ask before paying.	The page does not state this; ask before paying.

Common questions

Are paid summer programs worth it?

That depends on the answers, not the name: written answers on what the student makes, the live hours, who teaches and the feedback (questions 1 to 4), and on the full price, the extras and the refund rule (questions 9 to 11). Admissions are a separate question, and this page makes no admissions claim.

How to choose the right extracurricular activity?

Start with the student’s own question or the thing the student wants to make, then try a free route: a school club, a competition or a free course. If the interest lasts, judge any paid programme against the 15 questions.

How can a parent tell if a research programme is pay to play?

Look at questions 7 and 13. Ask what the selection tests and whether anyone is turned away. Ask what stands behind any publication claim: which journal or review, judged by whom, on what standard. A programme that ties publication to the fee, or names no standard, has not answered.

How can a parent check if a student programme is legit?

Ask questions 3, 11, 13 and 15 in writing before paying: who teaches, by name; the refund rule; the rule behind any claim about admissions, awards or publication; and a named contact for concerns. Clear written answers to all four tell a parent more than a name or a rating.

How much do research programs for high school students cost?

Prices differ in currency, in tax wording and in what they include, and some providers publish none. The dated examples above show prices as each provider’s own page stated them, including a starting price and a row with no price published. Ask for the full price with taxes in writing (question 9).

Where can parents find independent reviews of paid mentorship programmes in India?

Treat any page that looks like a review as a lead, and check who published it. The firmer test is the provider’s own written answers to the 15 questions.

Sources

AIC NMIMS (NMIMS Atal Incubation Center), Startup Winter School, read 12 November 2026.
Ashoka University, How to Apply to Horizons: Application Process (Ashoka Horizons Achievers Programme), read 12 November 2026.
Inspirit AI, AI Scholars Live Online, read 12 November 2026, and its Terms (Refund and Cancellation Policy), read 12 November 2026.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), YUVIKA, YUva VIgyani KAryakram (Young Scientist Programme), and its selection page on Antriksh Jigyasa, ISRO YUVIKA, both read 12 November 2026.
Lumiere Education, Programs and its FAQ page, read 12 November 2026.
Polygence, Frequently Asked Questions and Polygence Core Program, read 12 November 2026.
Department of Science & Technology, E-Management of INSPIRE Scheme (INSPIRE-MANAK), read 12 November 2026.
SWAYAM, Ministry of Education, Government of India, home page, read 12 November 2026.

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