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Fourteen college campuses, including UCLA, UPenn, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and Yale participate in the Summer Discovering program. You'll take courses taught by university faculty in disciplines like business, STEM, leadership, foreign language, writing, and other areas.

At SIG, you'll take courses in a wide variety of subjects, along with extracurricular activities. Online courses are available through the program as well. In order to be accepted, you must show evidence of academic aptitude through test scores or recommendations.

In this six-week program, high school juniors will attend an academic seminar and public speaking program. also offers a program for sophomores on topics related to black and ethnic students. Both programs are free to attend.

Mathematically talented students have the opportunity to learn various math-related concepts at this program. You'll qualify with standardized test scores. It's also partially grant-funded for qualifying applicants.

10. The Wharton School's Leadership in the Business World

For students looking to hone leadership and entrepreneurship skills, look no further than Wharton, UPenn's business school. In this program, high school students take courses taught by Wharton professors and business leaders and participate in company site visits.

11. Young Writers' Workshop (YWW) at the University of Virginia

Taught by professional writers, budding writers may participate in courses within their speciality, such as fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, and other genres, at YWW. The program is two or three weeks depending on the session.

Other Programs Available

Many individual colleges and universities offer general summer programs with a range of courses. These programs are a great idea for students hoping to attend that college or want to stay local for the summer-many have commuting options in addition to residential options.

Examples include:

There are many other options available. If you're looking for programs at a specific school, check on the college website. You're sure to find one that aligns with your academic goals and interests.

To find more summer programs and learn about why you should attend one, check out these posts:
Pre-College Summer Programs for High School Students Affordable Academic Summer Programs for High School Students Why You Need to Gear Up Now for Summer Programs
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Your Ultimate Guide to Summer Programs for High Schoolers

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Fourteen college campuses, including UCLA, UPenn, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and Yale participate in the Summer Discovering program. You'll take courses taught by university faculty in disciplines like business, STEM, leadership, foreign language, writing, and other areas. At SIG, you'll take courses in a wide variety of subjects, along with extracurricular activities.

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University of Minnesota Summer Opportunities

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Summer camps | College of Science and Engineering

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Youth are invited to engage and build capacity through immersive, on-campus explorations of science, engineering, technology, or mathematics.

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NYC Summer Academy | The School of The New York Times

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Educational programs that reflect the scope and relevance of The Times.

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Summer programs provide high school students with opportunities to explore their academic interests and spark new passions. They also allow high school students to get a taste of college life and meet other students from all over the world.

In this article, I'll provide a list of 129 colleges throughout the United States that host summer programs for high school students. Furthermore, I'll give you information about what pre-college summer programs are like and how you can select the right program for you.

What Is a Pre-College Summer Program?

A pre-college summer program offers high school students the opportunity to take classes at a college and experience college life during the summer. Most programs range from one to seven weeks long.

You can take programs that focus on a number of diverse subjects, such as writing, leadership, entrepreneurship, and engineering. Many summer programs offer both residential and commuter options. Students can stay in dorms with their peers or commute from home if they live close to campus.

Furthermore, not only are students able to take classes from college professors or visiting scholars, but they're also able to listen to lectures from alumni and participate in social activities. Many selective private colleges, including Stanford , Harvard , and Columbia , offer pre-college summer programs for high school students.

Some pre-college summer programs are open enrollment (anyone can attend), while others require admission through an application process. The selective programs typically require teacher recommendations, application essays, and standardized test scores. Check a specific program's website for its admission requirements.

While these programs can be fun and educational, most of them are expensive. There are some free programs and many programs that offer financial aid for qualified students, but summer programs often cost thousands of dollars.

Pictures of Money/Flickr
How Did I Create This List of College Summer Programs for High School Students?

I relied on information from , which helps locate various summer programs, to create this list. Summer Program Finder I looked up the programs in each region of the country and listed the colleges that host programs. In addition to the listed programs, there are summer programs for high school students that are not housed at colleges.

Because programs are always evolving, note that there might be programs at colleges that aren't listed below. That said, you can always look at a specific college's website to see whether it offers summer programs for high school students.

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List of Summer Programs

Below is an extensive list of summer programs at 129 US colleges, organized alphabetically by state.

Alabama

Arizona

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Kentucky

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Want to build the best possible college application?
We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

Should You Attend a College Summer Program?

Really, it's up to you whether or not you decide to attend a summer program. You can check out our post on whether or not you should do a pre-college summer program for a detailed explanation of the pros and cons.

On the plus side, s ummer programs can provide you with a good opportunity to explore your academic interests or take a class in a subject that's not offered at your school. Also, you can make friends, experience college life, and get a better idea of whether or not you want to attend a specific school.

On the negative side, most college summer programs for high school students are expensive, and they might not provide much help getting into college (unless it's a highly selective program that's offered at no or minimal cost). Do your research, and if a program is something you can afford and would enjoy, then you should go for it. It might stimulate your academic and personal growth, and can help you clarify your future goals.

If you know for sure that you want to do a pre-college summer program, there are a number of factors to consider to help you select the right program for you.

The location of the program is an extremely important consideration for many students. If you have a dream school or a college you're strongly considering, you might want to do a program on that school's campus to get a better feel for the college and to demonstrate your interest in it. You might also want to save money by going to a program close to home, or perhaps you'd like to be able to spend a few weeks living in a big city like New York or Boston.

Additionally, be sure to select a program that's in line with your interests. If you have a passion for creative writing, then you can cultivate that passion in a writing program. If you're fascinated by business, you can hone your business skills in an entrepreneurship program.

Finally, you might need to consider the cost and length of the program. If you have a limited budget, you'll likely have to focus your search on cheaper programs that you can actually afford. If you have other obligations or activities you're hoping to do during the summer, you might want to choose a shorter program.

You can use this list and the Summer Program Finder to identify programs that match what you're looking for. Good luck!

What's Next?

Do you want to become a doctor? Maybe you'll be interested in doing a medical summer program.

If you want to explore your interests during the summer without leaving home or paying to attend a summer program, perhaps you can get an internship.

Are you interested in other ideas for summer activities? Learn more about what you can do during the summer.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

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129 Pre-College Summer Programs for High School Students

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Summer programs provide high school students with opportunities to explore their academic interests and spark new passions. They also allow high school students to get a taste of college life and meet other students from all over the world. In this article, I'll provide a list of 129 colleges throughout the United States that host summer programs for high school students.

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An increasing number of selective colleges now scrutinize how applicants spend their summers during high school. In response to this trend, thousands of providers-including both universities and private companies-offer academically-themed summer programs for teens. These programs vary from free-to-extremely expensive, and highly-selective-to-open enrollment. With such a bevy of options, teens will likely need expert guidance in order to successfully locate an ideal-fit program that will fully support their future academic and career dreams.

To answer this need, our list of the Best Summer Programs is here to serve as your comprehensive guide. For your convenience, the list is sortable by discipline and location and contains relevant data and information about each recommended program.

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An increasing number of selective colleges now scrutinize how applicants spend their summers during high school. In response to this trend, thousands of providers-including both universities and private companies-offer academically-themed summer programs for teens. These programs vary from free-to-extremely expensive, and highly-selective-to-open enrollment. With such a bevy of options, teens will likely need expert guidance...

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Discover STEM | College of Science and Engineering

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STEM summer day camps for students entering 11th or 12th grade Wondering which careers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) will allow you to discover your passions and assure you of an exciting job almost anywhere in the world? Join in a week-long summer day camp that offers a hands-on introduction to STEM opportunities.