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Pre-college summer programs are a great chance to travel, spend some time at a university you’re interested in, study something you care about with like-minded people, beef up that impending application, and do something productive with the next three months. When looking for programs, however, the most important thing is to distinguish the legitimate, invested, life-changing programs from the ones haphazardly arranged by institutions as moneymakers. I’ve compiled a list 18 of some of the most famous and competitive summer programs out there to spark your research, featuring an an entire section on equally (if not more) prestigious programs that are free of charge.
Humanities
Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop
What: intensive two-week workshop sponsored by The Kenyon Review, one of the country’s preeminent literary magazines. Students participate in three ninety-minute workshops each day. Group writing activities are balanced by class discussions of assigned readings, by the sharing of writing, and by frequent work in small writing or inquiry groups (which often meet outdoors); also by time for individual writing.
Who: high school students who like to work with other people and who aren’t looking for a traditional approach to writing and learning. Being open to experimenting with new approaches, willing to be playful and take some risks as a learner, interested in the process of learning more than final goals.
Cost: The total cost, including tuition, accommodations, all meals, and activities, is $2,275. Scholarships are available.
Iowa Young Writers Studio
What: This is a two-week program focused on one of three courses of study (Poetry, Fiction, Creative Writing) taught through a workshop and a seminar.
Who: The Studio is open to students who will have completed 10th, 11th, or 12th grade by June of the summer of their attendance. In rare cases they will admit an exceptionally talented and mature 9th grader.
Cost: $2,000. This program fee includes room and board, all instruction fees, textbooks, photocopying, and transportation to and from the Cedar Rapids airport or Iowa City bus station. Need-based aid is available.
California State Summer School for the Arts
What: CSSSA is a four-week, rigorous pre-professional training program in the visual and performing arts, creative writing, animation, and film for talented artists of high school age. Its purpose is to provide a training ground for future artists who wish to pursue careers in the arts and entertainment industries in California. Seven different disciplines are offered: Animation, Creative Writing, Dance, Film/Video, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts.
Who: California residents enrolled in grades 9 through 12 are eligible to apply to CSSSA. Students from outside of California may also apply; a limited number are admitted each year.
Cost: The comprehensive fee covering room, board and tuition for California State residents for four weeks is $1,550; for non-California residents, the fee is $5,000. Need-based aid is available.
Medill Journalism Institute
What: The institute, also known as “Medill cherubs,” is a five-week journalism program for rising high school seniors. Students learn from accomplished journalists and Northwestern professors while gaining practical experience in the field. By the end of the summer students create a body of work, build connections and meet aspiring journalists from around the world. Medill is commonly known as the best journalism school in the world.
Who: Students who rank in at least the top quarter of their class and will have completed their junior year by the beginning of the program.
Cost: $5,000 with $3,500 for tuition and $1,500 for room and board. Financial aid is available.
image from Syracuse University
STEM
Boston University Research Internship in Science and Engineering (RISE)
What: In this six-week honors program, students conduct research for forty hours per week under the guidance of a faculty member, postdoctoral fellow, or graduate student mentor.
Research interns are fully immersed in a new or ongoing research project, starting with analysis of the project through readings and learning experimental techniques; continuing with intensive laboratory research; and culminating in data analysis, and a RISE poster symposium. In some cases, research interns submit their work to national science fair contests such as the Siemens Competition and the Intel Science Talent Search.
Who: Rising seniors
Cost: Tuition is $3,700, with room and board + meal plans averaging at about $2,300
High School Honors Science/Mathematics/Engineering Program (HSHSP)
What: This is a seven-week, intensive summer research program housed at Michigan State for students who wish to gain more experience conducting research while living on the campus of a major research-intensive university.
Who: students from across the U.S. and territories who are entering 12th grade
Cost: $3,800. This fee covers room, board, and some
instructional costs. Participants must provide their own transportation between home and campus at the beginning and end of the program, Sunday evening meals, and other incidentals. Scholarships based on financial need are available.
SUMAC at Stanford University
What: SUMaC brings mathematically talented and motivated high-school students to Stanford University for four weeks of serious mathematical pursuits. It includes an intensive course in higher mathematics, a guided research project that allows students to individually pursue a focussed area of interest, related to the course, a guest lecture series covering a range of topics given by internationally-known research mathematicians, group problem-solving sessions and individual tutoring.
Who: SUMaC participants must be current high school tenth or eleventh graders, and they must be between 15 and 17 years of age on the first day of the program
Cost: $6150. This includes campus housing and dining, all course materials, expenses for organized activities, plus transportation to and from the San Francisco airport, if required. Financial aid is available.
Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS)
What: It is a challenging program designed to encourage ambitious high school students to explore the creative world of mathematics. Each summer, approximately 80 high school students from around the country gather on the campus of Boston University for six weeks of rigorous mathematical activity. Through their intensive efforts to solve an assortment of unusually challenging problems in number theory, participants will practice the art of mathematical discovery.
Who: Boston University’s housing policy requires all students to be at least 14 by the first day of the program. Most PROMYS students are older. Yes, students may attend the summer after they graduate high school.
Cost: Families are asked to contribute at most $3,300 towards the per-student cost of participation, which is $6,500. There is also full and partial need-based financial aid (for domestic students), some small merit scholarships, and 10 CMI-PROMYS International Alliance Scholarships for European students.
Women’s Technology Program (WTP)
What: The MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP) is a rigorous four-week summer academic and residential experience where female high school students explore engineering through hands-on classes, labs, and team-based projects.
Who: Rising seniors who reside in the US (or be US citizens if living outside the US).
Cost: The standard fee to attend is $3,000, which covers all classes, room and board. Full financial aid is available.
EXPENSES PAID
Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES)
What: MIT OME offers three rigorous residential and online academic enrichment programs for promising high school juniors who are interested in studying and exploring careers in science and engineering: Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science, Engineering Experience at MIT (E2@MIT), MIT Online Science, Technology and Engineering Community (MOSTEC). Students are considered for all three programs with the submission of their application.
Who: Open to current 11th grade students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a current U.S. green card.
Cost: None. Funding from industry, foundations, grants, individuals, and MIT covers all living and educational expenses for each admitted student. Students only pay for their transportation to and from MIT.
TASS
What: It is a challenging six-week college-level courses in African American studies and other fields at the University of Michigan and Indiana University
Who: All current high school sophomores (tenth grade) are eligible to apply for the program. You do not need to be a United States citizen to apply, nor do you need to go to an American high school.
Cost: None, all program expenses are paid, including tuition, books, room and board, field trips, and facilities fees. Additionally, students who demonstrate financial need can request help with travel costs to and from the program.
TASP
What: It is a six-week educational experience for high school juniors that offers challenges and rewards rarely encountered in secondary school or even college. Covers humanities subjects, with past seminars including: Music, Dance & Light, Race and the Limits of Law in America, Modernism through Modern Art and Theatre, and Identity and Belonging from Primates to Posthumans
Who: All current high school juniors (eleventh grade) are eligible to apply for the program. You do not need to be a United States citizen to apply, nor do you need to go to an American high school.
Cost: Housing, dining, and tuition expenses are covered by Telluride Association and the host institutions. Students pay only the costs of transportation and incidental expenses. Participants with demonstrated need may request financial aid to cover reasonable travel costs.
Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program
What: 3-week intensive problem solving camp held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to select and train the six-member US team for the International Mathematical Olympiad and train younger students in Olympiad-level problem solving and broaden their mathematical horizons.
Who: Students qualify for the program by taking the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad. Admission essentially means that a student is one of the top 60 young mathematicians in the nation.
Cost: Free to participants
J-Camp
What: AAJA’s J-Camp is a national multicultural journalism program for high school students. The selected students demonstrate a keen interest in broadcasting, newspaper, magazine, photojournalism or online media. This six-day training camp brings together a multicultural group of high school students from across the nation to sharpen their journalism skills and work together in a unique learning environment. The curriculum consists of interactive workshops, hands-on training and field trips.
Who: Focused on cultural diversity (funded by Asian American Journalists Association), but not limited to Asian American students and is open to all high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors.
Cost: There is no fee to apply and all costs are covered — including airfare, lodging and meals.
Research Science Institute (RSI)
What: summer science & engineering program to combine on-campus course work in scientific theory with off-campus work in science and technology research. RSI scholars first participate in a week of intensive STEM classes with accomplished professors. The heart of RSI is the five week research internship where students conduct individual projects under the tutelage of mentors who are experienced scientists and researchers. During the final week of RSI, students prepare written and oral presentations on their research projects.
Who: US Citizens and Permanent Residents: All U.S. students, including US Citizens studying at non-DoD schools overseas, with one year remaining before graduation from high school, may apply to RSI. International students may also be eligible depending on the country. Check site for more details.
Cost: Students invited to the program receive free tuition, room, and board. Their only expense is transportation to and from MIT.
Carnegie Mellon Summer Program for Diversity
What: A variety of six-week programs in Architecture, Art and Design, Drama, or Music
Who: Students must be in high school, have completed their sophomore year and be 16 to 18 years old
Cost: There will be no tuition, housing or dining fees for students selected to attend Summer Programs for Diversity.
Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Summer Session
What: The Summer Session, held on the campus of The Colorado College in Colorado Springs, is designed as an art institute offering an intensive visual art studio program. It allows each student to gain a stronger foundation of skills and understanding in the visual arts through experiencing college-level drawing and painting classes in a group setting.
Who: artistically gifted high school juniors in public and private high schools, or home schooled
Cost: full tuition, room and board and all seminar related expenses, excluding transportation
image from UPenn Wharton
SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMS
Questbridge
What: offers students a unique opportunity to take college-level courses at a top-tier university while residing in a dormitory with peers from across the country. These scholarships offer outstanding low-income students a special chance to experience life beyond high school and to gain first-hand experience on what to expect from attending a selective college.
Who: QuestBridge seeks students who have demonstrated a level of academic achievement that meets the admissions standards of our partner colleges. In addition, students must demonstrate evidence of financial hardship and obstacles they have overcome.
Cost: The scholarship will cover the full cost of tuition, travel expenses, and room & board.
Sponsored Programs:
Brandeis University: High School Summer College Program for Fein Fellows
Cornell University: Summer College
Emory University Pre-College Program
Harvard University Secondary School Program
University of Notre Dame Pre-College Programs
University of Pennsylvania: Leadership in the Business World, Management & Technology Summer Institute, Summer Academy in Applied Science & Technology, Wharton Sports Business Academy
Stanford University: Summer College Program, Envision Intensive Law & Trial
Yale University: Summer Session
Joyce Ivy Foundation
What: The Summer Scholars program makes it financially possible for talented female high school students to attend summer academic programs at some of the most rigorous and selective colleges and universities.
Who: A U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident, student at a high school in Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota or South Dakota, entering junior or senior year of high school (following the summer program), young women of high potential with a strong academic record and demonstrated leadership, students who have aspirations to matriculate at an academically rigorous and highly selective college or university
Cost: Summer Scholars receive full and partial scholarship grants, based on demonstrated financial need, to apply to summer program tuition, room and board, and travel expenses.
Sponsored Programs:
Barnard College: Summer in the City
Brown University: Pre-College, Leadership, Summer Session Credit Courses
Cornell University: Architecture, Art & Design, Business, Computer/Info Science, Dual Programs, Engineering, Environmental Studies, History & Politics, Humanities, Law & Government, Medicine, Psychology, Research & Science, Vet Med/Animal Science
Emory University: Two-week, three-week, and six-week programs
Harvard University: 8-week program
Johns Hopkins University: Summer University, Discover Hopkins
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MITES, Women’s Technology Program
Smith College: Summer Science and Engineering Program, Hidden Lives: Discovering Women’s History, and Young Women’s Writing Workshop
Stanford University: Pre-Collegiate Studies
Washington University (St. Louis): Summer Scholars Pre-College Program
Yale University: Yale Young Global Scholars