13 Pre-College Summer Programs for High School Students in 2024-2025
If you're a high school student planning to apply to college soon, consider participating in a pre-college program during the summer. Pre-college programs are educational experiences that provide high school students with an opportunity to explore specific academic and career interests, gain essential skills, experience college life, and maybe even earn college credit!
How do you pick a pre-college summer program?
These programs are usually offered by colleges as a pre-college program, summer session, or summer enrichment opportunity. Colleges offer a range of programs for high schoolers, ranging from less competitive to more selective. To search for programs offered by a university near you, try looking up the name of the university and adding “programs for high school students”. You can also check out our blog posts on various summer programs at Harvard, MIT, Yale, and Brown!
Pre-college opportunities can take place throughout the year or during the summer. We’re focusing on summer programs in this piece. Since we’ve covered some of the most competitive programs separately, we’ve looked at a broader set of programs in this article.
Pro tip: Pre-college programs do not have ‘high prestige’ value on their own. It’s the highly selective or selective programs that will leave an impression on admission officers. However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider other programs at all! Most pre-college programs have their place in a student's profile. They can provide a head start on credit requirements or help you up-skill, and you can use the knowledge you gain to come up with a research project of your own (which could help you in the college application process).
Now that you know what to look out for, here are 13 pre-college summer programs for high school students in 2024-2025!
1. Veritas AI
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs tailored for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students who are looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, students are introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects.
Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, students get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that students have access to the in-house publication team to help them secure publications in high school research journals. The fellowship encourages students to explore interdisciplinary approaches, enabling them to merge AI with various fields such as finance, medicine, sports, environmental science, and more! You can also check out some examples of past projects here.
Location: Virtual
Cost:
$2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program
$5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase
$6,900 for both
Need-based financial aid is available for AI Scholars. You can apply here
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Winter cohort deadline: December 1, 2024
Program dates: Various according to the cohort
Program selectivity: Moderately selective
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python
The Young Founder’s Lab is a real-world start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X.
Apart from building the start-up itself, you will also participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and business ideations, workshops and skill-building sessions, case studies, panel discussions, and more. This program is an excellent opportunity to delve into the world of business in high school and explore multiple theoretical as well as practical frameworks that lead to a successful business. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
Cost: The total cost to attend the 4-week program is $2,900. There is need-based financial aid
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
Program Dates: The 2024 edition of the program starts on June 5th and spans over 4-weeks
Application Deadline: There are 3 application deadlines that you can choose between:
Early Decision Deadline: March 17th, 2024
Regular Admission Deadline 1: April 14, 2024
Regular Admission Deadline 2: May 12th, 2024
You can access the application link here!
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high-school students with PhD mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. Main summer deadlines are March 15, April 15, and May 15
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility:
You must be currently enrolled in high school
Students must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)
No previous knowledge of your field of interest is required!
Program Dates: The summer cohort runs from June to August, the Fall cohort from September to December, the Winter cohort from December to February, Spring from March to June
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and more! It is one of the very few research programs for high school students that offers a choice between quantitative and qualitative research.
Once you select a particular subject track and type of research, you’ll be paired with a professor or PhD scholar (from a top university) who will mentor you throughout your research journey. You’ll work to create a 20-page, university-level research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student.
This program is a solid opportunity for you to pursue a research program in highly specialized fields under the guidance of a top scholar. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student, as well as detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects and on college applications. Apply here!
Location: Virtual
Application Date: Varies according to cohort, May 21, 2024 for the summer cohort, and September 25, 2024 for the fall cohort
Program Dates:
Summer seminar - June 24, 2024 - September 2, 2024
Fall seminar - October 23, 2024 - February 19, 2025
Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply 4 weeks in advance
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here
The Bovard Scholars program is a pre-college program offered to high-achieving students from across the country to help them develop critical thinking skills and research aptitude while refining their career goals and assisting them with college application prep. This is a fully residential program spanned across 3 weeks and is known for its excellent student-to-staff ratio (3:1). You will be assigned a coach to guide you through application processes at different universities, competitive exam prep, as well as career guidance even after the program ends. The program also includes events with industry leaders, group activities, scholarship databases, and goal-setting exercises.
Cost: Completely free of cost
Application Deadline: January 13, 2023
Program Dates: July 10 – 29, 2023
Location: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Eligibility: Juniors in high school
6. MITES Summer
A pre-college program offered by one of the most prestigious institutes in the world, this MIT pre-college program lets high schoolers take up 5 rigorous, college-level courses across 6 weeks and develop their academic, research, critical thinking, and personal skills. The program exposes students to sessions, discussions, and 1:1 guidance with mentors in STEM. You will learn the importance of STEM as a solution to real-world challenges and work with your knowledge to build a better world. At the end of the program, you receive a comprehensive report highlighting your strengths, areas of improvement, skills, and opportunities, a guide that can help you draft a stellar college application and be a better college student. Over 30% of MITES alumni have been admitted to MIT!
Cost: Free of cost
Application Deadline: February 1, 2023
Program Dates: Late June through early August
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Eligibility: All high school students in their junior/senior year. MITES strongly encourages first-generation students, students from ethnically and racially underrepresented groups, and high-achieving students from low economic backgrounds to apply
7. Summer Science Program (SSP)
If you're looking for an intensive program with a strong focus on STEM, the Summer Science Program is a great addition to your summer before college. SSP lets you engage with college-level courses and lab work in multiple STEM subjects through a 39-day, fully residential program. SSP is a highly selective pre-college program, with just 36 students being selected each year. The subjects offered at SSP this year are Astrophysics, Genomics, and Biochemistry. Alongside your courses, you can also engage in research projects under the guidance of a mentor, as well as multiple extracurricular activities such as field trips, guest lectures, and social events.
Cost: $8,400, generous financial aid offered
Application Dates: February 3, 2024, for international applicants and March 3, 2024, for US citizens
Program Dates: Mid-June to end of July
Location: Based on your course, you will attend the program from New Mexico State University, University of Colorado Boulder, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Purdue University, and Indiana University
Eligibility: High schoolers aged 15-18
A pre-college and scholarship program, the Rural Scholars Academy aims to support students from rural backgrounds in their journey at Washington University. The program runs for a week and exposes students to the fundamentals of design thinking, critical thinking, and problem-solving, all skills essential for a successful college career. You are also expected to attend discussion sessions, lectures, and hands-on activities to develop your interpersonal, leadership, and academic skills.
Cost: Free of cost
Application Dates: March 1, 2024
Program Dates: July 16 - 22, 2024
Location: Washington University in St. Louis, MO
Eligibility: High-school students aged 15 or more, who attend a high-school within the WashU Pledge territory are eligible to apply
A pre-college program aimed at giving students a glimpse of college life at Harvard, Harvard’s pre-college program is a competitive opportunity. You can choose from over 90 courses, and alongside rigorous academic exposure, you will participate in extra-curricular activities in and out of the classroom. The program requires you to put in the same amount of effort into your courses as any college student and prepares you for an academic career at top institutes. You can choose from courses offered in these categories, to name a few: Business, Leadership, Speech, Writing, Literature, Public Health, Law, Politics, Philosophy, Psychology, Medicine, STEM, Ethics, and History. We’ve done a deep dive into summer opportunities available at Harvard.
Cost: $5,300 + $75 (Application Fee)
Application Deadline: February 22, 2024
Program Dates:
Session 1: June 26-July 8, 2024
Session 2: July 10-July 22, 2024
Session 3: July 24-August 5, 2024
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Eligibility: Open to all high school juniors and seniors
The most popular option for high school students considering studying at Yale over the summer is the “Yale Young Global Scholars” program (aka YYGS). The program focuses on providing an enriching experience to high school students, exposing them to a college-like environment with academic courses, social activities, and collaborative learning experiences. An acceptance from YYGS reflects well upon your student profile, as the program is competitive, with an acceptance rate of 34% and applicants from around the world. We’ve done a deep dive into the best opportunities available at Yale.
Pro tip: YYGS hosts useful webinars on college admissions, tuition, academics, and more! You can either attend these sessions live or watch recordings. Check them out here.
Cost: $6,250
Application Deadline: January 10, 2024
Program Dates:
Session 1: June 18 - June 30, 2024
Session 2: July 2 - July 14, 2024
Session 3: July 16 - July 28, 2024
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Eligibility: Open to all high school juniors and sophomores
Brown University offers multiple summer programs, but Summer@Brown is one of their more welcoming offerings for high-school students. As a Summer@Brown participant, you can choose from their catalog of 300+ non-credit courses, engage in community activities, college-readiness workshops, and more! Brown University also offers Summer@Brown Online, commuter options, off-campus programs, one-week courses, and seven-week courses. We’ve done a deep dive into the summer opportunities available at Brown.
Pro tip: If you are seeking to earn college credit at Brown, check out Brown’s competitive Pre-Baccalaureate program. This program is open to rising high school seniors or recent high school graduates who are ready to tackle the rigors of credit-bearing undergraduate studies.
Cost: Residential Students (includes room and board): $6,124; Commuter Students: $4,330
Application Deadline: May 12, 2024
Program Dates:
Residential 1-week program -
June 25 to June 30, 2024
July 9 to July 14, 2024
July 16 to July 21, 2024
July 23 to July 28, 2024
Location: Virtual/Brown University, Providence, RI
Eligibility: Open to all high-school students
Carnegie Mellon offers a 5-week pre-college program for high school students interested in STEM research. As a SAMS student, you will learn essential skills in research before the program starts, and you will attend seminars, discussions, lab sessions, and meetings before attending the program's conclusion at the symposium in August. The program is fully funded and highly selective, accepting 110 students out of 16,000+ applicants.
Application Deadline: March 15, 2024
Program Dates: July 1 to August 5, 2024
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Eligibility: You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. and a high school student above the age of 16 to apply
A pre-college program for students interested in the field of medicine and medical research, Georgetown University's summer course offers 1-week intensives, 2-week, and 4-week sessions, based on your pace of learning and availability. In this pre-college program, you will be introduced to clinical research, ethics in research, and medical research in cancer. The course lets you work on a capstone research project of your choice, an excellent way to demonstrate your motivation and relevant skills in your college application. With guided projects, mentorship by researchers, and career guidance, this program is a good remote option.
Cost: $1,495, scholarships available
Application Dates:
4-week program - January 1, 2024
2-week program - January 15, 2024
4-week program - January 29, 2024
Program Dates:
4-week program - February 5 - March 5, 2024
2-week program - January 22 - February 5, 2024
4-week program - January 8 - February 5, 2024
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: Open to all high-school students
Apart from these great summer programs, you can check out the Anson L. Clark Scholars Program at Texas University, Telluride Association's Summer Seminar, Columbia’s Pre-College Summer Immersion Program, Business Opportunities Summer Session (BOSS) at Penn State, University of Michigan Summer Academic Opportunities, UChicago’s Summer Program, RSI, and Johns Hopkins ASPIRE Program.
If you are looking to build a research project this summer, check out the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. You can find the application form here. In the program, you work 1-1 with a PhD researcher to build your own research project!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.