Summer Options
College Summer Programs
Camps, Sports, The Arts, Academics & Everything In Between!
This list incorporates a wide variety of experiences, including in person and virtual options.
This list incorporates a wide variety of experiences, including in person and virtual options.
- Abbey Road Summer Programs - Study abroad in Italy, France, Spain, and more!
- Art History Abroad - Spend your gap year or summer in Italy or India
- Beloit College - study Chinese, Russian, Japanese, or Korean in this summer language program
- Boston University - Summer Programs for High School Students - 5 opportunities for pre-college students
- Boston University - A variety of summer programs covering academics, the arts, and sports
- Brandeis University - In person pre-college programs
- Brandeis University - Online pre-college programs
- Broadreach Summer Programs - Study abroad in topics like wildlife conservation, marine biology, and veterinary medicine
- Bronfman Fellowship - To apply for the 2024 Fellowship, you must be in 11th grade in the fall of 2023, be from the U.S. or Canada, and self-identify as Jewish.
- Brown University - Over 300 academic courses offered both on campus and worldwide experiences!
- Carleton College: Summer Academic Programs - Liberal Arts experience for rising juniors and seniors
- Carnegie Mellon - AI Scholars (AIS), Computer Science Scholars (CSS), Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS)
- College for Creative Studies - Art, Animation, Design, Advertising, Fashion, Photography, Illustration
- Columbia University - pre-college programs include online and on campus options
- Cornell University - Includes online options throughout the year and on campus options in the summer
- Duke Summer College for High School Students - Participants must be 18 by July 1st. Online and on campus options available.
- Denison - Reynolds young writer's workshop for rising juniors and seniors
- George Washington University - Pre-college programs offered in exciting D.C.: Arts, Business, Economics, Engineering, English, Government, Law, History, STEAM, Medicine
- Hampshire College - Pre-college programs in stop motion animation, social justice, screenwriting, food/farm sustainability and more!
- Kettering University - Engineering, math, science, technology and more!
- Lebanon Valley College - Music, biomedical sciences, and actuarial science camps
- Lewis & Clark - Fir Acres is a two week residential creative writing program for 10th, 11th, & 12th graders.
- McGill Summer Academy - Topics include neuro and health science and world politics
- Miami University - Summer scholars program includes options in game design, fashion, architecture, kinesiology, analytical chemistry and more!
- Michigan Tech Summer Youth Programs - Options include engineering, science and technology, computing, outdoor adventures, business
- Northfield Mount Hermon Summer Session - College Prep, English as a Second Language, Community Service in India
- Oberlin College - Foresight Prep - Summer music programs in flute, viola, trumpet, piano, and more!
- Otis College of Art and Design - Summer of Art Los Angeles based summer art program - huge selection of courses!
- Oxbridge Academic Programs Summer Study Abroad Study abroad - England, Spain, France, USA
- Phillips Exeter Academy - Academic Study, Athletics, and Exploration
- Putney Student Travel - A worldwide array of programs across career, language, service projects, exploration, and pre-college programs!
- Questbridge College Prep Scholars - For high school juniors from low-income backgrounds. Get scholarships to summer programs, help applying for four-year scholarships to 52 college partners, and $1,000 for new laptop or campus visits!
- Rutgers Summer Programs - For students who want to get a jump start on college academics - online and in person options available!
- Sarah Lawrence College - Offers on campus options in ecology and writing
- SCAD summer programs - The Rising Star program lasts 5 weeks to give rising seniors a taste of college life!
- Sewanee Young Writers' Conference - Workshops in science fiction, poetry, songwriting and more!
- Sewanee Environmental Institute's Pre-College Field Studies Experience - Programs in language immersion, the choral institute, the environmental institute, a music festival, and more!
- Smith College - Precollege Programs for High School Girls- programs include science & engineering, writing, environmental studies, women & gender representation.
- Stanford University - Offered online and in person. Includes math, humanities, and general pre-collegiate options.
- St. John's College - Summer Academy - Unique and cerebral topics include the origins of politics, poetry, and mathematics; civil disobedience; consciousness and mind; and a week with Socrates.
- Stevens Institute of Technology - Business, biology, civil engineering, game design, and coding are just a few of the topics offered!
- Syracuse University - Offered online, hybrid, and in person - you get a choose a course you are interested in!
- Tufts University - Data, Biotech & Engineering; Art, Technology & Design; Business & Management; Health, medicine & Nutrition; Teaching & Education.
- University of Alabama - Online & on campus options available!
- University of Connecticut Summer Pre-College Programs - A wide variety of options available!
- University of Chicago Summer Program - Paleontology, molecular engineering, and enrichment programs are all on campus options.
- University of Dayton Summer Program - Exploring Engineering & Project Lead The Way are just two options for this engineering focused institution.
- University of Michigan - STAMPS Pre-College Program - Portfolio Prep & A variety of art and design classes available.
- University of Michigan - Summer Discovery - A world of academic options are available: criminal psychology, advertising, sports management, engineering, and more!
- University of Michigan - WISE Endorsed Programs - Girls in Music and Technology, Computational Biology, & Youth Hub
- University of Michigan - Taubman School of Architecture summer program - get hands on experience designing in a college architecture studio!
- University of Edinburgh (Scotland) - Study on campus or online!
- University of Vermont - Summer (pre-college) Program - social science, humanities, and art and design are all offered.
- University of Southern California Summer Programs for High School Students - Architecture, business, engineering, global studies, performing arts & music, pre-law, and more!
- Washington University at St. Louis - Summer Pre-College Programs - Unique course offerings include Spandex, Spangles, and Stripes: Race, Gender, and the American Superhero Exploration Course; and Set in Stone? Monuments, Memory and Public History Exploration Course. Online and in person options available.
- Wentworth Institute of Technology-summer FAB (design and fabrication) - Help a neighborhood solve a problem by constructing a unique structure in this 6 week class.
- Wartburg College - High school summer leadership & service summit - a weeklong program that helps you give back!
- Wartburg College - A variety of sports summer camps offered!
Articles
Summer Programs/Activities
- 14 Summer Activities to Boost Your College Application by The Princeton Review
- Exploring Pre-College Summer Programs for Teens by Andrew Bauld, U.S. News
- Are Pre-College Summer Programs Worth It? The Pros and the Cons edited by Tyler Epps, BestColleges.com
Podcasts
Books
Summer Programs/ActivitiesCollege Readiness
Summer Reading - Beach Reads By Genre
Romance
Romance
- The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
- The Edge of Summer by Erica George
- Sometime in Summer by Katrina Leno
- See you Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon
- Meet Me At Midnight by Jessica Pennington
- Where the Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass
- A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy
- I Like Me Better by Robby Webber
- The Falling In Love Montage by Ciara Smyth
- XOXO by Axie Oh
- Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
- One True Loves by Elise Bryant
Fantasy
- Only A Monster by Vanessa Len
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
- Rebel of The Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
- A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
- The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
- Nocturna by Maya Motayne
- The Gentleman's Guide To Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
- The Guilded Ones by Namina Forna
- The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
Mystery/Thriller
- Never Coming Home by Kate Williams
- The Counselors by Jessica Goodman
- Lying In The Deep by Diana Urban
- Five Survive by Holly Jackson
- Pretty Dead Queens by Alexa Donne
- I'll Never Tell by Abigail Haas
- A Good Girl's Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson
- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson
Science Fiction/Dystopian