Summer Opportunities
Featured Opportunities
UC Santa Cruz Students can take an undergraduate course at UCSC in person or online. The credits they earn will be part of their academic record and can be transferred to their future college or university.
The United States Naval Academy Summer Seminar introduces you to life at the Academy, where you will experience first-class academic, athletic, and professional training at one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country.
Stanford Tri-Valley Clinical Academy
Applications are now open for the Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Clinical Academy, taking place from July 21 to August 1, 2025.The deadline to apply is March 10, 2025.
The Clinical Academy is a 2-week immersive program tailored to high school students interested in healthcare careers. The program consists of interactive activities and lectures (for example: heart, lung, and brain dissections, CPR certification, bronchoscopy, ultrasound, and peripheral IV insertion) to expose students to clinical medicine while allowing them to network with Stanford faculty and staff.
Please note that this program is designed for high school juniors and seniors. Participants must be 16 or older at the start of the program.
Pre-College Experience
Many campuses offer summer programs that enable students to get a feel for campus life and coursework. Attending programs at selected universities is not, however, a guarantee for admission.
Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth (PTY) offers two high school programs.
- Vanderbilt Summer Academy (VSA), an academically focused pre-college residential experience for rising 7th-12th grade students
- Mentor Immersion: A Virtual Research Experience, a virtual program for rising 11th through 12th grade students
NYU GStem Summer Research Program GSTEM is an NYU summer research program for talented high school juniors interested in STEM. Founded and sponsored by the world-renowned Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, GSTEM offers the opportunities for an incredible summer. Our mission is to support those historically underrepresented in STEM including girls and other minorities.
Summer Camp in Hawaii At Land and Sea Camp, you'll engage with volcanoes (geology), the ocean (oceanography), the forest (biology, zoology), and the environment. Swim with turtles at a black sand beach, hike through a volcano, explore caverns, and conduct science activities at all these unique locations. You will learn about the events that take place in the natural world as well as experience first-hand how they affect plants, animals, and humans. Hawai'i Island is the world's greatest laboratory for Earth Science!
Summer Camp - Academy By The Sea - Carlsbad, CA Academy by the Sea is an exclusive co-educational camp experience for bold, brilliant young people entering grades 7 through 12. During this two-week adventure, campers will learn the fundamentals of leadership while exploring an array of subjects like aviation, drone piloting, and aquaculture. Our innovative summer leadership camp program is focused on developing whole-person excellence. Come find out what has made the Academy one of Southern California’s premiere camp destinations for decades! This year’s camp runs from July 8th – 20th, 2024.
Artificial Intelligence Education Initiative Inspirit AI is a K12 AI enrichment program attended by students from 2000+ leading schools worldwide that teaches high school and middle school students fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project in a domain such as healthcare, arts, finance, and more. Our team of Stanford, MIT and Harvard alumni provide a small-group, interdisciplinary learning experience and we're excited to offer new Generative AI and ChatGPT focused content this year! Students may apply here for our Spring and Summer 2024 programs.
Pre-College Experience at USC Immerse yourself in college life by selecting a college-level course in a single discipline that will proudly go on a USC transcript. Our four-week, on-campus program is a unique opportunity to join the Trojan family, connect with USC faculty, and explore a potential major before graduating from high school.
Looking for more opportunities Whether it’s an overnight pre-college program, a local day camp, or a sleepaway adventure experience, summer programs for teens are a great way to pursue new interests, improve existing skills, and make new friends outside of the classroom. The TeenLife.com/Summer-Guide helps you search for a program tailored to your interests.
Science or Engineering The Catholic University of America School of Engineering is once again hosting two distinct summer camps for rising juniors and seniors: Engineering New Frontiers Summer Institute from July 22nd - July 26th or Computational Biosciences Institute from July 8th - July 17th. Those interested can fill out our interest form or visit their website for more information.
Young Scholars Program at UC Davis The UC Davis Young Scholars program offers summer research opportunities primarily in the biological and natural sciences for 40 high achieving students who will be rising juniors or seniors.
Architecture in Michigan ArcStart is a pre-architecture residential program designed to introduce students to the built environment, architectural design principles, and Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Over the course of the program, high school students will witness how a design education prepares participants to engage the world around them within the context of a rigorous academic setting at the University of Michigan.
International Experiences
Amigos de las Americas With programs for all grades, students can travel to an immersion program in Costa Rica, Panama, or Ecuador.