2024 Best Summer Programs

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.

  • By Discipline

  • By Region

Georgetown University Pre-College Online Program

  • Students 13 and up eligible to participate.
  • Multi-length courses are available online throughout the year.
  • Choose from over 15 different course subjects including medicine, leadership, law, psychology, investing, marketing, and more.

    • Option No Residential
    • Option Yes Online Option
    • Min. Session Length: 1 Week (2, 4-week also available)
    • Application Deadline: Rolling
    • Eligibility: 13+



World Scholars Academy | Elite Summer Courses

  • Online courses and internships available in Business, Medicine, Law, Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, International Relations, Creative Writing, and Career Exploration.
  • All programs are taught by world-elite instructors from top universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard
  • Each course has a version for ages 12-14 and one for ages 15-18.

    • Option No Residential
    • Option Yes Online Option
    • Min. Session Length: 2 Weeks
    • Application Deadline: Rolling
    • Eligibility: Ages 12-18



Young Writers Workshop at Bard College at Simon’s Rock

  • Three-week residential multi-genre creative writing program.
  • Small workshops of around 12 students.
  • A 5-day virtual option is also available.

    • Option Yes Residential
    • Option Yes Online Option
    • Minimum Session Length: 3 Weeks (1 Week for Virtual)
    • Application Deadline: Rolling
    • Eligibility: Rising 10th, 11th, 12th



JCamp

  • National multicultural journalism program.
  • Students produce multiplatform news packages for the program’s news site.
  • Includes workshops, hands-on training, and field trips.

    • Option Yes Residential
    • Option No Online
    • Session Length: 1 Week
    • Application Deadline: March 1st
    • Eligibility: 10-12th


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