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Summer Programs for High School and College Students

Make your summer count for college.

Participating in a summer program is a great way to spend your summer. Not only do you experience life on a college campus, you get to explore new fields, earn college credit and make friendships that last a lifetime.

But if you’re planning on a summer program, you need to act now! Application deadlines come early in the year.

To get started, check out this directory of 25 popular programs for high school and/or college students. But don’t stop there! There are hundreds of summer programs being offered each year at colleges all over the country. No matter where you live or what you wish to study, chances are good that there’s a program being offered near you.

Abbey Road Overseas Programs These summer immersion programs for high school students facilitate cross-cultural understanding. Students spend several weeks in either Spain, France or Italy, where they will undergo intensive language immersion and travel to historic sites. The French and Spanish homestay programs focus on linguistic and cultural immersion, while the pre-college programs in Cannes, France, and Florence, Italy, have a greater emphasis on academics (culture, history, art, literature, etc) and take place on college campuses.

Academic Connections at the University of California – San Diego In this three-week program, students immerse themselves in study of a particular academic subject. Options include: engineering, biomedical sciences, humanities/arts, marine sciences, media/ communication, mathematics/economics and social sciences/law. Participants must be in high school and have a minimum GPA of 3.3.

American Collegiate Adventures American Collegiate Adventures offer two-, three- and six-week summer programs at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Students enroll in two college-level courses and take them either for college credit or personal enrichment. American Collegiate Adventures also offers a four-week program in Spain.

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Bentley College – Camp Bentley Bentley College, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, offers a one-week residential summer program for students entering the 10th, 11th and 12th grades – “Wall Street 101” and “Leadership Institute”. Within a fun and interactive setting, the programs offer students an opportunity to learn about careers in business.

California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science This four-week residential program gives high school students a chance to take university-level math and science courses at one of three University of California campuses – Santa Cruz, Davis or Irvine. Students live in campus housing with other program participants. Full and partial scholarships are available. Carnegie Mellon University – Summer Academy forMathematics and Science (SAMS) This six-week program gives incoming high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to take part in hands-on projects as well as classroom instruction in computer science, engineering and science. There are no tuition, housing or dining fees for this program.

Columbia College of Chicago This program is for students who have a serious interest in the fine arts, performing arts, media arts or communication arts. Participants will choose from a selection of courses and earn 1-3 college credits. The program culminates a showcase, in which students share their finished work in a day of performances and exhibits. The program is open to current high school sophomores, juniors and seniors.