The 7 Most Prestigious Summer Enrichment Programs

Enrichment programs provide driven high school students like you the opportunity to expand your knowledge in any variety of subjects that interest you. In addition to programs available year-round, summer enrichment programs — both online and in-person — are a great option as they not only help you focus on your traditional studies during the school year, but also to fully immerse yourself in these programs in the off-months. 

Many universities offer summer college prep programs, with both in-person and online options to choose from. Each has their own advantages. For in-person programs, you can see what campus life is like and meet professors in person. Online options, however, provide flexibility and the option to study virtually anywhere. Here are seven of the most prestigious and sought-after in person and online summer enrichment options for you to consider:

• 1. Georgetown University: Georgetown’s summer enrichment courses feature a blend of lectures, class discussions, and featured guest speakers. Students will take classes with current undergraduate students, learn from prestigious Georgetown faculty, and engage in challenging coursework that will prepare them for success in college. Courses options run five-weeks on-campus, eight-weeks online, or a combination of both. Upon completion, they’ll possess an official transcript from Georgetown University.
  
  In addition, Georgetown offers pre-college online courses for high school students 13 and up. Whether you’re interested in medicine or STEM fields, law, international relations, business leadership, or marketing, Georgetown has nearly 20 exciting courses to suit your needs. 

• 2. Rice University: Rice is a community of curious thinkers, passionate dreamers and energetic doers who believe that improving the world demands more than bold thought and brave action. It takes unconventional wisdom. Uniquely, Rice offers a variety of in-person courses, catering to children as young as kindergarten all the way through college-age, with courses in STEM, fintech, creative writing, business, finance, and more. 
  
  For those who cannot physically attend in-person options at Rice, students 13 and older can participate in a variety of online college prep courses in a great mix of subjects including genome engineering, physiology, aerospace, entrepreneurship, and more.

• 3. Duke University: Duke University’s summer sessions deliver some of the best pre-college summer programs for high school students that are available on-campus and online. These programs run three weeks, with two sessions available in the summer. The available pre-college programs include econometrics, big data, law, bioethics, chemistry, engineering, and scientific research/communication, all available online. 

• 4. Brown University: Brown University offers a variety and some of Rhode Island’s best pre-college summer programs for high school students that run for one to six weeks, depending on the pre-college program selected. Students enrolled in these programs can experience the Brown ivy-league experience. This prepares them for their next step in their academic career. The summer at Brown programs are available on-campus, online, or as a hybrid, which determines the exact length of the program.

• 5. UC Berkeley: The Pre-College Scholars Programs at the University of California, Berkeley include some of the nation’s best pre-college summer programs for high school students that are available online and provide UC Berkeley-earned credit. These pre-college summer programs are available to domestic and international students. Available programs range across academic disciplines from STEM to humanities and more. All summer scholar programs are offered through UC Berkeley’s Digital Learning Services.

• 6. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA): UCLA’s Summer Sessions offers one of California’s best pre-college summer programs for high school students. It allows high school students to earn college credits during UCLA’s 1-3 week concentrated sessions. UCLA’s best pre-college summer programs are offered to students across the globe as they are all remote learning options. These pre-college sessions for high school students provide opportunities across a number of options like a ‘mock trial,’ acting/performance, science lab, game lab, economics lab, or the critical thinking institute, to name a few.

• 7. Stanford University: Balance challenging academics with a rich menu of educational and social activities as a visiting Stanford student. This in-person format allows students to explore a possible career path or future area of study while experiencing genuine Stanford University courses. Students study with a dynamic, diverse student body from more than 50 countries, with the opportunity to earn credit and an official transcript from Stanford.