# Pre-College & Residential Summer Programs for High School Students

Pre-college programs put you in a university classroom — and often a dorm — before you apply: a live test of independence that doubles as demonstrated interest at that school.

Price and prestige vary wildly, from fully funded academies to five-figure summer sessions; this page shows cost and selectivity side by side so you can tell which is which.

143 verified programs match this page; 10 of the featured listings are free; 1 can be done online.

## Programs (143 total, first 30 shown — full list on the canonical page)

| Program | Organization | Cost | Format | Grades | Deadline |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [NYU Precollege Programs](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nyu-precollege) | New York University | $9,000 | hybrid | Grades 10–12 | 2027-06-12 |
| [College Greenlight Free and Low Cost Pre-College Programs](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/college-greenlight-free-and-low-cost-pre-college-programs) | Apply College Greenlight | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Duke Young Writers' Camp](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/duke-young-writers) | Duke University | $3,500 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-03-15 |
| [MIT Women in Stem Research Program Pre-College Summer Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/mit-women-in-stem-research) | MIT Women in Stem Research Program | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-12-15 |
| [UC Berkeley Summer Sessions](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/berkeley-summer-sessions) | University of California, Berkeley | $6,500 | hybrid | Grades 10–12 | 2027-06-01 |
| [Columbia University PreCollege Programs](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/columbia-university-precollege-programs) | Columbia University | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-09-11 |
| [Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Intensive](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/berklee-five-week-summer-performance-intensive) | Berklee College of Music | $7,000 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-06-21 |
| [Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics (HCSSiM)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/hcssim-hampshire) | Hampshire College | $5,000 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-04-17 |
| [Penn Summer Academies](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/upenn-summer-academies) | University of Pennsylvania | $9,000 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | Rolling |
| [NYU Pre-College Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nyu-pre-college-program) | New York University | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Boston College Experience](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/boston-college-experience) | Boston College | $4,000 | in_person | Grades 10–11 | 2027-03-15 |
| [Mathily & Mathily-Er](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/mathily-mathily-er) | Mathily | $5,500 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-04-28 |
| [UCLA Summer Discovery](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/ucla-summer-discovery) | University of California, Los Angeles | $5,500 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-04-28 |
| [Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/stanford-pre-collegiate-studies) | Stanford University | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-13 |
| [Duke Summer Academy](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/duke-summer-academy) | Duke University | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-06-15 |
| [UC Berkeley COSMOS](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/uc-berkeley-cosmos) | University of California, Berkeley | $3,500 | in_person | Grades 10–11 | 2027-02-06 |
| [UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/ucsb-research-mentorship-program) | University of California, Santa Barbara | $3,500 | in_person | Grade 11 | 2027-03-09 |
| [Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth (PTY)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/vanderbilt-programs-for-talented-youth) | Vanderbilt University | $2,000 | in_person | Grades 7–12 | 2027-02-01 |
| [Garcia Summer Scholars Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/garcia-summer-scholars-program) | Stony Brook University | Free | in_person | Grades 11–12 | 2027-03-03 |
| [Penn State Science-U STEM Camps](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/penn-state-science-u-stem-camps) | Penn State University | $1,000 | in_person | Grades 6–12 | Rolling |
| [SPLASH at MIT, Stanford & Other Universities](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/splash-learning-unlimited) | SPLASH Learning Unlimited | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-11-13 |
| [Vanderbilt Program for Talented Youth Summer Academy](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/vanderbilt-summer-academy) | Vanderbilt University | $4,500 | in_person | Grades 7–12 | 2027-04-01 |
| [Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/program-in-math-for-young-scientists) | Boston University | $5,500 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-02-27 |
| [National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) - International Diplomacy](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nslc-international-diplomacy-program) | National Student Leadership Conference | $3,295 | in_person | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Stanford University High School Summer College](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/stanford-university-high-school-summer-college) | Stanford University | $14,000 | in_person | Grades 11–12 | 2027-01-20 |
| [Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Programs](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/carnegie-mellon-pre-college) | Carnegie Mellon University | $8,000 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-03-01 |
| [Tufts Pre-College Programs](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/tufts-summer-programs) | Tufts University | $5,000 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-05-01 |
| [USC Summer Programs](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/usc-summer-programs) | University of Southern California | $7,500 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-05-08 |
| [Lehigh University Pre-College Programs](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/lehigh-university-pre-college) | Lehigh University | Free | in_person | Grade 11 | Rolling |
| [Johns Hopkins Pre-College Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/johns-hopkins-pre-college-program) | Johns Hopkins University | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-10 |

## Frequently asked questions

### How many pre-college programs are listed for high school students?

ExtracurricularHub currently lists 143 verified pre-college opportunities for high school students, each with cost, eligibility, deadline, and an official application link.

### Are any of these pre-college programs free?

Yes — 10 of the programs featured on this page charge no participation fee. Free programs are often funded and can be more selective, so apply early.

### Which deadlines are coming up soonest?

The next deadlines: Columbia University PreCollege Programs (September 11, 2026); SPLASH at MIT, Stanford & Other Universities (November 13, 2026); MIT Women in Stem Research Program Pre-College Summer Program (December 15, 2026). Deadlines change every cycle — always confirm on the program's official site.

### Do pre-college extracurriculars help with college admissions?

Yes — sustained, escalating involvement in pre-college (participation → awards or leadership → independent work) reads far stronger than scattered one-off activities. Pick one or two programs from this page and go deep.

## Related pages

- [Summer Programs for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/summer-programs)
- [College Credit Programs & Competitions for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/college-credit)
- [Prestigious & Highly Selective Programs & Competitions for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/prestigious)
- [Free for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/free)
- [Browse all extracurriculars](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars)
- [Find My Fit — 3-minute matching quiz](https://extracurricularhub.com/find-my-fit)

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Source: ExtracurricularHub (https://extracurricularhub.com) — a free directory of 1,826 verified extracurricular programs for high school students. Cite the canonical page above; always confirm binding details on each program's official site.