Summer is the highest-leverage time on a student's calendar. A focused summer program lets you go deep on a subject, live on a college campus, and produce something tangible while school is out. California offers an unmatched concentration of programs, from Stanford, Caltech, and the UC system to Silicon Valley tech and San Diego biotech.

Options include selective pre-college programs at universities, STEM intensives like SSP and COSMOS, arts and writing institutes, and free, fully funded programs for students with financial need.

How you spend your summers tells colleges what you choose to do with unstructured time — a powerful indicator of genuine interest.

How to get started with summer programs

1. Start in the fall — the best summer programs have December–February deadlines for the following summer.
2. Prioritize selective, free or aid-supported programs (SSP, MITES, COSMOS, TASS) over pay-to-play enrichment.
3. Pick programs that go deep on one interest and produce something tangible — a project, portfolio, or paper.
4. Line up recommendations early and give teachers three weeks' notice with a short brag sheet.
5. Have a strong plan B: a local research reach-out, a self-directed project, or a virtual program you can run yourself.

Featured programs

Browse 9+ curated programs for high school students:

• Caltech YESS Summer Program — Caltech: Explore a 1-week summer program with STEM workshops and lab tours at Caltech. Perfect for high school students to gain hands-on experience and boost c
• UC Berkeley ATDP — UC Berkeley: Academic Talent Development Program for gifted students.
• UCSF High School Biomedical Research Internship — University of California, San Francisco: Biomedical research at top medical research university.
• Salk Institute High School Research Scholars — Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Research program at iconic Jonas Salk's institute.
• Stanford University High School Summer College — Stanford University: Take Stanford courses alongside Stanford undergraduates. Full Stanford academic experience.
• Stanford Graduate School of Business High School Summer Program — Stanford GSB: Business fundamentals program at Stanford GSB. Experience MBA-style learning and Silicon Valley entrepreneurship.
• UC Berkeley Pre-Collegiate Programs — University of California, Berkeley: Transform your summer with UC Berkeley’s pre-college program. Build academic skills, gain hands-on experience, and boost your college applications on
• Startup UCLA: Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute — Startup UCLA, University of California Los Angeles: Two-week UCLA institute where students in grades 10-12 design a nonprofit or social enterprise and pitch it to entrepreneurs - virtual sessions $2,000
• SPARC (Summer Program on Applied Rationality and Cognition) — SPARC: Free ~10-day summer program (July 22-August 1, 2026 at Cal State East Bay) where quantitatively talented high schoolers take small, discussion-based c

Frequently asked questions