Summer Programs in New York 2026 | NYC & Ivy League Pre-College

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. New York pairs Ivy League pre-college programs at Columbia and Cornell with New York City's finance, media, and research ecosystem.

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 24+ curated programs for high school students:

• Garcia SUMMER at Stony Brook — Stony Brook: Explore materials science in a hands-on summer program for high school juniors and seniors. Conduct research in nanotechnology and boost your college
• Columbia Business School Summer Immersion — Columbia Business School: Business immersion program at Columbia in NYC. Finance, marketing, and management fundamentals.
• Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Camp — Stagedoor Manor: Dive into theater at this premier summer program for grades 10-18. Build performance skills, gain hands-on experience, and enhance college application
• West Point Summer Leaders Experience — U.S. Military Academy: Experience a free week-long summer program at West Point focused on leadership development, military training, and hands-on learning. Boost college ap
• Youth FX Summer Film Program — Youth FX: Six-week filmmaking intensive in Albany, NY for ages 14-18: free for City of Albany residents, who are paid a $580 stipend while writing, shooting, an
• Computer Science and Informatics Summer Research Experience (CSIRE) — Stony Brook University: Six-week summer research program (June 29-August 7, 2026) placing ~50 high school students in Stony Brook University labs for mentored projects in mac
• School of American Ballet Summer Course — School of American Ballet: The five-week summer program of New York City Ballet's official school at Lincoln Center, for intermediate and advanced dancers ages 12-18. Admission
• Sadie Nash Summer Institute — Sadie Nash Leadership Project: Free six-week summer leadership program for young women and gender-expansive high schoolers in New York City and Newark, with a $450 attendance-based
• High School Summer Research Experience in Cancer (SURE-CAN) — Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center: Six-week, full-time summer immersion at Roswell Park in Buffalo for Western New York juniors: lectures, discussions, and hands-on wet- or dry-lab canc
• Perlman Music Program Summer Music School — The Perlman Music Program: Seven-week Shelter Island residency where 30-35 gifted violin, viola, and cello students ages 12-18 study with faculty led by Itzhak Perlman, who cond
• Medical Scholars Pipeline Program — Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell: Three-year pipeline at the Zucker School of Medicine for rising juniors and seniors from NYC's five boroughs and Nassau County: healthcare career expo
• Meadowmount School of Music Summer Session — Meadowmount School of Music: The storied seven-week summer school for violinists, violists, and cellists in New York's Adirondacks - training ground of Perlman, Zukerman, and Ma -
• Luzerne Music Center Summer Music Camp — Luzerne Music Center: Adirondack summer music camp for players ages 9-18 with Junior (June-July) and Senior (July-August) sessions: orchestra, chamber music, and private le
• Summer Law Institute — Legal Outreach: Five-week summer law program at seven New York City law schools for students who just finished 8th grade: criminal-justice classes taught by law stude
• Secondary School Field Research Program (SSFRP) — Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: Free six-week summer program with stipends at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: NYC-area high school students join tiered research teams do
• Jazz at Lincoln Center Summer Jazz Academy — Jazz at Lincoln Center: Two-week residential academy for 50 of the nation's most advanced high school jazz musicians and vocalists (grades 9-12), held at Bard College and Jaz
• Camp Rising Sun — Louis August Jonas Foundation: Full-scholarship four-week international leadership camp in Rhinebeck, NY for students ages 15-16. Admitted campers pay no tuition; sessions are selec
• Boyce Thompson Institute High School Research Experience — Boyce Thompson Institute: Six-week paid summer research internship (~$4,200 stipend) in plant science and computational biology at the Boyce Thompson Institute on Cornell's cam
• Youth About Business Summer Business Camp — Youth About Business: Nonprofit-run mergers & acquisitions simulation camp hosted at Columbia Business School: high school teams play executive management on a live deal, a
• Sarah Lawrence Writers Week — Sarah Lawrence College: Week-long summer creative writing intensive for students entering grades 9-12 at Sarah Lawrence College, offered on campus ($1,950) and virtually ($1,
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center High School Research Program — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Prestigious cancer research program for exceptional high schoolers.
• Mount Sinai High School Research Program — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: Competitive summer research program at top NYC medical school. Students work in biomedical labs on real research projects. Strong pathway for medical/
• Cornell Math Explorers Program — Cornell University: Boost math skills in this summer enrichment program for 9th-10th graders. Gain hands-on experience, enhance college applications, and explore advanced
• Juilliard Summer Dance Intensive — Juilliard School: Elevate your dance skills in Juilliard's summer program for high school students. Gain hands-on training, enhance college applications, and learn from

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