UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes: Find Top Courses & Training Locations

Students in UCLA's Precollege Summer Institutes can choose between residential and nonresidential programs to earn college credit in 1-3 weeks. Available courses include subjects like computer science, design, digital filmmaking, and programming, and include co-curricular activities to help students develop hands-on experience in their chosen field.

UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes is a prestigious pre-college program that gives ambitious high school students the chance to earn college credit over the summer. Through academic lectures, hands-on projects, and on-campus activities, high school students get a college-level education in special topics while preparing for their future on the world-class UCLA campus.

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public research university located in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1882 and is now considered one of the premier public academic institutions in the United States. Notable alumni include Jackie Robinson (the first African-American player in Major League Baseball), actors James Franco and Leonard Nimoy (Spock of “Star Trek”), and 1960s rock n’ roll icon Jim Morrison.

School Locations

UCLA’s Precollege Summer Institutes are only offered in-person on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, California. Students can choose to enroll in either residential or non-residential programs.

Students who enroll in residential programs stay in UCLA’s student housing within walking distance of their classes. High school students in the residential program can sample the college experience through an elite college campus's academic and cultural activities. Residential programs include two daily meals served by the campus’s highly-rated dining services.

Subjects Taught at UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes

UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes offer a wide array of immersive courses in subjects including STEM but reaching far beyond. Some recent Summer Institute course offerings include Musical Theater, Computer Science, Critical Thinking, Hip Hop & Street Dance, Game Labs, Acting & Performing, and Python for Economics and Finance.

High school students interested in learning more about Python classes in their area can try out Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me Tool. The service lists live online Python classes for high school students around the country.

Age Requirements

Students enrolling in UCLA’s Summer Institutes should be in or entering high school in the fall after participating in the program.

Additional eligibility and age requirements may exist for specific programs. For example, the Nanoscience Lab Summer Institute admits only rising 10th-12th grade students and incoming first-year college students. The Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute admits only rising 11th and 12th graders.

See UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes website for more specific program requirements.

What Classes Are Available?

UCLA Precollege Summer Institute offers classes on many artistic and technical topics.

Students interested in pursuing art might consider the Art Summer Institute, which gives young artists the chance to develop their skills in animation, painting, drawing, photography, or sculpture. The course includes studio work and a final art exhibition. UCLA also offers a Digital Media Arts Summer Institute for those who want to hone their artistic skills in graphic, web, video, and game design. The TeenArch Studio Summer Institute allows students to produce an architecture portfolio through hands-on design projects.

Aspiring actors can improve their skills by taking the Acting & Performance Summer Institute or Camera Acting Summer Institute. Students specifically interested in stage performance, including singing and dancing, could consider their Musical Theater Summer Institute. Those who feel pulled to work behind the camera can benefit from Film and Television Summer Institutes, including Cinematography, Writing for TV: Ideas for the Small Screen, or Digital Filmmaking. These courses include final performances or project exhibitions in which students show off all they have learned.

High school students who are more STEM-focused in their interests have multiple options. Python for Economics and Finance offers a foundational dive into Python programming for data analysis geared towards economic contexts. The Game Lab Summer Institute teaches the basics of game structure and video game programming through the game development process. For high-school students interested in pursuing a degree in Computer Science, UCLA’s Precollege Summer Institutes offers two programs. The Computer Science: Introductory Track is for students with no prior programming experience, teaching students foundational knowledge of computer science and programming. The Computer Science: Intermediate Track is designed to introduce students with some programming experience to data science.

Other recent course offerings include Startup UCLA: Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute, which guides students through planning and pitching a social impact venture or nonprofit organization. The Critical Thinking Summer Institute gives students the ability to assess arguments, use deductive and inductive logic, and research and write a publishable article. Introduction to Investments teaches financial literacy through building a personal investment plan and studying global financial markets.

Class Formats

UCLA does offer online summer courses. However, nearly all of the courses taught through their Precollege Summer Institutes are taught in-person on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, California.

Students who enroll in UCLA’s Precollege Summer Institutes may choose either the residential plan or a nonresidential plan. Some Institutes are available only residentially, which means that students will live on the UCLA campus for the duration of their chosen program. In addition to getting access to the world-class UCLA campus, students who attend a residential Summer Institute are also able to explore the university’s intellectual and artistic events.

Admissions Process

The admissions process for each Summer Institute varies. For example, the Acting and Performance Summer Institute requires all applicants to submit a video audition, resume, personal statement, and a letter of recommendation. On the other hand, the Critical Thinking Summer Institute and the Game Lab Summer Institute are open-enrollment and require no materials to register.

To learn more about the specific admissions requirements of a UCLA Precollege Summer Institute, UCLA lists all application and eligibility requirements for all Institute programs.

Pricing & Payment Options

The pricing of UCLA’s Precollege Summer Institutes varies by course. For example, the Economics Summer Institute costs around $2600, while the Camera Acting Institute costs $3300.

Interested students can check the price of the program they’re interested in by using the institute’s fee calculator. Scholarships are available for qualifying California high school students.

Benefits of Attending UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes

Ambitious high school students can experience college-level academic work on the world-class UCLA campus in Los Angeles, California. UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes cover a wide range of artistic, technical, and academic topics, suiting a range of student interests.

What Do Students & Parents Say?

Reviews of UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes are primarily positive. UCLA’s summer programs for high school students were recently ranked #1 in the United States by The Times.

Online reviews refer to the Summer Institutes as “prestigious” and “a highly sought after opportunity for high school students to explore specific scientific fields in more depth before entering college.”

Several attendees say that the coursework isn’t too heavy, which leaves high school students time to explore the UCLA campus and make new friends. One student observes that “it isn’t like a summer camp, which I love because it means it is much more independent and unsupervised.” Another recent attendee writes that they “[l]earned a lot — made a lot of friends” and that they “[c]an’t wait to apply again this year!”

Another former student writes that the programs offered at the Institutes are “[d]efinitely worth it,” even though the “[c]lasses are a bit more laid back and generally easier …” than other intensive education programs.

Key Takeaways

High-school students study at the prestigious UCLA.
Courses are offered in various subjects, from engineering and computer science to costume design and writing for television.
Students may live in UCLA’s residential community and enjoy full access to campus social and intellectual opportunities.
Admission for some programs is highly competitive, while other programs are open-enrollment.
Graduates appreciated the social aspects of the program and found the courses enjoyable but challenging.

Top Courses at UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes

Find the perfect course for you at UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes. We’ve selected 4 of UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes’s most popular courses. View the course catalog at summer.ucla.edu

Design Media Arts Summer Institute
Over the course of two weeks, high school students in this summer institute discover design across a range of media, including print, video, electronic games, and internet appropriations. At the end of the course, students showcase their multimedia projects in a culminating exhibit.
Locations:
- Los Angeles
- $2,621
- 3 Weeks
- Weekdays
- Beginner
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Computer Science Summer Institute - Introductory Track
Designed for high school students without previous experience, this course introduces young learners to computer science. In addition to data types and control structures, students in this course also discover functional decomposition by the end of the two-week institute.
Locations:
- Los Angeles
- See provider
- 3 Weeks
- Weekdays
- See provider
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Computer Science Summer Institute - Intermediate Track
High school students who have some previous experience in computer science discover data science in this hands-on course. By the end of the two week institute, students will have practical familiarity with data analytics and machine learning as well as modelling and predicting with data science skills.
Locations:
- Los Angeles
- See provider
- 3 Weeks
- Weekdays
- See provider
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Introduction to Investments
UCLA’s in-person Introduction to Investment works to empower young investors with financial literacy and the chance to explore careers in investing. Through this three-week course, students will learn about the history and future of the United States and global financial markets while earning college credit from one of the most respected economics departments in the world.
Locations:
- Los Angeles
- $3,451
- 2 Weeks, 15 hr/wk
- See provider
- Beginner
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Subjects Taught at UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes

Computer Science

The theory and practice of computer science is the foundation of most IT-related endeavors. Computer science also gives students important problem-solving skills.

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Graphic Design

Graphic design is visual communication through artwork or combining images and text. Graphic designers create logos, ads, social media graphics, magazines, books, websites, apps, and more.

In-Person Graphic Design Classes Live Online Graphic Design Classes Graphic Design Bootcamps

Finance

Finance refers to all matters relating to money, from creating it to investing it. Finance is often divided into three, distinct specialties – personal finance, public finance, and corporate finance.

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Featured Classes from Noble Desktop

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UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes

School Locations

Subjects Taught at UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes

Age Requirements

What Classes Are Available?

Class Formats

Admissions Process

Pricing & Payment Options

Benefits of Attending UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes

What Do Students & Parents Say?

Key Takeaways

Top Courses at UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes

Design Media Arts Summer Institute

Computer Science Summer Institute - Introductory Track

Computer Science Summer Institute - Intermediate Track

Introduction to Investments

Subjects Taught at UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes

Computer Science

Graphic Design

Finance

Map of UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes Locations