Northwestern doesn't publish an acceptance rate for its pre-college programs. The School of Professional Studies runs the on-campus tracks and says admission is limited and rolling.

Tufts doesn't publish a Pre-College acceptance rate, so there's no single percentage to chase.

Duke Pre-College doesn't publish an acceptance rate, and its official page lists eligibility rules instead of a selective cutoff.

Georgetown doesn't publish an acceptance rate for its pre-college programs, and it admits students on a rolling basis, so there's no set percentage to beat.

Columbia's Pre-College Summer Program offers residential, commuter, and online courses for rising 9th through 12th graders.

The Davidson THINK Summer Institute is a three-week residential program for ages 13 to 16, and Davidson doesn't publish an acceptance rate.

Stanford doesn’t publish an acceptance rate for the Stanford Clinical Summer Internship. A 2025 university news profile put it at about 5%, so treat that as an estimate.

UChicago doesn't publish an acceptance rate for Summer Session or its three-week Immersion courses, so no official number exists.

Pre-college summer programs can be worth it for learning and testing a field, but most don't move an admissions decision on their own.

NYLF Medicine & Health Care is an 8-day, paid summer program for grades 9–12, run by Envision by WorldStrides.

Updated: 15th October, 2026 TL;DR Summer Springboard is a legit but paid enrichment program, not a selective one. It runs on 15 U.S. campuses for high schoolers, and most host universities don't run it. For 2027, a two-week residential course costs $5,398 at Cal Poly and $6,298 at Berkeley, plus a $600 deposit. Admission is rolling with a 3.0 GPA minimum. It suits you if you want to test a major and try dorm life. If you want a stronger application, look at the Lumiere Resear

Updated: 14th October, 2026 TL;DR Johns Hopkins CTY runs three-week day and residential summer programs and online courses for advanced students in grades 2–12. You qualify with a score at or above the 98th percentile on an accepted test, or through CTY's own testing. CTY doesn't publish an acceptance rate, and tuition varies by course. It suits you if you want faster classes, not a research project. If you want to lead your own project, look at the Lumiere Research Scholar P

The Harvard Pre-College Program is a two-week, non-credit summer program on Harvard's campus for rising juniors and seniors.

If you're a middle school student who wants to use summer to actually learn something, without leaving your house, an online summer school is worth a look.

If you're in 8th grade, summer is one of the best times to explore interests that don't always fit into your school timetable.

Middle school throws a lot at you all at once: new pressures, new social dynamics, and decisions that suddenly feel bigger than they used to.

Participating in specialised programs during middle school can give you an early look at how academic interests translate into real-world applications.

Pre-college enrichment programs are a strong option if you want to explore academic interests beyond your school curriculum while gaining exposure to college-level learning.

If you’re interested in mathematics, participating in a structured program can help you explore concepts that extend beyond the standard high school curriculum. These opportunities introduce you to topics such as number theory, combinatorics, mathematical modeling, proof-writing, and quantitative research while strengthening logical reasoning and analytical thinking. They also provide opportunities to learn alongside peers who share a strong interest in mathematics and relate

Animation internships can help you get a head start in your career by offering you studio experience and a stronger, industry-ready portfolio. Internships are also highly valuable for graduate school applications, as institutions often seek candidates with practical experience and a demonstrated understanding of the field. Beyond academics, internships provide insight into how professional studios operate, how teams collaborate under deadlines, and how creative ideas are deve