15 Pre-Nursing Summer Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 12 min read
If you’re interested in healthcare and want to understand whether nursing is the right fit for you, joining a pre-nursing summer program in high school is a smart place to start. Pre-nursing summer programs give you a start in basic medical learning, along with some real exposure. You might learn how to check vital signs, see how patient care works, and try simple simulations that show what happens in hospitals. Some programs also cover anatomy, ethics in healthcare, and group tasks that show how nurses work together.
Why should I participate in a pre-nursing program in high school?
Pre-nursing programs help you move beyond a general idea of healthcare and see what nursing involves day to day. You get familiar with how patient care is handled, how nurses work under time pressure, and how communication works in a clinical setting. This gives you a clearer sense of whether you see yourself in this role. Along the way, you also begin to pick up useful skills that carry over into both school and future training. They also give you something real to show in your college applications. You can talk about what you worked on, what you learned, and how the experience shaped your interest in nursing. This makes your application more grounded and specific.
With that in mind, here are 15 pre-nursing summer programs for high school students!
If you’re looking for online summer research programs, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
These pre-nursing programs include hands-on clinical simulation labs (Quinnipiac, UC Irvine, Emmanuel College), hospital-based experiences (Seattle Children's Hospital, NorthBay Health), and university-based camps, giving students a range of formats to explore the field.
Several programs are free or paid, including the SLCC Pre-Health Summer Program ($15/hour stipend), UH Future Nurse Academy (paid wages), and free options like UW Nurse Camp and University of Portland's Nurse Camp.
Many programs specifically prioritize underrepresented, first-generation, and low-income students, including University of Portland's Nurse Camp, UW Nurse Camp, and UH Future Nurse Academy.
Program lengths range from short multi-day camps (NorthBay Health, Seattle Children's Hospital) to multi-week academic courses with college credit (Adelphi University's nursing course runs from July to August).
Most application deadlines fall between January and June, with some programs like UT Austin's Longhorn Camp not posting deadlines publicly, so students should check program websites directly for current cycles.
Location: Remote, you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective, small cohorts
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Location: Salt Lake Community College Crossroads Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Cost: None, $15/hour stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; 30 spots
Application Deadline: March 8
Dates: June 8 – July 17
Eligibility: Local high‑school students who can commit to the full six‑week schedule; no explicit grade‑level restriction listed
This six-week commuter program introduces multiple healthcare careers, including nursing, through daily classes and professional development sessions. You spend time learning basic clinical concepts while also working on communication and critical-thinking exercises tied to healthcare settings. Unlike short camps, the program runs more like a regular summer course with a fixed weekday schedule over several weeks. Students also receive a stipend, which makes the structure feel closer to a workforce-preparation program than an enrichment camp. Faculty and advisors guide the sessions, especially around healthcare pathways and college preparation.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program type; need-based financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective, small cohorts
Application deadline: Rolling. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November). You can apply to the program here
Dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks. Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Eligibility: High school students in grades 8–12. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Veritas AI is a program for high school students that focuses on the applications of artificial intelligence, developed by Harvard graduate students. In the AI + Medicine Deep Dive, you explore how AI is applied within healthcare and medical settings. As part of the program, you work on projects that involve using machine learning models to analyze medical data, such as identifying patterns in disease diagnosis or improving the clarity of medical imaging. You also practice explaining your results in a way that could be useful for healthcare professionals and patients.
Location: University of Portland School of Nursing & Health Innovations, Portland, OR
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Application Deadline: March 31
Dates: July 13 – 16
Eligibility: Current high‑school students who will be at least 16 years old by the first day of camp, with emphasis on low‑income, first‑generation, and underrepresented students
This free nurse camp combines simulation-based learning with discussions about healthcare access and diversity in nursing. You move through short clinical activities, campus sessions, and tours that introduce how nursing programs function at the university level. The camp is designed especially for students who may not usually have access to paid healthcare programs, so there’s a strong focus on pathways into nursing school and support systems within the profession. Faculty and healthcare staff guide the sessions, but the structure stays informal enough for questions and conversations throughout the day. Since the camp only runs for a few days, the focus is more on exposure to the field than advanced clinical training.
Location: University of Washington School of Nursing, Seattle, WA
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Application Deadline: April 15
Dates: July 20 – 24
Eligibility: Washington‑state high school sophomores and juniors; must be at least 16 years old before the first day of camp.
UW Nurse Camp is a free week-long program where you spend time inside the University of Washington’s nursing school, working through hands-on activities and small-group sessions. The program introduces you to patient care, nursing pathways, and healthcare systems through faculty-led demonstrations and simulation exercises. You also visit campus spaces and learn how nursing students move through clinical training at UW. A large part of the camp is built around increasing access for underrepresented students in Washington, so there are discussions around college preparation and entering healthcare fields as well.
Location: Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Application Deadline: March 23
Dates: July 13 – 17
Eligibility: Students in the Puget Sound area entering their junior or senior year of high school in the fall
This hospital-based camp focuses specifically on pediatric nursing and patient safety inside a real clinical environment. You work with Seattle Children’s staff on activities tied to bedside care, communication, and hospital workflows while learning how pediatric units operate differently from general care settings. The schedule is shorter than residential university programs, but the sessions are still built around hands-on practice and demonstrations. Some activities focus on basic nursing procedures, while others introduce how hospital teams coordinate care for younger patients. Since the camp takes place inside an active children’s hospital, the environment feels much closer to day-to-day nursing work than a classroom setting.
Location: University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
Cost: $2000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Application Deadline: February 28
Dates: Session 1: July 13 – 17; Session 2: July 27 – 31 (5‑day camps)
Eligibility: Students entering 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in Fall
This five-day academy at UC Irvine introduces you to how nursing programs are structured through simulation labs, classroom sessions, and faculty-led activities. You spend time learning the basics of clinical practice, such as patient assessment and nursing workflows, while working in the school’s simulation facilities. Current nursing students are part of the program, too, so you get a clearer sense of what nursing school actually looks like beyond brochures or presentations. The schedule follows a full-day format, with labs and discussions running throughout the week. A lot of learning happens through guided demonstrations and scenario-based activities rather than lectures alone.
Location: Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Cost: Residential tuition & meals: $4,120; commuter tuition: $3,490
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Application Deadline: Early Bird: Jan 31; Final: May 15
Dates: July 19 – 26 (1‑week residential program)
Eligibility: Current 8th–12th grade students; must be at least 15 years old by the start of the program
This program gives you a short but structured introduction to how nursing is actually taught and practiced in a university setting. Over the course of a week, you move through hands-on labs, patient-care simulations, and clinical exercises that introduce topics like vital signs, bedside care, and nursing decision-making. You work closely with nursing faculty and current students, so a lot of the learning happens through demonstrations and guided practice rather than lectures alone. The program also includes time inside simulation labs where you respond to medical scenarios using clinical equipment and mock patient setups. Since the schedule runs like a condensed college program, your days stay fairly packed from morning to evening.
Location: UT Austin School of Nursing, Austin, TX
Cost: $650 per session (includes meals, t‑shirt, and swag; half paid at registration)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Application Deadline: Not posted publicly
Dates: Session 1: June 1 – 5; Session 2: June 8 – 12
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (ages reportedly 15–17)
This camp at UT Austin introduces you to nursing through simulation exercises, group activities, and classroom sessions inside a major public university nursing school. You work through healthcare scenarios that show how nurses respond to patients, communicate with medical teams, and make clinical decisions under pressure. The program also spends time on the structure of nursing education itself, including the coursework and responsibilities that come with nursing degrees. Faculty and current nursing students lead most activities, so the discussions stay tied to real experiences inside the field. Since it runs as a daytime camp, the schedule stays fairly packed across the week without the residential component.
Location: University Hospitals (multiple sites, including Lakeland Community College, Cuyahoga Community College, Lorain Community College), Cleveland, OH area
Cost: Paid summer program (students receive wages; specific amount not posted publicly)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 1,000 applicants for roughly 78 spots in a recent year (8% acceptance)
Application Deadline: Typically February
Dates: East: June 15 – 26; Central: July 6 – 17; West: July 20 – 31
Eligibility: High‑school students (often rising juniors and seniors) interested in a nursing career; the program targets underrepresented and diverse applicants
This paid program places you inside hospital and community healthcare settings where you observe how nursing roles change across different environments. You rotate through supervised activities, shadowing experiences, and classroom-style sessions that introduce patient care, hospital systems, and professional expectations in nursing. The program is highly competitive, with far more applicants than available spots, so the cohorts stay relatively small. A lot of the schedule mirrors workforce training programs, especially in how the day is structured and supervised. You also receive wages during the program, which is unusual for a high school nursing experience.
Location: Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT
Cost: 2-week overnight program — $3,700; 2-week on-campus commuter program — $2,700
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Application Deadline: June 1
Dates: July 20 – July 31 (two‑week program)
Eligibility: High‑school students interested in nursing; no grade‑level restriction publicly stated
This two-week program places you inside Quinnipiac’s simulation labs where you practice procedures like IV insertion, wound care, airway management, and medication administration. The schedule is built to resemble a nursing-student rotation, so your days move between labs, demonstrations, and clinical-style exercises. You also work with high-fidelity simulation equipment that recreates scenarios like childbirth and emergency response situations. Faculty guide the sessions closely, especially during hands-on activities where technique and communication matter. Because the program runs for two full weeks, there’s more time to build familiarity with equipment and nursing routines than shorter camps usually allow.
Location: Emmanuel College, Boston, MA
Cost: $1,950
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Application Deadline: Until slots are full
Dates: July 13 – 17
Eligibility: High‑school students interested in nursing; no grade‑level restriction publicly stated
This nursing academy uses Emmanuel College’s simulation and skills labs to introduce procedures that are commonly taught in early nursing education. You practice basic clinical techniques, complete CPR and “Stop the Bleed” training, and attend sessions led by nurses working in different specialties. The program also includes visits to Boston-area hospitals and medical centers, so part of the experience happens outside campus. Most activities are hands-on and guided by faculty, with the labs structured around patient-care situations rather than textbook lessons. Over the week, you get a closer look at how nursing connects to larger healthcare systems in a city with major teaching hospitals.
Location: Adelphi University, Garden City, NY
Cost: $4,540
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified
Application Deadline: Application deadlines vary by term; summer‑program deadlines are typically in late spring
Dates: July 12 – August 1
Eligibility: High‑school students who meet admission criteria; may require parental consent and academic standing checks
This program is structured as a real college course rather than a short summer camp, so the focus stays academic from the beginning. You study areas like pediatrics, gerontology, pharmacology, and surgical nursing through lectures, readings, and graded coursework. The class introduces how nursing specializations differ from one another and how healthcare systems are organized around patient care. Since the course offers college credit, assignments and expectations follow a university format. The schedule is longer than most pre-nursing camps, running over several weeks instead of a few days.
Location: NorthBay Health (Vacaville and Fairfield campuses), Vacaville, CA
Cost: $150 (paid after acceptance)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified (site mentions ~30 local students annually)
Application Deadline: May 1 (tentative, based on previous year deadline)
Dates: June 16 – 18 and July 28 – 30
Eligibility: Local high‑school students; no explicit grade‑level restriction beyond “high school.”
This short hospital-based camp gives you a few intensive days inside clinical environments where you rotate through demonstrations, nursing skills stations, and observational activities. Nurses and healthcare staff lead the sessions, which focus on practical tasks and patient interaction rather than classroom lectures. You work in small groups, so most activities involve direct participation instead of watching demonstrations from a distance. The camp also includes conversations around what nursing work actually feels like emotionally and physically in patient-care settings. Since it only runs for a few days, the structure is fast-paced and heavily activity-based.
Location: University of Mary Hardin‑Baylor, Scott & White School of Nursing, Belton, TX
Cost: $675 plus $10 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Unspecified (site describes “campers from across the state”)
Application Deadline: April 10
Dates: May 31 – June 5 (six‑day residential camp)
Eligibility: Rising high‑school juniors and seniors (upper‑level students)
This residential camp combines nursing skills training with campus life at a private university nursing school. You live on campus for the week and move through simulation exercises, CPR training, and nursing labs that introduce common clinical tasks. The schedule also includes group activities tied to university traditions and student life, so the experience is partly about understanding what nursing school feels like day to day. Most activities happen in small groups where faculty and nursing students guide demonstrations and scenarios. The structure stays busy throughout the week, with academic sessions and residential activities running side by side.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best pre-nursing summer programs for high school students?
Strong options depend on what a student wants to experience. Students looking for hands-on simulation training might consider Quinnipiac's program or UC Irvine's Summer Nursing Academy, while those interested in hospital settings might look at Seattle Children's Hospital or UH Future Nurse Academy.
Are there free pre-nursing programs for high schoolers?
Yes, several programs are free, including the SLCC Pre-Health Summer Program (which also offers a stipend), University of Portland's Nurse Camp, UW Nurse Camp, and Seattle Children's Hospital's Summer Nurse Camp.
Do any pre-nursing programs pay students or offer stipends?
Yes, the SLCC Pre-Health Summer Program offers a $15 per hour stipend, and the UH Future Nurse Academy pays wages to participants, making it one of the more workforce-oriented options on this list.
Which pre-nursing programs focus on underrepresented or first-generation students?
University of Portland's Nurse Camp, UW Nurse Camp, and UH Future Nurse Academy all specifically prioritize underrepresented, first-generation, or low-income applicants as part of their program mission.
What hands-on skills do pre-nursing summer programs teach?
Many programs teach practical clinical skills such as checking vital signs, CPR and Stop the Bleed training, IV insertion, wound care, and patient assessment, often using simulation labs and mock patient scenarios to mirror real nursing school training.
When should I apply to pre-nursing summer programs?
Deadlines vary widely. Early deadlines include Georgetown's Nursing Academy (January 31 early bird) and UC Irvine's Summer Nursing Academy (February 28), while others like Quinnipiac (June 1) fall later in the spring. Some programs, like UT Austin's Longhorn Camp, don't post deadlines publicly.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here, check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.