11 Summer Language Camps for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 3 hours ago
- 7 min read
If you’re interested in learning a new language or improving your skills, summer language camps can give you a more focused way to practice. These programs combine structured lessons with activities that help you use the language in conversations, cultural settings, and everyday situations. You can explore languages like Spanish, French, Mandarin, or German while gaining a better understanding of the cultures associated with them.
Why should I attend a summer language camp in high school?
Attending a language camp can help you build confidence in speaking, listening, and understanding a new language. Rigorous programs introduce you to more advanced material while encouraging consistent practice through discussions and activities. They also offer opportunities to interact with instructors and peers, which can help you improve faster and stay engaged.
To help with your search, we have 11 summer language camps for high school students.
If you’re looking for free online summer internships, check out our blog here.
Location: University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: Three-week summer session
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Must be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the upcoming fall semester, living in Western New York, with little to no experience in learning Chinese
Funded by the National Security Agency to support critical language instruction, the University at Buffalo’s STARTALK Chinese Summer Camp offers a three-week camp for high school students. As a summer language camp for high school students, this is meant to be an intensive introduction to Mandarin Chinese and Chinese culture. With little to no need at all for prior experience in Mandarin, you’ll be eased into the learning through classroom instruction, small-group practice, and cultural workshops. Meals are provided daily, and at the end of the camp (if you’re eligible), you’ll get three undergraduate credits at UB.
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort.
Program 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 one-on-one research opportunities across a broad range of subject areas for high school students. 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: Various international locations in Europe and the Americas
Cost/Stipend: Varies per location
Dates: Multiple summer cohorts
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Varies by location; typically ages 12–17
LanguagesAbroad runs teen-focused language camps that balance language development with social and recreational activities. LanguagesAbroad offers camps in a variety of different languages, including Japanese, Italian, German, Mandarin, Spanish, French, and English. The typical structure would be morning lessons paired with afternoon cultural activities, capped off by evening social programs. Among other summer language camps for high school students, this camp is a good option for students who want flexibility in their immersion and a lot of variety in the country and language.
Location: Antibes, France
Cost/Stipend: $8,350
Dates: Four-week summer language camp in July
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students
The ASSE European Summer Language Camp is a four-week residential program for high school students seeking to immerse themselves in the French language and culture. Your mornings in this camp will be spent in structured language classes taught by native-speaking instructors. Afternoons and evenings will be for cultural excursions, sports, and outdoor activities with French host families and local peers. Participants will stay with local host families in the towns and attend weekday language instruction, as well as weekend or midweek excursions to sites such as the Lerins Islands.
Location: Malaga, Spain
Cost/Stipend: About $1,570
Dates: Sessions vary; typically June–August
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students ages 12–17
The Expanish Malaga Summer Camp is a Spanish-immersion teen camp held in Malaga, Spain, where you’ll participate in formal language lessons alongside cultural activities and local excursions. The camp focuses on communicative Spanish through small classes, while daily activities with peers, camp guides, and residents reinforce speaking and listening in real-world contexts. You will be split between classroom work, focusing on building a solid foundation in grammar and vocabulary, and hands-on cultural workshops led by trained teachers and local activity leaders. This camp is an appealing choice for teens who want a compact, immersive experience in Spain, featuring extensive guided practice, cultural exposure, and the opportunity to live and learn in a Spanish city.
Location: Montreal, Canada
Cost/Stipend: $2,877
Dates: Not stated on the website
Application Deadline: Not explicitly stated on the website
Eligibility: Students ages 12–17
FLAP stands for the Foreign Language Adventure Program. Specifically, their summer camp in Montreal offers an immersive summer camp experience in English or French for teens. Pairing together formal language instruction with cultural activities, the camp balances structured lessons with supervised excursions so you can use your target language in real-world settings. Daily schedules include classroom language instruction, workshops, and cultural outings to museums, neighborhoods, and other local events. Alongside other summer language camps for high school students, this is a standout opportunity to take part in a bilingual Canadian camp, where you can gain urban language experience under the supervision of trained adults.
Location: Various campuses across Europe (Switzerland, France, Germany, Malta, and the UK)
Cost/Stipend: About $2,110 per week
Dates: Varies by location; typically June–August
Application Deadline: Not explicitly stated on the website
Eligibility: Students ages 8–17
Alpadia runs summer language camps across several European countries, offering you the opportunity to combine language classes with a full range of cultural activities. Here, Alpadia offers summer camps in French, German, and English. You will attend small classes grouped with peers at the same language level. Together, you will participate in organized activities, local day trips, and social projects meant to train you to use your chosen language in settings outside of the classroom.
Location: Various cities in Spain
Cost/Stipend: Varies by duration
Dates: Camps run from June to August
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Varies by location; typically ages 5–18
Don Quijote schools are institutions in Spain sanctioned by the Instituto Cervantes to help promote the teaching and study of the Spanish language. The classes take place in various cities in Spain, including Barcelona, Málaga, Marbella, Salamanca, and Valencia. Through their summer camps, you will develop everyday communicative Spanish and gain cultural competency through their many activities. You will spend your mornings in structured language classes. Your afternoons and evenings will be spent in organized activities with staff who foster opportunities to practice Spanish with peers and local hosts.
Location: Valais, Switzerland
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Dates: Two-week summer sessions; dates vary
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Teen campers ages 11–18
Campsuisse organizes two-week language camps in Switzerland, offering courses in Spanish, French, German, or English. The camp focuses on building confidence and practical conversational skills, available at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. You will be taking part in language classes that vary from 15 hours per two-week session or 9 hours per one-week session, using audiovisual aids, teaching materials, and innovative techniques. At the end of each camp session, you will be presented with an Award Certificate showing your level of language attainment in relation to the CEFR. Campsuisse’s language camp is a compact and robust experience that’s ideal for developing confidence and building practical speaking skills in your chosen language.
Location: Bemidji, MN
Cost/Stipend: About $3,265 for 2-week session or $5,910 for 4-week session
Dates: Multiple summer sessions; dates vary
Application Deadline: Registration deadlines vary
Eligibility: Students ages 13–18
Concordia Language Villages runs residential, camp-style language villages in Minnesota where teens can earn high school credit through intensive immersion in their chosen language. Camps combine classroom instruction, cultural activities, creative projects, and traditional camp experiences. In using your target language, you participate in day trips and team projects, completing work that can count for credit. Under the mentorship of language instructors and camp counselors, you’ll be walking through villages that replicate real cultural settings. Concordia is overall an appealing choice for students seeking a rigorous learning experience that can earn high school credit.
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Dates: 10-day summer camp; dates vary
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school and high school students; no prior programming or linguistics experience required
Stony Brook’s SYCCL is a short but intensive camp designed to introduce older teens to computational linguistics and language technology. Different from the other camps on this list, it focuses on the study of language and explores how languages are represented, processed, and analyzed. You will be working on small projects, learning introductory coding tools for language analysis, and exploring ethical and documentation issues around under-documented languages. You’ll be doing all this under the wise mentorship of faculty and graduate students at Stony Brook. SYCCL is a strong fit for students who want to pursue both language and computing, combining a future-focused technology lens with the study of linguistics.
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.
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