Penn Summer High School Programs

Get your first taste of college life at an Ivy League Institution!

Penn Summer High School Programs, open to residential and commuting students, offer an outstanding academic challenge:

• Our programs are built around courses taught by Penn faculty, scholars, and distinguished outside experts.
• With small class sizes you can be sure to get the individualized attention you deserve.
• Residential programs include academically based extracurricular activities such as SAT preparation workshops, a college writing series, and presentations about college admissions procedures.

The Penn campus itself offers an enormous array of lectures, panels, musical and dramatic performances. It has the country’s largest open-stack library, state-of-the-art research labs, and world-class museums. In addition, the city of Philadelphia offers an endless variety of historical and cultural destinations.

Summer Academies

Summer Academies are 4-week intensive, non-credit academic programs for high school students. Residential or commuter status available.

• Biomedical Research Academy
• Experimental Physics Academy
• Art in the City Academy
• Social Justice Research Academy

College Courses

High school students can take for-credit Penn courses over the summer by applying to one of these programs.

• Pre-College Program (residential only)
• Young Scholars Program (commuter only)

Programs for Philadelphia Area Students

Credit: Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC

Students from the Greater Philadelphia Area are presented with unique opportunities through Penn Summer High School programs.

• Startalk
• Young Scholars Program
• Penn Summer High School Scholars Program

Other Summer Programs at Penn

• Girls in Engineering, Math, & Science (GEMS)
• Summer Academy in Applied Science & Technology (SAAST)
• Summer BOOT UP! Camp
• M&T Summer Institute (M&TSI)
• Summer Mentorship Program (SMP)
• Knowledge @ Wharton High School (KWHS)
• Teen Research and Education in Environmental Studies (TREES)