College credit courses are undergraduate offerings taught by university faculty, graded on the same scale as courses taken by enrolled students, and recorded on an official university transcript. As a high schooler, it is valuable to invest time in taking real university courses, especially the ones that allow you to earn college credits. They are different from enrichment programs or research placements in that the output is purely academic: You’ll take the course, do the work, and get a grade. That grade can follow you into your undergraduate career at institutions that accept transfer credit. You’ll also get the chance to find out exactly what college-level academics feel like before setting foot on a campus as a freshman.
What do college credit courses for high schoolers include?
The work in a college credit course depends on the subject, but the basic expectations are pretty much the same. You’ll do a lot of reading, write analytically, and be expected to meet standards that most high school classes don’t quite reach. In STEM courses, that means problem sets, lab reports, and quantitative reasoning drawn from the same textbooks used in the undergraduate curriculum. In social science and humanities courses, you will write argumentative essays grounded in evidence, participate in seminar-style discussions where you will be expected to contribute rather than observe, and engage with primary and secondary sources at a serious level. Outside of class, the entirety of the experience is extremely similar to an undergraduate’s. You will register for courses in the same way, receive a letter grade that appears on a university transcript, and, in many cases, sit in class alongside enrolled college students. This exposure makes these courses a strong, academically focused option for experiencing a college environment while still in high school.
With that, here are 15 college credit courses for high school students.
You can also check out this guide on pre-college programs for high school students!
1. Harvard Secondary School Program (SSP)
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA + Virtual
Cost: $4,180 – $15,735; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: July 12 – August 8; June 20 – August 8
Application Deadline: December 1 – January 7 (early), February 11 (regular), April 1 (late)
Eligibility: Rising juniors, seniors, and graduating seniors (16+)
Harvard SSP places you in Harvard Summer School courses taught by Harvard faculty and distinguished visiting professors. You will get to choose from over 200 credit-bearing classes spanning more than 50 subject areas, from molecular biology and computer science to law, sociology, and creative writing. The 4-week option offers one intensive 4-credit course in a residential-only setting, while the 7-week format offers residential, commuter, and online tracks with the option to take up to two courses for a total of eight credits. Outside of class, you will have access to college admissions panels, health and wellness programming, and optional off-campus excursions through the SSP co-curricular calendar. You will be expected to spend eight to twelve hours per week on readings and assignments outside of class for a single 4-credit course. At the end of the program, you will receive an official Harvard transcript that you can submit to future universities for transfer credit consideration.
2. Yale Summer Session
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT + Virtual
Cost: $5,480 per credit; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: May 25 – June 26; June 29 – July 31
Application Deadline: Varies by format and session; See here
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors (16+)
Yale Summer Session enrolls you in Yale College courses alongside visiting undergraduates, recent graduates, and adult learners, all taught by Yale faculty. The course catalog spans over 100 offerings, ranging from quantitative reasoning and linear algebra to digital platforms, international relations, and humanities seminars, with each credit equating to four semester hours at most universities. You will be held to Yale College academic regulations, including standard grading policies and attendance requirements. You may enroll in one or two courses per five-week session, with each course generating an official Yale transcript entry that can be submitted to future universities for possible credit transfer.
3. Stanford Summer Session
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA + Virtual
Cost: Varies; See here
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June 20 – August 16
Application Deadline: December 15 (early); January 20 (regular)
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors (16+)
Stanford Summer Session places you into Stanford’s undergraduate course catalog, earning quarter units on an official Stanford transcript. You will enroll in the same courses as degree-seeking Stanford students, complete the same assignments and exams, and be graded on the same scale. The eight-week schedule mirrors a full Stanford quarter, meaning the academic pace is fast, and the workload is genuine. You will have access to Stanford libraries, the Summer Academic Resource Center, tutoring support, and academic advising throughout the session. Residential students live in Wilbur Hall under the supervision of trained Summer Resident Assistants and participate in campus-wide community events, speaker series, and social programming alongside peers from more than sixty countries.
4. Georgetown Summer College
Location: Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. + Virtual
Cost: $7,113 (average tuition); Additional fees apply; Scholarships offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: In-person: June 1 – July 3, July 6 – August 7; Online: June 1 – July 24
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Current 10th-12th graders with a minimum 3.0 GPA
Georgetown Summer College puts you in a five-week undergraduate course delivered through a mix of lectures, class discussions, and guest speakers in the same format Georgetown uses across its regular academic year. You will take the course alongside enrolled Georgetown undergraduates and receive an official Georgetown University transcript upon completion. A typical course carries three credits, and you may take up to two per session for a maximum of six credits, or up to twelve over the full summer. Students who complete two courses in a single session earn a Summer Honors Intensive Certificate alongside their credits. The online eight-week format through Session III covers the same content as on-campus sections.
5. Columbia University: College Edge
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: $2,666 per credit point
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: May 25 – July 3; July 6 – August 14; Academic year also available
Application Deadline: April 20
Eligibility: Current 11th-12th graders with strong academic standing
College Edge is one of the only programs that offers options, which means that other than summer, you can also take Columbia undergraduate courses during the fall or spring semester while still completing high school. You’ll register for real Columbia courses through the university’s enrollment system, work with an academic advisor to select appropriate classes, and be held to the same attendance and grading policies as all Columbia students. Departments most accessible to College Edge students include economics, mathematics, statistics, psychology, chemistry, and foreign languages. You may take up to twelve credit points in a fall or spring semester and up to six in a summer session.
6. Northwestern University’s College Prep Program (CPP): Credit Courses
Location: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL + Virtual
Cost: Varies by format and duration; Financial aid offered; See more here
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: Varies by format between June 22 – August 30
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
CPP credit courses enroll you in the same undergraduate classes taken by Northwestern students during the summer session. Each course earns one Northwestern credit unit—roughly four quarter hours or two and two-thirds semester hours at other institutions—and is taught by Northwestern faculty and instructors. Course offerings span virtually every department at the 100 and 200 level, with some 300-level courses available. Residential students live on Northwestern’s Evanston lakefront campus and gain access to the Wildcat Connect: Get Ready Series, a co-curricular workshop program covering college admissions, campus navigation, and academic readiness. You will register for courses directly through Northwestern’s system and receive a Northwestern transcript upon completion that may be submitted for credit transfer at your future institution.
7. Johns Hopkins University: Summer Term Undergraduate Courses
Location: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD + Virtual
Cost: Varies by format; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: Late June – early August, with courses running 5, 6, 8, or 10 weeks across three sessions
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors with a minimum 3.0 GPA; Specific courses may have additional prerequisites
Qualified high school students can enroll in Johns Hopkins undergraduate courses and earn JHU credit alongside enrolled college students. The curriculum spans foundations of medicine and health, STEM, psychology and brain sciences, social sciences, humanities, and film and media, with on-campus courses running five weeks and online options available in multiple formats. Instruction comes from JHU faculty, and the coursework places emphasis on critical thinking and independent analysis. You will complete assignments and assessments at the same standard expected of Hopkins undergraduates. Upon successful completion, you will receive an official Certificate of Achievement alongside your course credit.
8. Johns Hopkins Next Generation Scholars Academy
Location: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Cost: $3,825 tuition per 3-credit course; $5,100 per 4-credit course; Additional housing and dining fees
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June 29 – July 31
Application Deadline: March 10
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors or seniors with a minimum 3.0 GPA
The Next Generation Scholars Academy is a five-week residential experience that combines credit-bearing Hopkins undergraduate coursework with a structured academic mentorship component. As an Academy student, you can take two undergraduate Summer Term courses, earning up to seven credits, alongside a one-credit exclusive Academy course that covers goal-setting, college decision-making, and long-term academic planning. Note that this is a residential program and you will live in a Hopkins residence hall on the Homewood Campus. The Academy is designed as a more guided entry point into the Summer Term than taking undergraduate courses independently, with intentional support built around your transition to college-level study. All course credits count toward an official Johns Hopkins transcript.
9. Notre Dame Summer Scholars
Location: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Cost: $5,200; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June 6 – 20; June 27 – July 11
Application Deadline: February 18
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors (16+)
Notre Dame Summer Scholars places you in a small, Notre Dame faculty-led college-level course for two intensive weeks on campus. Class sizes are deliberately kept small to allow close engagement with professors. Upon completing your program track, you will earn one transferable college credit documented on a Notre Dame transcript. You will work collaboratively with peers outside of designated class hours, operating much as students do in a standard college setting. Course options span subjects including global health, engineering, climate change, life science, and photography. The program also incorporates a community service project and leadership development work through Notre Dame’s iLED framework. You will receive an official University of Notre Dame transcript at the end of the program.
10. Brown University’s Pre-Baccalaureate Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: $9,321 per course; Scholarships may be available
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June 15 – July 31
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising seniors and recent graduates (17+)
Pre-Baccalaureate is Brown’s online-only credit program for high school seniors ready to take on the pace of a university summer session. You’ll enroll in Brown undergraduate courses alongside enrolled Brown students and other visiting undergraduates, not modified or high-school-facing versions of those courses. Most courses are delivered asynchronously, though some instructors schedule synchronous sessions at their discretion. Expect twenty-five to thirty hours of work per course per week across the seven weeks. Most courses are graded A, B, C, or NC, and your record appears on an official Brown transcript that may support advanced standing once you enroll as an undergraduate.
11. UC Berkeley Pre-College Scholars
Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA + Virtual
Cost: $635 tuition per unit
Acceptance Rate: Highly competitive
Dates: 6-8-week sessions across the summer
Application Deadline: March 9 (residential); June 1 (virtual and commuter)
Eligibility: Rising 11th-12th graders in good academic standing
Berkeley Pre-College Scholars gives you access to Berkeley’s undergraduate course catalog at the lower-division level, taken alongside enrolled Berkeley students and visiting undergraduates. The subject range covers arts and humanities, social sciences, and STEM, and course selection is your own responsibility. You’ll check prerequisites, confirm availability with the department, and enroll through Berkeley’s CalCentral system after admission. Residential students live in supervised campus housing at Bowles Hall and get to participate in excursions and college preparation workshops. Grades and credits appear on an official UC Berkeley transcript.
12. NYU Precollege
Location: New York University, New York, NY + Virtual
Cost: Varies by credit
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Dates: Available in fall, spring, and summer; July 1 – August 12 for the summer cohort
Application Deadline: February 1 – June 15
Eligibility: Rising 11th-12th graders with a minimum 3.0 GPA
NYU Precollege treats you as an NYU student rather than a visiting high schooler, which means you’ll get an NYU student ID and access to the library system, peer tutoring, and the health center alongside enrolled undergraduates. Courses span biology, computer science, journalism, foreign languages, art history, economics, food studies, and hotel and tourism management, among others. In the summer, you can take up to two courses for up to eight credits. The program runs on an independent model with no cohort structure, and your commute, schedule, and social life are yours to manage. College 101 workshops run alongside coursework and cover financial aid, the admissions process, and academic research for students who want that context.
13. Emory Summer College
Location: Emory University, Atlanta, GA + Virtual
Cost: $2,992 per three-credit course; Scholarships offered
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Dates: Session 1: May 15 – June 26; Session 2: June 29 – August 7
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students in good academic standing
Emory Summer College is the credit-bearing track within Emory’s summer offerings, distinct from the separate noncredit Pre-College Program that runs alongside it. You’ll take a six-week Emory undergraduate course for a letter grade alongside enrolled Emory students, with tuition assessed per credit hour and posted to your Emory student account. The majority of courses are online, with a commuter option available for Metro Atlanta students in in-person sections. Your credits and grade appear on an official Emory University transcript.
14. Georgetown University College Prep Program
Location: Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Cost: $7,113 average tuition per class; Scholarships offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: July 6 – August 7
Application Deadline: June 26
Eligibility: Current high schoolers with a minimum 3.0 GPA
Georgetown’s College Prep Program has you take a credit-bearing undergraduate course and also attend a set of College Prep Seminars running concurrently, which cover academic writing, analytical reasoning, and the practical skills expected of incoming college students. The underlying course is a standard Georgetown undergraduate offering taught by Georgetown faculty. You’ll receive three transferable credits on an official Georgetown transcript. If you complete both the course and the seminar series, you’ll receive a certificate from Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies alongside your credits.
15. NJIT Academy College Credit Courses
Location: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ
Cost: $660 per credit; Scholarships may be available to Newark residents
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Dates: Summer session: July 7 – August 10, though Saturdays only; Fall and spring sessions are also available
Application Deadline: May 28 (summer)
Eligibility: High school students with a B or higher grade average, who also meet course-specific requirements
NJIT Academy offers multiple undergraduate courses covering distinct technical disciplines. In CS 100, you will work through the fundamentals of computing like algorithms, data representation, problem decomposition, and introductory programming logic. FED 101 introduces the engineering design process, covering topics like statics, materials behavior, and technical drawing alongside hands-on design challenges. FRSC 201 covers the science behind crime scene investigation, including physical evidence analysis, DNA profiling principles, toxicology basics, and the chain of custody. MATH 111 moves through differential and integral calculus, covering limits, derivatives, integration techniques, and real-world applications in rates of change and area under a curve. Each course uses the tools and methods of its discipline at the same level NJIT expects of its own first-year students.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image Source: Johns Hopkins University