As a high school student serious about college, there are plenty of college-prep courses that offer focused, structured exposure to what the college admissions process entails. While courses are generally academic offerings that teach specific subjects through scheduled lessons, assignments, and assessments, several offer a more holistic overview of the soft and hard skills common to college admissions across fields. You’ll work through a defined curriculum, complete graded or evaluated work, and finish with either a certificate of completion or actual college credit. Unlike internships or research programs, courses are purely educational, and their goal is learning, assessed against real academic standards. The format itself closely mirrors what you will encounter as a first-year college student.
What do college prep courses for high school students include?
Most university pre-college courses are built around instructor-led sessions delivered by faculty or doctoral instructors. Outside of class, you will spend several hours each day on readings, problem sets, lab reports, essays, or project work. In STEM tracks, you can expect quantitative problem sets, data analysis exercises, and lab write-ups. Humanities and social science courses center on close reading, evidence-based arguments, and academic writing at a college standard, while business courses typically use case analysis, group simulations, and pitch presentations. The important aspect of the programs included in this list is that they also include college-readiness workshops: how to use office hours, how to manage a syllabus, how to write a college essay, and how the admissions process works from the inside. By the end, you will have completed real assessed work, navigated a university academic environment, and understood what college life is like.
With that, here are 15 college-prep courses for high school students to consider.
You can also check out this guide on free college courses for high school students!
Key Takeaways
- College prep courses for high school students range from non-credit experiences like Harvard Pre-College and Summer@Brown to fully credit-bearing courses on official transcripts at Yale, Georgetown, Penn, Cornell, and UVA
- Most programs combine academic coursework with structured college-readiness activities, including essay coaching, admissions panels, and test prep, going beyond pure subject instruction
- Selectivity and academic intensity vary considerably, from accessible options like Duke Pre-College (3.0 GPA minimum) to highly competitive programs like UVA Advance (3.5 GPA minimum, identical academic weight to enrolled coursework)
- Several programs, including Harvard’s Secondary School Program, Georgetown Summer College, Northwestern’s College Preparation Program, and Cornell Pre-College, place you directly in classes alongside enrolled undergraduates, held to identical academic standards
15 College Prep Courses for High School Students
1. Harvard Pre-College Program
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $6,100; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June 21 – July 2; July 5 – 17; July 19 – 31
Application Deadline: January 7 (priority); February 11 (regular)
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors (16+)
Harvard’s Pre-College Program is a two-week, non-credit residential experience on the Cambridge campus. You will choose a single course from a catalog spanning natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities, and attend daily classes taught by Harvard-affiliated instructors. Outside of class, you will complete readings and assignments at the same pace expected of Harvard undergraduates in summer study. In addition to the academic course, the program runs college prep workshops, admissions panels with representatives from other universities, and essay coaching sessions. You’ll live in a Harvard residence hall and manage your own schedule throughout the two weeks—an important part of what the program is training you to do.
2. Harvard’s Summer School Secondary School Program
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Varies by duration and format; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: July 12 – August 8; June 20 – August 8
Application Deadline: February 11
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors, seniors, and graduating seniors (16+)
The Secondary School Program is Harvard’s for-credit summer offering, placing you in regular Harvard undergraduate courses alongside degree-seeking students. As a participant, you will be held to the same academic standards, completing the same assignments, midterms, and finals as your undergraduate classmates. Credits earned appear on an official Harvard transcript and are generally transferable to other institutions. The subject catalog spans economics, computer science, neuroscience, writing, foreign languages, and dozens of other disciplines. The program also includes college readiness activities, essay workshops, and access to admissions officers from colleges and universities beyond Harvard.
3. Yale Summer Session
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
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
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors (16+)
Yale Summer Session opens a portion of its undergraduate course catalog to pre-college students, placing you in classes alongside enrolled Yale undergraduates. These are standard Yale courses taught by Yale faculty; their grading, pacing, and expectations are identical to what you would face as a degree-seeking student. You’ll take one credit course per session and earn credits recorded on an official Yale transcript. The course selection spans over 100 subjects, from economics and statistics to history and literature. Residential students live in one of Yale’s historic residential colleges with full access to campus libraries, facilities, and New Haven.
4. Georgetown University’s College Prep Program
Location: Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Cost: $7,113 average tuition; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: July 5 – August 7
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Current 9th-12th graders with a minimum 3.0 GPA
Georgetown’s College Prep Program pairs five weeks of undergraduate coursework with a structured series of college readiness seminars. You’ll enroll in one credit-bearing Georgetown course from a curated list covering law, policy, international relations, and the liberal arts, attending class twice daily Monday through Thursday. The College Prep seminar series runs alongside it, with SAT and ACT preparation with Capital Educators, full-length diagnostic exams, college essay coaching, and small-group sessions on topics including financial aid, note-taking, and managing academic stress. You’ll leave with actual credit on a Georgetown transcript and a working understanding of how to put together a competitive college application.
5. Georgetown Summer College
Location: Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Cost: $7,113 average tuition; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 1 – July 3, July 6 – August 7 (in-person); June 1 – July 24 (online)
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Current 10th-12th graders with a minimum 3.0 GPA
Georgetown Summer College places you in undergraduate courses alongside currently enrolled Georgetown students, with credit recorded on an official Georgetown transcript. You can take up to two courses per five-week on-campus session, with courses spanning Georgetown’s full curriculum across five-week on-campus or eight-week online formats. Each course carries three credits and runs like a standard Georgetown undergraduate class: lecture, discussion, readings, papers, and a final assessment. Unlike the College Prep Program, Summer College does not include the built-in seminar series, but you can add standalone test prep or admissions workshops separately. The experience functions as an early start on a real college transcript, with the same academic standing as any Georgetown summer student.
6. Northwestern University College Preparation Program
Location: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Cost: Varies by format and duration; Scholarships offered
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: Varies by format
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Northwestern’s College Preparation Program enrolls you in actual Northwestern undergraduate courses for transferable credit, taught by Northwestern-affiliated instructors who hold you to the same standards as their regular students. The for-credit track spans 100- and 200-level courses across computer science, psychology, statistics, economics, foreign language, and more. You’ll manage a full college course load with lectures, office hours, written assignments, a midterm, and a final. All participants also access the Wildcat Connect series, a set of co-curricular workshops on college readiness and career exploration. Credits appear on an official Northwestern transcript.
7. Columbia University Pre-College Program
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: Varies; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 29 – July 17; July 21 – August 7
Application Deadline: February 2 (early); April 2 (general)
Eligibility: Rising 9th-12th graders (15+)
Columbia’s NYC Residential Summer program places you on the Morningside Heights campus for three weeks. As a participant, you will choose from a course catalog of over 70 options across economics, neuroscience, creative writing, architecture, film, and more. You’ll spend roughly four hours in class each weekday and complete assigned work outside of class. The program also includes faculty lectures, college prep workshops, student clubs, and organized outings across New York City. Your instructor evaluation serves as formal documentation of your academic performance at a university level, which you can include in undergraduate applications. At the end of the program, you’ll receive a written evaluation from your instructor and a Certificate of Participation from Columbia.
8. UPenn SAS Pre-College Residential Program
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $6,700 (2-week Summer Academy): $10,050 (3-week Summer Academy); Scholarships offered
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 30 – August 8
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors with at least a 3.5 GPA
As a participant in UPenn’s SAS Pre-College Residential Program, you’ll enroll in a credit-bearing Penn undergraduate course and complete homework, research papers, midterms, and finals at the same standard Penn applies to all its undergraduates in those courses. Courses span biology, neuroscience, economics, psychology, history, and writing, and you choose one of four academic tracks based on your credit unit load and whether your course includes a lab. Because Penn evaluates your work by identical standards and procedures as degree-seeking students, the credit you earn and the grade you receive carry the same institutional weight as any undergraduate Penn course. Managing a full Penn course load for six weeks, without any concurrent jobs, internships, or other programs allowed, trains you in the focused academic commitment that college requires. The experience also gives you an honest benchmark: you will know concretely, before applying to college, whether you can perform at an Ivy League standard.
9. Cornell Pre-College Studies Residential Program
Location: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Cost: $1,940 per credit + $3,287 residential fee for three weeks or $6,595 for six weeks; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 1 – 18; June 22 – July 10; July 13 – 31; June 22 – July 31
Application Deadline: May 5
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors (16+)
During Cornell’s Pre-College program, you’ll take the same courses Cornell offers its undergraduates and complete a 15-week semester’s worth of material in three or six weeks. The compressed timeline demands that you read every assignment, engage actively in every class session, and manage your time without any of the scaffolding high school typically provides. Subjects span architecture, business, computer science, hospitality, engineering, human development, and veterinary science, allowing you to test your readiness across a range of academic disciplines before committing to a college major. Credits are recorded on an official Cornell transcript and are generally transferable toward an undergraduate degree at Cornell or elsewhere. Living in a Cornell dormitory alongside students from more than 50 countries adds a further dimension of college preparation in navigating shared living, building a peer network from scratch, and operating independently on a large university campus.
10. Brown Summer@Brown
Location: Brown University, Providence, RI
Cost: Varies by format and duration; Scholarships offered
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 15 – July 25
Application Deadline: May 8
Eligibility: Rising 9th-12th graders (ages 14-18)
During Summer@Brown, you will attend three hours of class daily and spend time on readings, writing, lab work, group projects, or problem sets, managing the balance entirely on your own schedule. Brown’s Open Curriculum shapes the course catalog, which spans over 230 non-credit options across biological sciences, engineering, business, law, psychology, creative writing, political science, and visual arts. Some courses include Course-Based Research Experiences, where you conduct independent research, collect and analyze data, and present findings, giving you direct practice in the kind of self-directed intellectual work that characterizes college academics at its best.
11. Duke Pre-College High School Courses
Location: Duke University, Durham, NC
Cost: $6,050 per two-week session; Scholarships offered
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: June 13 – 24; June 28 – July 9; July 13–24
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: High school students who have completed at least one year of high school with a GPA of 3.0+
Duke Pre-College courses are two-week residential programs taught by Duke Ph.D. students and faculty affiliates, each centered on a single subject that you explore through lectures, applied activities, and a final capstone project. The format teaches you what college-level engagement in a specific field actually looks like: not textbook surveys, but analytical reasoning, evidence evaluation, and disciplinary thinking in real time. Every course ends with a required capstone such as a business pitch, a policy proposal, a behavioral case analysis, or a prototype presentation, delivered before a panel of peers and instructors. Producing and defending a substantial piece of work under academic scrutiny is one of the most direct forms of college preparation available in a two-week program.
12. Johns Hopkins Summer at Hopkins Pre-College Programs
Location: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Cost: $6,140 (2-week residential program); $1,950 (2-week online program)
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 20 – July 1; July 6 – 16; July 20 – 30
Application Deadline: February 3 (early); March 10 (regular)
Eligibility: Students who have completed 9th grade and have a minimum 3.0 GPA; Some courses require prior coursework
Johns Hopkins offers two-week intensive courses in subjects such as neuroscience, psychology, data analytics, public health, or medicine, working through morning lectures and afternoon workshops taught by Hopkins faculty and specialists at a pace designed to match undergraduate expectations. The compressed two-week format trains the skills that define successful college transitions: rapid reading comprehension, synthesizing material quickly, asking productive questions, and performing under assessment pressure within a tight timeframe. You will earn a Certificate of Achievement upon completing your course. If you qualify academically, you can also enroll directly in Hopkins undergraduate Summer Term courses alongside enrolled students. This way, you can earn transferable credit on a Hopkins transcript and gain the most direct possible preview of what college coursework demands.
13. Michigan Ross Summer Business Academy
Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Cost: $4,000; Scholarships offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June 7 – 17; June 21 – July 1
Application Deadline: April 5
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors with a minimum 3.0 GPA
The Michigan Ross Summer Business Academy is built around the case method and decision simulation that defines how Ross teaches its undergraduates. This means you are working through real analytical problems rather than listening to lectures about business concepts. Cases cover supply chain management, sustainable business design, and stakeholder pressure scenarios. Decision Labs puts your team in live simulations where pricing, resources, and competitive conditions shift in real time and require strategic responses. Finance, marketing, organizational behavior, and leadership concepts are all covered, with ethics running through each module as a substantive rather than decorative element. You’ll present a final strategic analysis of a real company challenge to close out the two weeks.
14. UVA Advance Pre-College Program
Location: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Cost: $7,097 (Virginia residents); $14,975 (non-Virginia residents); Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: July 11 – August 7
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors (15+) with a 3.5 GPA
At UVA, you will take two courses taught by UVA faculty, earn six undergraduate credits on an official UVA transcript, meaning the credit carries identical institutional weight to any course taken by an enrolled UVA student. The minimum GPA requirement of 3.5 in a college prep curriculum reflects that this is not an exploratory program designed to introduce you to what college might feel like; it is designed for students who are already academically prepared and ready to demonstrate that preparation in a real university setting.
15. Vanderbilt Summer Institutes
Location: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Cost: $5,750 per two-week session; Financial aid offered
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 7 – 19; June 21 – July 3; July 12 – 24
Application Deadline: January 14 (priority); February 16 (regular)
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who meet the specific eligibility criteria
As a participant in the Vanderbilt Summer Institutes, you will join courses in neuroscience, biomedical ethics, engineering, environmental policy, legal studies, and data science. They will be taught by Vanderbilt faculty at a pace and level of rigor that goes well beyond what the two-week format might suggest. Daily readings, substantive discussion, and written analytical work begin on the first day. Admissions require competitive standardized test scores or a formal academic portfolio, along with transcripts and a school administrator recommendation. Some courses conclude with capstone presentations before peers and instructors.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like investigative journalism, media studies, political reporting, data journalism, and the ethics of news and information, 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!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are college prep courses for high school students?
College-prep courses for high school students are structured academic programs, typically offered at universities, that combine subject-specific coursework with college-readiness training. Unlike internships or research programs, these courses are purely educational, assessed against real academic standards, and often include workshops on essay writing, time management, and the admissions process.
Can high school students earn real college credit through these courses?
Yes. Harvard’s Secondary School Program, Yale Summer Session, Georgetown Summer College, Northwestern’s College Preparation Program, UPenn SAS Pre-College, Cornell Pre-College, and UVA Advance all place students in actual undergraduate courses for transferable credit recorded on an official university transcript. Programs like Harvard Pre-College Program and Summer@Brown are non-credit but include comparable academic rigor and college-readiness components.
Do I need a high GPA to apply to college prep courses?
It depends on the program. Duke Pre-College requires a 3.0 GPA, and Johns Hopkins and Georgetown require a similar threshold. More selective programs like UPenn SAS Pre-College and UVA Advance require a 3.5 GPA, reflecting academic standards identical to those of enrolled undergraduate coursework. Some programs, including Harvard Pre-College and Columbia Pre-College, do not specify a strict minimum GPA but remain highly selective overall.
What is the difference between credit-bearing and non-credit college prep programs?
Credit-bearing programs, such as Yale Summer Session or Cornell Pre-College, place you in real undergraduate courses graded by the same standards as enrolled students, with credits appearing on an official transcript that may transfer to your eventual college. Non-credit programs, like Harvard’s Pre-College Program or Summer@Brown, offer similarly rigorous academic content and college-readiness training but do not result in transferable credit.
Which college prep courses include the most structured admissions support?
Georgetown’s College Prep Program pairs coursework with SAT and ACT preparation, diagnostic exams, college essay coaching, and small-group sessions on financial aid and academic stress management. Harvard’s Pre-College Program and Secondary School Program both include essay coaching and admissions panels. Northwestern’s Wildcat Connect series and Vanderbilt’s competitive admissions process also build in dedicated college-readiness components.
Are there college prep courses focused specifically on business or STEM?
Yes. The Michigan Ross Summer Business Academy is built entirely around the case method and live decision simulations covering finance, marketing, and supply chain management. Cornell Pre-College and Vanderbilt Summer Institutes offer dedicated tracks in engineering, computer science, and data science. UPenn SAS Pre-College and Johns Hopkins Summer at Hopkins both offer strong STEM-focused options in neuroscience, biology, and public health.
When should I apply to college prep courses for high school students?
Deadlines vary widely. Harvard’s programs use priority deadlines in January with regular deadlines in February. Vanderbilt’s priority deadline is January 14. UVA Advance closes March 1, and Columbia’s early deadline is February 2. Most programs, including Georgetown, Northwestern, Duke, and Cornell, have deadlines between April and May. Reviewing deadlines in the fall and preparing transcripts, recommendations, and standardized test scores well in advance gives you the strongest position for the most selective programs.
Image source: Vanderbilt University