If you are thinking about careers related to architecture, urban design, or planning, starting in high school can give you a clearer sense of the field. Structured programs help you understand both the creative and technical sides of design.
You might spend time sketching concepts, building physical models, or solving design challenges based on how people use space. Some programs also introduce digital drafting and architectural thinking, which shows you how projects develop from early ideas to finished plans.
Why should you choose a paid program?
Paid programs often have access to stronger facilities, materials, and teaching support. This can mean better studio environments, more detailed project work, and closer mentorship from architects or design educators.
They also give you time to create polished work for a future portfolio. Along with strengthening applications, these projects help you understand whether architecture is a subject you want to study more seriously.
To help you explore your options, here are 15 paid architecture programs for high school students!
15 Paid Architecture Programs for High School Students
1. Architecture Summer Academy
Location: Kennesaw State University, Georgia
Cost: $1,050
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 6-17
Application Deadline: March 1 (priority)
Eligibility: High school students of all levels; no prior experience required
Kennesaw State’s Architecture Summer Academy places you inside an architectural studio for ten days, where you begin learning how architects observe, sketch, test ideas, and revise them through critique. The program introduces architectural history and design theory, but most of your understanding develops through hands-on work like drawing, documentation, and design exercises. You spend time practicing sketching and representation skills, which are central to communicating spatial ideas clearly. Field trips to Atlanta let you study buildings directly instead of only discussing them in class. The program closes with an awards banquet that highlights student projects completed during the session.
2. Drexel Discovering Architecture
Location: Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cost: $3,575 (residential); $2,850 (commuter)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 35-40 students
Dates: July 5-18
Application Deadline: Rolling admission; early-bird rates through late March
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old (15 years old is possible with a strong teacher recommendation letter provided with the application)
Drexel’s Discovering Architecture program gives you two weeks inside the same studios and computer labs used by architecture majors, which changes the experience from observation to actual practice. You work with faculty on design fundamentals while learning how drawings, models, and digital tools are used to develop architectural ideas. Visits to architecture firms in Philadelphia show how projects move through collaboration in professional offices. The program also includes guided tours of major buildings across the city, which helps you connect design concepts to real structures. As your work develops, you build portfolio pieces that show how you think through form, space, and communication. By the end, your drawings and models reflect both technical skill and design reasoning.
3. Virginia Tech Explore Architecture
Location: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia (with online option)
Cost: In-person: $1,250; Virtual: $250
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: In-person: June 21-27; Virtual: July 14-19
Application Deadline: Registration opens December 1; closes May 15
Eligibility: Grades 9-12
Virginia Tech’s Explore Architecture introduces you to design as a way of thinking through problems. You work on studio exercises, collaborative projects, and hands-on making activities that develop skills in drawing, model-building, and spatial reasoning. In the residential Blacksburg option, you also use campus workshops and design facilities while living in dorms. The virtual version shifts attention to the built spaces around you, asking you to study local environments through observation and design analysis. Throughout the week, practicing architects and educators guide your projects while connecting architecture to related fields like landscape, interior, and industrial design. The program ends with an exhibition where you present the work you developed.
4. UIUC Discover Architecture
Location: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
Cost: $1,100 (includes lodging and meals)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 12-18
Application Deadline: Applications open November 1
Eligibility: Rising sophomores through seniors
The University of Illinois’ Discover Architecture program runs as a residential studio experience where you work through core design ideas using the same teaching approach as undergraduate students. Faculty guide you through projects focused on drawing, modeling, spatial analysis, and representation, which are foundational to architectural education. You also take part in building exercises that introduce structural thinking and construction basics. A field trip to Columbus, Indiana, gives you direct exposure to major modernist works by architects like Eero Saarinen, making design history feel much more physical and immediate. Throughout the week, your projects develop through iteration rather than one finished attempt.
5. Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Architecture
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Cost: Residential – $10,744; Commuter – $8,253
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 20-July 25
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors at least 16 years old by the start of the program
Carnegie Mellon’s five-week architecture program immerses you in a studio culture where learning happens through making, critique, and revision. You work on complex design problems that develop spatial reasoning while also taking coursework in drawing, digital media, architectural history, and seminar discussions on contemporary design. Studio critiques are central to the process, since faculty and guest reviewers challenge how clearly your ideas are communicated. The program also introduces digital fabrication and computational design, which expands how you think about building and representation. Field trips and lectures connect your studio work to architecture happening across Pittsburgh. By the end, you have built a substantial portfolio while working alongside peers equally serious about design.
6. Pratt Summer Architecture
Location: Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York
Cost: Residential – $8,192; Commuter – $5,452
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 6- 31
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: High school students ages 16-18
Pratt’s Summer Architecture program runs for four weeks in Brooklyn, where you earn college credit while building a portfolio through studio-based design work. Classes focus on architectural drafting, design, and model-building, all taught in the same facilities that Pratt undergraduates use. You spend a lot of time learning how to communicate ideas through drawings, physical models, and digital representations, since architecture depends heavily on showing. Projects become more demanding as the program moves forward, asking for stronger technical control and clearer design thinking. Field trips across New York City add another layer by letting you study architecture directly in its urban context. The finished projects are strong material for future college applications.
7. Camp ARCH
Location: Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Cost: $1,500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approximately 80 students per session
Dates: July 6-11
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Incoming grades 10-12
Camp ARCH introduces you to several design fields at once, including architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and construction science. During the residential week, you work on studio projects tied to real campus issues while using Texas A&M’s facilities alongside faculty and current students. Site visits to active construction projects help you understand how drawings become built spaces and how different professionals work together during that process. Since the camp is divided into cohorts, you can focus more closely on the specialty that interests you most. Evenings include campus activities that make the experience feel social as well as academic. The week ends with presentations where you share your design work with professionals.
8. Architecture + Planning Camp @CAP
Location: Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
Cost: $400
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 22-26
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Grades 9-12
Ball State’s CAP camp introduces architecture alongside planning, ecology, sustainability, and landscape design, which makes the program broader than a studio-only experience. You learn sketching, site evaluation, and three-dimensional modeling while also using SketchUp to build digital concepts. Faculty, current students, and visiting professionals work closely with you throughout the week, offering direct guidance as projects develop. Daily guest visits add perspective on how designers approach actual planning challenges. Because meals and field trips are included, the schedule moves easily between instruction and observation. The program gives you foundational experience across several connected design disciplines.
9. Auburn University Architecture Camp
Location: Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
Cost: $900
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 1-5, June 15-19, or July 13-17
Application Deadline: Rolling; Scholarship deadline: March 19
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors
Auburn University’s Architecture Camp places you inside campus studios for a residential week focused on design making and communication. Faculty from architecture, landscape architecture, and fine arts guide projects that build through sketching, model-making, and technical demonstrations. Since the camp stays small, feedback feels direct and personal as your ideas develop. Guest speakers also discuss professional practice, which helps connect studio exercises to architecture careers. Living in dorms and sharing campus life with other participants adds another layer to the experience. By the end of the week, your projects reflect both process and revision.
10. Boston Architectural College Summer Academy
Location: Boston Architectural College, Boston, Massachusetts
Cost: $2,000 (credit-bearing); $1,800 (not for credit); Early bird discount: $200 off if registered by March 1
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 6-31
Application Deadline: June 22
Eligibility: Grades 9-12; ages 14+
Boston Architectural College’s Summer Academy runs as a weekday afternoon program that fits around other commitments while still offering college-level design work. You can choose a credit-bearing version for transferable coursework or a non-credit option, depending on your goals. The curriculum focuses on design principles, architectural communication, drawing, and model-making, using both hand-sketching and digital tools. Faculty and visiting professionals guide the work while helping you understand professional practice. Since the campus sits in Boston’s Back Bay, the city itself becomes part of what you observe. The flexible format works well if you want a rigorous design study without a full residential schedule.
11. Norwich University Summer Design Academy
Location: Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont
Cost: $1,500 (includes meals, lodging, required materials)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 21-26
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors; no prior experience required
Norwich University’s Design Academy teaches architecture through a rhythm of demonstrations, studio labs, lectures, and critiques. Mornings often begin with technical lessons on composition, modeling, or design methods before shifting into small-team studio work. Afternoon lectures introduce architectural history and theory, giving context to the projects you are building. Each day also includes one-on-one desk critiques where faculty respond directly to your developing ideas. That feedback shapes how your project changes over the week. The final exhibition brings your portfolio work into a public setting where you explain your design thinking.
12. Build SF Summer Design Institute
Location: Architectural Foundation of San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Cost: $3,500 (or $3,000 with early-bird discount if paid in full more than one week before start)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 8-26 or July 6-24
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students interested in architecture and design
Build SF combines studio instruction with professional mentorship in a way that feels close to actual design practice. Over three weeks, you work on original projects using sketching, hand-drawing, physical models, and digital design software. Twice-weekly mentoring sessions connect you directly with architects and designers who help you navigate design challenges. The program pays close attention to portfolio-building, so your projects are developed with presentation quality in mind. Because both analog and digital tools are emphasized, you learn to express ideas across multiple formats. By the end, you have finished portfolio-ready work shaped through repeated revision.
13. University of Houston From the Ground Up
Location: University of Houston, Houston, Texas
Cost: $1,500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 15-July 17
Application Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: High school grades 10-12 with a minimum 3.0 GPA and strong standardized test scores
From the Ground Up introduces architecture through both history and studio practice across an entire month. Morning lectures trace architectural design from ancient periods to contemporary work, showing how buildings respond to context and culture. Afternoon studio sessions shift into designing small buildings using drawings and study models. The focus stays on observation, analysis, and three-dimensional thinking rather than computer-based tools. Field trips to cities like Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio let you study important regional architecture directly. By the end, you have developed portfolio materials while building a strong foundation in architectural thinking.
14. School of the Art Institute of Chicago Early College Program Summer Institute
Location: School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Cost: One-week: $1,908 (tuition); Two-week: $3,816 (tuition); Four-week: $7,632 (tuition)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple sessions and courses available throughout the summer
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Ages 15-18; completed sophomore year by program start
SAIC’s Summer Institute offers flexible one, two, or four-week options where you earn college credit while building a design portfolio. Professional artists and instructors guide projects that encourage experimentation across architecture, art, and broader design thinking. Living in Chicago adds another layer because the city itself becomes a study resource through its architecture and museum collections. The interdisciplinary structure pushes you to move between methods instead of staying inside one fixed approach. That flexibility helps build the kind of creative risk-taking architecture programs often value. Your finished work becomes strong material for future college applications.
15. Clemson University Summer Scholars Architecture Program
Location: Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
Cost: $1,400 (Tuition)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Hundreds of students across all programs; specific architecture cohort size not specified
Dates: One-week sessions throughout the summer
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Grades 7-12 (architecture focus for upper grades)
Clemson’s Summer Scholars Architecture program gives you a short but focused introduction to architecture as both a major and a career path. During the residential week, you take intensive coursework that shows how designers approach space, projects, and problem-solving. Living in dorms also gives you a sense of campus life while working alongside students exploring the same field. Current Clemson architecture students and faculty share their experiences, which helps clarify what studying architecture actually involves. The program is especially useful if you are still deciding whether design work fits your interests. By the end of the week, that question usually feels easier to answer.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, 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: Clemson University