Summer Precollege Focus Series

Earn college credit while advancing your skills in a focused area of study.

Where classroom knowledge meets real-world experience

As official UCLA academic precollege programs offered through the UCLA Office of Summer Sessions, the Summer Precollege Focus Series provide motivated and driven high school students the opportunity to earn UCLA college credit in just three weeks while advancing their academic skills and abilities in a specific area of study.

Through co-curricular components including hands-on projects and performances, field visits, and guest lectures, students receive a comprehensive and immersive study of their chosen subject that goes beyond classroom instruction. Our Summer Precollege Focus Series are open to high school students from around the world. We invite you to join our diverse and inclusive UCLA community full of respect, ideas, and optimism.

All Summer Precollege Focus Series programs offered through Summer Sessions are commuter-only with NO HOUSING provided. 

All participants in Summer Precollege Focus Series must be a minimum of 15 years of age by the first day of Summer Sessions 2026 on June 22nd, no exceptions allowed. Individual programs may have older age requirements, please check the program page for details.

Not finding what you are looking for? Click here for information on Non-Office of Summer Sessions Precollege programming.

2026 Summer Precollege Focus Series

A hand writing in a notebook near an open book, with a laptop displaying a virtual classroom in the background and a blue mug beside an apple.

Critical Thinking

Virtual – Enrollment Closed for Summer 2026
July 13, 2026 – July 31, 2026
Evaluate arguments, make model decisions, and avoid reasoning traps with lectures on psychology of reasoning, foundations of deductive + inductive logic, and probability + decision theory. Media literacy and journalism workshops prepare you to write an article for publication.
A male instructor gestures toward mathematical equations on a chalkboard, engaging with students in a classroom setting.

Discovering College Math

Commuter – Enrollment Closed for Summer 2026
July 13, 2026 – July 31, 2026
Introduce yourself to the creative and problem-solving aspects of mathematics, with a focus on discrete math, while covering topics like logic, sequences, counting, and graphs all through group-based learning and individual problem-solving activities.
A classroom filled with students, attentively watching a presentation on a screen, with large windows and a bright interior.

Economics

Commuter – Enrollment Closed for Summer 2026
June 22, 2026 – July 10, 2026
Expand your knowledge of critical economic issues affecting the United States and the world at one of the top-ranked economics departments in the world! Learn economic policy and analysis while building your data analysis skills.
Several small go-kart-like vehicles in blue and silver are lined up on a paved surface, accompanied by a helmet, against a brick backdrop.

Engineering Design

Commuter – Enrollment Closed for Summer 2026
June 22, 2026 – July 10, 2026
July 13, 2026 – July 31, 2026
July 13, 2026 – July 31, 2026 – Science Academy
Experience engineering design with computing while building teamwork and examining engineering majors offered at UCLA and of engineering careers.
A view of students sitting in a large lecture hall.

Introduction to Investments

Commuter – Enrollment Closed for Summer 2026
July 13, 2026 – July 31, 2026
Virtual – Enrollment Closed for Summer 2026
July 13, 2026 – July 31, 2026
Build a financial plan and learn the structure of global financial markets at one of the top-ranked economics departments in the world. Gain a financial literacy of the investing landscape in business and personal investment decisions.
A modern architectural design featuring geometric shapes in warm tones, with two people conversing near a landscaped area.

TeenArch Studio

Commuter – Enrollment Closed for Summer 2026
June 22, 2026 – July 10, 2026
Virtual – Enrollment Closed for Summer 2026
June 22, 2026 – July 10, 2026
Experience the field of architecture through hands-on design projects, landmark buildings, and LA based architectural offices. Develop your design skills in a studio environment while creating an architecture portfolio.
A diverse group of students, including a young man writing on a glass board, engaged in a collaborative learning environment.

World Politics

Virtual – Enrollment Closed for Summer 2026
July 13, 2026 – July 31, 2026
An introduction to the study of world politics and the present-day international system, including a look at how foreign policy affects issues such as human rights, environmental pollution, and economic development.