Qualified students attending grades 8th – 11th in Spring 2020 in California are eligible for Summer Scholars Support, a need and merit based scholarship offered by the UCLA Summer Sessions Office. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available.
Precollege Summer Institutes
Earn college credit while advancing your skills in an area of study
Where classroom knowledge meets real-world experience
As the only official academic precollege programs offered by UCLA, Precollege Summer Institutes provide motivated and driven high school students the opportunity to earn college credit in one to three weeks while advancing their academic career and abilities in an area of study of their interest. 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 Precollege Summer Institutes 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.
Please visit the Precollege Summer Institute Bruin Guide for more information.
Please note: the information on the website currently reflects Summer 2024. 2025 programs and dates will be posted in late 2024. APPLICATIONS and ENROLLMENT will open in early 2025. If you would like to stay informed about Summer 2025, please sign up for updates.
2024 Precollege Summer Institutes
Acting and Performance Summer Institute
If you dream of performing on Broadway or in an award-winning film, advance your training! Learn performance technique to exhibit in a final stage performance.
Applications of Nanoscience Summer Institute
Work on a team to propose a scientific research project utilizing current approaches in the field of nanoscience and technical journal articles.
Art Summer Institute
Hone your artistic skills in areas such as painting, drawing, photography, video art, sculpture, or artistic voice. Sessions include studio work, lectures, presentations, and a final art exhibition.
Camera Acting Summer Institute
Learn the process of relating to the camera lens and approaches to understanding a script to prepare for and connect in an audition. You’ll learn the technical components of acting for the camera while writing and filming your own content, including self-tapes.
Computer Science Summer Institute – Intermediate Track
The Intermediate Track includes topics such as critical concepts and skills in computer programming related to statistical inference, with hands-on analysis of real-world datasets including economic data, health data, geographical data, and social networks.
Computer Science Summer Institute – Introductory Track
The Introductory Track provides a unique combination of coursework, a coding bootcamp, and lab touring experiences. This track is designed for students who do not have prior programming experience.
Content Creation & Scriptwriting Summer Institute
Classes in web writing, screenwriting, playwriting, improv, and sketch comedy allow students to create stories that can be shared across all entertainment mediums.
Critical Thinking Summer Institute
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.
Design Innovation Summer Institute – Costume Design
Gain hands-on experience in research, sketching costumes, and creating mood boards and color palettes.
Design Innovation Summer Institute – Lighting and Sound
Explore the art of light and sound for the theater. Learn the technical components and the art of collaboration while expressing creative intent.
Design Innovation Summer Institute – Scenic
A unique opportunity to examine the process of scenic design and discover how we can tell stories through visual research, sketches, and model design.
Design Media Arts Summer Institute
Step into the world of media arts and learn the fundamentals of design within the mediums of graphic, web, game, and audio-visual media. Develop projects and build portfolios using cutting-edge software and technology.
Economics Summer Institute
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.
Engineering Design Summer Institute
Experience engineering design with computing while building teamwork and examining engineering majors offered at UCLA and of engineering careers.
Film and Television Summer Institute – Cinematography
Demystify the concepts, creativity, and technique of cinematic lighting through a combination of lectures and hands-on lighting exercises. Working on UCLA sound stages with the latest digital cinema cameras and lighting equipment, explore…
Film and Television Summer Institute – Digital Filmmaking
Take your film projects to the next level by enhancing your understanding of the aesthetic, creative, and logistical decisions in filmmaking. Develop creativity and technique in cinematic storytelling for entertaining narrative projects.
Film and Television Summer Institute – Media Parks: The Cinematic and Televisual History of Theme Parks
Examine the contexts and shared histories of theme parks and screen media, and investigate how these cultural phenomena are shaping one another in today’s media landscape.
Film and Television Summer Institute – Writing for TV: Big Ideas for the Small Screen
Get an introduction to professional TV writing by learning how to develop original series concepts and navigate the contemporary marketplace. Identify and capture the tone, characters, dialogue, and themes that makes stories unique.
Film and Television Summer Institute – Traditional Animation
Expand your imagination by learning how to storyboard, write, and draw your own, unique animation film.
Game Lab Summer Institute
Create games and game art that express a personal artistic vision through technological expertise. Learn the foundations of game aesthetics, context, and genres in the game development process.
Hip Hop / Street Dance Summer Institute
The artistic mediums of dance, choreography, and music blend with social activism in this award-winning program. Choreograph and give a final performance to show how art can be a force for social change.
International Development Summer Institute
Are you passionate about developing strategies to address critical world issues? Through guided discussions and a project incubator lab, you will develop policy memos, models, and interventions in ways that are economically, environmentally, and culturally sustainable.
Introduction to Investments Summer Institute
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.
Mock Trial Summer Institute
Experience an intensive introduction to the nation’s legal system that culminates in a public mock trial presentation.
Musical Theater Summer Institute
Advance your skills in acting, singing, and dancing through invigorating classes and guest workshops.
Nanoscale Microscopy Lab Summer Institute
Learn about scientific imaging, fluorescence microscopy, scanning probe microscopy, and electron microscopy. This program provides a foundational knowledge to a key element in the scientific method of observation.
Nanoscience Lab Summer Institute
In collaboration with the California NanoSystems Institute, explore technologies and diverse topics of bio-toxicity, supercapacitors, and photolithography. Designed for students with a strong science foundation in chemistry, physics, and biology.
Pit Orchestra Summer Institute
Experience the blend of stage performance and pit that creates theatrical magic. Join other dedicated musicians to help convey the musical themes, emotions, and drama of productions through accompanying instrumentation.
Political Science Summer Institute
An introduction to American politics that will develop your critical thinking & writing skills, and expose you to the myriad careers one can pursue with a Political Science degree.
Python for Economics and Finance Summer Institute
This course is a basic introduction to Python for basic data exploration, analysis, and visualization. Students will learn about data types and focus on analysis through a hands-on approach.
Sci | Art Lab + Studio Summer Institute
Connect cutting-edge scientific research, popular culture, and contemporary arts in this unique exploration of science and art.
Social Software Summer Institute
Express your creativity and explore the relationship between art, software and coding through the Art & AI learning track.
Stage Management Summer Institute
Step behind the curtain and into the exciting behind-the-scenes world of the performing arts! Learn the ins and outs of theatre production through workshops and other hands-on activities.
Startup UCLA: Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute
Learn the basics of starting, building, and running non-profit social good organizations and social impact businesses. Topics include social entrepreneurship, social enterprises and non-profits.
TeenArch Studio Summer Institute
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.
Voiceover Camera Acting Summer Institute
Tell a story using your voice in the voiceover environment and on camera. Learn the technical components of acting for the microphone and the camera while gaining hands-on experience on content for a demo reel and self-tape audition.
World Politics Summer Institute
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.
