Design and pitch your own social impact organization

In the first half of the program, students will learn the basics of researching and creating a mission-oriented venture. In the second half of the program, students will put that knowledge into action by creating their own ventures. Students will form teams to work on their startup ideas. Each team will prepare a 5-minute pitch to present to a panel of entrepreneurs and investors for feedback.

Applications are reviewed and admission to the program is granted on a rolling basis starting February 15th. Applying at your earliest convenience, prior to June 13th, is highly recommended.

The program has application requirements for admission. Eligible applicants who successfully submit all requirements will be reviewed and notified via email of an admission decision within 3 weeks.

Applicants are required to provide the following during the online registration process:

• An unofficial transcript from grade 9 to present reflecting a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher
  • If your school transcript utilizes a different grading system, please submit your transcript as is. If available, please attach a translation/equivalency guide.
  • INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: If you are an international student, a transcript refers to your complete secondary academic record. To learn more about converting your grades into a US-based GPA, please click here.
    • If your school has a translation/equivalency guide, please also include it with your transcript. If you do not have a translation/equivalency guide, please still submit your most up-to-date transcript as is for staff to review.
• Value statement: At the time of registration, ALL applicants will be prompted to submit a few short sentences reflecting on their pursuit of participation in a UCLA Precollege Summer Institute. Please note that students are strongly discouraged from relying on ChatGpt/AI tools for their application responses and are encouraged to submit original and authentic answers.
• Short essays answering each of the following prompts:
  • Why are you applying for this program? What interests you about social entrepreneurship? (250 words or less)
  • What strengths would you bring in terms of skills, passion, and knowledge to the program? (250 words or less)
  • Do you have any experience with social entrepreneurship, such as working or volunteering with a non-profit or a business involved in social impact? (optional, 125 words or less)

The Startup UCLA: Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute (Virtual) – Session A & D will be conducted virtually (online). All meeting times will take place in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), unless otherwise noted on program schedule and syllabus. Participants must log-in to virtual sessions at the times indicated on the program schedule.

Students in the virtual program will not be offered housing.

Due to the intense nature of the Startup UCLA: Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute and the time commitment involved, living in on-campus housing is mandatory for session B and C.

All residential precollege program tracks also feature scheduled non-curricular evening and weekend activities that all residential track students are expected to participate in. The nature of these scheduled activities is at the sole discretion of the individual academic department offering the program, and are not operated by UCLA Summer Sessions. To learn more about when your selected program will host such activities, please consult the schedules for each program, or contact the department in question directly: rjadon@college.ucla.edu.

Most of our residential precollege programs will hold check-in on the Sunday before the start of the program between 4-6pm, and hold check-out the Saturday after the final day of class at 11am. Please contact the department in question directly to confirm check-in and check-out times: rjadon@college.ucla.edu.

For more information on UCLA housing precollege programs, please see the Housing for Minors page.

Coursework

CESC 98A; 2 units

Grading Basis

Students will be graded on a Pass/No Pass basis upon completion. See University Credit, Grades and Transcripts for more information about academic credit.

In order to successfully complete the program, students must not have more than 2 excused or unexcused absences.

UCLA Summer Sessions Summer Scholars Support

Qualified students attending grades 9th – 11th in Spring 2025 in the state of California may be eligible for Summer Scholars Support, a need- and merit-based scholarship offered by the UCLA Summer Sessions Office. Students must be 15 years old by the first day of Summer Sessions 2025 on June 23rd in order to participate in a Precollege Summer Institute and/or apply for Summer Scholars Support. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available to support enrollment in SCIP/eSCIP, one Summer Course, or a Precollege Summer Institute.

Summer 2025 deadline to apply: March 15.