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Precollege Summer Institutes

Earn college credit while advancing your skills in an area of study

Overhead shot of students working together in a classroom on a project.

Where classroom knowledge meets real-world experience

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.

Residential
and Nonresidential
Options Available

Residential

Programs with a mandatory residential plan provide an opportunity to experience college residential life. Participants are housed in our UCLA residential community, the Hill, designed to support the academic success and personal growth of our students with state-of-the-art study spaces and amenities. The Hill is conveniently located within easy walking distance of classrooms, libraries, sports facilities, and world-renowned art and cultural happenings.

The plan features two meals a day in our award-winning UCLA dining halls, ranked #1 Best College Food in America by Niche. Take a look at the life on the Hill, your home away from home! For details and additional information including supervision, see Parent/Guardian FAQ.

Nonresidential

Nonresidential programs allow students to join our UCLA community without any additional residential expenses. For programs meeting on campus, participants may access a vast array of UCLA facilities and resources outside of program activities. Among these include numerous cafes and dining areas, botanical and sculpture gardens, open lawn, and outdoor sitting areas to study, connect, and recharge.

Explore our world-renowned Center for the Art of Performance as well as the Fowler and Hammer museums to see fascinating art exhibits, forums, lectures and screenings. UCLA offers endless of ways to expand your creative horizons. For details and additional information including supervision, see Parent/Guardian FAQ.

2022 Precollege Summer Institutes

Six students dressed in black stand in a dim performance studio with a black floor.

Acting and Performance Summer Institute

June 20, 2022 – July 9, 2022
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.
A student in a white lab coat, protective glasses and gloves pours a red liquid from a cup into a beaker.

Applications of Nanoscience Summer Institute

July 11, 2022 – July 22, 2022
Work on a team to propose a scientific research project utilizing current approaches in the field of nanoscience and technical journal articles.
A female student in an art studio holds a paintbrush to a painting of three women.

Art Summer Institute

July 5, 2022 – July 15, 2022
July 18, 2022 – July 29, 2022
Hone your artistic skills in areas such as painting, drawing, photography, video art, or sculpture, or artistic voice. Sessions include studio work, lectures, presentations, and a final art exhibition.
A female student looks at a camera that's facing another female student as the subject, with the subject visible in the camera's preview screen.

Camera Acting Summer Institute

Jun 26, 2022 – July 9, 2022
July 10, 2022 – July 23, 2022
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.
Female student sitting at desk and typing on laptop with other students

Cinematography Summer Institute

August 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022
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…
A student wears headphones and looks at a computer screen in a computer lab with colorful posters on the walls. Two other students can be seen in the background.

Computer Science Summer Institute – Intermediate Track

July 10, 2022 – July 30, 2022
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.
Closeup of a male student wearing white headphones looking at a computer.

Computer Science Summer Institute – Introductory Track

June 20, 2022 – July 9, 2022
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.
A male student stands in a classroom holding a notebook and pen with three students sitting next to him with notebooks on their laps, one looking up at him.

Critical Thinking Summer Institute

June 26, 2022 – July 9, 2022
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.
Overhead view of seven students working at a large table covered with colored paper, notebooks, rulers and other art supplies

Design Media Arts Summer Institute

July 10, 2022 – July 23, 2022
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.
Two female students and two male students operate a camera on a tripod on the UCLA campus.

Digital Filmmaking Summer Institute

June 26, 2022 – July 9, 2022
July 24, 2022 – August 6, 2022
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.

Economics Summer Institute

July 10, 2022 – July 30, 2022
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.
Four teenagers wearing matching white and blue T-shirts look at a computer, with blue, purple and pink lighting around them.

Engineering Design Summer Institute

June 26, 2022 – July 16, 2022
July 17, 2022 – August 6, 2022
Experience engineering design with computing while building teamwork and examining engineering majors offered at UCLA and of engineering careers.
A female instructor stands behind a female student wearing headphones at a computer in a computer lab, smiling and pointing at her screen.

Game Lab Summer Institute

July 11, 2022 – July 22, 2022
July 24, 2022 – August 6, 2022
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.
Students standing close together with arms outstretched, doing movement exercises in a dance studio.

Hip Hop / Street Dance Summer Institute

June 26, 2022 – July 2, 2022
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.
Eleven students sitting next to each other on a low wall in front of trees, smiling, with their legs dangling.

Immersive International Studies Summer Institute

July 11, 2022 – July 15, 2022
July 18, 2022 – July 22, 2022
Bring the roles of historical characters to life with pivotal moments in history and government. Utilizing innovative pedagogy of Reacting to the Past, use critical thinking, primary source analysis, and argumentation.
Students sit in folding chairs in a room with white walls and student artwork hung on the walls, facing two students who are standing in the front of the room.

International Development Summer Institute

June 27, 2022 – July 16, 2022
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.
A view of students sitting in a large lecture hall.

Introduction to Investments Summer Institute

June 20, 2022 – July 9, 2022
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.

Live Performance & Media Summer Institute

June 26, 2022 – July 16, 2022
Gain a 360 degree understanding of the development, pre-production, rehearsal, and/or production processes for live performance projects incorporating emerging and/or advanced technologies.
A scenic overhead view of the UCLA campus showing Kerckhoff Hall in the foreground and the hills of Los Angeles in the background.

Media Parks: The Cinematic and Televisual History of Theme Parks

July 10, 2022 – July 23, 2022
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.
Professor speaking with a student in a laboratory.

Nanoscale Microscopy Lab Summer Institute

June 27, 2022 – July 1, 2022
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.
A student working on a piece of machinery as an instructor overlooks.

Nanoscience Lab Summer Institute

July 25, 2022 – July 29, 2022
August 1, 2022 – August 5, 2022
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.

Python for Economics and Finance Summer Institute

July 15, 2022 – August 4, 2022
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.

Stage Management Summer Institute

July 4, 2022 – July 16, 2022
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.
Three female students and one male student sit together at a table talking in a classroom, with other students in the background.

Startup UCLA: Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute

July 11, 2022 – July 22, 2022
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.

Teen ArchStudio Summer Institute

July 11, 2022 – July 29, 2022
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

July 24, 2022 – August 6, 2022
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.

Webisode Writing Summer Institute

June 21, 2022 – July 2, 2022
Classes in web writing, screenwriting, playwriting, improv, and sketch comedy allow students to create stories that can be shared across all entertainment mediums.
A smiling female student holds up a clapperboard in a coffee shop with lighting equipment in the background.

Writing for Television Precollege Summer Institute

June 21, 2022 – July 9, 2022
July 10, 2022 – July 30, 2022
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.
Three rows of students take notes and listen to an instructor standing in front of them with his back to the camera in a dark performance studio.

Writing Summer Institute – Introduction to College Writing

July 5, 2022 – July 26, 2022ly 2
Prepare for your success as a college-level writer and practice essential skills by completing writing challenges and prompts.
Four students posing in front of the Bruin bear. All four students are imitating the Bruin bear by posing with their mouths open and arms out.

Scholarship opportunities available for California high school students

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.