Updated May 4, 2022 | Staff Writers Show
Search ProgramsFor the average student, summer is a time for binging Netflix's latest original, mindlessly streaming music, and robotically conquering the latest video game, all while doodling on whatever blank space is nearest. But for some ambitious students, summer is an opportunity to learn to draw in an actual studio space, to create their own music or films, and even to design their own video games. It’s for these ambitious students that we found the 50 best pre-college summer arts programs for high school students. We scoured hundreds of programs organized by colleges and universities across the country, and narrowed it down to these. Our list includes a variety of program types, in a range of budget options. While some summer programs focus on a specific art form, others allow students to explore their creativity over a variety of mediums. Differences aside, each of the summer arts programs on our list practically guarantee a fun, creative, and art-filled summer! 3D Art Studio at Syracuse University
Acting and Performance Summer Institute at UCLA
Featured Online SchoolsArchitecture Program at Syracuse University
ArcStart at University of Michigan
Art as Experience: Drawing and New Media Program at Cornell University
BFA Preview at University of Michigan
Boston College Summer Challenge: Creative Writing Seminar
Clark Scholars Program at Texas Tech University
College Audition Preparation Workshop at Indiana University
Columbia University Summer Immersion
Creative Writing Institute at Georgetown University
Creative Writing Institute at Washington University in St. Louis
Dance in the City at Barnard College
Design Media Arts Summer Institute at UCLA
Digital Filmmaking Summer Institute at UCLA
The Fashion Studio: Portfolio Development at Cornell University
Game Lab Summer Institute at UCLA
Harvard University Pre-College Program
High School Summer Scholars Program at Washington University in St. Louis
Introduction to Architecture at Cornell University
The July Experience at Davidson College
Liberal Arts Intensive at Barnard College
National High School Institute at Northwestern University
Parsons Summer Intensive Studies: New York
Pre-College Art Experience at Academy of Art University
Pre-College Experience at Emory University
RISD Pre-College Program
San Francisco Art Institute PreCollege
SCAD Rising Star
Shakespeare On Stage at Cornell University
Stanford Summer Session
SUMMER@BROWN
Summer Art Intensive at NYU
Summer Art Intensive at The Cooper Union
SUMMER ART INSTITUTE AT UCLA
Summer Arts Camp at Interlochen Center for the Arts
Summer Arts Institute at Stanford University
Summer Ballet Intensive at Indiana University
Summer in the City at Barnard College
Summer Music Programs at Oberlin
Summer Pre-College Art Program at Carnegie Mellon
Summer Scholars Program at University of Notre Dame
Summer Studio at Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Summer Writing Program at Tufts University
Transmedia: Image, Sound, Motion Program at Cornell
UChicago Immersion
USC Summer ProgramsEvery summer, the top-ranked University of Southern California hosts high school students on its campus as part of its summer college immersion program. Students can choose to experience life as a college student in either the four-week credit-earning or the two-week non-credit program. Arts-themed courses include “Exploration of Architecture,” “Guitar Seminar,” “Creative Writing Workshop,” “Comedy Performance,” and much more. Vanderbilt Summer Academy
Writing Program at Syracuse University
Young Shakespeare Camps at the College of William and Mary
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