8 Harvard Summer Programs for High School Students - PrepMaven (2024)

Bonus Material:PrepMaven’s Summer Calendar

Every summer, Harvard hosts a handful of summer programs for high school students. Such programs give participants an opportunity to experience Harvard’s campus, pre-college life, and exceptional academics.

Some of these programs will be online for 2022, but many are still up and running.

We’ve compiled all of the current Harvard summer programs for high school students in this post, including application and session details.

We’ve also added Harvard’s high school summer programs to our free Summer 2022 Calendar, a growing list of summer programs at elite U.S. institutions like NYU and Princeton in one easy-to-use spreadsheet. Grab it below!

Here’s what we cover:

• Harvard Summer Programs for High School Students
  • Harvard Pre-College Program
  • Secondary School Program
  • Harvard Academies @ Home
• Bonus: PrepMaven’s Summer Calendar

Harvard Summer Programs for High School Students

Harvard offers three dedicated summer programs for high school students every year. These programs are sponsored by the university and, when held in-person, are on campus.

1. Harvard Pre-College Program
2. Harvard Secondary School Program
3. Harvard Academies @ Home

Note: Harvard University emphasizes that attendance of these programs does not guarantee admission to Harvard. However, “attending Harvard Summer School and performing well will strengthen your application to any college or university. Additionally, the Secondary School Program offers many opportunities designed to help you navigate the college application process, gain admission to the college of your choice, and enhance your performance in a college setting.“

Harvard’s Pre-College Program

High school students seeking an immersive summer enrichment program can participate in Harvard’s Pre-College Program. This program is well-suited for academically driven, mature high school students. Over the course of 2 weeks, pre-college participants take one non-credit course and engage in a wide variety of co-curricular activities with their peers.

At the end of the program, students receive a written evaluation from instructors, which can be an excellent supplement to their college applications.

Students choose from 30 courses, which span the following categories:

• Business and Leadership
• STEAM
• Race, Gender, and Ethics
• Speech, Writing, and Literature
• Psychology, Medicine, and Public Health
• Law, Politics, Philosophy, and History

Find the full course catalog here.

• Program Cost: $4,950 + $75 application fee (limited scholarships available)
• Program Length: 2 weeks, 3 sessions to choose from
  • Session 1: June 26-July 8
  • Session 2: July 10-July 22
  • Session 3: July 24-August 5
• Application Deadline: May 11, 2022
• Online/in-person: Will be in-person for summer 2022

The Secondary School Program

For high school students seeking a longer summer enrichment program, consider Harvard’s flexible, 7-week Secondary School Program. Program participants choose from over 200 courses and earn college credit for the classes they take, which are led by Harvard faculty.

Many of the Secondary School Program’s courses emphasize career pathways, giving students a chance to pinpoint what they want to study in college. Participants get access to advising services to ensure they’re signing up for the best courses given their individual interests.

2022 career pathway courses span the following categories:

• Animal Transgenesis: A Laboratory Primer on Genetics
• Becoming a Brain Scientist: Neuroscience and Psychology Research
• Basic Journalism in the Digital Age
• Connecting to the World Through Chemistry
• Introduction to Entrepreneurship
• Problem Solving and Project Design
• Start-Ups from the Perspective of Business and IP Law

Find the full course catalog here.

• Program Cost: $3,300–$13,200 + $75 non-refundable application fee (financial aid awards available)
• Program Length: 7 weeks, June 18 – August 6, 2022
• Application Deadlines: January 26 (early) // March 2 (regular) // May 11 (late rolling)
• Online/in-person: Both online and in-person are available for 2022

Harvard Academies @ Home

The Harvard Academies give high school students a chance to learn from Harvard undergraduate instructors. Through rigorous curriculum and hands-on experience, Academies participants can take a deep dive into academic subjects that interest them. In 2022, both online and on-campus options are available.

Academies participants seeking an on-campus experience in 2022 can choose between Business, Coding, and Pre-Medical studies. Online offerings also include Pre-Law and Politics. The program is designed to connect high school students with mentors who are current Harvard undergraduate students.

Business Academy

With Harvard’s Business Academy, participants learn everything they need to know about launching their very own business. From brainstorming ideas to creating a business plan, program attendants explore all steps in the entrepreneurial timeline. Participants pitch their business at the end of the program.

• Program Cost: $400 online // $800 in-person
• Program Length: 5 days, multiple session dates
• Application Deadline: Registration Ongoing
• Online/in-person: Online or in-person

Business Consulting Academy

Understand what it takes to be a successful business consultant at Harvard’s Business Consulting Academy. Learn the ins and outs of market sizing, mergers and acquisitions, profit and loss, and much more over the course of two weekends. Participants will also analyze Harvard Business School case studies.

• Program Cost: $400
• Program Length: 5 days, multiple session dates
• Application Deadline: Registration Ongoing
• Online/in-person: Online

Coding Academy

Through Harvard’s Coding Academies, participants learn either the fundamentals of coding (Coding Level 1) or foundations in web development (Coding Level 2). Come away proficient in Python (Level 1) and React (Level 2).

• Program Cost: $400 for Level 1 online // $450 for Level 2 online // $800 for Level 1 in-person
• Program Length: 5 days, multiple session dates
• Application Deadline: Registration Ongoing
• Online/in-person: Online or in-person

Politics Academy

The Politics Academy @ Home offers high school students interested in politics a deep dive into this subject’s core principles, including theory, campaign management, and international relations. Students collaborate with peers on a policy project, and the program culminates in presentations of this research.

• Program Cost: $400
• Program Length: 5 days, multiple session dates
• Application Deadline: Registration Ongoing
• Online/in-person: Online

Pre-Law Academy

High school students who are passionate about law will find much to love about Harvard’s Pre-Law Academy. Examine landmark U.S. court cases, due process of law, and what it takes to prepare for the LSAT and beyond. Acquire the skills you need to become a pre-law student.

• Program Cost: $400
• Program Length: 5 days, multiple session dates
• Application Deadline: Registration Ongoing
• Online/in-person: Online

Pre-Med Academy

Considering a pre-med track in college? Harvard’s Pre-Med Academy gives high school students passionate about medicine a thorough introduction to pre-med curriculum (Level 1) and emergency room patient care (Level 2). The Level 1 Academy also introduces students to the MCAT process.

• Program Cost: $400 for Level 1 online // $450 for Level 2 online // $800 for Level 1 in-person // $850 for Level 2 in-person
• Program Length: 5 days, multiple session dates
• Application Deadline: Registration Ongoing
• Online/in-person: Online or in-person

Download PrepMaven’s Summer Calendar

High school students have a lot to choose from when it comes to summer programs this 2022, both online and in-person. Given that college applications often ask students how they’ve spent their high school summers, these programs can be fantastic means of filling those summer months.

We created PrepMaven’s free Summer Calendar with this in mind. Our calendar compiles competitive summer programs for high school students in one simple spreadsheet!

Here’s what you’ll get:

• An organized list of Harvard Summer Programs for 2022
• Additional summer programs for 2022, including NYU, Stanford, and Princeton summer programs
• Session start and end dates
• Relevant links

Greg Wong and Kevin Wong

Greg and Kevin are brothers and the co-founders of PrepMaven and Princeton Tutoring. Theyare Princeton engineering graduates with over 20 years of education experience. They apply their data and research-backed problem solving skills to the college preparation and test prep process. Their unique approach places a heavy emphasis on personal development, character, and service as key components of college admissions success.