Start exploring Game design summer programs for 10th graders

Dates:

Jul 11–Aug 7, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$12,552

Location:

New York, NY (NYU, Greenwich Village/Brooklyn housing)

Grades:

Completed 10th-11th grade

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Dec 1, 2026

Credit:

6 NYU credits (letter-graded)

Students live in NYU housing and spend the four weeks in one arts course on a schedule drawn from the Tisch undergraduate curriculum, finishing with a presentation, open class, or showing of their work. Four-week residential course in Game Design at NYU Tisch, earning 6 NYU credits.

Dates:

2 sessions between Jun 16–Jul 28, 2027 (3 weeks options)

Length:

3 weeks

Cost:

$7,200

Location:

Kyoto, Japan

Grades:

Current grades 9-12

Format:

Group Housing

Deadline:

Jan 20, 2027

Storyboarding, coding, and animation classes; students build a video game prototype and present it to a panel of industry experts. Tour of the Ritsumeikan Center for Game Studies. Excursions to Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Nara.

Dates:

Jun 26–Aug 7, 2027

Length:

6 weeks

Cost:

$13,281

Location:

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Grades:

Students between 10th and 11th or 11th and 12th grade in summer 2027, age 16 by June 26, 2027; B (3.0) average (completed grades 10–11)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Scholarship Feb 1, 2027 · Final Mar 1, 2027

Six-week residential game development program at Carnegie Mellon where students train in Unity programming, 2D and 3D art, game design, sound design, and storytelling, then work in teams of five or six to build two games, including an original prototype for their portfolio.

Dates:

Jul 5–31, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$5,518 (2026 pricing; housing, meals and field trips)

Location:

Santa Cruz, CA (UC Santa Cruz campus)

Grades:

Rising 9th–12th graders attending high school in California (completed grades 8–11)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due Feb 5, 2027

Computer science and game design principles through courses on the science of game design and on game graphics and AI, covering both the technical and design sides of building a game.

Residency restriction: CA residents

Dates:

Jun 25–Aug 6, 2027

Length:

6 weeks

Cost:

$10,156–$34,434

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

Completed 10th-12th grade (ages 16+)

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International Mar 15, 2027 · U.S. Apr 15, 2027

Credit:

4–12 USC college units

College-credit film program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Students take 4–12 units of courses in production, screenwriting, animation, editing, game design, or the entertainment business.

Dates:

Jul 25–30, 2027

Length:

6 days

Cost:

$2,100

Location:

University of Texas at Austin (Gates Dell Complex), Austin, TX

Grades:

Entering 10th–12th grade (fall 2027) (completed grades 9–11)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

First-come until seats fill

Six-day residential game development academy at UT Austin Computer Science where students build a playable web-based game in teams using Godot and GDScript, learn how design studios work, and hear from UT faculty, industry professionals, and UT admissions.

Dates:

Jun 28 – Jul 2, 2027

Length:

1 week

Cost:

$795

Location:

Worcester, MA

Grades:

Rising 9th-11th graders (completed grades 8–10)

Format:

Commuter

One-week day program for high schoolers applying technology and research tools to real-world STEM challenges (robotics, video game design, forensics, aerospace, etc.); students choose one course track for the week.

Dates:

2 sessions between Jun 27–Jul 23, 2027 (2 weeks options)

Length:

2 weeks

Cost:

$2,998–$5,798

Location:

Durham, NC (Duke University)

Grades:

Completed 8th-12th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Two-week academic program at Duke University. Students spend the session in one course, with excursions and college-readiness workshops.