Start exploring Leadership & Gifted summer programs for high schoolers

Dates:

3 sessions between Jun 20–Jul 30, 2027 (2 weeks options)

Length:

2 weeks

Cost:

$7,500

Location:

New Haven, CT (Yale University)

Ages:

16-18 per program site (matches completed grades 10–11 in search filters)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Early Action Oct 15, 2026 · Regular Jan 6, 2027 · 2 days left

Two-week residential academic session at Yale in one interdisciplinary track: Innovations in Science & Technology, Politics, Law & Economics, or Solving Global Challenges.

Dates:

Jul 10–24, 2027

Length:

2 weeks

Cost:

$3,900–$4,300

Location:

Charlottesville, VA

Grades:

Sophomores, juniors, or seniors at time of application (VA residents only)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Early Action Nov 30, 2026 · Final Jan 4, 2027

Two-week residential civic leadership program at the University of Virginia for a cohort of roughly 32 Virginia high schoolers, built around three learning modules (Virginia government and politics, Virginia public policy, and advocacy skills) and culminating in a graduation ceremony; the 2027 program is not offering graded college credit.

Residency restriction: VA residents

Dates:

Jun 28–Jul 15, 2027

Length:

18 days (about 3 weeks)

Cost:

$9,750

Location:

Leiden, the Netherlands (with excursions from Amsterdam to Antwerp)

Eligibility:

Rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders (matches completed grades 9–11 in search filters)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Priority · Dec 30, 2026

Three-week seminar in Leiden for a small group of intellectually ambitious high schoolers, studying the historical and philosophical texts behind Jewish thought and the modern world in seminars of no more than ten, with museum, archive, and historic-site visits and kosher meals and Shabbat observance.

Dates:

3 sessions between Jun 21–Aug 6, 2027 (2 weeks (12 days) options)

Length:

2 weeks (12 days)

Cost:

$6,250

Location:

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Grades:

Rising juniors and seniors (graduating high school in 2028 or 2029; completed grades 10-11); 16 years old by June 13, 2027 and under 19 through July 31, 2027

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Priority Jan 13, 2027 · Regular Feb 10, 2027 · Late Mar 31, 2027

Two-week residential, noncredit program at Harvard where high school students live on campus and take one college-level course from nearly 30 options (average class size 15), with three hours of class a day plus college-readiness workshops, academic talks, social events, and trips around Boston and New England.

Dates:

Jul 22–31, 2027

Length:

10 days

Cost:

$0

Location:

Charlottesville, VA (University of Virginia)

Grades:

High school sophomores and juniors (at time of application)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Jan 19, 2027

Fully funded cultural exchange at the University of Virginia pairing 20 American high schoolers with 20 Japanese students as roommates, with daily Japanese language classes, seminar-style discussions, cultural presentations, and activities like a Japanese summer festival and karaoke night.

Dates:

2 sessions between Jun 19–Jul 21, 2027 (10-day seminar (12 days on campus) options)

Length:

10-day seminar (12 days on campus)

Cost:

$0

Location:

Notre Dame, IN (University of Notre Dame)

Grades:

Completed 11th grade

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Jan 20, 2027

Credit:

1 transferable Notre Dame credit (on satisfactory completion)

Students choose one course or track.

Dates:

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

Length:

3 weeks

Cost:

$5,150

Location:

Legon, Ghana

Grades:

Current grades 9-12

Format:

Residential (Homestay)

Deadline:

Jan 20, 2027

Students choose one course or track.

Dates:

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

Length:

3 weeks

Cost:

$5,350

Location:

Cape Town, South Africa

Grades:

Current grades 9-12

Format:

Group Housing

Deadline:

Jan 20, 2027

50 hours of hands-on community service alongside local NGOs (e.g., supporting the unhoused, hospitals, schools, or vulnerable children) framed around Nelson Mandela's legacy; includes IsiXhosa language/culture sessions. Two-day trip to Johannesburg (Mandela's House, the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill) and a boat trip to Robben Island.

Dates:

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

Length:

3 weeks

Cost:

$5,150

Location:

Merida, Mexico

Grades:

Current grades 9-12

Format:

Residential (Homestay)

Deadline:

Jan 20, 2027

50 hours of hands-on service embedded with a local NGO in Merida, working in key staff roles supporting children and families and learning about social policy, fundraising, and health initiatives. Excursions include Chichen Itza, cenote swimming, and the mangroves of El Corchito. Open to current Freshmen through Seniors.

Dates:

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

Length:

3 weeks

Cost:

$5,150

Location:

Mohammedia, Morocco

Grades:

Current grades 9-12

Format:

Residential (Homestay)

Deadline:

Jan 20, 2027

50 hours of service based out of the American Language Center (ALC), mentoring underprivileged youth, tutoring English, or running environmental projects at local schools, alongside structured discussion seminars on ethical volunteering. Overnight excursion to Marrakech, including a village visit in the Atlas Mountains and a camel ride in the Agafay Desert. No previous Arabic language experience required.

Dates:

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

Length:

3 weeks

Cost:

$5,150

Location:

Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

Grades:

Current grades 9-12

Format:

Residential (Homestay)

Deadline:

Jan 20, 2027

50 hours of service-learning with NGO Acción Callejera, running a summer camp for underprivileged local children. Visit to the Museum of Mirabal Sisters. Excursions to mountain areas and cacao farms near the coast.

Dates:

Jul 18–24, 2027

Length:

1 week

Cost:

$2,795

Location:

Smith College, Northampton, MA

Grades:

Students entering grades 11–12 in fall 2027

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Priority Feb 1, 2027 · Tuition assistance Mar 1, 2027 · Final May 1, 2027

One-week residential program at Smith College where rising juniors and seniors spend mornings building a college application, including a near-complete Common Application essay and interview practice, and afternoons in a college-level composition class.

Dates:

Jul 3–23, 2027

Length:

21 days

Cost:

$7,700–$8,700

Location:

Germany (Frankfurt, western-Germany homestay, Berlin) + Brussels & Luxembourg

Grades:

Completed 9th-12th grade (not yet in college)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Feb 15, 2027

Three-week program on international relations and the European Union, starting in Frankfurt, with a 10-day homestay attending a local German school, and visits to Berlin's Bundestag, an embassy, Brussels, and Luxembourg.

Dates:

2 sessions between Jun 20–Aug 14, 2027 (4 weeks options)

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$2,850

Location:

Harrisonburg, VA

Eligibility:

Rising 12th (matches completed grade 11 in search filters)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due February 19, 2027

Four-week leadership training program in which campers train with staff mentors, help lead activities for younger campers, and design and run an activity of their own.

Dates:

Jul 11–Aug 6, 2027

Length:

4 weeks (weekdays residential)

Cost:

$0

Location:

Worcester, MA (UMass Chan Medical School; housing at Worcester State University)

Grades:

Completed 10th-11th grade (Massachusetts residents)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Mar 1, 2027

Free four-week residential program at UMass Chan Medical School for Massachusetts high schoolers, combining biology, math, and English enrichment with a health equity research project, clinical exposure, and job shadowing.

Residency restriction: MA residents

Dates:

Jun 27–Jul 3, 2027

Length:

1 week (7 days)

Cost:

$985–$1,785

Location:

Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

Eligibility:

Current high school students graduating in 2028, 2029, or 2030 (matches completed grades 9–11 in search filters)

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

Apr 1, 2027

One-week introduction to college academics at Washington University in St. Louis with daily lectures and discussions previewing undergraduate classes, college advising workshops to build an application plan, and afternoon workshops on traits such as curiosity, growth mindset, and leadership.

Dates:

2 sessions between Jul 8–Jul 28, 2027 (2 weeks and 3 weeks options)

Length:

2 weeks–3 weeks

Cost:

$4,725–$6,725

Location:

Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica (with excursions)

Ages:

14-18 per program site (matches completed grades 8–12 in search filters)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Priority · Registration Apr 1, 2027

Several versions of this program.

Dates:

2 sessions between Jun 18–Jul 7, 2027 (2 weeks and 3 weeks options)

Length:

2 weeks–3 weeks

Cost:

$4,825–$6,550

Location:

Cuenca, Ecuador (with excursions)

Ages:

14-18 per program site (matches completed grades 8–12 in search filters)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Priority · Registration Apr 1, 2027

Several versions of this program.

Dates:

Jul 11–24, 2027

Length:

2 weeks (14 days)

Cost:

$4,185

Location:

Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

Eligibility:

Current high school students graduating in 2028, 2029, or 2030 (matches completed grades 9–11 in search filters)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Apr 1, 2027

Two-week residential, non-lab advanced research program at Washington University in St. Louis for students with prior research experience, focused on research design, data analysis, and argument, with faculty presentations, tours of WashU research centers, and site visits to local research institutions.

Dates:

Jun 13–26, 2027

Length:

2 weeks (14 days)

Cost:

$4,185

Location:

Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

Eligibility:

Current high school students graduating in 2028, 2029, or 2030 (matches completed grades 9–11 in search filters)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Apr 1, 2027

Two-week residential, non-lab introduction to research at Washington University in St. Louis for students new to research, who explore research methods across disciplines and work with primary and secondary sources on a topic of their choice in a class of 15–20.

Dates:

2 sessions between Jun 18–Jul 28, 2027 (4 weeks and 6 weeks options)

Length:

4 weeks–6 weeks

Cost:

$8,995–$12,250

Location:

Cuenca, Ecuador and Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica

Ages:

14-18 per program site (matches completed grades 8–12 in search filters)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Priority · Registration Apr 1, 2027

Several versions of this program.

Dates:

Jul 19–Aug 27, 2027 (Mon–Fri half days)

Length:

6 weeks of Monday–Friday half-day seminars

Cost:

$775

Location:

Edmonds, WA (Sunset Bay beach)

Grades:

High school grades 10-12

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Apr 30, 2027

Six-week series of half-day, small-group law seminars for high schoolers taught by attorney parents at the beach - U.S. justice system, negotiation, expert witnesses, juvenile justice, in-house corporate law, and accident law - with mock negotiations, staged accidents, and role play.

Dates:

Jul 19–23, 2027

Length:

1 week

Cost:

$1,000

Location:

Garden City, NY

Eligibility:

Rising 9th–12th Graders (matches completed grades 8–11 in search filters)

Format:

Commuter

Students choose one course or track.

Dates:

2 sessions between Jul 9–Jul 24, 2027 (5 days and 7 days options)

Length:

5 days–7 days

Cost:

$1,999–$4,399

Location:

London, England (University of London, College Hall)

Grades:

Completing grades 9-12

Format:

Residential / Commuter

Students choose one course or track.