Start exploring Los Angeles summer programs

Dates:

Jul 5–31, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

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

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (UCLA campus)

Grades:

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

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due Feb 5, 2027

How brains and artificial neural networks learn, from memory and sleep to machine consciousness: morning lectures link neuroscience and machine learning, and afternoon Python labs build networks that model brain circuits or recognize images.

Residency restriction: CA residents

Dates:

Jul 5–31, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

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

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (UCLA campus)

Grades:

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

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due Feb 5, 2027

How Internet of Things sensors and data science work together, from collecting and cleaning sensor data to cloud-based predictive models over WiFi, Bluetooth, LoRa and RFID, ending in a capstone ESP32 system that analyzes real-world data.

Residency restriction: CA residents

Dates:

Jul 5–31, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

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

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (UCLA campus)

Grades:

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

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due Feb 5, 2027

How plants and ecosystems shape carbon, water and climate, using plant physiology lab techniques, urban ecology methods and satellite data, with group projects ending in a poster, presentation and game. Possible field trips include the Huntington and a UC nature reserve.

Residency restriction: CA residents

Dates:

Jul 5–31, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

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

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (UCLA campus)

Grades:

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

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due Feb 5, 2027

Sustainability frameworks, carbon capture and hydrogen production, storage and safety, with hydrogen demonstrations, building small fuel-cell vehicles for a competition, and simulations; field trips to a hydrogen home and fueling stations.

Residency restriction: CA residents

Dates:

Jul 5–31, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

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

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (UCLA campus)

Grades:

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

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due Feb 5, 2027

Mechatronics (electronics, microcontrollers, sensors and control) and rocket engineering, with team projects from LED blinkers to self-balancing robot cars, wind tunnel tests, motor thrust tests and building and launching rockets.

Residency restriction: CA residents

Dates:

Jul 5–31, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

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

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (UCLA campus)

Grades:

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

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due Feb 5, 2027

How machines produce and recognize speech and images, two weeks on each, with students building their own AI algorithms on real medical and entertainment data. Field trips include UCLA Hospital and a Hollywood studio that uses AI.

Residency restriction: CA residents

Dates:

Jul 5–31, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

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

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (UCLA campus)

Grades:

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

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due Feb 5, 2027

General and organic chemistry with hands-on infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, chromatography and NMR, plus synthesis techniques, ending in identifying an unknown compound. Possible field trips include Scripps Research and the Salk Institute.

Residency restriction: CA residents

Dates:

Jul 5–31, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

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

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (UCLA campus)

Grades:

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

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due Feb 5, 2027

How data is stored, protected, compressed and sent wirelessly, with daily Python labs and a final project transmitting an image across campus with software-defined radios. Field trips include Google, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and UCLA's original internet lab.

Residency restriction: CA residents

Dates:

Jul 5–31, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

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

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (UCLA campus)

Grades:

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

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due Feb 5, 2027

Computational biology from gene prediction and protein sequence comparison to phylogenetic trees and AI protein structure prediction, using real datasets in afternoon labs and ending in a team poster and talk on specific genes and proteins.

Residency restriction: CA residents

Dates:

Jun 14 – Aug 6, 2027

Length:

8 weeks (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm)

Cost:

$0

Location:

The Lundquist Institute, Torrance, CA

Grades:

Rising juniors and seniors at Los Angeles County high schools (completed grades 10–11)

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Feb 19, 2027

An eight-week biomedical research program where students train hands-on with Lundquist faculty in one of four research hubs and carry out an intensive research project that ends with a presentation.

Residency restriction: Los Angeles County students only

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

In this course, participants will learn how researchers, pharmaceutical companies, regulatory agencies and healthcare innovators are using AI to accelerate the development of safer and more effective therapies.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

"Bitcoin and AI" begins with monetary history and an overview of today’s dollar-based financial system, then explores Bitcoin’s origins and technical components, including public-key cryptography and mining. Participants will learn about AI’s rapid introduction into the global economy — as well as the industries it will disrupt for years to come.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

This course examines how business owners, entrepreneurs and innovators can counter climate change and other environmental damage through key changes to the global economy.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

No prior creative writing experience is required. Throughout this course, we’ll experiment with four creative writing genres: poetry, creative nonfiction, flash fiction and short stories. We’ll also read the works of successful writers, learn various literary techniques and develop our writing voices through constructive feedback.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

In this interdisciplinary course, participants will learn to produce and analyze digital content in our age of unprecedented information. They’ll also examine the effects of online democratization, which has elevated previously marginalized voices while also amplifying misinformation.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

In the "Discover Engineering" course, participants will explore various disciplines of engineering through academic lectures and classroom discussions. They’ll also gain practical experience through hands-on projects that involve designing, building and testing, and learn how to conduct research using design thinking and the engineering design process.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

In this course, we will consider urgent moral questions while engaging with influential philosophical texts, documentary films and news media. Participants will articulate and defend their positions in structured, respectful debates.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

In "Exploration of Architecture," participants will imagine, draw, discover, examine and analyze architecturally impactful places and buildings. Led by prominent USC School of Architecture faculty, this pre-college program features a mix of hands-on assignments, lectures, building tours and insightful conversations with practicing architects.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

Blending theory and practice, this course introduces high schoolers to the challenges and rewards of building a business. Entrepreneurship is about finding your passions and talents and putting them to work in a changing marketplace. It’s also about challenge, persistence and generating market impact by creating new execution strategies for doing old things in new ways.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

"Global Health" takes a broad, multidisciplinary approach and explores how medicine, public health, international relations, economics and other disciplines must be integrated to save lives worldwide. Participants will examine historical and current examples of infectious disease outbreaks, and learn the strategies used to predict, detect, control and prevent infectious disease outbreaks locally and worldwide.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

Participants in this course spend much of their time in a lab setting, breaking into small groups to drill and practice new information and concepts. Assignments and repertoire are consciously chosen to meet high schoolers at their various levels, while growing their skills. Participants will take master classes with USC Thornton’s studio guitar faculty, as well as field trips to Los Angeles’s local music venues.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

Participants explore how the entertainment industry turns an idea into a finished project, covering intellectual property, financing, and opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups, with talks from working industry professionals.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

In this international relations summer program for high school students, you’ll learn to critically analyze international events through the lens of international relations theory. There will be a number of conflict areas to explore and examine, from the causes of war to the challenge of environmental degradation.

Dates:

Jun 21 – Jul 16, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$8,371–$11,946

Location:

Los Angeles, CA (USC University Park campus)

Grades:

High school students who have completed 9th–11th grade

Format:

Commuter / Residential

Deadline:

International due Mar 12, 2027 · Domestic due May 7, 2027

Credit:

3 units of USC elective credit

In this course, you will develop conceptual and practical knowledge of managing a small business and the resources needed to sustain and grow that business. We’ll get an insider’s look at how entertainment and sports really work in Los Angeles, while connecting with world-leading USC faculty and industry experts who bring real-world business into the classroom.