About Summer College

Overview

Explore

Life is full of questions: Where will you go to college and what will it be like? What will you major in? Will the coursework be tough? Can you make it? And, before you know it: Which career will you pursue? These questions can be daunting, especially if you're a high school student who cares about your future.

At Cornell University Summer College, we'll help you explore, and perhaps answer, some of these questions while you're still in high school.

Experience

Within our challenging but supportive environment, you'll experience the excitement of college life at Cornell. You'll learn your way around our gorgeous Ivy League campus, practice living with a roommate, and get to know fascinating people from around the world. When you graduate from the program, we hope you'll leave with the confidence that you can succeed at college.

Discover

Want to study the stars? Design an eco-friendly building? Debate the death penalty? Dive into college calculus? Write compelling short stories? Do real research? Prepare for a career in medicine? You can do all this and more at Summer College.

Through inspiring Cornell courses and career exploration, you’ll investigate possible majors and careers—before you have to choose one. By studying with some of the best faculty around, and alongside undergraduates, you’ll discover what’s expected of you at the college level. Yes, the coursework is tough, but it’s also very rewarding. And because at Cornell’s award-winning Summer College you’ll earn real college credits, you might even be able to get a head start on your undergraduate degree.

Focus

Thanks to our college fair, admissions workshops, and one-on-one consultations, you'll get a better idea of what you want from a college, where you might want to apply, and how to create the best application.

As any Summer College alum will tell you, you'll enjoy an exceptional summer here, have a lot of fun, and most importantly, have a chance to really focus on your future.

“While in high school, I never imagined how influential my Summer College experience would be,” says Judith Cruz. “At Summer College I met some of my closest friends and had one of the most exciting academic experiences any high school student could have. Because of this, I came back to Cornell for my undergraduate degree, went on to earn my MBA at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, and now have a great job in New York City. I have my Summer College experience to thank for this and I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life.”

A few facts about Summer College:

We receive between 1,200 - 1,400 applications for all programs.
More than 700 students attend Summer College programs each summer: approximately 50% female, 50% male.
Summer College students come from more than thirty countries and every state. In our program, you'll truly be part of an international, multicultural community.
To be eligible for Summer College, students must complete their sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school by June 2008 (check individual programs for specific eligibility requirements or see the "All programs at a glance" table).