Education · Partnerships

University summer programmes

Specialised pre-college courses for school students at world-renowned universities.

Footage: Summer Discovery

Why these programmes

For students aiming at top-tier universities in the US and the UK, a summer on campus strengthens the academic profile they bring to their applications, with time spent alongside university faculty and specialist tutors in the subject they are drawn to.

Designed with the universitiesSummer Discovery curricula are developed with the partner universities, and instructors are selected by the university.

Two to six weeks on campusStudents live in residence halls between June and August and can combine more than one campus in a single summer.

Certificate and letter of recognitionEvery student who completes a programme receives a certificate and a letter of recognition for the coursework. Many courses end with a capstone project.

One subject, taught in depthIn Oxford and Cambridge, students spend a fortnight on a single subject in seminars and small tutorials.

Theodore W. Ruger

Dean Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Leads students through the Supreme Court and constitutional decision-making in the Penn Carey Law Pre-College Academy.

Lisa Griffin

Neuroscience Professor, University of Texas at Austin

Teaches neuroscience on the UT Austin campus, with visits to the university's sleep and biomechanics labs.

Instructors from the 2026 programme. Faculty vary by year.

United States · Summer Discovery

Academic study on leading US campuses

Summer Discovery has run academic summer programmes with universities since 1966. The current programme offers more than 300 courses on 15+ partner campuses.

Students in Institute for the Gifted T-shirts

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut · grades 6–12

Georgetown University

Washington, D.C. · grades 6–12

UC Berkeley

California · grades 9–12

Aerial view of the University of Texas at Austin with the city behind

UT Austin

Texas · grades 9–12

All campuses

Campus	Location	Grades
UCLA	Los Angeles, California	6–8, 9–12
UCLA Anderson School of Management	Los Angeles, California	9–12
University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, Michigan	9–12
Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars	Hanover, New Hampshire	9–12
Penn Carey Law School	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	9–11
Vanderbilt University	Nashville, Tennessee	9–12
Cornell University	Ithaca, New York	6–8
Chicago	Chicago, Illinois	6–8, 9–12
UBC Sauder School of Business	Vancouver, Canada	9–12

Specialisations available

Business, Leadership & EntrepreneurshipComputer Science & TechnologyEngineeringAerospace EngineeringMedicine & Health SciencesLaw & GovernmentPsychology & Social SciencesScience & MathematicsResearchCreative ArtsHumanitiesFashion Business & DesignSports Management

Institute for the Gifted · Yale University

For students working well beyond their year group: a project-based curriculum of more than 40 courses, with the high school programme at Yale for grades 9 to 11. Courses include Aerospace Engineering, Medical Microbiology and Neuroscience.

United Kingdom · Atlas Summer Courses

Academic study in Oxford and Cambridge

Two weeks of independent study in one subject, guided by an academic tutor in the field. Students prepare their own reading, essays and problem sets, then defend and develop them in seminars and tutorials, in a format built to resemble university study.

Seminars and tutorials

Seminars are capped at twelve students, and tutorials run in groups of three or fewer, with the tutor reading each student's work in advance.

Postgraduate tutors

Every tutor holds or is completing a postgraduate degree, and many teach at leading universities during term time.

More than 40 subjects

Subjects include Medicine, Law, Engineering, PPE, Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence. Courses run for ages 13–15, 16–17 and 18–24.

Advanced courses for ages 18–24

Each course examines one area of a subject in detail and engages with current research.

Oxford

Students stay in colleges such as Somerville, founded in 1879, Worcester, founded in 1714, and Lady Margaret Hall.

Cambridge

Colleges include Fitzwilliam, Sidney Sussex and Corpus Christi, founded in 1352.

Photographs: Atlas Summer Courses and Summer Discovery.

How I can help

Choosing a course

As a Switzerland-based partner of Summer Discovery and Atlas Summer Courses, I advise families on the choice of course and campus and on the admission requirements, and accompany students through the application.

For schools, I hold information sessions for students and parents and work with university counselling teams on the summer options that suit their students.