Summer Session I: May 24 - June 30, 2021
Summer Session II: July 1 - August 6, 2021
Applications for 2021 programs are now closed. Applications for 2022 summer programs open on December 1, 2021.
Courses offered online
Undergraduate credit offered
Eligibility: Current 10th-11th grade students
International students welcome
To keep our students safe as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Penn Arts and Sciences staff is dedicated to making our high-quality programs available this summer—completely online.
The Pre-College Program is designed for academically curious high school students interested in the intellectual challenge and residential freedom of a true undergraduate experience. Pre-College students reside in campus dorms and are enrolled in summer courses alongside Penn undergraduates. Our program offers undergraduate courses in a wide array of disciplines taught by Penn faculty, staff, and visiting scholars. Academic advising, access to university learning resources, and college admission workshops are also provided.
Application deadline: May 10, 2021
Earn college credit from an Ivy League university and take classes with Penn undergraduates!
Features
Explore exciting topics in college-level courses
Once accepted into the Pre-College Program, students work in consultation with a Penn academic advisor to select and enroll in one of four challenging curricula:
- One college-credit course (1 c.u.)*
- Biology 101 with lab (1.5 c.u.)
- Two college-credit courses (2 c.u.)
- Biology 101 with lab and a second college credit course (2.5 c.u.)
Registration in a desired course is not guaranteed, and many courses fill up, so early application is strongly advised. Penn Summer undergraduate courses are typically smaller in size and taught by Penn faculty, staff, and visiting scholars. Most classes meet two to five times weekly, Monday through Friday, and assign homework, research papers, midterms, and/or finals. Textbooks and additional course materials may be required for a class.
View summer 2021 courses in the Pre-College Program course guide.
Earn academic credit from the University of Pennsylvania
Pre-College Program students are evaluated by the same academic standards and procedures as Penn undergraduates. Students earn one course unit (1 c.u., the equivalent of 4 college credit hours) for each course taken. Biology 101 counts as 1.5 c.u. due to the rigorous laboratory component. Upon successful completion of the program and all coursework within, students may request official transcripts from Penn’s Registrar (fee-based). Students planning to transfer these grades to their future undergraduate record or institution should be aware that transfer credit is awarded at the discretion of the institution, including the University of Pennsylvania. Learn more about Penn’s transfer credit policies for pre-baccalaureate coursework.
Registration for admitted students
Once admitted and deposited, students can begin the course registration process. Read more below for details and deadlines.
Before registering for courses, students must submit a financial deposit of $2,000 and must have also set up their PennKey, Penn SAS email, and two-factor authentication (Duo Mobile). Students are registered in the order in which they deposit. Registration begins April 1. Students should submit their course registration within two weeks of depositing and no later than May 17 for Session I and May 24 for Session II.
We ask that students choose one first choice course and two alternates for each course selection. Course descriptions include any pertinent information about the course and an overview of the course. Students may enroll in courses during any of the Summer Sessions provided the courses do not conflict with their high school coursework. Please be sure to check the dates and times of your selected courses. The majority of the Pre-College courses take place in Summer Session II. Waitlists for courses are not maintained, but students may be able to change their courses during the first week of the semester. Students must choose courses from the Pre-College course listing; courses outside of this list are unavailable to Pre-College students.
Completed Course Registration Forms can be sent to hsprogs@sas.upenn.edu for processing. Please allow two weeks from the date of submission for registration confirmation. After that time, students can confirm their course registration via Penn InTouch. Instructors will be in touch with students prior to the first day of the course with any necessary information.
The Pre-College courses are undergraduate level courses taken alongside Penn undergraduates and visiting scholars. The sessions run on a condensed schedule and Pre-College students are graded on daily assignments, midterms, and finals. Students should expect to spend about 3-5 hours a week on assignments or reading outside of class time. Upon successful completion of their course, students can request a transcript via the Penn Registrar.
*Academic credit is defined by the University of Pennsylvania as a course unit (c.u.). A course unit (c.u.) is a general measure of academic work over a period of time, typically a term (semester or summer). A c.u. (or a fraction of a c.u.) represents different types of academic work across different types of academic programs and is the basic unit of progress toward a degree. One c.u. is usually converted to a four-semester-hour course.
