10 Yale Summer Programs for High School Students in 2023
Located in New Haven, CT, Yale University is regarded as one of the premier colleges in North America. Boasting top-ranked programs across a variety of disciplines, this Ivy League school attracts applicants from around the world who wish to study and conduct research at Yale’s world-class facilities.
With so competitive of an applicant pool, aspiring high school students can greatly benefit from early participation in Yale’s summer program, which may allow high schoolers to gain a significant leg up in admissions by teaching them valuable skills and giving them an opportunity to demonstrate their interest in the college.
For in-person programs, students can even take advantage of their time on campus to speak with admissions officers or other school representatives. By doing so, high school students can get a better sense of what life at the university is like and can learn about information sessions and other virtual events to attend in the future.
As far as the material covered in high school summer sessions, Yale offers a wide range of programs in STEM and the humanities, both in-person and virtual. High schoolers enrolled in in-person programs will be afforded a higher level of access to resources at the university just by virtue of being on campus, though online programs are a great alternative for students that are unable to attend in-person.
In this blog post, we summarize 10 Yale summer programs for high school students including details such as location, application timeline, selectivity, and cost. For more information on high school summer programs, be sure to check out the Inspirit AI blog for posts on internships, college applications, competitions, and more! Without further ado, here are:
10 Yale Summer Programs for High Schoolers
1. Yale Summer Session
Location: Yale Main Campus, New Haven, CT
Dates: 5/29-6/30 (Session A); 7/3-8/4 (Session B)
Application Deadline: 5/3 (Session A); 6/7 (Session B) [different for international students]
Eligibility: Rising 12th grade; 16+
Selectivity: Unknown
Cost: $4,850/course
In Yale’s Pre-College program, high school students can register for college-level courses and earn credit while studying with top faculty. Whether they want to explore a new field or focus more deeply on a preexisting interest, high schoolers will learn about the structure and challenges of university courses at highly selective colleges. From anthropology to economics, medicine to literature, Yale Summer Session has hundreds of courses to choose from, up to a maximum of two enrollments per session. Classroom locations are posted for in-person classes in the week leading up to courses, though students can move on to campus earlier for orientation and welcome events.
2. Yale Summer Online
Location: Remote
Dates: 5/29-6/30 (Session A); 7/3-8/4 (Session B)
Application Deadline: 5/3 (Session A); 6/7 (Session B)
Eligibility: Rising 12th grade; 16+
Selectivity: Unknown
Cost: $4,850/course
Yale Summer Session also offers a remote option to accommodate students for whom it would be unfeasible to live on campus during their session. This learning experience is built around live online seminar and lecture courses with discussion sections. Advantages of the online format include synchronous and asynchronous instruction, smaller class sizes, and more flexible class times.
3. Yale Summer Debate Program
Location: New Haven, CT
Dates: TBD; Five-day program
Application Deadline: TBD
Eligibility: Grades 6-12
Selectivity: 80-100 students admitted
Cost: $500 (for non-UDL students)
Hosted by the New Haven Urban Debate League, the Yale Summer Debate Program is open to middle and high school students from New Haven and surrounding areas, though it has welcomed students from across the world in recent years. With a world-class staff of debate coaches and student:instructor ratio of 10-to-1, YSDP delivers a customized curriculum that works to improve speaking style, argument construction, and refutation. During the program, students will also engage with topics related to international relations, moral justice, education and criminal justice.
4. Yale Daily News Summer Journalism Program
Location: Remote
Dates: TBD; One-week intensive
Application Deadline: TBD
Eligibility: Grades 9-12
Selectivity: Unknown
Cost: Free (for participants from New Haven Public Schools); $160 for other students
The summer journalism program at Yale Daily News is run entirely by Yale undergraduates, providing a unique opportunity for high schoolers to interact with current university students. High schoolers participate in workshops on reporting and writing fundamentals, attend lectures delivered by guest speakers from major national publications and work hands-on reporting a story. The program culminates with the production of an issue of the Yale Daily News.
5. Yale University Preparation for International High School Students
Location: Yale Main Campus, New Haven, CT
Dates: 7/3-7/28
Application Deadline: 5/8
Eligibility: International HS Students with strong English skills
Selectivity: Unknown
Cost: $4,620
This program is designed for international students who want to prepare for undergraduate study at an American university. Courses include Academic Thinking and Writing, Academic Listening and Speaking, Critical and Creative Thinking, and an Academic Coaching Workshop. During week four of the program, students will also visit local colleges, including Brown, Harvard, Quinnipiac, and University of Connecticut.
6. Citizens Thinkers Writers
Location: Yale Main Campus, New Haven, CT
Dates: 7/9-7/21
Application Deadline: 3/15
Eligibility: Rising 12th Grade; Nomination by New Haven Public School teacher (Nomination Deadline: 2/15)
Selectivity: Receive Nomination
Cost: Free
Citizens Thinkers Writers is a tuition-free summer residential program and year-long fellowship program for students from New Haven Public Schools interested in exploring fundamental human questions in a college setting. During the summer session, high school students participate in seminars with Yale professors as well as undergraduate and graduate mentors. Following completion of the two-week residential, fellows meet bimonthly for continued mentorship and support during the college application process.
7. Discovery to Cure High school Internship
Location: Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
Dates: M-F, 6 weeks in summer, TBD
Application Deadline: TBD
Eligibility: Rising 12th Grade; 16+
Selectivity: <12%, Teacher Recommendation required
Cost: Free
In 2003, Dr. Gil Mor, as former Professor of Medicine at Yale, created the DTC Internship with the goal of exposing talented high schoolers to Yale’s biomedical laboratories and inspiring future careers in science and medicine. 20 years later, the program has produced several promising scientists and clinicians and has seen 20% of its graduates publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals. Accepted students participate in ten weeks of hands-on research under the mentorship of a Yale Principal Investigator.
8. Morse Summer Music Academy
Location: Yale School of Music
Dates: TBD
Application Deadline: TBD
Eligibility: 4th-12th Grades; New Haven Public School student; “B” average on report card
Selectivity: Medium
Cost: Free
High school students at New Haven Public Schools are invited to participate in this free music program for intermediate and advanced music students in band, orchestra, and choir. With growth opportunities in musicianship, technique, and personal achievement, the Morse Summer Music Academy features lessons and mentorship from Teaching Artists at the Yale School of Music. During the program, family and friends are invited to attend concerts showcasing Morse Academy students, including a final concert in Morse Recital Hall.
9. Summer Science Research Institute
Location: Yale University Laboratories
Dates: 6 weeks June-August; TBD
Application Deadline: TBD
Eligibility: 16+, Attendee of New Haven/West Haven Public School, 3.0+ GPA
Selectivity: High
Cost: Free
Yale SSRI is an undergraduate organization that connects qualified high school students with Yale research laboratories. From developmental biology and emergency medicine to electrical engineering and psychology, SSRI partners with several labs that might engage high-achieving high schoolers. Yale undergraduates also supplement interns’ lab work with workshops and mentorship activities, cultivating a sense of community between interns and their undergraduate, graduate, and faculty mentors.
10. AI Scholars
Location: Live Online
Dates: Various Dates Throughout Summer
Application Deadline: See Website for Details
Eligibility: 9th - 12th Grade Students
Selectivity: Application-Based
Cost: $1,100
For students who may not be able to travel to Yale and are seeking a fulfilling summer experience, consider Inspirit AI, a live online AI-project building class in which students will learn about the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and its ever-growing applications. Many of the program’s instructors are alumni from Yale and other top universities who are happy to share guidance about their collegiate experience and about college AI programs. Read more about the AI Scholars program for talented high school students here and check out some of the projects completed by our alumni!
