Pre-College Programs

Residential program or fully online program

Undergraduate credit offered

Eligibility: Current 10th-11th grade students

International students welcome

Pre-College Residential Program dates

June 30 - August 8, 2026

Pre-College Online Program dates

Summer Session I: May 26 - July 1, 2026
Summer Session II: July 2 - August 7, 2026

The Pre-College Programs are designed for academically curious high school students interested in the intellectual challenge of Ivy League academics. Students enroll in credit-bearing undergraduate courses from a wide array of disciplines taught by Penn faculty, staff, and visiting scholars and are in class alongside other Penn undergrads. A majority of the courses are 1 course unit (c.u.)* unless the course has a required lab, and then the course is generally 1.5 c.u.

The Pre-College Programs are offered in two distinct formats:

In the Pre-College Residential Program, students reside in campus residence halls and are enrolled in on-campus courses alongside Penn undergraduates. Residential students cannot enroll in online courses offered during the same session.
Learn more about the Pre-College Residential Program >
In the Pre-College Online Program, students enroll exclusively in online courses and participate from home. Online students do not have access to or participate in on-campus resources and activities.
Learn more about the Pre-College Online Program >

*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.

Summer Programs

Pre-College Programs

Pre-College Programs