Experience Ivy League coursework from anywhere in the world
Summer Session I: May 26 - July 1, 2026
Summer Session II: July 2 - August 7, 2026
- Classes occur depending on their class meeting schedule.
- Synchronous class times are in the Eastern Time Zone.
The Pre-College Online Program is designed for academically curious high school students interested in the intellectual challenge of Ivy League academics. Students enroll in online 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. 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.
In the Pre-College Online Program, students enroll exclusively in online courses and participate from home alongside other Penn undergraduate students. We are unable to accommodate requests for students taking online courses to be in residence on campus.
Once accepted into the Pre-College Online Program, students choose one of the following challenging curricula:
- One college-credit course (1 c.u.)*
- Two college-credit courses (2 c.u.)
Online students do not have access to or participate in on-campus resources and activities.
Summer 2025 Pre-College Online Program Courses
Summer 2026 courses will be released in spring 2026.
Summer Session I
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AFRC 1510 910 | Music of Africa |
| ANTH 0030 910 | Human Origins, Evolution and Diversity |
| CIMS 1004 910 | World Film History |
| COML 1025 910 | Narrative Across Cultures |
| ECON 0100 910 | Introduction to Micro Economics |
| EESC 1000 910 | Earth Systems Science |
| ENGL 0159 910 | Gender and Society |
| HIST 0720 910 | Ancient Greece |
| LING 0001 910 | Introduction to Linguistics |
| LING 0600 910 | Introduction to Sociolinguistics |
| PHIL 1000 910 | Introduction to Philosophy |
| PHIL 1800 910 | Philosophy of Science |
| PSCI 0400 910 | Introduction to International Relations |
| STSC 1151 910 | Modern Biology and Social Implications |
Summer Session II
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ANCH 0102 920 | Ancient Rome |
| ARTH 2760 920 | Impressionism |
| CLST 1602 920 | World Literature |
| ECON 0200 920 | Introductory Economics: Macro |
| LING 0001 920 | Introduction to Linguistics |
| MATH 1300 920 | Introduction to Calculus |
| MATH 1400 920 | Calculus, Part I |
| MATH 1700 920 | Ideas in Mathematics |
| PHIL 1433 920 | The Social Contract |
| PPE 1001 920 | Introduction to PPE: Ethics and Economics of Wealth Creation |
Earn academic credit from the University of Pennsylvania
Pre-College Online 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. 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.
Course registration details
Students will be emailed to submit their course registration form once they have been admitted and submitted their program deposit.
Registration in a desired course is not guaranteed, and many courses fill up, so early application is strongly advised. Students are required to choose alternate courses when registering, as courses may fill or be canceled. Students can choose to take Pre-College Online Program courses on a pass/fail basis, but they may not audit a course.
