10 UChicago Enrichment Programs You Should Consider
As a high school student, there are many ways to enrich your educational journey besides just school hours and extracurricular activities. The University of Chicago offers pre-college students an exciting range of summer enrichment programs that are designed to immerse students into the college experience while exploring diverse areas of study across disciplines.
From STEM fields and environmental studies to international policy and entrepreneurship, there is something for everybody in these programs! We have compiled a list of the top 10 UChicago enrichment programs you should consider if you’re looking to experience university-level courses in an academically enriching environment.
The Emerging World Leaders enrichment program at UChicago is a one-week residential program that brings together students from across the globe to learn and explore a wide range of provocative topics. Through lectures, readings, discussions and hands-on activities, students get the opportunity to learn from world-class faculty across departments on subjects such as public discourse, economics, psychology, sociology, technology, and so on.
Students are required to provide an essay highlighting their interest in the program and how it aligns with their future academic and career plans, along with a nomination from a teacher or counselor.
Cost: $1000. This covers housing, dining, and enrollment in the program. Students will need to have their own U.S. health insurance coverage and will need to provide their own roundtrip transportation, including airfare, to and from campus.
Program dates: July 14-19, 2024.
Application deadline: Applications for 2024 are now closed. TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: Current 11th-grade students who are at least 15 years old and are enrolled in a high school outside of the U.S., and are proficient in English.
Designed for outstanding high school students from diverse backgrounds with an interest in economics, the Voltage Scholars enrichment program is a great way to experience UChicago’s unique approach to the field of economics.
Centered around the Voltage Effect text, this program not only takes students through the various concepts of micro and macroeconomics through hands-on lectures but also engages them in provoking discourse around pressing economic challenges across the globe.
Cost: Tuition, dining, and accommodation are completely covered. Students will need to have their own U.S. health insurance coverage and will need to provide their own transportation to and from campus.
Program dates: June 9-11, 2024.
Application deadline: Applications for 2024 are now closed. TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: Current 10th-grade students who are at least 14 years old and enrolled in a U.S. high school.
The Young Innovators Program enables rising high school students to kick-start their journey towards academic success in STEM fields. In partnership with renewable and clean energy industry leaders Invenergy and the Polsky Foundation, participants of the program are exposed to experiential learning and invaluable mentorship from industry leaders.
With a combination of virtual and in-person sessions, students are trained in soft and technical skills as well as introduced to exciting new career paths that bring together engineering and entrepreneurship. Students must also participate in an in-campus capstone project where they team up and pitch a profit or non-profit venture that uses technology to solve a business or social challenge.
Cost: Tuition, dining, and accommodation are completely covered. Students will need to have their own U.S. health insurance coverage and will need to provide their own transportation to and from campus.
Program dates: June 17-24, 2024 (Online), July 7 - July 10, 2024 (In-person).
Application deadline: Applications for 2024 are now closed. TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: Current students in 9th or 10th grade who are at least 14 years old and enrolled in a U.S. high school.
4. Neubauer Family Adelante Summer Scholars
Funded by the Neubauer family, this program is aimed at bringing together outstanding students from Hispanic or Latino communities across the U.S. This week-long immersive program includes interdisciplinary lectures by faculty, college application workshops, as well as guided tours of UChicago’s next-gen research laboratories.
Participants are also exposed to the exciting opportunities available for academic, professional, and personal development in the city of Chicago through fun activities such as baseball games, architecture boat tours, improv shows, and much more!
Cost: Tuition, dining, accommodation, and roundtrip transportation costs are completely covered. Students will need to have their own U.S. health insurance coverage.
Program dates: July 21-26, 2024.
Application deadline: Applications for 2024 are now closed. TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: Current 11th grade students who are at least 15 years old and enrolled in a U.S. high school.
Quantum mechanics is hailed as the next big thing in technology, and Chicago has lately emerged as a hub for this field. The Quantum Quickstart program is open to rising high school students from Illinois who value diversity of thought and experience and are passionate about the STEM fields.
Students in this one-week program are immersed in lectures with faculty in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, guided tours of world-class scientific facilities, and theoretical discussions with peers of diverse backgrounds. Participants will also have access to seminars on career opportunities in STEM and meetings with UChicago counselors on highly selective college admissions procedures to prepare them for their academic journey better.
Cost: Tuition, dining, and accommodation are completely covered. Students will need to have their own U.S. health insurance coverage and will need to provide their own transportation to and from campus.
Program dates: July 28 - August 2, 2024.
Application deadline: Applications for 2024 are now closed. TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: Current 9th or 10th-grade students who are at least 14 years old and enrolled in an Illinois high school.
6. Young Innovators Climate & Energy Program
Conducted by leading faculty in the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), the Becker Friedman Institute, and the Climate Impact Lab, this program provides talented high school students a look into the career options available in the fields of climate and energy policy.
The program includes readings, lectures, discussion-based classes and collaborative practical projects that expose students to the challenges in the climate and energy space. What’s more, students are also taken on fun activities such as city tours and baseball games, as well as a tour and panel discussion with professionals at Invenergy's Chicago headquarters.
Cost: Tuition, dining, and accommodation are completely covered. Students will need to have their own U.S. health insurance coverage and will need to provide their own transportation to and from campus.
Program dates: July 28-Aug 2, 2024.
Application deadline: Applications for 2024 are now closed. TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: Current 11th-grade students who are at least 15 years old and enrolled in a U.S. high school.
The Woodson Summer Scholars is a week-long, in-campus enrichment program designed exclusively for rising high school students engaged in Black/African American communities in the U.S. A tribute to Carter G. Woodson. This program enables students to participate in lectures with leading faculty across various disciplines at UChicago, tours of the university’s cutting-edge research facilities, and sessions on how to crack competitive college application processes.
Like the other enrichment programs offered by UChicago, this program too gives its participants a taste of the Chicago city life through fun activities that demonstrate the history and culture of the city.
Cost: Tuition, dining, accommodation, and roundtrip transportation costs to and from the University of Chicago are completely covered. Students will need to have their own U.S. health insurance coverage.
Program dates: July 21-26, 2024.
Application deadline: Applications for 2024 are now closed. TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: Current 11th-grade students who are at least 15 years old, who are engaged in Black/African American communities, and enrolled in a U.S. high school.
8. Neubauer Phoenix STEM Summer Scholars
This selective UChicago enrichment program is open to outstanding high school students of diverse backgrounds with an inclination towards STEM subjects. It is a hybrid program which begins with an online mathematics course conducted by schoolhouse.world, followed by one week on the UChicago campus.
The campus part of the program includes model classes, facility tours, and lectures by leading UChicago faculty and alumni in mathematics, molecular engineering, computer science, and the like. What’s more - students also get to experience UChicago’s cutting-edge research facilities via trips to locations such as Fermilab, the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Argonne National Laboratory, and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.
Cost: Tuition, dining, accommodation, and roundtrip transportation costs are completely covered. Students will need to have their own U.S. health insurance coverage.
Program dates: July 21-26, 2024.
Application deadline: Applications for 2024 are now closed. TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: Current 11th-grade students who are at least 15 years old and enrolled in a U.S. high school.
9. Parrhesia Ambassador Program
The Parrhesia Ambassador Program is a one-week program aimed at introducing brilliant young minds to the fundamentals of public discourse and communication in a variety of contexts. Participants will take on the role of ambassadors, fostering the understanding of open discussion and free expression upon returning to their schools and communities.
The application process for this program is designed to bring together a diverse group of students with a passion for freedom of speech and expression. Applicants must answer a set of essay questions and provide a nomination by a teacher or counselor confirming their interest in this area.
Cost: Tuition, dining, accommodation, and roundtrip transportation costs are completely covered. Students will need to have their own U.S. health insurance coverage.
Program dates: A: July 7-12, 2024; B: July 14-19, 2024.
Application deadline: Applications for 2024 are now closed. TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: Current 9th and 10th grade students who are at least 14 years old and enrolled in a U.S. high school.
The China Emerging Leaders program is a residential enrichment program that offers high school students from China to immerse themselves in a rich college experience through readings, lectures, and discussions on a variety of topics ranging from leadership in the 21st century to exploring and understanding free expression.
Participants are also exposed to the exciting flavors of the city of Chicago through fun excursions such as improv comedy workshops, historic riverboat city tours, meals at favorite local restaurants, and more.
Cost: $1000. This covers housing, dining, and enrollment in the program. Students will need to have their own U.S. health insurance coverage and will need to provide their own roundtrip transportation, including airfare, to and from campus.
Program dates: July 14-19, 2024.
Application deadline: Applications for 2024 are now closed. TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: Current 10th grade students who are at least 14 years old and enrolled in a high school in China. A high level of English proficiency is expected.
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