18 Summer Programs in Kansas for High Schoolers in 2025
What’s Covered:
Summertime is a wonderful opportunity to start a project, explore an interest, or get a head start on the coming school year. With summer programs, also known as pre-college summer programs, you can do all three!
These programs lend a little more structure to the summer months, and even provide high schoolers with the opportunity to explore a potential major or career. Topics range from STEM to theater to business management, with no shortage of options in between. No matter what your passion is, there’s surely a summer program out there to match it!
18 Summer Programs in Kansas for High Schoolers
1. Summer Youth Enrichment Program
Dates: Varies
Location: Johnson County Community College
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: Varies
With the opportunity to select from classes on art, design, science, engineering, computers, languages, and more, the Summer Youth Enrichment Program is a great opportunity for students of all disciplines.
Attendees will be hosted by Johnson County Community College and will enjoy an array of hands-on classes, labs, and activities. If you have a wide range of interests, this program could be a great fit for you!
2. Summer Music Camp
Dates: June 8 – 12
Location: Kansas State University
Application Deadline: May 23
Cost:
- Resident Camper: $575
- Non-Resident Camper: $325 tuition (There is an optional $140 meal card, though individual meals can be purchased with cash instead.)
If you love to play an instrument and want to spend time with other like-minded students, you may want to attend Kansas State University’s Summer Music Camp. A typical day of camp consists of a group rehearsal in the morning, followed by a sectional rehearsal as well as recreation time at the K-State Union or the City Park Pool.
Students will work directly with some great musicians in Kansas, including current K-State music students. There is both a residential option—where you live on campus in K-State dorms—and a day camp option, with varying costs for each one.
3. Health Professions Summer Program
Dates:
- Session 1: June 8 – 13
- Session 2: June 22 – 27
Location: Kansas State University
Application Deadline: February 20
Cost: $820 before discounting (around $450 after)
Kansas State University’s Health Professions Summer Program is a great weeklong opportunity for rising juniors and seniors who are interested in pursuing a career in medicine. During the program, you will explore a variety of human health-related professions, partake in hands-on activities and experiences, and meet Kansas State faculty, alumni, and current students in healthcare fields.
Students also get to live on K-State’s campus and bond with other students who are passionate about medicine. If you are interested in this program, don’t wait too long, because only 20 spots are available each session and they fill up quickly!
4. Young Writers’ Workshop
Dates: July 7 – 11
Location: Kansas State University
Application Deadline: May 15
Cost: Free
For rising freshmen and sophomores who are passionate about writing, you should consider this weeklong workshop that will ignite your creativity. Students will have opportunities to meet with published authors of various genres—including playwrights, slam poets, and graphic novelists—and to create their own original works.
The program is completely free, but there are only 15 spots available. Students who wish to attend have to submit an application and include a 150-word personal statement about their interest in the program.
5. College of Business Summer Institute
Dates:
- Session 1: June 15 – 18
- Session 2: June 29 – July 2
Location: Kansas State University
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: $75
Through this four-day/three-night summer program, high schoolers in grades 10, 11, and 12 can learn business fundamentals and explore potential careers. Participants explore fields including accounting, finance, management, and marketing. Students also immerse themselves into campus life, to gain firsthand experience of what life is like as a business student at K-State.
The Institute culminates in student pitches of their entrepreneurial ideas as part of an interdisciplinary business challenge.
6. K-State Theatre Shakespeare Camp
Dates: June 22 – 27
Location: Kansas State University
Application Deadline: May 30
Cost: $439
Aspiring actors in this residential theatre camp learn Shakespeare’s language, stories, characters, and ideas. Students explore The Bard’s text through classes incorporating voice, movement, and acting, emphasizing creativity and collaboration. The camp concludes with a performance for friends and family. This year’s play is A Midsummer Night’s Dream!
7. KU Summer Venture in Business
Dates:
- Session 1: June 15 – 20
- Session 2: July 13 – 18
Location: University of Kansas
Application Deadline: March 31
Cost: Free
The University of Kansas offers a pre-college program for rising 11th- and 12th-grade students interested in business. The program gives priority to students who are attending Title I schools or who will be first-generation college students, as well as students from the state of Kansas.
This program familiarizes students with business topics and principles, as well as with college applications and tools for success in college. Students will engage in academic sessions and workshops while living in campus dorms and eating at the school’s dining halls.
8. KU School of Engineering Summer Camp
Dates:
- Session for Rising 9th & 10th Graders: July 6 – 11
- Session for Rising 11th & 12th Graders: July 13 – 18
Location: University of Kansas
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: $1,325
If you love engineering or want to learn more about it, KU’s School of Engineering Summer Camp is a great option for you. The University of Kansas allows high school students to live on campus for a week and work with KU faculty to develop and complete a hands-on engineering project in the university’s state-of-the-art labs.
The 9th- and 10th-grade session gives a broad overview of each of KU’s engineering disciplines. The 11th- and 12th-grade session, on the other hand, allows students to choose one of three key areas for in-depth exploration in multiple engineering disciplines:
- Engineering & Computing for Health
- Energy
- Resilience & Sustainability
9. Jayhawk Media Workshop
Dates: June 8 – 11
Location: University of Kansas
Application Deadline: May 24
Cost: $425 if registered before April 19; $475 after this date
Participants in this summer program gain hands-on experience with producing a variety of media, including news publications, video, photography, website, and yearbook. The program helps students build the skills needed for a successful following year at a student-run publication, and is a great preview of a career in journalism.
The program is offered in residential and commuter formats. Residential participants get to sample a slice of life as a student at the University of Kansas.
10. KU LEAPES (Learning, Exploration and Application for Prospective Engineering Students)
Dates: June 22 – 27
Location: University of Kansas
Application Deadline: May 1
Cost: Free
The University of Kansas LEAPES summer residential camps provide rising juniors and seniors the opportunity to engage in hands-on research. Participants also experience what life is like as an undergraduate at the University of Kansas.
The camp’s sessions each have their own focus area. These areas include Math, Computer Science (CS), Aerospace Engineering (AE), and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
11. The Advanced Aerospace Technologies Exploration Experience (AATEE) Camp at KU
Dates: July 13 – 25
Location: University of Kansas
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: Free
The Advanced Aerospace Technologies Exploration Experience (AATEE) is a two-week summer camp for rising high school seniors from rural Kansas with an interest in aerospace and computer science.
Held at KU and K-State through the ARISE grant, the camp includes hands-on instruction in applied physics, Python, and robot operating systems. Students will engage with real-world projects involving autonomous race cars, drones, and autopilot systems.
Students also get college and career guidance, experience campus life at KU, and enjoy fun outings—including a trip to Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun.
12. Pre-College Design Camp
Dates: June 8 – 14
Location: University of Kansas
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: $1,000
High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors in this summer pre-college program can bolster their portfolios and gain hands-on design experience. Participants in the program can choose areas of interest to pursue. Options include:
- Personal Brand Identity
- Footwear Design
- Designing with Virtual and Augmented Reality
- Architectural Storytelling
- Urban Sketchbook
- App Design for Beginners
13. Investigative Summer STEM Program
Dates: June 8 – 13
Location: Newman University
Application Deadline: May 30
Cost: $400 if registered before April 15; $450 after this date
This program hosted by Newman University offers students the opportunity to conduct hands-on research on a STEM topic of their choosing while getting to experience college life.
With the help of experienced faculty, you will set up experiments, collect data, and present your findings. Supplemental programming includes day trips and guest lecturers. The goal of the program is to engage more young people in STEM, but you don’t have to be committed to a career in STEM to participate.
14. Pre-College Art Lab
Dates:
- Session 1: June 15 – 27
- Session 2: July 13 – 25
Location: Kansas City Art Institute
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: $2,500
For high schoolers with an artistic side, the Kansas City Art Institute’s Pre-College Art Lab is a great opportunity to live on campus and work alongside brilliant faculty. Students pick one major studio from the five available options (Animation, Ceramics, Illustration, Interdisciplinary, and Painting) to focus on during the two-week program.
During the weekends, students partake in workshops and explore the vibrant Kansas City art scene.
15. WSU Engineering Summer Camps
Dates: Varies
Location: Wichita State University
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: $25 – $250
Do you love to build things? Want to spend a week engineering a drone or programming a robot? If so, you might like Wichita State University’s Engineering Summer Camps.
Throughout the months of June and July, there are multiple different camps for you to choose from, ranging in cost from $25 to $250. Some exciting options include AI/Machine Learning, Engineering an Amusement Park, Solar Energy, Robotics, and more.
16. Young Entrepreneurs Summer Camp
Dates: July 8 – 11
Location: Wichita State University
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: $70
This half-day summer camp for entrepreneurial high schoolers teaches them how to turn ideas into successful ventures. Through interactive workshops and discussions, students will develop skills in ideation, design, business modeling, and financial planning while building enthusiasm for entrepreneurship. The program ends with a pitch competition and networking event.
17. Spark: MNU Arts Camp
Dates: June 2 – 6
Location: MidAmerica Nazarene University
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: $415
High schoolers interested in the stage and screen will want to check out this week-long residential summer program. Participants gain hands-on film and theatre skills while building valuable skills in auditioning, acting, improvisation, musical theatre, directing, cinematography, producing, editing, lighting, and more.
The program concludes with a media showcase where students can share their work with friends and family.
18. Summer Intensive in Classical Architecture
Dates: June 13 – 26
Location: Benedictine College
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: $1,400 if registered before April 15, $1,700 after this date
This program introduces students—from high schoolers through those who’ve completed their first year of college—to the challenges of architecture school. Participants will develop fundamental architecture skills, including hand drafting, field sketching, and composition, while also being introduced to architectural theory and history.
Students leave the program with a deeper understanding of the demands of pursuing a degree in architecture, and a developed portfolio piece.
How Do Summer Programs Impact Your College Chances?
The influence your participation in a summer program has on your odds of college admission varies depending on several factors, such as the reputation of the program and the weight a school puts on participation in summer programs.
The four tiers of extracurricular activities are a good way to evaluate the value colleges place on activities outside the classroom, such as summer programs. Tier 1 and Tier 2 encompass the most prestigious, rare, and impressive activities. Consequently, participation in these top-tier activities has the greatest impact on your chances of college admission.
Tier 3 and Tier 4 activities are more commonly seen by admissions officials and don’t hold the same sway as higher-tiered activities in the college application process. That said, there is value to attending a summer program, even if it’s in a lower tier. Summer programs demonstrate intellectual curiosity and determination to pursue subjects that interest you, both of which are traits highly desirable to colleges. More so, many summer programs build the skills needed to get into and succeed in college.
What do colleges think of your participation in a summer program? CollegeVine can help! Our free chancing calculator uses a variety of factors, including grades, standardized test scores, and extracurriculars like summer programs to estimate your chances of getting into hundreds of colleges and universities while also providing insight into how to improve your profile.
