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15 Summer Programs in Colorado for High Schoolers
What’s Covered:
Summer programs are an excellent way to hone your extracurricular profile, impress colleges, and learn or improve your knowledge and skills, whether you’re a writer, an engineer, a dancer, or a visual artist. And if you live in Colorado, you don’t have to travel far — there are plenty of in-state options for practically any interest or speciality!
Summer Programs in Colorado
1. Achieving Excellence Academy
Affiliate school: Denver School of the Arts
Dates: June 21- July 14, 2022
Cost: free
Deadline: Rolling
AEA is an immersive, 4-week program that offers incoming 9th-grade students, particularly those who are Black/African-American and Latinx, the opportunity to explore varied racial, social, historic, and modern civic complexities. The program takes place at the Denver School of the Arts, where students will participate in workshops and experiences that foster a passion for learning and cultivate a deeper understanding of racial and cultural identity, voice, and power.
2. Architecture in the City
Affiliate school: CU Denver
Dates: August 1-5, 2022
Cost: $550
Deadline: Rolling, June 1st deadline
Held for one week primarily at CU Denver in the College of Architecture and Planning, Architecture in the City is a noncredit, interdisciplinary program for entering sophomore, junior, and senior high schoolers. Students will have hands-on experience in model building and drawing techniques, while gaining exposure to architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and urban planning through a design-build project.
Need-based scholarships are available.
3. Art Students League of Denver
Affiliate school: The Art Students League of Denver
Dates: Various offerings summer 2022
Cost: Cost varies by program/class.
Deadline: Rolling
ASLD offers a number of courses and programs throughout the year and during the summer, giving teenagers and younger students the opportunity to explore media like ceramics, textiles, drawing, and more. Students can take advantage of offerings like Teen Studio Nights. Cost varies by program/class.
4. Black Issues Forum
Affiliate school: Colorado State University
Dates: June 7-11, 2022
Cost: free
Deadline: April 22, 2022
The Black Issues Forum gives Colorado students the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation, enhance their leadership potential, and deepen their understanding of their cultural heritage while discussing issues facing today’s Black community. The forum is open to high schoolers finishing their junior year with a minimum 2.8 GPA.
Over the course of one week, students will interact with Colorado State University faculty, staff, and current CSU students as they examine relevant issues related to Black communities at the national, state, and local level.
5. BOLT Camp
Affiliate school: Colorado State University
Dates: July 11 – 13, 2022
Cost: $325
Deadline: June 15th
Bioengineering Opportunities and Leadership Training (BOLT) camp is a hands-on experience for future bioengineers. Students entering grades 9-12 will participate in activities with faculty and CU students over the course of three days. They will work together to design, build, test, and iterate to create prototype prosthetic hands to compete in a design competition, all while gaining insight into cutting-edge upper limb prosthetics research. This year’s program will be offered online.
Scholarship options are available.
6. Colorado College Summer Pre-College Program
Affiliate school: Colorado College
Dates: July 11 – 27, 2022
Cost: $4,500
Deadline: March 31st
Rising juniors and seniors can get a taste of college life on campus at Colorado College. Students will have the opportunity to enroll in dynamic course offerings spanning subjects like Art and the Museum in the 20th Century, Critical Race Theory and the Law, and Intro to Human Anatomy for Pre-Health Majors.
Additional fees for room and board, variable by room size/type. Both need-based and merit scholarships are available.
7. CSU Dance Lab
Affiliate school: Colorado State University
Dates: July 31 — August 13, 2022
Cost: $1,200
Deadline: June 15th
Current and future dancers age 14+ will immerse themselves in classical and contemporary dance forms, repertory, theory, and composition. Along with classes and rehearsals, participants will attend lectures, hone choreography, and develop artist statements, as well as present a public performance, all under the mentorship of CSU Dance faculty, guest artists, and dance majors.
The tuition does not include room and board.
8. CU Denver GenCyber Summer Camp for High School Students
Affiliate school: CU Denver Business School
Dates: July 26-30, 2021
Cost: free
Deadline: rolling
The GenCyber Summer Camp program at the CU Denver Business School is an exciting opportunity for high school students to learn about the ins and outs of cybersecurity, from ethical hacking to online safety to careers in the field. Currently fully online, the camp is entirely free, including course materials, which will be provided to all participants. The camp lasts for one week.
9. Denver Film Young Filmmakers Workshop
Affiliate school: Denver Film
Dates:
Film Noir: June 14 – 20, 2021
Horror: June 21 – 27, 2021
Auteur Theory: June 28 – July 4
Cost: $300
Deadline: rolling
In this week-long course, young filmmakers will learn the techniques of the craft, all from the comfort of their own homes. They will collaborate with other students to create film genre-inspired projects, which they will showcase at the Denver Film Festival in November. The program is ideal for entry-level and experienced filmmakers alike.
Flexible payment plans and scholarships are available.
10. Denver Writing Project Young Writers Camps
Affiliate school: University of Colorado Denver
Dates: June 6, 2022 – June 10, 2022
Cost: $240
Deadline: rolling
Open to young writers entering grades 4-12, this one-week camp takes place on the Auraria Campus, The University of Colorado Denver. Camp instructors are teacher consultants with the Denver Writing Project who have current teaching licenses. Guest writers will also present workshops throughout the week. The program culminates in a Friday Celebration, where friends and family join young writers as they read their favorite pieces.
Need-based scholarships are available.
11. Global Business Academy
Affiliate school: CSU College of Business
Dates: July 6 – July 15, 2022
Cost: $3750
Deadline: June 1st
Open to current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, The Global Business Academy is a 10-day global business experience that takes place at the CSU College of Business. Students will learn how to use business to create a better world, gaining skills in international business and leadership, all while getting a taste of college life at dorms in Fort Collins. Students will also tour innovative companies and meet local and global executives.
Scholarships are available.
12. The Lorenzo de Zavala (LDZ) Youth Legislative Session
Affiliate school: CSU College of Business
Dates: June 19-26, 2022
Cost:
In Person: $995
Virtual LDZx program: $670
Deadline: June 1st
Students across the United States and Latin America gather for LDZ every year. Over the course of eight days, they learn how to navigate, manage, and create large organizations by taking charge of their own youth government. Four programs are held for delegates ages 16-17, including one on the Colorado State University campus. The program also offers a virtual LDZx experience.
13. Science in the City: STEAM Camp
Affiliate school: University of Colorado Denver
Dates: June 24 – 28
Cost: $350
Deadline: rolling
Want to work with real experts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics? STEAM Camp is a chance to explore topics like chemistry, physics, engineering, sensory systems, anatomy and physiology, urban stream ecology, math, and art, alongside professionals and graduate students in the field.
The cost does not include meals.
14. Summer Vet Program
Affiliate school: Colorado State University
Dates: June 20 – 24, 2022
Cost:
Residential: $1,650
Commuter: $1,050
Deadline: February 23rd
Aspiring vets will get a sneak peek into their future careers through SciVet at CSU. Presentations, demonstrations, laboratory visits, and hands-on activities are all part of the comprehensive program, which includes activities and topics like examining skeletons, cancer research, clinical observations, and much more. Students will also meet professors, practitioners, and students in the field.
15. Yunasa
Affiliate school: Yunasa West
Dates: June 11 – 18, 2022
Cost: $1,700
Deadline: March 31st
Yunasa West in Colorado is a program specifically designed for gifted youth. Students take part in traditional camp activities, as well as special workshops designed for gifted children to learn more about themselves and gain greater awareness and self-acceptance. The program is led by experts in the field of gifted education.
How Do Summer Programs Impact Your College Chances?
Colleges typically evaluate extracurricular activities according to four tiers, with Tier 1 indicating the most prestigious and rare activities and Tier 4 signifying activities that are the most common. Most summer programs are in Tiers 3-4, but free and highly selective programs can be in higher tiers. For example, the Summer Vet Program is a great instance of a Tier 4 selective program that is geared towards students serious about the medical field.
Wondering how your summer program of choice and other extracurriculars will affect your chances of admission at colleges around the country? Use our chancing engine to learn your odds of acceptance, personalized according to your GPA, test scores, activities, and more. We’ll also give you free tips to improve your profile.
