15 Summer Programs in New Mexico for High Schoolers in 2024
What’s Covered:
There are a lot of ways to spend your time this summer. Without the constraints of a constant high school class schedule, numerous extracurriculars, and other commitments, you’re free to pursue volunteering at a program you’re passionate about, work a summer job, or even take some summer classes.
If you’re looking to get a taste of life on a college campus, a summer program—also called a pre-college program—is another great option. Below are 15 pre-college programs in New Mexico to start your search for how you want to spend your summer.
15 Summer Programs in New Mexico
1. Summer Science Program: Astrophysics
Dates: N/A
Location: New Mexico State University
Application Deadline: February 16
Cost: Scaled by family income (maximum cost of $8,400)
The Summer Science Program (SSP) was founded in 1959 and is one of the longest-running pre-college programs in the country. It provides an immersive experience with hands-on research over the course of its 39-day residential program. It aims to challenge and inspire talented and motivated high school students through three different program offerings in astrophysics, one of which is available at New Mexico State University.
2. New Mexico Tech Summer STEM Experience
Dates: June 9-14 & July 14-19
Location: New Mexico Tech
Application Deadline: May 24 (June deadline) & June 30 (July deadline)
Cost: $565
This week-long STEM program offered by New Mexico Tech allows high schoolers to experience college life. The program is open to high schoolers entering their sophomore, junior, and senior years and provides a chance to explore science and engineering disciplines while earning college credit and meeting like-minded peers.
3. Architecture + Design Summer Academy
Dates:
- New Mexico School for the Arts non-credit program: June 10-22
- New Mexico School for the Arts dual-credit program: June 10-28
- University of New Mexico non-credit program: July 8-19
- University of New Mexico dual-credit program: July 8-26
Location: New Mexico School for the Arts & University of New Mexico
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: $300
These two- and three-week courses introduce high school juniors and seniors to the disciplines in which the University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Architecture + Planning offers degrees and certificates. Sessions are held both at UNM’s Albuquerque campus as well as at the New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe. The curriculum consists of numerous design activities, lectures, and field trips.
Dual-credit participants receive 3 college credits and typically 1 high school credit at participating high schools. Dual-credit participants will have some homework, however non-credit students will not.
4. Hispanic Youth Research & Leadership Program
Dates: N/A
Location: University of New Mexico
Application Deadline: June 7
Cost: Free
This program introduces Hispanic youth to the opportunities presented by degrees and careers in the STEM fields. Over the program’s five days, participants will work on a research project and present their findings. They will also participate in programs aimed at career and college readiness preparation.
The program is open to high schoolers from low-income families, those from populations underrepresented in the STEM fields, and those who will be first-generation college students. Not only is the program free, but participants are eligible for a stipend upon its completion.
5. College Readiness Summer Residential Camp
Dates: N/A
Location: University of New Mexico
Application Deadline: June 7
Cost: Free
This four-day, three-night program introduces high schoolers from underserved and underrepresented populations, along with those who will be first-generation college students, to life at the University of New Mexico. The program is focused on preparing students to navigate the college application process and college life. Camp activities include leadership activities, tours, and presentations.
6. Beginnings: Inquiring into the Origins of Politics, Poetry, and Mathematics
Dates: July 7-13
Location: St. John’s College
Application Deadline: May 1
Cost: $1,400
St. John’s College hosts this week-long residential summer program exploring the origins of human society, language, and knowledge. Participants dive into classic works like Aristotle’s Metaphysics, The Bible, Plutarch’s The Life of Lycurgus, Plato’s Meno, and Euclid’s Elements to better understand how they have shaped our experience of the world while honing their reading, critical thinking, and discussion skills.
7. Civil Disobedience: Understanding the Relationship Between the One and the Many
Dates: July 14-20
Location: St. John’s College
Application Deadline: May 1
Cost: $1,400
This week-long residential program aims to provide participants with a deeper understanding of the relationship between the rights of the individual living in society and the duties and responsibilities the individual has to that society. The program explores this relationship through a wide range of texts and speeches, including Sophocles’s Antigone and Plutarch’s Life of Cato along with speeches from figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
8. Love and Friendship: Austen and Aristotle; Human Goodness, Virtue, and the Relationships That Bind Us Together
Dates: July 21-27
Location: St. John’s College
Application Deadline: May 1
Cost: $1,400
Participants in this week-long residential program explore love and happiness—reflecting on how these relationships bind us together—through reading some of the world’s greatest books on the topics. Readings include Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and Shakespeare’s sonnets.
9. Young Women in Computing (YWiC)
Dates: N/A
Location: New Mexico State University
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: Free
This two-week summer program intends to increase the interest of female students in computing, build a community of young women in computing, and increase young women’s confidence in computer science. Participants will explore computational thinking through a variety of interactive software while discovering that computer science is a fun, engaging, and rewarding field. They will also learn Python, build webpages, and explore technologies like artificial intelligence.
10. Youth Entrepreneurship Summer (YES) Camp
Dates: N/A
Location: New Mexico State University
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: N/A
Business-minded high schoolers will want to check out this summer program that’ll help them gain a better understanding of the role free enterprise and entrepreneurship play in achieving economic growth, community prosperity, and individual success. Participants will sit for 40 hours of classroom instruction and take part in a 35-hour field-based practicum. Students can earn three college credits for completing the program.
11. Summer Physics Camp for Young Women
Dates: N/A
Location: New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: Free
This two-week camp provides high school females with the opportunity to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) while learning about the physics of the sun, Earth, and everything in between. Students can expect to take part in a variety of activities, talks, virtual tours, and hands-on projects over the course of the program. Students will leave the problem not just with a better understanding of STEM, but also with real-world skills like how to write a resume and successfully interview for a job.
12. Albuquerque Academy Think Summer
Dates: June 10-July19
Location: Albuquerque Academy
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: Varies
Albuquerque Academy provides a variety of summer programs—both part-day and full-day— to high schoolers in fields ranging from visual and performing arts to languages to mathematics. The programming is intended to build on what participants learned during the school year and keep their minds active and engaged over the summer break.
13. The Hiland Theater Summer Programs
Dates: N/A
Location: The Hiland Theater
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: N/A
Albequrque’s Hiland Theatre offers both half-day and full-day programs to students interested in dance. Programs include ballet, creative movement, jazz, modern, and tap.
14. Santa Fe Playhouse Youth Theatre
Dates: June 15-23
Location: Santa Fe Playhouse
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: $1,800
Students ages 12-17 with an interest in Shakespeare and the theater are going to want to check out this three-week intensive summer program. During the program’s first two weeks, students receive audition training, learn about acting techniques, and explore career paths. In the final week, participants mount a production of As You Like It.
Students will leave the program with a digital headshot, personalized resume, and a condensed theater experience—from concept to performance.
15. Sandia Prep Summer Prep
Dates:
- June 3-June 21
- June 24-July 12
Location: Sandia Prep
Application Deadline: N/A
Cost: $330-$650
Sandia Prep offers a handful of popular theater classes for high schoolers in 9th and 10th grade, including black box theater, theater tech, and main stage. Blackbox theater will stage productions of Alice in Wonderland and Rapunzel Uncut and the main stage will mount productions of Disney’s Frozen Jr. and The Wizard of Oz.
How do Summer Programs Impact Your College Chances?
The value of attending a summer program varies and everything from the selectivity of the program to the weight that a particular college places on extracurriculars will determine how much value a school gives it. However, in general, admissions committees look more favorably on programs that are competitive and free as opposed to programs that you pay to attend.
The four tiers of extracurricular activities provide a good guideline for understanding how activities outside of the classroom affect your odds of admission. Tier-one and tier-two activities are the rarest, most prestigious, and most influential to colleges; consequently, they have the greatest impact on your chances of admission.
Colleges place less value on tier-three and tier-four activities, which are less selective and more common than their higher-tiered counterparts. That said, attending a lower-tiered activity still has value—it shows you’re passionate about a subject and motivated to pursue the things that interest you.
Curious about the effect extracurricular activities have on your chances of college admission? CollegeVine can help! Our free chancing calculator uses a variety of factors including grades, test scores, and extracurriculars to estimate your odds of getting into hundreds of colleges and universities while also providing insight into how to improve your profile.
