Best Summer Programs for Performing and Visual Arts
High school students who are talented in the arts often keep quite busy outside of normal school hours, starring in dramatic productions, performing in the chorus or orchestra, or painting/scrupling/drawing for hours each day in the evenings. The summer months can provide additional time to pursue one’s passion in the arts, whether independently or by applying to a competitive formalized summer program.
Our list of Best Summer Programs in the Performing and Visual Arts is comprised of 28 top-notch programs that range in duration, cost, and eligibility criteria but all share the common trait of quality in the eyes of prospective colleges. All of the aforementioned data points are provided for each school along with the location of the program, whether they offer a residential experience, and when the application window opens and closes. We also reveal when applications become available, the deadlines, whether residential housing is offered, and the geographic location where the program takes place. These selections provide you a way to sing, dance, or act your way to a meaningful summer experience that provides the added benefit of improved admissions prospects.
Program | Location | Residential | Focus | Length | Costs | App. Opens | Deadline | Eligibility |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berklee College of Music Summer Programs | Boston, MA | Yes | Music | 3 days-5 weeks | ~$1,150-$9,150 | Available | Rolling | Age 15 and older |
Boston University High School Honors | Boston, MA | Yes | Multiple (includng Arts) | 5 weeks | $6550+ | Dec 15 | May 29 | Rising 11th, 12th |
College Audition Preparation Workshop at Indiana University | Bloomington, IN | Yes | Music | 1 week | ~$1,500 | Spring | 3-Jul | Rising 11th, 12th |
Columbia University Summer Immersion - Arts | New York, NY | Yes | Art | 1, 3 weeks | $2810-12,354 | December | Feb 3 Early, Mar 3 | Rising 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th |
Cornell University Summer College | Ithaca, NY | Yes | Multiple (includng Arts) | 3-6 weeks | ~$6,750-$13,500 | mid-January | Rolling | Rising 11th and 12th |
Curtis Institute Young Artist Summer Program | Philadelphia, PA | Yes | Music | 3 weeks | $6,150 | Available | 17-Jan | Age 14 and older |
Design Immersion Camp at North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC | Yes | Design | 1 week | $1200-$1300 | Jan 31 | Apr 8 | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th |
Harvard Secondary School Program | Cambridge, MA & Online | Yes | Multiple (includng Arts) | 2 or 7 weeks | $4000-$13,300 | Dec 1 | Jan 26 Early, Mar 2 Regular | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th (must be 15 years old by 12/2/21) |
Miami University Summer Scholars | Oxford, OH | Yes | Multiple (includng Arts) | 1 week | $1,080 | Late Winter | Rolling | Rising 11th, 12th |
Notre Dame Summer Scholars Online | Online | No | Multiple (including Arts) | 3 Weeks | $1,900 | Oct 18 | Feb 21 | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th |
Notre Dame Summer Scholars | Notre Dame, IN | Yes | Multiple (includng Arts) | 2 weeks | $4250-$4375 | Oct 18 | Feb 21 | Rising 11th, 12th |
Oregon State University JumpstART | Corvallis, OR | No | Art | 1 week | $400 | Dec 1 | Jun 3 Scholarship, Jun 10 | Rising 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th |
Parsons Summer Intensive Studies NYC | New York, NY | Yes | Art/Design | 3 weeks | ~$7,500-$9,300 | Available | 1-Apr | Ages 16-18 |
Pratt Institute Pre-College Summer | New York, NY | Yes | Art/Design | 4 weeks | $4760-6556 | Dec 8 | Ages 16-18 years old | |
Ringling College of Art + Design Pre-College | Sarasota, FL | Yes | Art/Design | 4 weeks | $3995-6100 | Nov 1 | Mar 4 | Rising 11th, 12th + Graduates |
RISD Pre-College Program | Providence, RI | Yes | Art/Design | 6 weeks | $7825-$10,850 | Nov 9 | Feb 1 | Rising 11th, 12th |
San Francisco Art Institute PreCollege | San Francisco, CA | Yes | Multiple (includng Arts) | 4 weeks | ~$5,500 | 4-Jan | 1-May | Rising 11th, 12th |
SCAD Rising Star | Multiple | Yes | Art/Design | 5 weeks | $6,010 | Sept 27 | Rolling (June) | Rising 12th |
Shakespeare on Stage at Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | Yes | Drama | 3 weeks | $6,750 | Available | 1-May | Rising 11th, 12th |
Sotheby's Institute of Art | New York, NY | Yes | Art | 2 weeks | $5820-6420 | Dec 1 | Mar 14 Priority, Apr 25 Regular | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th + Graduates |
Summer Art Intensive at Cooper Union | New York, NY | Yes | Arts | 4 weeks | $2,900 | January | 15-Apr | Ages 15-18 |
Summer Art Intensive at NYU | New York, NY | Yes | Art | 4 weeks | $6,250 | 1-Feb | 4/1 (Early) | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th |
Summer Music Programs at Oberlin | Oberlin, OH | Yes | Music | 1-3 weeks | $575-4660 | Mar 1 | Apr 1 | Middle School age through Adult - depending on program |
Summer Pre-College Art Program at Carnegie Mellon | Pittsburgh, PA | Yes | Art | 3, 6 weeks | $6500-$10,000 | November | Feb 9 Early, May 16 Regular | Rising 11th, 12th, Must be 16 years of age |
The Clark Scholars Program (Texas Tech University) | Lubbock, TX | Yes | Multiple (including Arts) | 7 weeks | Free/Stipend | Jan 3 | Feb 16 | Rising 12th + Graduates |
Summer at Brown | Providence, RI | Yes | Multiple (includng Arts) | 1-4 weeks | $2506-$9120 | Jan 6 | Jan 14 Priority, May 6 Regular | Rising 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th |
Tisch (NYU) Summer High School Drama Programs | New York, NY | Yes | Drama | 3 weeks | $13,202 | Available | Jan 12 | Rising 11th, 12th |
UCLA Summer Institutes | Los Angeles, CA | Yes | Multiple (includng Arts) | 1, 2, 3, 6 weeks | $825-2100 | Available | Apr 1 | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th |
University of Chicago Summer College | Chicago, IL | Yes | Multiple (includng Arts) | 3 weeks | $7775-13,200 | Dac 15 | Jan 19 Priority, Mar 9 | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th |
Wake Forest Summer Immersion | Winston-Salem, NC | Yes | Multiple (including Film) | 1 week | $1500-2700 | Available | Rolling, May | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th + Graduates |
Yale - Summer Drama Program | New Haven, CT | Yes | Drama | 5 weeks | $8,500 | Jan 18 | Apr 15 | Rising 11th, 12th |
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