You find a UCLA summer research program that sounds perfect. Then you click through to apply and discover the requirements don’t fit, the costs are higher than expected, or the program doesn’t actually involve research.
UCLA’s summer offerings do not route through a single program or application. Instead, UCLA offers several options through different departments, each with its own eligibility rules, fees, and deadlines. Some offer college credit, while others focus on research skills or hands-on experiences. Here’s how to tell them apart.
UCLA Summer Sessions runs credit-bearing programs, including SCIP+, which adds research-focused coursework and programming to the Summer College Immersion experience. UCLA Health runs a one-week pre-medical program, while regular Summer Courses and the Precollege Focus Series provide academic study rather than research internships. This guide compares each option by cost, eligibility, selectivity, and deadlines, using UCLA’s own published pages.
UCLA does not run a single summer research program for high school students, but it offers several summer options through different offices, and SCIP+ comes closest to research.
UCLA now calls its three-week high school academic offerings the Summer Precollege Focus Series; older references may use the previous “Precollege Summer Institutes” name.
Application Deadline: Latest published cycle: April 1 for international students requiring a visa and May 1 for other applicants; 2027 deadlines have not yet been posted
The table below sorts the options by who runs them, who they serve, and how they work, so students can start with the one that matches their grade, GPA, and goal.
SCIP students take one or two approved UCLA courses alongside UCLA undergraduate students. This gives participants a chance to experience college life through university-level coursework while getting a taste of campus life. They also attend co-curricular activities, including required co-curricular workshops on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons.
SCIP+ is the closest UCLA option to research. UCLA calls it a “theoretical introduction to research” and notes that it has no lab component. SCIP+ students also take a required one-unit Research Practice course that introduces essential skills in the research process without promising independent lab work. UCLA does not advertise guaranteed one-on-one research advising with faculty for SCIP+ participants; students should not assume that the program includes individual faculty mentorship.
SCIP students can choose from approved UCLA courses across STEM and the humanities, including subjects such as chemistry, astronomy, life sciences, environmental science, social sciences, computer science, Asian studies, and classics. Students learn across fields, with interests ranging from computer science to international relations, subject to course availability.
UCLA also has specialized neuroscience offerings, including NeuroCamp and the Neuroscience High School Scholars Program. Genetics-related coursework may be available through approved summer courses, but a separate, currently operating high school summer program dedicated to genetics has not been verified.
Each Focus Series offers a comprehensive introduction to one field, such as economics, political science, or engineering design. Depending on the program, activities may include projects, performances, field trips and field visits, and talks by guest speakers or industry professionals. The 2026 lineup also included virtual series in critical thinking and Python for economics and finance. In engineering design, students collaborate on projects and practice presentation skills.
Students in regular Summer Courses choose one or two courses from a pre-approved list and study alongside undergraduate students. Families searching for UCLA summer online options can also look into eSCIP and the virtual Focus Series offerings; availability depends on the session.
UCLA Health says the week includes hands on activities such as virtual-reality surgical simulation and suturing practice. Past schedules also included a robotics skills lab, CPR training, and basic-science research lab tours. Such visits expose students to UCLA research centers without necessarily placing them on research teams.
Each program sets its own requirements, so students should check the grade, age, and GPA rules before planning around any single option.
Out-of-state families can pursue these options as well. UCLA Summer Sessions’ Summer Scholars Support is limited to qualifying California high school students, while UCLA Health separately offers need-based scholarships for its Pre-Med Summer Scholars Program. California students can also compare these programs with other research programs for high school students in California.
UCLA does not publish an acceptance rate for SCIP, SCIP+, the Summer Precollege Focus Series, or the Pre-Med Summer Scholars Program. Regular Summer Courses use open enrollment for approved high school courses rather than a selective admissions process, so selection works differently across the options.
SCIP and SCIP+ describe admission as highly competitive. Applicants need a 3.8 cumulative unweighted GPA, a full high school transcript, and written application responses; SCIP requires one statement-of-purpose essay, while SCIP+ requires two. Applicants also enter extracurricular activities, and some international students must provide proof of English proficiency.
The Focus Series currently uses a general minimum 3.0 unweighted GPA, a transcript, and a short value statement, although individual programs can impose higher GPA requirements or additional essays and materials. Summer Courses has no selective application for students choosing from the approved high school course list. The Pre-Med program does not publish an acceptance rate; both of its 2026 sessions filled.
The UCLA Summer Sessions options share three concrete features: university oversight, UCLA coursework, and academic credit recorded on an official UCLA transcript. Eligible students receive credit upon successful completion of each course. Credit earned in SCIP, the Focus Series, and Summer Courses appears on an official UCLA transcript rather than the high school transcript. Students outside the UC system should check with the institution where they hope to use the credit, because transfer or recognition is determined by the receiving school.
The UCLA Health Pre-Med Summer Scholars Program is different: it is a five-day medical-exposure program and does not advertise UCLA academic credit.
UCLA also notes that attending Summer Sessions does not give a student an admissions advantage at UCLA or another University of California campus. For a broader look at how university-driven formats compare, read our guide to summer research opportunities.
UCLA affiliation tells students who administers and evaluates the academic work, but it does not by itself determine how much a student will gain from the experience. In some courses, students engage with challenging assignments or team projects, while other offerings focus on demonstrations and workshops. What a student gains depends on how substantively they engage with the work.
Application steps differ by program, as the table shows.
UCLA has not yet published complete 2027 program dates or student deadlines. The latest published cycle provides the following guide to when applications and payments typically occur; the program begins on June 22 in 2026. Application deadlines differ by program and applicant category. In 2026, applications opened in February, but the listed deadlines included March 9 for Pre-Med, April 1 for visa-requiring SCIP applicants, and May 1 for other SCIP applicants. February opening dates should not be mistaken for application deadlines.
It depends on the program. For 2026:
SCIP, sometimes searched as UCLA Summer College, carries a program fee of $1,675, SCIP+ carries $1,950, and both add per-unit tuition of $385 and a $350 registration fee, according to UCLA Summer Sessions. Additional document and instructional fees also apply.
Summer Courses use a different fee schedule. For visiting U.S. students in 2026, they cost $420 per unit plus a $350 registration fee and applicable additional fees. Focus Series fees vary by series, and the Pre-Med program costs $1,450, according to UCLA Health. Students age 17 or older who arrange a separate UCLA Housing contract pay housing costs in addition to program fees; 2026 six-week housing rates started at $2,745.20.
California students in grades 9 through 11 may apply for Summer Scholars Support, a need- and merit-based scholarship with limited awards. The Bruin Ascent Summer Experience offers selected 10th and 11th graders from under resourced communities in California one free online UCLA course, plus mentorship and programming. Students from underrepresented groups can check eligibility; the initiative serves economically under resourced communities. UCLA provides no Summer Sessions financial aid to visiting out-of-state or international high school students.
A strong application starts with fit rather than polish. These steps keep students from losing a place to an avoidable mistake.
It depends on the goal. Coursework in SCIP or Summer Courses offers UCLA credit, a short program offers a focused introduction to a field, and SCIP+ offers a classroom introduction to research methods. Each serves a different purpose. For college admissions, the substance of the work matters more than simply listing participation in a UCLA program.
The trade-offs are practical. Fees and housing add up for students who live far from Los Angeles, and the options UCLA lists on its Summer Sessions pages center on coursework, workshops, and short skills programs rather than hands-on research placements in university labs. Some research-intensive programs elsewhere may lead to manuscripts submitted to academic journals, but UCLA’s programs discussed here do not guarantee publication. Students who want a lab-based format alongside or instead of these can compare STEM programs for high school students in California or the other top research programs for high school students in Los Angeles.
A UCLA summer program can be worthwhile when its structure matches what a student wants to learn or experience. Whether a program culminates in a final project that students present, assessment, or completed coursework depends on the offering. The campus name alone does not determine the value of the experience; students should look at the actual coursework, research exposure, mentorship, and work they will complete. Students weighing their next step can also explore college-based research programs for high school students.
Students comparing options can start with our guide to summer research opportunities for high school students, then review these programs.
The UCLA Summer Sessions research and academic options discussed in this guide generally charge fees, although scholarships can reduce or cover costs for eligible California students. One clearly fee-free Summer Sessions option is the Bruin Ascent Summer Experience, which gives selected California 10th and 11th graders one online course at no charge.
BASE is an academic and college-preparation program, not a research program. UCLA’s Summer Sessions pages list no free lab-based high school research placement, so students seeking free research in Los Angeles can look at programs such as USC’s Young Researchers Program, a six-week mentored research program whose current application page lists no participant tuition.
Yes. The Focus Series and Summer Courses are open to high school students from outside California, and SCIP invites eligible students from around the world to apply. UCLA Summer Sessions scholarships are limited to qualifying California high school students, but UCLA Health separately offers need-based scholarships for the Pre-Med Summer Scholars Program.
International students attending an in-person UCLA program should check the program’s immigration rules: SCIP is F-1 eligible, while the Precollege Focus Series is not. eSCIP is fully online, and campus housing requires students to be 17 or older. The Pre-Med program requires U.S. citizenship and attendance at a U.S. high school.
The Focus Series and Summer Courses set a minimum age of 15, measured on the day Summer Sessions begins. SCIP currently lists grade, GPA, and English-proficiency requirements but does not state a separate minimum age. The Pre-Med program requires students to be at least 16 at the time of participation. Housing contracts through UCLA require age 17 or older.
SCIP, the Focus Series, and Summer Courses all carry UCLA credit, recorded in quarter units on an official UCLA transcript. The Pre-Med Summer Scholars Program does not list credit. Students outside the University of California system should confirm whether another institution will accept or apply the UCLA credit toward its own requirements.
UCLA does not appear to currently operate HSSRP. UCLA’s High School Summer Research Program was an eight-week engineering research program at the UCLA, described for high school seniors in a 2017 journal article. There is no current HSSRP application or program page.
One current UCLA engineering option for high school students is the three-week Engineering Design program within the Summer Precollege Focus Series. Students complete team-based hands-on projects in areas such as go-karts, rockets, microcontrollers, and rovers, but this is an academic design program rather than a replacement for HSSRP’s laboratory research model.
Students interested in what HSSRP offered can look at UCLA’s other options, such as SCIP+ and the Summer Precollege Focus Series. They can also review the programs listed above under Similar Programs to Consider, or explore Pioneer Academics, where the Research Institute guides students through original research with a university faculty mentor.
If you’re interested in conducting the highest level of research for high school students, consider joining a Pioneer information session to learn more about the Pioneer Research Institute.
Based on a recent survey, 71 percent of Pioneer Research scholars’ acceptances were to the top 20 US colleges and universities. Additionally, our alumni report acceptances to highly-selective institutions at a rate five times higher than the school’s published acceptance rate.
If you are a 9th or 10th grader, we encourage you to also check out the Global Problem-Solving Institute. You’ll have the rare opportunity to take an interdisciplinary approach to complex world programs, while earning college credits from UNC-Chapel Hill.
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