BSP separates these categories because precollege programs are designed for high school students, while summer session classes are generally undergraduate courses open to high school enrollment.
Summer programs vary widely in selectivity, academic rigor, duration, eligibility, and other factors—but they are universally designed for high school students. Many have an application process, rather than being open enrollment. Summer session classes, although often open to high-schoolers, are designed for undergraduate study. Although some summer session classes do require applications they are generally easier to enroll in. BSP lists precollege programs and summer session classes in different categories to reflect these differences.
A summer session class is a for-credit or non-credit undergraduate course, usually taught by university faculty, that allows high school students to earn a grade and transcript while experiencing college-level rigor.
Summer session classes are usually (with some exceptions) non-residential. Students are only on campus to take classes and normally do not have access to the dorms, dining halls, gyms, and other residential components of campus life.
Summer session classes are often, although not always, for-credit. Many offer transcripts that become part of a student’s permanent academic record.
Summer session classes are there foremost for the education of undergraduate students. They are usually taught by the same faculty that teach during the academic year and (with exceptions) are designed to have the same level of rigor.
Summer course volume varies by institution, with some colleges offering only a select few while major universities like Harvard or Yale or Stanford provide a hundred or more options across diverse disciplines.
Some colleges offer a handful of classes; some have dozens, some hundreds. When summer schedules are posted (normally by the preceding winter) students should check carefully to see what options are available, especially as these sometimes change year to year.
Families choose university summer sessions over community college for the institutional prestige, access to top faculty, and the opportunity to demonstrate academic ability. However, community college classes usually present the single greatest value to high school students.
Getting an on-campus experience at a specific college they want to attend.
Being taught by faculty members at a college they intend to apply to.
Having a greater variety of classes to choose from.
Proving to a specific college that they can thrive there academically.
The prestige of studying at a top-tier college.
Wishing to avoid the complications and uncertainty of registering for classes at a community college with a capped number of spaces. Often community colleges designate high-schoolers as a lower registration priority than enrolled students, meaning popular classes can be filled up before they have a chance to register.
Eligibility for summer classes is determined by individual university requirements, which typically include minimum age, GPA thresholds, prereqs, and English language proficiency for international students.
Many colleges have eligibility requirements that include age, grade level, minimum GPA, and sometimes prerequisites or placement exams. International and ESL students will often be asked to provide TOEFL scores, Duolingo certificates, standardized tests, or similar proof of English ability. Many colleges make some, but not all, of their summer classes available to high-schoolers. Families should carefully check eligibility requirements when choosing classes.
Summer session classrooms are predominantly composed of undergraduate students, offering high-schoolers exposure to a more diverse and mature academic environment.
Normally summer session classes are geared toward undergraduates, who will make up the majority of the class. However, students should not be surprised to see other high-schoolers or, for that matter, perhaps a graduate student or adult taking or auditing the class. Part of the value of summer session classes is exposure to a more diverse age range than traditional high school classrooms.
Summer session classes maintain the same rigorous standards as academic-year undergraduate courses, meaning an 'A' grade is possible but requires significant academic preparation and effort.
Many—although certainly not all—summer session classes are just as rigorous as any other courses offered by a university. When a university offers an undergraduate-facing class to high-schoolers, it is putting its personal stamp of approval on that academic experience. Sometimes summer session classes are truncated to fit the shorter term or otherwise adjusted, but often they are equal in scope and rigor to counterpart classes offered in the academic year. In these situations, students should go in expecting a challenging and demanding experience, although just as in college, difficulty varies widely depending on individual professor, subject, upper or lower-level gearing, and other variables.
Determined and academically prepared high school students should know they are capable of earning an A but this is not predetermined—similar to a challenging honors-level high school class.
For-credit classes result in an official, transferable academic transcript, whereas not-for-credit courses provide enrichment and certificates of completion without the pressure of a permanent grade record.
Seeing both for-credit and not-for-credit summer classes offered by the same university is not uncommon. The former offers an official transcript, which becomes part of a student’s permanent academic record and can be requested via the registrar's office at any future point. Often this course credit is transferable to other colleges, although students should not assume this and should check on a case-by-case basis.
Not-for-credit or enrichment courses often provide a certificate of completion rather than an official transcript. Some students might choose this option if they doubt their ability to do well in an academically daunting course, or if they select a course topic they are unfamiliar with. Others might prefer the lesser pressure of a no-credit course to avoid the possibility of receiving an undesirable grade that then becomes part of their permanent academic record.
Families should have a thoughtful conversation about what their academic goals and abilities are before choosing for-credit or not-for-credit classes.
While summer session credits generate an official transcript, transferability is never guaranteed and is decided solely by the admissions office of the recipient college.
Many students choose summer session classes specifically for this reason: to earn actual, transferable college credit. When a college issues an official transcript with a specified number of credits this is indeed valid—however, there is no guarantee that another college will accept this credit. Students will need to check this case by case and families should be aware that only the recipient university can decide whether or not to award credit for courses taken anywhere else. Just as colleges will not automatically or unconditionally accept AP courses as substitutes for their own required coursework, they will not automatically award credit earned at other universities.
Most university summer sessions for high schoolers are non-residential, requiring families to arrange their own local housing or sublets unless a specific exception is made by the institution.
Often colleges are not able to offer housing for high-schoolers taking summer classes. It is always worth checking directly with the college, as exceptions are sometimes made, but in these situations families should be prepared to find sublets or make temporary housing arrangements if they wish to enroll their children in these classes.
BSP omits fixed tuition and duration data for summer sessions because the vast diversity of course combinations within a single university makes a standardized "apples-to-apples" comparison impossible.
BSP intentionally doesn’t list duration or tuition because summer session offerings differ so widely by university – and sometimes within a single university – that it is unrealistic to offer meaningful, apples-to-apples comparisons with our compare tool.
For instance, College X might offer a 3-week, 2-credit class for $4,000, and College Y might offer a 5-week, 3-credit class for $7,000. Sometimes a single university summer session will have dozens of different combinations of duration, tuition, and credit / no-credit courses available. BSP encourages families to decide what their budget is, where they want to enroll, and what kind of experience and outcome they want, and then to look closely at the combinations of courses available.
High school students are generally ineligible for university financial aid for summer session courses, as these programs are primarily structured as revenue-generating offerings.
Normally high school students are not eligible for financial aid prior to enrollment. For context, summer session classes generate very substantial revenue for colleges: this is an inescapable fact. But if academic tuition is a genuine barrier a family should always check directly with the college / program in question.
Unlike summer precollege programs with specific application deadlines, summer classes generally have registration periods that begin at a designated date and run until either a deadline or, often, until a given course is filled. Students should check carefully and always ensure they have met whatever eligibility requirements are needed for enrollment. Popular courses and subjects tend to fill much quicker, and students who wait until the very end of the registration period will often find the course they wanted has reached capacity.
While summer classes demonstrate academic ability, selective colleges commonly state explicitly that enrollment does not provide preferential treatment or a "backdoor" to undergraduate admission.
On the one hand, taking classes at a selective college and doing well demonstrates a student’s ability to succeed on campus. On the other hand, if enrolling in summer session classes was a backdoor into the most selective colleges in the country, everyone would do it and colleges could likely fill their entire incoming classes just via this route. Many of the most selective colleges say explicitly that taking their summer classes does not mean preferential treatment when applying, although those classes can certainly signify academic ability and many other desirable factors.
High-cost summer classes serve as a positive indicator of academic curiosity and initiative, but do not assume that admissions offices weigh them more heavily than rigorous, low-cost community college alternatives.
Families should start by understanding that any advanced or college-level class taken by a high-schooler will almost always be seen as a plus by any admissions office. Doing so shows initiative, academic curiosity, willingness to go outside the traditional high school classroom, and eagerness to pursue new fields of study. If a high-school student can get an A in a rigorous course designed for undergraduates, that sends a clear message of academic competence.
Does an admissions office prefer an expensive college course at a brand-name university over a free or inexpensive community college class? Families should absolutely not assume this. There are occasions where one class might be viewed as more rigorous or demanding than another; certain subjects might be deemed better indicators of aptitude for a specific field or major.
On the other hand families should not automatically assume they will be penalized for taking the more expensive classes. Admissions offices have a complex set of factors used in determining demographic affluence, including zip codes, high schools, districts, regional admissions officers, parent career information, need-based aid requests, and more. Admissions offices will not penalize a student for enrolling in a summer class any more than they would penalize that same student for attending a private school, living in a particular neighborhood or home, or being able to pay full tuition at their college.
Top-tier admissions offices will try to understand each student holistically: what they did or didn’t do with whatever resources were available to them.
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