About

The Pre-College Summer Language Institute at the University of Chicago is an intensive online language study experience designed for academically advanced high school students who want to rapidly build foreign language proficiency. Courses run for eight weeks (June 22 – August 14, 2026) and are taught online by University of Chicago instructors; there is no in-person or residential component. Each intensive language course carries 300 units of credit—equivalent to a full year (three quarters) of undergraduate language study—and requires at least 150 contact hours of instruction.

Tuition for 2026 is $13,302; need-based financial aid is available to qualified applicants who submit the Summer Session financial aid application by the priority deadline.
Students can choose from a range of modern and ancient languages, including Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Latin, and Classical Greek. These intensives are designed to develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills at an accelerated pace, often covering one full chapter of material every two days.

Participants submit an application through the University’s Summer Session portal, including a high school transcript, a short essay, and a counselor recommendation. Enrollment is capacity-limited and reviewed for academic readiness, with a final application deadline of May 1, 2026.

Because the institute is embedded within the University of Chicago’s rigorous Summer Session—the same crediting system used for undergraduate courses—students experience college-level immersion that advances proficiency in a compressed timeframe. The online format allows motivated learners from grades 10–12 to engage with material at a high academic level, making it a substantive option for students seeking fast-paced language study and transferable university credit—provided, of course, that they feel comfortable studying in a purely online setting.