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    Guide 4 of 10 · Psychology

    The Top Psychology Programs for High School Students in 2027

    We assessed psychology summer programs against the same criteria used across the series to determine the best programs for students in 2027. This guide compares ten organisations in detail and explains what students will actually do.

    Last verified: 16 Oct 2026Reviewed by:SSSean Stevens
    150

    Programmes assessed

    10

    Profiled in full

    $495-$10,771

    Fee range

    Quick take

    • The calibre of programs in this guide is high and, therefore, no psychology program is free. The cheapest route is a $495 six-week Polygence Pod; most residential fortnights cost $4,000 to £7,995.
    • Hands-on content means dissection, labs and simulated patients (Wake Forest, NSLC), not clinical work. Nobody under 18 treats real patients.
    • Ages for students runs from 11 to 16. Duke admits middle schoolers from 11 (residential from 13), Academy Royale from 12, Brown and Barnard from 14, Summer Boarding Courses from 15, Georgetown Summer College from grade 10 and Academy Royale's Experimental Psychology from 16.
    • 2027 dates will be updated as they become available. Summer Discovery, Academy Royale and Summer Boarding Courses have; the US universities publish between mid-October and mid-November.

    Organisation
    Academy Royale International (formerly Oxford Royale)
    		Format
    Residential
    		When it runs
    4-17 July, 18-31 July and 1-14 August 2027 (16-18); 4 and 18 July 2027 (12-15, Cambridge)
    		Contact hours
    Mornings 9 to 12:30 plus three or four afternoons a week
    		Fee
    £7,995 (2027)
    		Ages
    16-18 (Experimental Psychology); 12-15 (Psychology and the Human Mind)
    		Location
    Oxford and Cambridge colleges, England
    		Scholarships
    Essay competition for ages 12-18
    		Safeguarding policy
    Published
    Organisation
    Barnard College Pre-College Programs
    		Format
    Residential or Day
    		When it runs
    Between June and August
    		Contact hours
    [TBC: morning and afternoon classes]
    		Fee
    $8,160 commuter; $10,771 residential (2026)
    		Ages
    Current high school students, 14+; rising sophomores to seniors
    		Location
    Barnard College, New York City
    		Scholarships
    Limited need-based aid; not available to international students
    		Safeguarding policy
    Published
    Organisation
    Brown University Pre-College (Summer@Brown)
    		Format
    Residential, Day or Hybrid
    		When it runs
    2027 not yet published; 2026 ran 15 June to 25 July
    		Contact hours
    15 a week in class plus 2-3 hours a day of work
    		Fee
    $3,748-$8,372 residential
    		Ages
    Completing grades 9-12
    		Location
    Providence, Rhode Island
    		Scholarships
    Sibley Scholarships, need-based, US students only, first applied first awarded
    		Safeguarding policy
    Published
    Organisation
    Duke Pre-College (Office of the Provost)
    		Format
    Residential (middle school may commute)
    		When it runs
    2027 dates announced October 2026; 2026 sessions 13-24 June and 13-24 July
    		Contact hours
    52
    		Fee
    2027 fees to be announced; deposit $500 before 2 April, $1,500 after
    		Ages
    Current grades 6-12
    		Location
    Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
    		Scholarships
    None for individuals; partner-organisation routes only
    		Safeguarding policy
    Published
    Organisation
    Georgetown University (Summer College, General Psychology)
    		Format
    Residential or Day
    		When it runs
    2027 published 16 November 2026; 2026 ran 1 June to 24 July and 6 July to 7 August
    		Contact hours
    [TBC: not published]
    		Fee
    $7,113 tuition per 3-credit course; housing $2,542; $780 pre-college fee (2026)
    		Ages
    Current grade 10 and above
    		Location
    Georgetown University, Washington DC
    		Scholarships
    Need-based, partial to full tuition; standing application each January to March
    		Safeguarding policy
    Published
    Organisation
    National Student Leadership Conference (Psychology and Neuroscience)
    		Format
    Residential (commuter option)
    		When it runs
    2027 dates and campuses announced autumn 2026; 2026 sessions June and July
    		Contact hours
    [TBC: not published]
    		Fee
    $4,495 (2026)
    		Ages
    14-18
    		Location
    Duke, UC Berkeley and University of Michigan (2026)
    		Scholarships
    Over $500,000 a year; most awards $500-$1,000
    		Safeguarding policy
    Published
    Organisation
    Polygence
    		Format
    Online
    		When it runs
    Year-round; apply by the 15th to start the following month
    		Contact hours
    10 one-hour mentor sessions plus 3-5 hours a week independent work
    		Fee
    From $3,000
    		Ages
    No age limit; middle and high school
    		Location
    Online
    		Scholarships
    Research for Impact Scholarship: five full places for ages 14-18 under $100,000 household income
    		Safeguarding policy
    Not published
    Organisation
    Summer Boarding Courses (Future Scholars: Sciences, Oxford College)
    		Format
    Residential or Day
    		When it runs
    Two-week sessions from 5 July and 19 July 2027
    		Contact hours
    25 per week
    		Fee
    From £6,295 residential, £3,495 day (2 weeks)
    		Ages
    15-17
    		Location
    Oxford, England
    		Scholarships
    TBC
    		Safeguarding policy
    Published
    Organisation
    Summer Discovery (Psychology at Georgetown University)
    		Format
    Residential or Day
    		When it runs
    27 June to 9 July and 11 to 23 July 2027
    		Contact hours
    [TBC: afternoon course slot]
    		Fee
    $4,299-$11,599
    		Ages
    Grades 9-12
    		Location
    Georgetown University, Washington DC
    		Scholarships
    Assistance primarily through partner mentoring organisations
    		Safeguarding policy
    Published
    Organisation
    Wake Forest University Summer Immersion (Psychology Institute)
    		Format
    Residential
    		When it runs
    2027 dates and application open 1 November 2026; 2026 weeks of 12 and 19 July
    		Contact hours
    32
    		Fee
    $3,500 (2026)
    		Ages
    Current grades 9-12
    		Location
    Winston-Salem, North Carolina
    		Scholarships
    Limited need-based funding; US students only; often depleted by January
    		Safeguarding policy
    Published
    Recognised as Best for International StudentsCommercial partner

    Academy Royale International (formerly Oxford Royale)

    Guide 4 of 10 · Psychology · Recognised as Best for International Students

    Academy Royale's Experimental Psychology course for 16 to 18-year-olds runs in Oxford and Cambridge colleges across eight modules from biological psychology and the brain to individual differences and mental health, with a separate Psychology and the Human Mind course for 12 to 15-year-olds in Cambridge. It suits students joining from outside the UK who want a psychology course with an international peer group and the college setting, and it is one of only two programmes here that teach psychology from age 12. It was shortlisted because the provider states it has welcomed students from over 175 countries since 2004, and it holds British Accreditation Council and British Council accreditation. Every member of staff is DBS checked or the international equivalent and campus teams live on site.

    Location:
    Oxford and Cambridge colleges, England
    Fee:
    £7,995 (2027)
    When it runs:
    4-17 July, 18-31 July and 1-14 August 2027 (16-18); 4 and 18 July 2027 (12-15, Cambridge)
    Length:
    2 weeks
    Ages:
    16-18 (Experimental Psychology); 12-15 (Psychology and the Human Mind)
    Format:
    Residential
    Application:
    Rolling; £1,295 deposit, balance 90 days before
    Contact hours:
    Mornings 9 to 12:30 plus three or four afternoons a week
    Cohort size:
    Small groups
    Scholarships:
    Essay competition for ages 12-18
    Safeguarding policy:
    Published

    Points to consider

    Whilst £7,995 for two weeks stands as being the most expensive UK option in this guide, Academy Royale International have a sustained reputation for delivery high-quality programs. The 1 to 14 August session appears to run in Oxford only, and the 12 to 15 course only in Cambridge. Afternoon academic sessions run on three or four days a week, so total contact hours are lower than the morning timetable suggests.

    Visit the organisation's website
    Recognised as Best for Academic Depth

    Barnard College Pre-College Programs

    Guide 4 of 10 · Psychology · Recognised as Best for Academic Depth

    Barnard's three-week pre-college institutes have students select a single course and stay in it for the full session, with 2026 psychology options including Forensic Psychology, The Social Mind and Intro to Neuroscience taught by Barnard faculty in Manhattan. It suits students who would rather spend three weeks going deep into one branch of psychology than sample several, and who want a New York campus experience with Columbia next door. It was shortlisted because of that single-course immersion, which Barnard describes as allowing students to dig deep, and because the psychology courses cover distinct fields from eyewitness memory and jury decision-making to the biological bases of behaviour. Residential students live in Sulzberger Hall.

    Location:
    Barnard College, New York City
    Fee:
    $8,160 commuter; $10,771 residential (2026)
    When it runs:
    Between June and August
    Length:
    3 weeks
    Ages:
    Current high school students, 14+; rising sophomores to seniors
    Format:
    Residential or Day
    Application:
    1 December to 15 April (priority 9 February); transcript, recommendations, 500-word statement; $75 fee
    Contact hours:
    [TBC: morning and afternoon classes]
    Cohort size:
    [TBC: described as small classes]
    Scholarships:
    Limited need-based aid; not available to international students
    Safeguarding policy:
    Published

    Points to consider

    Psychology is three of nine course options in the STEMinist track rather than a standalone programme, and 2027 course titles were not published when checked.

    Visit the organisation's website
    Recognised as Best for Academic Depth

    Brown University Pre-College (Summer@Brown)

    Guide 4 of 10 · Psychology · Recognised as Best for Academic Depth

    Summer@Brown offers more than 230 non-credit courses across one, two and three-week on-campus sessions and a five-week hybrid, with 2026 psychology titles including Abnormal Psychology, The Psychology of Interpersonal Communication, and A Week as a Psychologist on substance use disorders. It suits students aged 14 to 18 who want to choose a precise psychology topic from a large catalogue and study it for three hours a day in a university classroom. It was shortlisted because the breadth of the catalogue lets a student match a course to a specific interest rather than take a general introduction, spanning Brown's Open Curriculum. Student life staff live alongside students and courses of two weeks or more come with a course performance report.

    Location:
    Providence, Rhode Island
    Fee:
    $3,748-$8,372 residential
    When it runs:
    2027 not yet published; 2026 ran 15 June to 25 July
    Length:
    1, 2 or 3 weeks on campus; 5 weeks hybrid
    Ages:
    Completing grades 9-12
    Format:
    Residential, Day or Hybrid
    Application:
    Mid-January to mid-May; transcript, writing requirement, English proficiency; rolling decisions
    Contact hours:
    15 a week in class plus 2-3 hours a day of work
    Cohort size:
    [TBC: not published]
    Scholarships:
    Sibley Scholarships, need-based, US students only, first applied first awarded
    Safeguarding policy:
    Published

    Points to consider

    Courses are non-credit and end in a digital certificate of completion rather than a transcript grade. Fees are charged per course and per length. Brown states it has no scholarships for international students.

    Visit the organisation's website
    Recognised as Best for Younger Students

    Duke Pre-College (Office of the Provost)

    Guide 4 of 10 · Psychology · Recognised as Best for Younger Students

    Duke Pre-College runs two-week on-campus sessions for current grades 6 to 12, with a middle-school track that includes Psychology 101 and a high-school track offering Developmental, Behavioral and Social Psychology alongside Cognitive Neuroscience. It suits younger students, from 13 if living on campus, who want a first university-campus psychology course without being the youngest in a sixth-form cohort. It was shortlisted because the middle-school track runs in the same eight-full-day sessions as the grade 9 to 12 track, with a dedicated Psychology 101 course for grades 6 to 8. All participants are covered by Duke's Youth Protection policies, which require cleared background checks and training for staff.

    Location:
    Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
    Fee:
    2027 fees to be announced; deposit $500 before 2 April, $1,500 after
    When it runs:
    2027 dates announced October 2026; 2026 sessions 13-24 June and 13-24 July
    Length:
    2 weeks (8 full days, 2 mornings)
    Ages:
    Current grades 6-12
    Format:
    Residential (middle school may commute)
    Application:
    Enrolment opens October 2026 with deposit; non-refundable
    Contact hours:
    52
    Cohort size:
    [TBC: not published]
    Scholarships:
    None for individuals; partner-organisation routes only
    Safeguarding policy:
    Published

    Points to consider

    2027 dates, courses and fees were still unpublished when checked, with Duke stating they would be announced in October 2026. Duke Pre-College offers no scholarships to individual students and the deposit is non-refundable. Do not confuse this with Duke Summer Session credit courses, which have different eligibility; Pre-College courses state no college credit.

    Visit the organisation's website
    Recognised as Best Scholarship Provision

    Georgetown University (Summer College, General Psychology)

    Guide 4 of 10 · Psychology · Recognised as Best Scholarship Provision

    Georgetown's Summer College lets high school students from grade 10 take General Psychology (PSYC-1000) for three graded university credits over five weeks on the Washington DC campus, living in residence alongside undergraduates' summer sessions. It suits older students who want a real university transcript grade in psychology rather than a certificate, and whose families need the published scholarship route to make it possible. It was shortlisted because Georgetown runs need-based scholarships as a standing programme with its own application window and published deadlines, ranging from partial to full tuition, and shows live capacity against each session. Resident counsellors live on the same floor as students and run nightly curfew checks.

    Location:
    Georgetown University, Washington DC
    Fee:
    $7,113 tuition per 3-credit course; housing $2,542; $780 pre-college fee (2026)
    When it runs:
    2027 published 16 November 2026; 2026 ran 1 June to 24 July and 6 July to 7 August
    Length:
    5 weeks
    Ages:
    Current grade 10 and above
    Format:
    Residential or Day
    Application:
    Opens 16 November 2026; early-bird fee waiver to 31 January; grades, recommendation, personal statement
    Contact hours:
    [TBC: not published]
    Cohort size:
    [TBC: one resident counsellor per 25 students]
    Scholarships:
    Need-based, partial to full tuition; standing application each January to March
    Safeguarding policy:
    Published

    Points to consider

    Georgetown runs no psychology-specific academy in its one to three-week Hoya Summer line-up; this entry is the five-week credit course, which starts at grade 10. Summer Discovery provide scholarships which are tuition only. Their Georgetown course, listed above, is a separate program on the same campus.

    Visit the organisation's website
    Recognised as Best for Career ExplorationCommercial partner

    National Student Leadership Conference (Psychology and Neuroscience)

    Guide 4 of 10 · Psychology · Recognised as Best for Career Exploration

    NSLC's nine-day Psychology and Neuroscience programme combines Clinical Diagnostics simulations, in which students interview, test, diagnose and treat simulated patients, with workshops in cognitive, developmental and abnormal psychology and a dissection-based anatomy session. It suits 14 to 18-year-olds who want to test whether clinical psychology or neuroscience is a career they would enjoy, rather than study the subject academically. It was shortlisted because the career angle is concrete: guest sessions come from practising neurologists, clinical psychologists and FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit profilers, and the Duke campus visits the UNC Clinical Skills and Patient Simulation Center. Pastoral care is high, and team advisors live on the same floors as students.

    Location:
    Duke, UC Berkeley and University of Michigan (2026)
    Fee:
    $4,495 (2026)
    When it runs:
    2027 dates and campuses announced autumn 2026; 2026 sessions June and July
    Length:
    9 days
    Ages:
    14-18
    Format:
    Residential (commuter option)
    Application:
    Rolling while space remains; deposit on application
    Contact hours:
    [TBC: not published]
    Cohort size:
    [TBC: not published]
    Scholarships:
    Over $500,000 a year; most awards $500-$1,000
    Safeguarding policy:
    Published

    Points to consider

    NSLC told us 2027 dates and pricing are still being finalised and it will not run at UPenn in 2027, so the figures shown are 2026. Optional college credit through American University costs an additional $1,044.

    Visit the organisation's website
    Recognised as Best Online Programme

    Polygence

    Guide 4 of 10 · Psychology · Recognised as Best Online Programme

    Polygence pairs a student one-to-one with a mentor matched to the student's own research question for ten sessions over three to six months, entirely online, with six-week group Pods as a shorter alternative. It suits students who want to produce an independent psychology project, from a survey study to a literature review, on a timetable that fits around school rather than inside a summer block. It was shortlisted because a student who needs longer simply takes longer: the programme is paced to the project, not the calendar. Past psychology projects cited by Polygence include a Regeneron STS entry on locus of control and coping during Covid-19.

    Location:
    Online
    Fee:
    From $3,000
    When it runs:
    Year-round; apply by the 15th to start the following month
    Length:
    3-6 months (Core); 6 weeks (Pods)
    Ages:
    No age limit; middle and high school
    Format:
    Online
    Application:
    Rolling; online registration
    Contact hours:
    10 one-hour mentor sessions plus 3-5 hours a week independent work
    Cohort size:
    One-to-one (Core); 2-5 (Pods)
    Scholarships:
    Research for Impact Scholarship: five full places for ages 14-18 under $100,000 household income
    Safeguarding policy:
    Not published

    Points to consider

    This is not a summer programme; Polygence has no fixed cohort and discourages finishing in under ten weeks, so it belongs in a year-round plan rather than a summer one. Polygence publishes no mentor-vetting or safeguarding statement for a one-to-one online format with minors. The 2026 scholarship is closed and general financial aid is described only as possibly available.

    Visit the organisation's website
    Recognised as Best for Academic DepthCommercial partner

    Summer Boarding Courses (Future Scholars: Sciences, Oxford College)

    Guide 4 of 10 · Psychology · Recognised as Best for Academic Depth

    Future Scholars: Sciences at Oxford College is a two-week programme in which students aged 15 to 17 take 25 hours of academic content a week across Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience and Pharmacology, then work in groups of three on a research question presented as an academic poster and talk at the closing showcase. It suits students whose interest in psychology sits at the biological end, in how the brain produces behaviour, and who want a structured residential with heavy pastoral support. It was shortlisted because of the timetabled depth: 25 hours a week in seminar groups of no more than 15, ending in an independent research project. The provider is accredited by the British Accreditation Council and British Council and states all staff are DBS checked.

    Location:
    Oxford, England
    Fee:
    From £6,295 residential, £3,495 day (2 weeks)
    When it runs:
    Two-week sessions from 5 July and 19 July 2027
    Length:
    2 or 4 weeks
    Ages:
    15-17
    Format:
    Residential or Day
    Application:
    First come first served; B1 English minimum
    Contact hours:
    25 per week
    Cohort size:
    Maximum 15 per class
    Scholarships:
    TBC
    Safeguarding policy:
    Published

    Points to consider

    There is no psychology course or pathway: psychology content is reached through the Neuroscience strand, so a student wanting social, cognitive or clinical psychology should look elsewhere in this guide. The programme ends at 17, with no provision for 18-year-olds.

    Visit the organisation's website
    Recognised as Best University-Based ExperienceCommercial partner

    Summer Discovery (Psychology at Georgetown University)

    Guide 4 of 10 · Psychology · Recognised as Best University-Based Experience

    Summer Discovery's Psychology: Mental Health and Behavior is a two-week course developed by Georgetown University and taught on its Washington DC campus, with residential or commuter places for students in grades 9 to 12. It suits students who want a university-designed introduction to psychology as a science, covering research methods and the biology of behaviour, with the structure of an established residential operator around it. It was shortlisted because the course is developed by Georgetown and taught on campus, and Summer Discovery states students receive an official Georgetown transcript alongside a certificate. Staff are background-checked and the high school ratio is published at 10:1.

    Location:
    Georgetown University, Washington DC
    Fee:
    $4,299-$11,599
    When it runs:
    27 June to 9 July and 11 to 23 July 2027
    Length:
    2 weeks
    Ages:
    Grades 9-12
    Format:
    Residential or Day
    Application:
    Rolling; $100 application fee; deposit from $1,900
    Contact hours:
    [TBC: afternoon course slot]
    Cohort size:
    [TBC: 10:1 student-to-staff ratio published]
    Scholarships:
    Assistance primarily through partner mentoring organisations
    Safeguarding policy:
    Published

    Points to consider

    Summer Discovery is a commercial operator in partnership with Georgetown; the university's own summer programmes are listed separately in this guide and are a different product. The published fee is a campus-wide range covering grades 6 to 12 and is not specific to this course.

    Visit the organisation's website
    Recognised as Best for Practical Experience

    Wake Forest University Summer Immersion (Psychology Institute)

    Guide 4 of 10 · Psychology · Recognised as Best for Practical Experience

    Wake Forest's Psychology Institute is a one-week residential in which students carry out a guided sheep brain dissection, run a sensory perception lab, conduct observational research and present team findings, with topics including the disordered brain and the psychology of addiction. It suits students in grades 9 to 12 who want hands-on laboratory psychology in a short, affordable block rather than a two-week lecture course. It was shortlisted because the practical content is specific and published, and the institute awards an official Wake Forest certificate of completion. Professional staff and resident advisers live in the residence hall and staff are in the presence of students at all times.

    Location:
    Winston-Salem, North Carolina
    Fee:
    $3,500 (2026)
    When it runs:
    2027 dates and application open 1 November 2026; 2026 weeks of 12 and 19 July
    Length:
    1 week (Sunday to Friday)
    Ages:
    Current grades 9-12
    Format:
    Residential
    Application:
    Rolling from 1 November; two essays, recommendation, self-reported GPA; $550 deposit
    Contact hours:
    32
    Cohort size:
    [TBC: not published]
    Scholarships:
    Limited need-based funding; US students only; often depleted by January
    Safeguarding policy:
    Published

    Points to consider

    One week is the shortest residential in this guide and both 2026 sessions were waitlisted, so apply early when 2027 opens on 1 November. Wake Forest told us 2027 dates and fees are not yet set; the $3,500 shown is 2026 and subject to change. International students are not eligible for need-based aid, and the hands-on activities are described as subject to change.

    Visit the organisation's website

    What this means

    A psychology summer program for high school students is a residential, day or online course, usually one to five weeks, in which a 12 to 18-year-old studies how the mind and brain produce behaviour and tries the methods psychologists use. The ten organisations here fall into three types. Campus courses (Summer Discovery, Barnard, Georgetown Summer College, Duke, Brown, Academy Royale, Summer Boarding Courses) teach psychology or neuroscience in university or college classrooms, from a week to five weeks, with Georgetown's the only one carrying graded university credit. Hands-on institutes (Wake Forest, NSLC) are built around dissection, perception labs and simulated clinical diagnosis. Mentored research (Polygence) runs one-to-one online over several months on a question the student sets.

    Two things distinguish this subject from the others in the series. Nothing here is free, because psychology has no equivalent of the funded research institutes that STEM and engineering offer, so scholarship terms matter and are listed where published. And the words psychology and neuroscience are used loosely by providers: Summer Boarding Courses reaches psychology only through its Neuroscience strand and Georgetown's short academies have no psychology option at all, so students should read the course list, not the programme title.

    How organisations are included and assessed

    Inclusion criteria

    The gate. An organisation appears only if it meets all five.

    1. 1

      Runs a program for students under 18

      Runs a program for students under 18 in the coming summer cycle, open to school-age students rather than undergraduates.

    2. 2

      Publishes its fee and what the fee covers

      Publishes its fee and what the fee covers, so the full cost is visible before application.

    3. 3

      States who teaches and in what setting

      States who teaches and in what setting: the staff category, and the venue the program actually uses.

    4. 4

      Publishes safeguarding information for under-18s

      Publishes safeguarding information for under-18s that a family can find and read.

    5. 5

      Describes the experience without implying an admissions advantage

      Describes the experience without implying an admissions advantage, with claims about certification, contact and university outcomes matching what is delivered.

    Assessment criteria

    How the included ten are judged, and where each recognition line comes from.

    1. 1

      Teaching substance

      Contact hours, group size, and who teaches.

    2. 2

      Access and cost transparency

      Whether the full cost is published before application, and whether means-tested places exist and are reachable.

    3. 3

      Practical or applied content

      What a student actually does.

    4. 4

      Honest claims

      Marketing checked against reality.

    5. 5

      Distinctiveness

      What this program offers that comparable ones do not.

    Safeguarding is recorded as a factual disclosure: we note whether an organisation publishes information a family can find and read. It is never graded or scored by Succeed.

    Read the full methodology

    Frequently asked questions

    For hands-on laboratory psychology, Wake Forest's one-week Psychology Institute (sheep brain dissection, perception lab). For a clinical career taster, NSLC's nine-day Psychology and Neuroscience. For university credit, Georgetown Summer College's five-week General Psychology from grade 10. For younger students, Duke Pre-College from 13 or Academy Royale's 12 to 15 course. For depth in one topic, Barnard's three-week single-course institutes or Brown's 230-course catalogue.

    None of the ten is free. The cheapest entry is a $495 six-week Polygence Pod online. Georgetown Summer College and Brown publish need-based scholarships for US students, NSLC awards over $500,000 a year in mostly $500 to $1,000 grants, and Wake Forest has limited aid that is usually gone by January. Duke Pre-College offers no scholarships to individual students.

    Duke Pre-College admits middle schoolers from 11 as commuters and 13 in residence, with a Psychology 101 course for grades 6 to 8. Academy Royale's Psychology and the Human Mind course takes 12 to 15-year-olds in Cambridge. Brown, Barnard, NSLC and Wake Forest start at 14 or grade 9, Summer Boarding Courses at 15, Georgetown Summer College at grade 10, and Academy Royale's Experimental Psychology at 16.

    It varies. Wake Forest runs a guided sheep brain dissection and a sensory perception lab. NSLC runs clinical diagnostics simulations with simulated patients and an anatomy dissection workshop. Barnard, Brown, Duke and Georgetown are seminar courses with research methods content. Polygence students run their own project. No programme involves real patients.

    Yes at Barnard, Brown, Duke, Georgetown, NSLC, Summer Discovery and Wake Forest, usually with English proficiency evidence. The catch is funding: Barnard, Brown and Wake Forest state international students cannot receive need-based aid. The UK providers, Academy Royale and Summer Boarding Courses, are built for international students and publish accreditation for it.

    Georgetown Summer College is the only one here that produces a graded university transcript. Everything else ends in a certificate, a performance report or a research output. Admissions tutors in both the UK and US look for what the student can say about the subject afterwards; a dissection, a research poster or a self-designed Polygence project gives them something specific to write about.

    No organisation pays to be included in this guide, and payment has no bearing on selection. Every organisation featured was sent its profile before publication to check for factual errors, not to approve our judgement of it. Succeed has a commercial relationship with some featured organisations and may earn a commission when a student enrols through the platform. Where that applies, it is stated in the profile itself.

    Sean Stevens

    Written and reviewed by

    Sean Stevens

    Co-founder, Succeed | Founder, Immerse Education (2012–2026)

    Sean works at the intersection of academic enrichment, program quality and university preparation, with expertise in evaluating pre-university experiences for ambitious secondary school students.

    View author page

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