Summer Discovery UCLA Anderson School of Management

You need to have finished 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade by the summer you attend, so this school year's 9th graders through graduating seniors can apply for 2027. Every academy asks for mostly A and B grades in high school courses, and the Sports Business and Business Leadership course pages also ask for a school transcript.

Summer Discovery doesn't publish an acceptance rate or class size, so the grade requirement is the clearest bar you'll see. All three academies take the same grades, which leaves the choice between them down to what interests you.

Class runs on weekdays, morning and afternoon, and academy students stay in their academy for the whole instruction period. UCLA Anderson's sample weekday starts with breakfast in the dining hall at 8:30 a.m. and class at 9:30, then a long lunch break at 11:30 before the afternoon session at 1:00, which is sometimes a site visit to a movie studio, local business or sports stadium.

From 3:00 p.m. you sign up for activities such as the beach, sports, shopping or museums, dinner is at 6:00, and evenings bring things like comedy shows, concerts and major league games. Activities and trips also fill the weekends, and Summer Discovery's Los Angeles list includes Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, Santa Monica Pier, Dodgers games and a hike to the Hollywood Sign. Commuters eat lunch in the dining halls and join the afternoon activities.

Each academy ends with a piece of work, and what it is depends on which one you pick. In Sports Business your team picks a sports-business challenge, builds a practical response, presents it and answers questions on whether it would work. In Foundations in Business Leadership your team acts as management consultants to a real entertainment company facing a significant business challenge and presents a recommendation. Digital Advertising and Brand Strategy is the only individual capstone: you build a campaign portfolio for a brand or entertainment property, with an audience profile, channel plan, sample content and performance measures.

You also get a certificate of completion, and Summer Discovery says its courses come with a letter of recognition. A performance report appears on your Summer Discovery login a few weeks after the program, and it goes to your school only if a parent asks in writing. None of this is college credit, and how much it counts on an application is up to each college.

Living on campus costs $9,999 for the three-week session (27 June to 16 July 2027) and $7,799 for the two-week session (18 to 30 July 2027). Commuting costs $5,199 and $4,799. Summer Discovery also lists a five-week option covering both sets of dates, 27 June to 30 July, at $15,999 residential or $8,699 commuter, so ask how the academies fit into it if that appeals.

The residential price covers your room and bedding, breakfast and dinner, activities and trips every afternoon, evening and weekend with transport, use of the athletic facilities and a college admissions presentation. Lunch isn't on that list, so budget for it along with flights, laundry, spending money and the $100 application fee, which is never refunded. Students living outside the US pay an international registration fee of $379 residential or $239 commuter, which covers US medical insurance and, for residential students, airport transfers. Paying by credit card adds 3.5%, while an eCheck from a US bank costs nothing extra.

The deposit is $1,900 if you enroll before 31 January 2027, $2,500 from 1 February and $3,500 from 1 April, when full payment is also due. Otherwise the balance is due on 1 April 2027. Canceling gets more expensive as summer approaches, and after 1 June 2027 nothing comes back.

Summer Discovery runs its high school programs at 10 students to every staff member, and all staff pass criminal background checks and training for working with minors. Resident Counselors are teachers, graduate students and college seniors aged at least 20, and one lives on your floor. A Wellness Coordinator is on campus 24 hours a day, and for residential students staff book medical appointments, go with them, hand out all medications and keep parents informed.

Day to day, you wear an ID on a lanyard, stay inside a mapped home area unless staff are with you, move around in groups of three or more at set times and sign in and out, with room checks every night. Parents approve any visitors and can't go into the residence halls themselves. The rules are enforced: a student dismissed for breaking them is sent home at the family's expense with no refund, and families must disclose medical, psychological and medication details in writing or risk the same. The full safety and security policy is on Summer Discovery's site.

Applications go through Summer Discovery's online portal, not through UCLA.

1. 1

   Pick your academy and session

   Choose Sports Business, Business Leadership or Digital Advertising, the session starting 27 June or 18 July 2027, and whether you'll live on campus or commute.

2. 2

   Apply online

   Send the application with the $100 fee, by 15 December 2026 if you want the early-season guarantee of your first choice.

3. 3

   Wait for a decision

   Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and most decisions come within five business days.

4. 4

   Enroll and pay the deposit

   Once you're accepted, enrolling and paying the deposit holds your place.

5. 5

   Register for courses

   Summer Discovery says course registration typically opens in November.

6. 6

   Pay the balance

   The rest is due by 1 April 2027, or in full at enrollment if you enroll after that date.