Summer Springboard Middle School AI & Computer Science

Class runs from 9am to noon, and the rest of the day mixes project work with time off. After lunch there's either a recreational outing or a trip linked to the course, and from 3:30pm an Academic Skills Lab gives teams extra time on their final projects. Free time starts at 5pm and commuters leave at 6pm. Residential students then have dinner and supervised evening activities such as trivia, karaoke and talent shows before heading back to the dorms by 8:30pm.

Every student also tours the University of Michigan campus and visits the Big House, the university's football stadium. Commuters still report for check-in on Sunday, the first day, and join orientation and dinner.

Students aged 12 to 14 can apply if they've finished 6th grade by the start date and have a 3.0 GPA or the local equivalent. International students show their English through a telephone interview or a test score. The application itself includes short-answer essay questions and signed agreement forms.

Summer Springboard also screens every applicant against its Essential Eligibility Criteria. These expect students to handle their own medication and personal care, walk more than a mile and follow staff instructions in English. Students with some health conditions may be asked for medical clearance and proof that they've been stable without outside support for at least 12 months.

If you apply by 30 November 2026, living on campus comes to at least $3,147 and commuting to at least $1,747. Those figures combine tuition ($2,798 residential or $1,398 commuter), the $250 course supplement Summer Springboard lists for this course and the application fee, which starts at $99. Tuition goes up on 1 December 2026, and the application fee rises to $149 after 21 February 2027 and $199 after 18 April 2027.

Residential tuition covers the dorm, all meals, the course and every excursion, weekends included. Commuter tuition covers lunch, the course, excursions and weekday programming from 9am to 5pm, and weekend excursions cost $125 a day extra. Flights and health insurance aren't included. Summer Springboard's airport shuttle costs $95 each way. Because every student on this course is 14 or younger, anyone flying in must travel as an airline unaccompanied minor, and Summer Springboard then charges $50 each way on top of the $95 shuttle, plus whatever the airline charges for the service. Summer Springboard suggests about $100 a week in spending money.

Need-based scholarships cover up to 30% of residential tuition or 60% of commuter tuition, but not the $600 deposit, the application fee or travel. If you cancel before 1 March 2027, you get all the tuition back except the application fee. From 2 March 2027 the $600 deposit is kept as well. Until 1 April you get back all the remaining tuition. That falls to 75% until 1 May and 25% until 1 June. After 1 June 2027 nothing is refunded.

Summer Springboard runs its middle school weeks apart from its high school programs, with staff trained for this age group, separate housing and closer supervision. Staff live in the residence halls, students need their own key card to get in, and University of Michigan Security patrols the campus around the clock. Students share a gender-assigned room with one roommate, use communal bathrooms and must be in the building by 9:30pm. Under Summer Springboard's general rules, students can move around set campus boundaries during free time in groups of three or more.

Campus Directors hold bachelor's or master's degrees, and all staff go through background checks. If a student gets sick, staff take them to the nearest medical facility and contact the parents, although the family pays any costs and must show proof of medical insurance beforehand. Breaking the Code of Conduct can mean being sent home at the family's expense with no refund.

You leave with the smart city prototype your team built and presented, a completion certificate and a letter of recommendation from your instructor. Summer Springboard says both documents are earned rather than automatic and can be withheld for poor participation or breaking the rules. The course carries no college credit.

Applications go through Summer Springboard's enrollment page.

1. 1

   Create an account on the portal and confirm the verification email.

2. 2

   Start a new application and choose the University of Michigan middle school campus, the 11 to 16 July 2027 session, this course and residential or commuter tuition.

3. 3

   Complete the application with the student present, which takes about 30 minutes. Aim to finish before 21 February 2027, because some programs close or move to a waitlist after each wave deadline.

4. 4

   Pay the $600 deposit and the application fee to hold the place.

5. 5

   Expect a decision within 5 to 7 business days, after which the remaining enrollment forms open.

6. 6

   If you don't pay in full, you're put on a payment plan automatically. Applying before 10 March splits the balance into payments due on 10 March, 10 April and 10 May 2027, and later applications pay in fewer, larger installments. Pre-departure documents are due by 1 May 2027, or within 7 days of acceptance if you apply after 25 April.

7. 7

   Enrollment closes completely on 16 May 2027.