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    Next session starts 12 Jul 2027

    UC Davis Summer Academy

    by UC Davis Summer Academy

    • 2027 program

    UC Davis Summer Academy is a three-week residential course on the UC Davis campus in California that helps international high school students get ready to apply to US universities. You spend 30 hours a week in class on critical thinking, research, presentations and application essays, including the University of California's personal insight questions, while living in the campus residence halls. You also meet admissions staff and current UC Davis students, and finishing the program successfully earns two UC Davis academic credits.

    Facts checked against the official page on 12 Nov 2026 · Editor: Ben StacyBen Stacy · Sources

    At a glance

    Official facts · checked 12 Nov 2026
    DatesOfficial
    2027: 12 to 30 July
    Who can applyOfficial
    International high school students planning to apply to US universities (designed for seniors. Open to international students attending high school in the US and international high schoolers living abroad. English Placement Test required, with a minimum level of CEFR B1+/B2- (TOEFL iBT 3.5, TOEFL PBT 500, IELTS 5, Duolingo 90, Michigan English Placement Test 45)
    Total costOfficial
    2027: $4,700
    Format and placeOfficial
    In person, Campus residence halls, UC Davis campus, Davis, California
    Length
    3 weeks
    Included / budget separately
    Included: accommodation, meals (meals for residence hall stays are provided in the campus dining halls). Separately: application fee $100 (nonrefundable), health insurance $68.75 per week if not already insured
    Deposit and refunds
    Not published
    Financial aid
    Not published
    Apply by
    Not published
    Cohort and selectivity
    Applicants must reach a minimum English level (CEFR B1+/B2-) on an English Placement Test. No cohort size or acceptance rate is published
    Credit or certificate
    Two units of UC Davis academic credit, awarded by UC Davis on successful completion
    Official page
    cie.ucdavis.edu/youth-programs/academic-preparation-high-school-students/uc-davis-summer-academy

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    UC Davis Summer Academy

    Succeed's assessment

    Should you apply?

    Succeed

    In short

    It's worth it for an international student about to apply to US universities, especially the UC campuses, who wants coached essay writing and English practice while living on campus. A confident English writer looking for depth in one subject will get less from it.

    • Why it's worth it

      It puts application essay work, including the University of California's personal insight questions, alongside meetings with UC Davis admissions representatives and current students, and it ends with two UC Davis academic credits rather than just a certificate.

    • What it asks of you

      You'll spend three weeks away from home in July with 30 hours of class a week. For families abroad, flights and visa paperwork come on top of the fee.

    • Ask before you commit

      UC Davis doesn't describe how it supervises students under 18, so it's worth asking by email before you plan around a session.

    Who can apply, and how good does your English need to be?

    UC Davis designs the program for international high school seniors who plan to apply to US universities, and when it launched in 2023 it described the audience as international 11th and 12th graders, whether they attend high school in the US or live abroad.

    The real gate is English. Every applicant takes an English Placement Test, and UC Davis asks for at least CEFR level B1+/B2- (the Common European Framework of Reference, a standard scale of language ability), which it treats as equal to the scores below.

    • TOEFL iBT

      3.5 on the scale used since January 2026, or 60 out of 120 on the old one

    • TOEFL PBT

      500

    • IELTS

      5

    • Duolingo

      90

    • Michigan English Placement Test

      45

    How are the three weeks spent?

    You're in class for 30 hours a week, and UC Davis fills the time around it with academic and extracurricular activities. Classes meet at the UC Davis International Center on California Avenue, in groups of about 15 to 20 students in most cases, and they cover critical thinking, research, presentations and essay writing, along with how to use AI tools ethically in college work.

    Outside class there are daily recreational, cultural and social activities run with UC Davis student leaders, and you live in the campus residence halls the whole time. Optional weekend trips may include Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 2023, UC Davis described the first session as five hours of teaching a day, with special presentations every week and weekend visits to other UC campuses. It doesn't publish an hour-by-hour timetable.

    What does it really cost?

    The program fee is $4,700 for the three weeks, which includes your room in a campus residence hall, and the $100 application fee brings the total to $4,800. The application fee isn't refunded, and UC Davis says all its fees are subject to change.

    Health insurance is the next cost to plan for. UC Davis requires students on its international programs to show insurance that's valid in the US, with at least $500,000 of coverage, in English at registration, or to buy its plan at $68.75 a week, which comes to about $206 over three weeks. UC Davis's general housing information says residence hall meals are provided in the campus dining halls, but the Summer Academy fee mentions only housing, so ask whether meals are included. Flights and any visa costs come on top, and UC Davis doesn't say whether the optional weekend trips cost extra.

    What do you leave with?

    You leave with two UC Davis academic credits if you complete the program successfully, along with the essay drafts you've worked on. Zainab Waqar, a student in the first cohort in 2023, said: "In this program, I was able to write two college essays with a deep evaluation given by my teacher on how to improve them."

    What it won't do is promise an edge in admissions. You meet Undergraduate Education and Admissions representatives during the three weeks, but UC Davis doesn't say that attending counts toward an application to UC Davis or anywhere else, and it doesn't say how other universities treat the credits.

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    What should you do next?

    Decide whether the 12 to 30 July 2027 session or the 10 to 28 July 2028 one fits the year you'll apply to university, then email UC Davis's international programs team at cpeinternational@ucdavis.edu to apply. Expect to take its English Placement Test, and ask when applications close, since no deadline is published.
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    Frequently asked questions

    Yes. It's run by International Programs within UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education, the university's continuing education division, and classes take place at the UC Davis International Center in Davis, California.

    UC Davis doesn't say which visa, if any, the Summer Academy requires. Its Continuing and Professional Education division is authorized to enroll international students and has an immigration advisor who answers F-1 and J-1 visa questions, so check with them before booking flights, and budget for any government visa fee separately.

    Sources

    Facts checked against the official page on 12 Nov 2026

    Editor: Ben Stacy

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