University of Chicago Summer Session Career Insight: Law and Social Impact

Class runs Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central time, with a lunch break. Mornings belong to UChicago professors, lecturers and researchers, who cover key ideas in law, public policy and the social sciences through lectures, readings and hands-on activities, though most of the time goes to seminar-style discussion. In the afternoons, the university's Career Advancement staff connect you with practitioners and help you think through the career paths open in law and social impact.

Over the two weeks you'll work on a small-group final project and write individual reflection essays, and UChicago expects at least 30 pages of reading a night. Outside class, residential staff run daily activities in Hyde Park and around Chicago, many of them free or low cost, and past trips have included baseball games, museum outings and beach trips. In 2026 the course ran 15 to 25 June after a two-day orientation starting 13 June, with no class on 19 June for Juneteenth.

You need to be a high school student in 9th, 10th or 11th grade and at least 14 years old. Everything is taught in English and UChicago offers no ESL support, so your application has to show strong English on its own, although you can add TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores if you think they help. SAT, ACT, PSAT and AP scores are optional, though UChicago encourages you to send them if you've taken those tests.

UChicago publishes no acceptance rate, but the 2026 course filled and later applicants could only be considered from the waitlist. You can rank up to four program choices on one application, and you'll be admitted to only one of them, so listing backups matters if this course fills again.

• Transcript

  An unofficial transcript covering every high school year so far, and current 9th graders also send their 8th-grade grades.

• Two essays

  One on why you chose this program and how it fits your plans (up to 500 words), and one on your most rewarding academic project or experience (up to 250 words).

• Writing sample

  A typed essay or research paper in English with your teacher's grade and comments. Lab notes and math sets don't count.

• Recommendation

  One letter from a teacher in a subject related to the course, and UChicago won't review your application until it arrives.

• Parent confirmation

  A parent or guardian gets an email after you submit, and your application isn't complete until they reply.

Applications go through UChicago's Summer Session portal, and the 2027 deadlines below are the ones UChicago gives for its residential programs, including Career Insight. The 2027 course dates haven't been announced yet.

1. 1

   The 2027 application opens in December 2026.

2. 2

   Submit by the priority deadline of 13 January 2027 to hear back in mid-March. UChicago advises applying in this round if you need financial aid, because the number of awards is limited.

3. 3

   The regular deadline is 3 March 2027, with decisions in mid-April.

4. 4

   If you're admitted, accept your place and pay the $1,000 non-refundable deposit within seven days of your decision.

5. 5

   Pay the rest of the fee within four weeks of admission, or you lose your place.

6. 6

   Before arrival, complete the health, emergency contact and policy forms, and have a parent or guardian submit the permission and release form, without which you can't check in.

In 2026 the residential fee was $5,890, which covered tuition, housing and meals in the dining hall. Students from the Chicagoland area who live with a parent or guardian could commute instead for $4,100, which included lunch on class days but not transport. You choose to commute on the Supplement page of the application. UChicago hasn't yet published its 2027 fees.

On top of the fee, budget for the $75 application fee, travel to and from Chicago, course materials, spending money for outings, and your own U.S. health insurance, which two-week students must have. The O'Hare airport shuttle costs extra if you use it, and international students should check visa costs with official sources. The $1,000 deposit never comes back if you withdraw, and in 2026 the rest of the fee was refundable only until 4 May.

Financial aid is need-based, partial only and awarded first come, first served, generally to admitted students whose household income is $125,000 or below. You apply for it within the application by uploading your parents' financial documents, and doing so waives the $75 application fee. Aid can't be awarded once an admissions decision has been released. Chicago Public Schools students in 9th to 11th grade with household income under $125,000 can apply for the CPS-UC Summer Scholarship instead, which UChicago describes as highly competitive. It's a commuter place, and in 2026 it cost $800, or nothing for household income under $60,000.

You leave with a certificate, as long as you complete the program's requirements and attend every day. You don't get college credit, grades or a UChicago transcript, because two-week programs are non-credit and participants aren't registered students of the university.

Registered Summer Session students can also join the Office of College Admissions' Admissions Academy, a series of workshops on application essays and how admissions committees review files. And if you've completed a Summer Session program and are in your final year of high school, you can apply to UChicago through Summer Student Early Notification, a binding option under Early Decision I that's open from 1 September to 15 October. UChicago doesn't say it improves your chances of admission.

Residential Assistants, who are UChicago undergraduates or recent graduates, live on the same floors as students, and the Residential Director and assistant directors are reachable 24 hours a day. Students must be inside the residence hall from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and sign in with their RA every night in a 15-minute window from 9:45 p.m. Repeated curfew violations can lead to dismissal, and under UChicago's zero-tolerance policy, any involvement with alcohol or drugs means immediate dismissal.

• Housing

  In 2026, students under 18 lived in Woodlawn Residential Commons. Rooms are singles or doubles with linens provided, and the dining commons serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options.

• Security

  Hall entrances are secured, the front desk is staffed around the clock, and students show their university ID to get in.

• Getting around

  The UChicago Police Department will walk a student back to the hall after dark on request, and night shuttles stop within a block or two of campus buildings.

• Medical care

  The university's Medical Center is on campus, staff contact parents in an emergency, and parents sign a release authorizing treatment if they can't be reached.

• Nights away

  Leaving during curfew hours needs a parent's Curfew Release Form and an adult to collect and return the student.