University of Chicago Summer Session Career Insight: Technology and Innovation

You're in class Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Chicago time, with a lunch break. Mornings belong to UChicago professors, lecturers and researchers, who introduce molecular engineering, computer science and the physical sciences through lectures, discussions, readings and hands-on activities. Afternoons switch to UChicago's Career Advancement staff, who bring in practitioners and help you think through which tech careers might suit you and what skills they call for. Across the two weeks you'll also work on a small-group final project and write individual reflection essays.

Outside class, the residential staff run daily activities on campus, in Hyde Park and around Chicago, and many of them are free or low-cost. Past outings have included Major League Baseball games, museum trips, beach days and city festivals. The course opens with a two-day orientation, which in 2026 ran on 13 and 14 June, and there's no class on Juneteenth (19 June).

You leave with a certificate, as long as you complete the program's requirements and attend every day, because UChicago doesn't issue one to students who miss a day. The course carries no college credit and no grade, since participants aren't registered students of the university. The rest is what you make of it: the group project, your reflection essays and a clearer view of which tech field to pursue.

There are two links to UChicago admissions. While enrolled, you can join the Admissions Academy, a series of workshops from UChicago's Office of College Admissions on essays and how applications are reviewed. And if you finish the course and later apply to UChicago in your final year of high school, you're eligible for its binding Summer Student Early Notification option under Early Decision I, with applications taken from 1 September to 15 October.

The course is open to high school students in 9th, 10th or 11th grade who are at least 14. UChicago also expects strong English because it offers no ESL support. You can send TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores, but they're optional if your application already shows your English.

The application asks for more than a form. You'll need an unofficial transcript covering all of high school (9th graders add their 8th-grade grades), two essays of up to 500 and 250 words on why you chose the course and on your most rewarding academic project, and a typed English essay or research paper that carries your teacher's grade and comments. You'll also need a recommendation from a teacher in a related subject and a confirmation from your parent or guardian, and UChicago won't review your file until both arrive. Test scores are optional. UChicago requires an extra Additional Academic Information section for courses related to computer science and physics, so check whether it applies to this one. No class size or acceptance rate is published, although the 2026 course filled up.

You apply through UChicago's Summer Session application portal, which opens in December.

1. 1

   Rank up to four choices with one course each, knowing you'll be admitted to only one, so it's worth listing backups in case this course fills again.

2. 2

   Submit by the priority deadline of 13 January 2027 for a decision in mid-March, or by the regular deadline of 3 March 2027 for a decision in mid-April.

3. 3

   Complete the financial aid section in the same application if you need it, because aid can't be awarded after a decision is released.

4. 4

   Say on the Supplement page if you live in the Chicagoland area and want to commute.

5. 5

   Accept your offer and pay the $1,000 non-refundable deposit within seven days of your decision.

6. 6

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

In 2026 the residential fee was $5,890, which covered tuition, a room in a residence hall and three meals a day in the dining commons. Students living in the Chicagoland area could commute instead for $4,100. UChicago hasn't posted 2027 prices yet. On top of the fee come the $75 application fee, travel to and from Chicago, course materials and spending money for outings. Two-week students also need their own valid U.S. health insurance, since the university's blanket coverage applies only to longer programs, and the optional shuttle from O'Hare costs extra.

Need-based aid covers part of the fee, never all of it. In 2026 UChicago listed the fee after aid at $2,945 for households earning under $125,000 and $1,475 for those under $80,000, depending on eligibility and available funds, and awards go first-come, first-served. Applying for aid also waives the application fee. Watch the refund rules too: the $1,000 deposit and the application fee never come back, and in 2026 the rest of the fee was refundable only until 4 May 2026.

Resident assistants, mostly UChicago undergraduates and recent alumni, live on the same floors as students, and the residential directors are reachable by students and families 24 hours a day. Students under 18 check in at Woodlawn Residential Commons, where the building has security staff, secured entrances and a 24-hour front desk that checks university ID at the door.

Curfew runs from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., and every student signs in with their RA during a 15-minute window from 9:45 p.m. Breaking curfew brings escalating consequences, from earlier check-ins and missed trips to calls home and, for repeat cases, dismissal. Alcohol or drugs mean immediate dismissal. For emergencies, the University of Chicago Medical Center is on campus and parents sign a medical treatment release after admission. If a student has to leave for health reasons, a parent must collect them within 48 hours, at the family's cost.