University of Chicago Summer Session Leadership, Engagement, and Discourse (UChicago LEAD)

Class runs Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Central time, with a lunch break, and most of that time is seminar-style discussion rather than lectures. All three meals are in the campus dining commons, where vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available.

After class and on weekends, residential staff run activities around campus, Hyde Park and the rest of Chicago, and you pick the ones you want. Past outings have included Major League Baseball games, museum trips, beach days and evening soccer, and many are free or low-cost. In 2026 the program opened with check-in on 27 June and two days of required orientation before classes began on 29 June.

LEAD is led jointly by two University of Chicago centers, the Institute of Politics (IOP) and the Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression, and the 2026 instructors were Leila Brammer and Ravy Uong. Alongside the seminars, you work through workshops and community-based activities with practitioners in public service, journalism, policy and public affairs.

You leave with a certificate from UChicago Summer Session if you complete the program's requirements, and you have to attend every day to get it. LEAD carries no college credit and no grades, so the value lies in the skills and the experience of living on a university campus rather than in anything on a transcript.

The 2026 fee was $5,890, which covered tuition, campus housing and three meals a day, and we haven't seen a 2027 fee yet. On top of that you pay the $75 application fee, your travel to Chicago, course materials and spending money for outings, plus an extra fee if you use the shuttle from O'Hare airport.

UChicago offers need-based aid, but only as partial awards, and aid isn't guaranteed. Its 2026 table put the fee after aid for a two-week program like LEAD at $2,945 for households earning under $125,000 and $1,475 for those under $80,000, depending on eligibility and the funds available. Awards are limited and made first-come, first-served. You request aid in the application itself and upload your family's financial documents with it, because UChicago can't award aid after an admissions decision is released.

Chicago Public Schools students in 9th to 11th grade with household income under $125,000 can also apply for the competitive CPS-UC Summer Scholarship. In 2026 it placed them in two-week programs as commuters for an $800 fee, or free for households under $60,000.

Admitted students pay a $1,000 deposit within a week and the balance within four weeks. The deposit and application fee are refunded only if UChicago cancels the course and you don't choose a replacement. In 2026 the rest of the fee could be refunded until 4 May, as long as you withdrew in writing by email.

Everything happens on UChicago Summer Session's application portal.

1. 1

   The 2027 application opens in December 2026, and you can rank up to four program choices, though you'll be admitted to only one course for the summer.

2. 2

   Upload an unofficial transcript covering every high school year (current 9th graders add their 8th-grade grades) and, as your writing sample, a typed essay or paper written in English that shows your teacher's grade and comments.

3. 3

   Write two essays, one of up to 500 words on why you chose these courses and one of up to 250 words on your most rewarding academic project or experience.

4. 4

   Enter the email of a teacher in a related subject, who gets a link to send the recommendation, and make sure your parent or guardian answers the confirmation email, because UChicago won't review your application until both arrive.

5. 5

   Pay the $75 application fee, or fill in the financial aid section with your family's documents, which waives it automatically.

6. 6

   Submit by 13 January 2027 for a mid-March decision or by 3 March 2027 for a mid-April one.

Several resident assistants (RAs), who are UChicago undergraduates or recent alumni, live on the same floor as students, and the residential director and assistant directors are on call to students and families around the clock. In 2026, students under 18 checked in at Woodlawn Residential Commons, a hall with a 24-hour front desk where you show your University ID to get in.

Every resident signs in with an RA during a 15-minute window from 9:45 pm and stays in the building from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am, and repeated curfew violations can lead to dismissal. To be out during curfew hours, including for a night away, a student needs a Curfew Release Form requested at least 48 hours ahead, and an adult has to pick them up and bring them back.

The University of Chicago Medical Center is on campus if a student needs immediate care, and parents of minors sign a release authorizing treatment in case they can't be reached. The program has zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs, and breaking that rule means immediate dismissal.