University of Chicago Summer Session Pre-College Summer Language Institute

You need to be in 11th or 12th grade, and the bigger hurdle is space. UChicago Summer Session describes these classes as mainly undergraduate, with a select number of places reserved for advanced high school students, and it publishes no acceptance rate or class size.

Beginners can start from scratch in the elementary and introductory courses, but Intermediate Ancient Greek and Intermediate Latin require at least a year of prior study, and students with some French should take an online placement exam at least four weeks before the course begins. Everything is taught in English with no ESL support, so you have to show strong English through your application, although test scores of any kind are optional.

Each course mixes live Zoom classes with work on your own time in Canvas, the university's course site, and you're expected to attend every live session. Instructor-led sessions are recorded, so a class lost to a bad connection can be caught up, but missing more than a day still has a significant effect on your grade.

Outside class you'll have daily homework, and the Spanish and French courses add several short online conversation sessions outside class hours. TA discussion sections and office hours are set at times that work for students. UChicago doesn't give a time zone for the 2026 class times below, so if you live outside the US, check them before committing. There were no classes on 19 June or 4 July.

You leave with a letter grade from A to F and 300 units of UChicago credit on an official University of Chicago transcript, which the university counts as 15 quarter hours or 10 semester hours. The Spanish, French, German and Japanese courses end with a four-skills proficiency exam, and you receive a University of Chicago certification describing your reading, writing, speaking and listening based on the result.

Whether another college accepts the credit is up to that college. UChicago also says Summer Session courses don't count toward its own graduation requirements if you later enroll there, although the Spanish, French and German listings say completing the course fulfills the College's language competency requirement, so ask Summer Session how that would apply to you. The grade follows you too, because UChicago says college applications, including the Common App, will ask you to submit this transcript.

Rising seniors also get a route into UChicago itself. Students who have completed a Summer Session program and are in their final year of high school can apply through a binding early notification option under Early Decision I, from 1 September to 15 October, and hear back within three weeks of completing the application or before 1 November. Because it's binding, it only makes sense if you're sure about UChicago.

The 2026 program fee was $8,550 for any course, and UChicago Summer Session hasn't yet published the 2027 fee. Because the course is online, that fee covers the course alone, with no housing or meals. Materials vary by course, so while the French course provides everything free, the Japanese course asks you to buy the Genki textbooks (volumes 1 and 2) separately. There's also a $75 application fee, which is waived if you apply for financial aid.

Aid is need-based and partial, and UChicago Summer Session says it doesn't give full awards or guarantee aid. In 2026, depending on eligibility and available funds, students with a household income under $125,000 could be asked to pay $4,275 after aid, and those under $80,000 could be asked to pay $2,138. You apply for aid inside your application by uploading your parents' financial documents. Awards are limited and go first come, first served, and none can be made once an admissions decision is out, so if you need aid, apply by the priority deadline.

If you're admitted, a $1,000 deposit is due within a week to hold your place, and it counts toward the fee, with the balance due within four weeks of admission. The deposit and application fee aren't refunded if you withdraw. In 2026 the rest of the fee could be refunded on written request only until 4 May 2026, which gave students admitted on 17 April 2026 just 17 days to change their minds. Withdrawing has to be done by email, since simply not attending still leaves you billed for the fee.

Applications go through UChicago Summer Session's application portal.

1. 1

   Once the application opens in December, rank up to four course choices in order. If your first choice is full, you'll be considered for the others, but you can be admitted to only one.

2. 2

   Upload an unofficial transcript for every high school year so far, plus a current grade report if your latest courses aren't on it.

3. 3

   Write two essays: up to 500 words on why you chose these courses and how they connect to your interests and plans, covering each course you list, and up to 250 words on your most rewarding academic project or experience.

4. 4

   For the writing sample, submit a typed essay or research paper in English that shows your teacher's grade and comments.

5. 5

   Name a teacher in a subject related to your course as your recommender. One letter is required and up to three are allowed, and your application won't be reviewed until at least one arrives.

6. 6

   Complete the financial aid section with your parents' documents now if you want aid, because it can't be added after a decision.

7. 7

   Pay the $75 fee and make sure a parent answers the confirmation email, as UChicago won't review your application until they do.

8. 8

   Submit by 13 January 2027 for the priority round, with decisions in mid-March, or by 3 March 2027 for the regular round, with decisions in mid-April.