University of Chicago Summer Session Summer Online

Every course mixes live classes on Zoom with work you do on your own schedule through Canvas, UChicago's course website. Depending on the course, the live part runs two hours a day, Monday through Friday, or at specially scheduled times, so check the days and times listed under each course before you rank it. In 2026, for example, Power, Peace, and Play: Simulating World Politics met weekdays from 6:00 to 8:00 pm between 7 and 23 July.

Between sessions you'll do readings, problem sets and papers, plus online tasks such as discussion boards, videos and virtual experiments, and you hand in work and take quizzes and exams on Canvas. An instructor and a teaching assistant (TA) run each course. Instructor-led Zoom sessions are recorded, but you're still expected at every live class. Participation counts toward the grade in every course, although instructors and TAs won't hold a connection problem beyond your control against you. Discussion sections with TAs and office hours with instructors are scheduled at times that work for students, and group projects may be assigned to students in the same or nearby time zones.

You'll need a laptop and reliable Wi-Fi, and everyone must attend a virtual orientation before classes start. There are no classes on 19 June or 4 July.

Your current grade decides which kind of course you can take. If you're in 9th, 10th or 11th grade, you can take courses designed for pre-college students, with plenty of discussion and group work. If you're in 11th or 12th grade, you can apply for regular College courses, which are made up mostly of UChicago undergraduates with a select number of places kept for high school students. The application only shows you the programs open to your grade, and each course description lists any prerequisites.

You can rank up to four selections with one course each, and UChicago advises listing several, because if your first choice is full you're considered for the others. Either way, you'll be admitted to one course at most for the summer. All teaching is in English and there's no ESL (English as a second language) support, so your application needs to show strong English. Test scores of any kind, including TOEFL or IELTS, are optional.

In 2026, a Summer Online course cost $4,980, and UChicago hasn't yet published the 2027 fee. On top of that comes a $75 application fee, plus any required course materials, which you can check from mid-May when textbook lists go up. There's no housing or meals to pay for, since you can't live on campus while taking an online course.

Aid is need-based and partial only, so no award covers the whole fee. In general, admitted students with household income of $125,000 or less qualify, but the number of awards is limited and they go first come, first served, which is why UChicago tells students who need aid to apply by the priority deadline. You request aid in the Financial Aid section of the application when you apply, because it can't be added once your admission decision is out. US citizens and permanent residents upload their parents' most recent 1040s and W-2s, while international families provide their parents' tax forms, an employer letter and a bank statement, all translated into English. Applying for aid also waives the $75 application fee. In 2026, UChicago expected families receiving aid to pay between $1,245 and $2,940, according to household income and subject to eligibility and available funds.

Once admitted, you have a week to pay a $1,000 deposit, which counts toward the fee but isn't refundable, and four weeks to pay the rest or lose your place. In 2026, the fee minus the deposit could be refunded until 4 May 2026 and nothing after that, so a later withdrawal still cost the full fee.

You leave with a letter grade (A to F) and 100 units of UChicago credit, which UChicago says equals 5 quarter hours or 3.3 semester hours. Both are recorded on an official UChicago transcript you can order from the Registrar from late August. Whether that credit counts anywhere else is up to the college you take it to, and if you later enroll at UChicago, the course won't count toward its graduation requirements.

The transcript cuts both ways. Grades aren't sent anywhere unless you request a transcript, but UChicago says college applications, including the Common App, will require you to submit it, so a weak grade can follow you. Registered students can also join Admissions Academy, a series of workshops from UChicago's Office of College Admissions covering application essays and a mock admissions committee.

Applications go through UChicago's Summer Session application portal, which opens in December 2026 for the summer of 2027.

1. 1

   Once the 2027 courses are posted in December 2026, use the course finder to pick courses for your grade and note each department code and course number.

2. 2

   In the application, list up to four selections with one course each, in the order you prefer them.

3. 3

   Upload an unofficial transcript for all your high school years, plus a grade report for your 2026–2027 courses if they aren't on it yet (9th graders also add their 8th grade report).

4. 4

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

5. 5

   Upload a typed, graded essay or research paper in English with your teacher's grade and comments, and if you're applying for a Computer Science, Creative Writing, Data Science, Economics, Math, Physics or Quantum course, complete the Additional Academic Information section.

6. 6

   Enter the email of a teacher in a related subject to write your recommendation, and fill in the Financial Aid section now if you need aid.

7. 7

   Pay the $75 fee or apply for aid to have it waived, then make sure a parent or guardian answers the confirmation email, because UChicago won't review the application until they do.

8. 8

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

9. 9

   If you're admitted, accept within seven days of your decision by paying the enrollment deposit.