Best Pre-Med Summer Programs 鈥 2026

February 26, 2026

summer premed programs for high school students

Given how demanding the medical profession is, it鈥檚 essential for students to spend time in a practical setting before committing years of their lives to a pre-med curriculum and medical school preparation. As such, the best pre-med summer programs offer clinical exposure, skills training, academic exploration, and access to current medical professionals who serve as teachers and mentors. While shadowing and volunteering in medical settings are important experiences, the right summer program can provide career-affirming confidence and unparalleled access to the world of medicine.

Additionally, some programs even offer college credit or the opportunity to become certified in CPR, Stop the Bleed, or first aid. Note that many medical summer programs are highly selective with late winter or early spring application deadlines, so be sure to start your research early. When you鈥檙e ready, the list below should provide a solid foundation of options.

Want access our full searchable database of the best 2026 summer programs? Click below to sort summer programs by discipline and location, and view important data points such as tuition costs, deadlines, course listings, and more!

2026 Best Summer Programs

 

1) World Scholars Academy | Elite Summer Courses

  • Location: n/a
  • Instructional Method: Online
  • Program Length: 2 weeks
  • Cost: $2,995
  • Eligibility: Ages 12-18 (Discover Medicine Academy) / 15-18 (World Doctors Academy)
  • Application Deadline:听搁辞濒濒颈苍驳

World Scholars Academy offers summer courses and research internships taught live online by instructors from top research universities. Students receive individual feedback and personalized academic guidance in their exclusive small-group classes (max 6 students) as well as high-level instruction in the theory and practice of their chosen discipline.

There are two medicine courses available: World Doctors Academy (ages 15-18) and Discover Medicine Academy (ages 12-14). World Doctors Academy covers topics including Human Anatomy, Pathology & the Immune System, Neuroscience & Medicine, and Medical Case Studies. The Discover Medicine Academy introduces younger students to concepts such as Medical Careers & Study Skills, the Digestive System, and the Immune System. Finally, the virtual Medicine Internship enables students to conduct original research on a topic of choice, guided by a medical expert.

All programs are taught by instructors from top universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard who are hand-selected for their intellectual leadership and ability to transmit high-level insights to their students. Upon successful completion, all students receive a letter of recommendation from their instructor that they can use for internship and college applications.

2) Vanderbilt Summer Academy

  • Location: Nashville, TN
  • Instructional Method:聽In-person (residential)
  • Program Length: 1 week
  • Cost:$5,750
  • Eligibility: Grades 7-12
  • Application Deadline: Jan 14 (priority) / rolling

One-week summer courses are offered through Vanderbilt University鈥檚 Programs for Talented Youth. VSA courses are accelerated and designed to meet the needs of gifted and high-ability students. With up to 6 hours of academic activities per day, participants will stretch their intellectual boundaries while enjoying life on this beautiful Nashville campus.

In 2026, potential pre-med students should check out Inside the Clinic: High-Impact Diseases and How Doctors Think. In this course, students will聽learn to think like a doctor by working through realistic patient cases. Each day, a new scenario will guide you through interpreting symptoms, ordering tests, forming a differential diagnosis, and selecting a treatment plan. As you encounter common high-impact diseases, you鈥檒l also examine their public health implications and why prevention often lags behind treatment. By the end of the course, you will have a practical understanding of core medical reasoning, familiarity with major chronic diseases, and insight into how individual care connects to national health challenges.

3)

  • Location: n/a
  • Instructional Method:聽Online
  • Program Length: 2 or 4 weeks
  • Cost: $1,595
  • Eligibility: Ages 13+
  • Application Deadline: Rolling

W&M’s program is designed for high school students ages 13 and up, and offers a range of compelling topics, covered in-depth, through online coursework led by William & Mary professors. For those considering a pre-med pathway, they offer Medicine: Disease, Diagnostics, and Interventions. This class focuses on common biological causes of infectious diseases, such as viral, bacterial and parasitic pathogens. You鈥檒l learn how diseases jump between hosts, understand how influenza can metastasize into a pandemic and delve into bacteria, staph infection and the battle against antibiotic resistance.聽 Understand how physicians link symptoms to a diagnosis and devise a treatment plan. Finally, you鈥檒l see how doctors are using microbiology, biotechnology and gene therapy to change the landscape of medicine.

4)

  • Location: n/a
  • Instructional Method:聽Online
  • Program Length: 2 or 4 weeks
  • Cost: $1,895
  • Eligibility: Ages 13 and up
  • Application Deadline: Rolling

If you envision a future as a doctor or medical researcher, the Northwestern Pre-College Online Program offers three courses that could be the perfect fit for you. Students have the opportunity to create a final capstone project and earn a certificate of completion, both of which can be included on college applications or a resume.聽

In Medical Research: Evaluating Claims and Facts,聽you will learn how to ascertain what claims are credible, the importance of ethical practices, and how to read published research articles critically and strategically. Along the same lines, Medicine: The Journey to Saving Lives will teach you聽how patients are triaged (assessed), cared for, and treated based on their symptoms and vitals. You鈥檒l also be introduced to multiple internal medicine specialties, making this course a great fit for any aspiring doctor. Finally, in Physiology: Understanding the Body’s Systems, you will analyze real-world patient scenarios, discover the clinical applications of physiological principles, and hear from actual clinicians in the field. Learn how medical interventions address dysfunctions and gain a comprehensive understanding of human health and disease.

5) Future Physicians America

  • Location: Orlando, Florida
  • Instructional Method:聽In-person (residential) / online (Cardiology and Resuscitation)
  • Program Length: 1 week (8 sessions offered)
  • Cost: $1,700-$2,900 + housing ($450 per week)
  • Eligibility:聽Students ages 12-18
  • Application Deadline:听搁辞濒濒颈苍驳

FPA offers eight weeks of summer programming. The Trauma & Surgical Skills, Cardiology & Resuscitation, Neurology, Dermatology & Plastic Surgery, Psychiatry, and Obstetrics and Gynecology courses can each be taken as stand-alone courses. In order to take the Medical Writing & Publishing course, students must take 3 out of 5 clinical courses (Trauma & Surgical Skills, Cardiology & Resuscitation, Neurology, Psychiatry, or Dermatology & Plastic surgery). In order to participate in the Clinical Research Program, students must take four out of five of the clinical courses.

The program is taught by board-certified practicing physicians, who are medical school faculty. Students in the Clinical Research and Medical Writing courses publish in PubMed indexed medical journals as first authors. These are the same journals read by academic physicians, not a high school journal. Participants present their research at the Annual SE Society of Academic Emergency Medicine meeting, alongside residents, medical students and faculty.

Future Physicians America also offers options for younger students in grades 4-8.

6)

  • Location: n/a
  • Instructional Method:聽Online
  • Program Length: 1, 2, & 4-week sessions
  • Cost: $1,595 per course
  • Eligibility: Students aged 13 and older
  • Application Deadline: Rolling

Wake Forest University鈥檚 online program is available year-round, allowing you to study anywhere, anytime, while working at your own pace. This flexibility enables you to take multiple courses and discover a variety of academic areas of interest. All courses culminate in a Final Capstone Project that allows students to demonstrate what they鈥檝e learned in the program.

Wake Forest offers three pre-med courses. The first, Making the Rounds: An Insider鈥檚 Guide to Becoming a Doctor, gives you聽an inside look at how physicians manage patient care from ambulance to ER to aftercare. Teaching the course are Wake Forest School of Medicine professors Dr. Lindsay Strowd and Dr. Roy Strowd. Through immersive simulations, videos and course assignments, you鈥檒l study the anatomy of the heart, what triggers a heart attack and how a treatment team works.

In the second course, On Cancer: An Inside Look at Caring, Curing and Treating, you鈥檒l accompany a patient on their cancer journey. You鈥檒l see what it鈥檚 like to be diagnosed, to receive treatment, and how people cope with its spread. Learn the types of treatment and their specialists, along with groundbreaking advances that are changing the lives of patients. If you are interested in pre-med or careers in healthcare, this course is a must.

7) Georgetown Pre-College Online Program

  • Location: n/a
  • Instructional Method:聽Online
  • Program Length: 1, 2, or 4 weeks
  • Cost:$1,895
  • Eligibility: High school students aged 13 and older
  • Application Deadline: Varies (generally a week before the course鈥檚 start date)

If you鈥檙e a high school student, the flexibility of Georgetown鈥檚 Pre-College Online Program is unmatched. Students as young as 13 can take courses year-round, exploring budding curiosities and career paths or delving deeply into subject areas they are passionate about. Pre-med students will be particularly interested in the following courses:

An Inside Look at Treating Patients

Do you have what it takes to be a doctor? This course is a great place to start. Learn the roles of different medical team members, from physician and nurse practitioner to physician assistants, radiation therapists, rehabilitation specialists, and more. Discover how they manage patient care. Determine how three conditions are treated: a kidney transplant, peripheral vascular disease, and cancer. Finally, see how technology and science are merging for better outcomes.

Clinical Trials Resulting in Medical Discoveries

Whether it鈥檚 a vaccine, a breakthrough drug, or a revolutionary treatment, they all came from one thing: medical research. This course will help you understand the process researchers use to set up clinical trials and evaluate evidence. You鈥檒l even design your own study using professional methods. If you鈥檙e thinking about a future in medicine, STEM, or pharmaceuticals, this course is for you.

Becoming a Surgeon: Skills, Specialties, and Diseases

This is a course for people who love the challenge of diagnosing a disease and treating it through surgery. Study diseases of the abdomen and create your own model of the major organs and vascular structures. Learn about emerging technologies, such as robotics and digital scanning. Discover the jobs of an OR team and hear from specialists like radiologists, and trauma surgeons. If you have a passion for surgical medicine, this course is for you!

8)

  • Location: Pittsburgh, PA
  • Instructional Method:聽In-person (residential)
  • Program Length: 4 weeks
  • Cost: Approx. $3,600
  • Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors aged 15-18
  • Application Deadline: February

In conjunction with the UPMC Health System, one of the country鈥檚 most respected medical centers, the University of Pittsburgh offers intensive and highly selective summer premed programs. Students take five courses: Caring for Health, Thinking about Thinking, Learning Teams, Making a Difference, and a concentration course. As such, they cover important issues regarding healthcare systems and patient-centered care and spend time shadowing physicians. 聽They also undertake reflective writing activities and collaborate in small groups. Moreover, there are plenty of hands-on workshops and simulations along the way.

Additionally, there are typically four concentration course options; past options have included Behavioral Health, Public Health, Geriatrics Health, and Global Health. Each student will be assigned to one concentration, which they can rank in order of preference on the application. As part of their concentration, they will also participate in shadowing opportunities. When they鈥檙e not in class, students enjoy social and recreational programming on the University of Pittsburgh campus. However, they can expect to spend most evenings completing assignments.

In conjunction with transcripts and test scores, students must submit two teacher recommendations, with one from a science teacher. Also, there are two essays required鈥搊ne personal statement and one analytical, healthcare-related discussion鈥揳s well as an extracurricular resume. As of Feb. 2026, this program seems to be on hiatus.聽

9)

  • Location: San Diego, CA
  • Instructional Method:聽In-person (commuter)
  • Program Length: 2 weeks
  • Cost: $3,000
  • Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, and college freshmen aged 15-19
  • Application Deadline: February 20th

SMA鈥檚 ultimate goal is to graduate students who will go on to become well-rounded, compassionate healthcare professionals. Consequently, they expose students to a wide range of topics via lectures, clinics, group projects, and career panels. For example, students dive into orthopedics, wound management, brain dissection, genomics, and emergency medicine, among others. They also practice hands-on skills like CPR and IV placement. Moreover, they learn from experts who hail from various community partners, including the UCSD School of Medicine and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

To apply to this summer premed program, students need to submit essays, transcripts, and teacher recommendations. The selection committee looks for students who are passionate about the healthcare profession and are active members of their communities.

10)

  • Location: Varies (sessions at Columbia, Duke, UC Berkely, U of Michigan, and U of Oxford)
  • Instructional Method:聽In-person (residential)
  • Program Length: 1 week
  • Cost: $4,195-$6,395 (depends on location)
  • Eligibility: Rising freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors
  • Application Deadline: Rolling

At the Medicine & Health Care National Student Leadership Conference, students immerse themselves into the life of a medical professional. Past workshops and simulations have included Surgical Skills (which covers skills like suturing and knot tying), Clinical Diagnostics, Emergency Medicine, Anatomy, and Public Health Campaign (where students collaborate on a public health intervention). Additionally, students enjoy lectures and guest speakers on specialty topics. Tours of local medical facilities and science museums round out the experience. For example, students attending NSLC at Yale might visit Massachusetts General Hospital and the Yale School of Medicine.

In addition to gaining practical medical skills, students also develop their leadership potential. To do so, they participate in lectures and workshops regarding conflict resolution, negotiation, and public speaking, among others. Finally, college credit is available for interested students.

Applications are rolling, and students interested in these summer premed programs will need to supply their GPA as well as teacher/counselor contact information.

11)

  • Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL or Clearwater, FL
  • Instructional Method:聽In-person (commuter)
  • Program Length: 1 week
  • Cost: $1,800
  • Eligibility: Rising freshman, sophomores, juniors, or seniors
  • Application Deadline: Rolling (students should submit applications as early as possible)

Craving hands-on medical experience? Look no further than AIM, held at Nova Southeastern University鈥檚 College of Osteopathic Medicine. In addition to exploring myriad specialties鈥搒uch as pediatrics, pharmacy, and occupational therapy鈥搒tudents participate in a number of interactive educational sessions. For example, suturing classes, 3-D modeling technology practice, and cancer detection and research investigations are on the docket. Additionally, all students become certified in first aid and CPR and take a disaster medicine training course.

Beyond medical training, students enjoy a range of social events at these summer premed programs. For example, they鈥檒l be able to chat with current NSU medical students about their experiences and attend a semi-formal gala.

Finally, to be eligible, students must have at least a 3.2 GPA. They also must submit an essay, teacher or counselor recommendation, and high school transcript.

12)

  • Location: Rochester, NY
  • Instructional Method:聽In-person (residential)
  • Program Length: 3 weeks
  • Cost: $8,770 (Mini Medical School) / $5,850 (Pathology)
  • Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors
  • Application Deadline: February 28

Here, there are two full-day, residential summer premed programs available: Explorations in Pathology or Mini Medical School. Both are highly selective; the former only accepts 15 students while the latter accepts 12. In addition, the courses are taught by University of Rochester Medical Center faculty.

At Explorations of Pathology, students complete an independent project with a faculty mentor. Although one鈥檚 focus is dependent on their project, topics to be surveyed will include those related to anatomic pathology, such as cytopathology and neuropathology, or clinical pathology/laboratory medicine, such as hematopathology and molecular diagnostics. Consequently, students engage in hands-on examinations, tours, lectures, and case studies. Moreover, they鈥檒l have ample time in the lab as well as dissection opportunities. At the end of the experience, they鈥檒l create a video and poster presentation that showcases their learning.

Alternatively, Mini Med School is an insider鈥檚 peek into both the academic and clinical rigor of medical school. Between anatomy & physiology lectures, neurology-focused dissections, and a public health poster session, students investigate a number of diverse topics. Additionally, there are ample experiential opportunities; in the past, these have included suture sessions, casting, NARCAN training, ambulance rides, shadowing, and an emergency department rotation.

For students who鈥檇 rather commit to a shorter experience, half-day programs are available. These include such options as Exploring the Pre-Med Experience; Bones, Muscles, Joints, and Movement; Uncovering the Connections Between Environment and Health; Careers in Oral Health; and Careers in Nursing, among others.

Final Thoughts 鈥 Pre-Med Summer Programs for High School Students

Before applying to summer pre-med programs, students should first assess their goals. Would they like to participate in research? Learn surgical skills like suturing and dissection? Explore a variety of subspecialties? No matter their current interests, they can rest assured that there are a vast number of highly specialized and generalized exploratory options available at locations across the country鈥攐ptions that will build their resumes alongside their practical knowledge and career confidence.

Looking for summer premed programs in your area? Consider checking out the following: