Summer Programs for Rising Freshmen

The summer before high school is the perfect time for students to continue exploring their interests (or trying new things) and taking their extracurricular pursuits to the next level. As you plan out your rising freshman’s upcoming summer break, you might want to consider specialized summer programs, which can help students learn new skills, gain independence, make new friends, and try out areas of interest they may not have the time to do during the school year.

4 teens smiling at a table holding engineering materials

Here is a short curated list of stand-out summer programs across academic and enrichment areas tailored specially for students entering 9th grade. This is just a small taste of the over 1,000 programs you can find on our Summer MatchPoint page. Or let our AI Guru suggest some great opportunities!


Business, STEM, Medical, Liberal Arts


Georgetown Business Academy: Business


STEM for Rising 9th and 10th Graders Brown Pre-College Program: STEM Options


Vanderbilt University Summer Academy: Many subject areas: nanotechnology, biomedical ethics, and philosophy, history, and medicine, etc.


Oxbridge Academic Program: The Cambridge Prep Experience: Medical Science, Business, Psychology, Espionage, or Law (Abroad Option)


Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine AVM Middle School Program: Pre-Vet


University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education Creative Writing Workshop: Writing (for 13+)

Texas-Based Programs


University of Texas UTeach Outreach: Research and Statistics Camp 


Austin Public Library Creative Writing Camp 


TAMU AgriLife Extension Vet Summer Programs


Rice University Aerospace Academy 


Travel Programs


Putney Student Travel 


Rustic Pathways 


ActionQuest