13 College Art Programs for High School Students
Art programs for high school students offer experience with college-level studios, critiques, and tools while connecting you with artists, university faculty, and peers. These programs help you gain exposure to industry practices, build your portfolio, and establish a professional network. Many top art colleges offer art programs for high school students, and participating in a selective one can make your college applications to art schools stand out.
If you're considering a future in visual arts, design, architecture, or related fields, these programs help you explore different career paths and find the right learning environment. Many institutions allow high schoolers to use their studios each summer, providing a chance to experience both the academic and social aspects of art school. In this guide, we’ve listed 13 college art programs for high school students offering structured training and mentorship.
1. Art History and Curatorial Studies Early College Program at Spelman College
Location: Spelman College, Atlanta, GA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; approximately 15 – 25 students
Dates: June – July
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Spelman College’s Art History and Curatorial Studies Early College Program places rising juniors and seniors in a four-week, fully funded experience that centers on African American and Western art. You complete Ways of Seeing: Art History, Curating, and Museums, a credit-bearing undergraduate course that examines how artworks are interpreted, preserved, and displayed across different cultural spaces. Classes, workshops, and panels take place at Spelman, the Atlanta University Center, and the High Museum of Art, with additional site visits to regional art institutions. You work on exhibition-focused projects that involve analyzing primary sources, studying collections, and considering how curators communicate with diverse audiences. You earn three Spelman credits documented on an official transcript.
2. Teen Council at the Art Institute of Chicago
Location: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 10 – 15 teens
Dates: September 13 – June 6
Application Deadline: June 30
Eligibility: Chicago high school students under the age of 18
The Teen Council at the Art Institute of Chicago brings together high school students who collaborate with museum staff to design programs and resources that speak to teen audiences. Members meet weekly, primarily on Saturdays, with occasional Wednesday sessions to plan events, produce creative projects, and consider how museums can better serve young visitors. Workshops, behind-the-scenes access sessions, and mentorship opportunities introduce you to museum education, community engagement, and curatorial approaches. You also examine the museum’s collections and exhibitions to understand how institutions communicate with the public.
3. Tisch Future Artists
Location: NYU's New York City campus, NYC
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; around 30 students per track
Dates: January 31 – May 9
Application Deadline: November 10
Eligibility: High school students who are currently enrolled in grades 9–11
The Tisch Future Artists program is a 14-week Saturday program that gives high school students structured training in areas such as filmmaking, digital game design, dance, theatre, photography, recorded music, and dramatic writing from Tisch School of the Arts faculty. You complete college-style projects that reflect the expectations of NYU’s undergraduate arts programs, whether that means producing short films, developing game prototypes, creating photographic narratives, or drafting scripts. Tracks like Future Music Moguls and Future Imagemakers introduce industry-relevant concepts, ranging from music production to visual storytelling and social justice, while emphasizing collaboration and ongoing critique. You earn up to six college credits in diverse disciplines.
4. Art History Summer Program at Boston University
Location: Boston University, Boston, MA
Cost: Residential: $10,605; Commuter: $7,005 (tentative); limited financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 130 students each summer across all programs
Dates: June 28 – August 7
Application Deadline: Typically, late May
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Boston University’s Art History Summer Program enrolls high school students in undergraduate courses through the BU Summer Honors initiative through either Pyramids to Cathedrals or Renaissance Art. Each course surveys major artistic developments, either from antiquity to the Middle Ages or across Italy’s fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and situates works in their political, religious, and cultural contexts. Classes fulfill specific BU Hub requirements such as Aesthetic Exploration and Historical Consciousness, with some sections also meeting Creativity/Innovation or Critical Thinking criteria. You study how artistic traditions evolve, how monuments communicate meaning, and how historical conditions shape visual production. You earn four credits per course.
5. University of Pennsylvania’s Art History (ARTH) Courses for the Penn Pre-College Program
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, or online
Cost: Varies as per format (residential/online) and the number of course units; financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; typically, 15 – 20 students
Dates: Varies as per course format between May 26 – August 8
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10 and 11
The University of Pennsylvania’s Pre-College Art History courses offer a rigorous introduction to global visual culture, from ancient Hellenistic and Roman artifacts to the evolution of world cinema and contemporary installations. You conduct first-hand formal analysis of masterpieces, engage in small seminar-style academic debates, and produce research-driven critical essays. A unique feature of the program is its integration of Penn’s world-class campus resources, such as the Fisher Fine Arts Library and the Penn Museum, where you examine primary sources to uncover suppressed historical narratives. Through these intensive exercises, participants master high-level visual literacy, the ability to decode complex symbolism, and professional-grade research techniques that are essential for Ivy League success.
6. Moore College of Art & Design – Summer Art & Design Institute
Location: Moore College campus, PA
Cost: $6,755; financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Non-selective; 10 – 15 students per class
Dates: July 12 – August 7
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: U.S. high school students in grades 10 – 12; English proficiency requirements apply for international students
The Moore College of Art & Design’s Summer Art & Design Institute is a four-week residential program offering studio courses across tracks such as illustration, animation, painting, photography, and graphic design. You earn three college credits and live in Moore’s residence halls, within a structured but creative campus environment close to Philadelphia’s museums and cultural centers. Coursework blends independent studio time with critiques, demonstrations, and faculty-led instruction, encouraging you to develop technical skills while building a portfolio. Field trips, film screenings, and city excursions add context to your studio practice by exposing you to professional artwork and design spaces. Those who later enroll at Moore may qualify for a scholarship based on their SADI participation.
7. Temple University Pre-College Programs – Tyler School of Art and Architecture
Location: Tyler studios at Temple University
Cost: Varies by program; full/partial scholarships available for select programs
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective; typically 12 – 18 students per class section
Dates: Various two-week sessions in July
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students entering grades 10–12
Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture offers pre-college summer programs that allow high schoolers to take studio courses taught by practicing artists, designers, and architects. You choose two-week workshops in areas such as painting, printmaking, architecture, and design, with morning and afternoon sessions that allow exploration across multiple mediums. Rising juniors and seniors preparing college applications often choose the Portfolio Bootcamp, an intensive course that focuses on observational drawing and the creation of refined pieces suitable for portfolio submission. Philadelphia-based students may apply to the Creative Scholars Program, a scholarship-supported option that incorporates museum visits, workshops, and structured studio time.
8. Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Pre-College Program
Location: Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Cost: Residential: $12,495; Commuter: $9,595 + $60 application fee (non-refundable) + additional costs apply; limited needs-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; typically, 500 – 530 students per session
Dates: June 27 – August 1
Application Deadline: January 30
Eligibility: 10th and 11th graders between 16 and 18 years old
RISD’s Pre-College Program is a five-week residential experience that mirrors the structure of a RISD undergraduate semester, placing you in day-long studio courses, critiques, and ongoing projects across fine arts, design, and architecture. You’ll complete a full college-level curriculum that includes a major studio, a drawing course, and a design class, all taught by RISD faculty who guide you through new materials, tools, and problem-solving approaches. Museum visits, artist talks, and campus resources such as studios and fabrication spaces shape an environment where experimentation is central to the work you produce. You’ll develop pieces for your portfolio while collaborating with peers from around the world.
9. Yale Summer Session
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Cost: Varies; financial assistance is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically, 10 – 12 students per class
Dates: Session A: May 25 – June 26; Session B: June 29 – July 31
Application Deadline: April 3
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors who are 16 years of age or older by the program’s start date
Yale Summer Session allows high school students to enroll in undergraduate-level arts courses such as Visual Thinking, Basic Drawing, Painting Basics, Introduction to Digital Photography, and Introduction to Interactive Design, each taught in Yale’s studios and classrooms. These courses use projects, lectures, and critiques to build skills in areas like composition, color, visual analysis, and image-making, introducing you to the same expectations placed on Yale College students. For example, Visual Thinking surveys the core language of visual art across multiple media, while Digital Photography asks students to create original photographic work using digital cameras and editing tools. Living on campus is part of the experience.
10. Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Program - School of Art
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost: 6 Weeks: Residential - $12,204; Commuter - $9,039 | 3 Weeks: Residential - $7,945 and Commuter - $6,184 + Application Fee: $50; need-based financial aid and merit scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; typically, 15 – 20 students per class
Dates: 3 Week: June 20 – July 11; 6 Week: June 20 – August 1
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Students must be 16 years old by June 20 and between 10th and 11th grade, or 11th and 12th grade
The Carnegie Mellon Pre-College School of Art program provides high school students with a studio environment, focusing on four core pillars: electronic and time-based work, sculpture and installation, drawing and photography, and social practice. You develop technical skills through traditional drawing and animation while engaging in the "Concept Studio," a unique feature that prioritizes creative problem-solving and contemporary theory over technique. During the residency, you create elaborate sculpture patterns using laser cutters, engage in formal faculty critiques, and assemble a final gallery exhibition to showcase your work. This experience bridges the gap between high school art and a professional degree, allowing you to live as an "artist in residence."
11. Harvard Pre-College Program
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $6,100 + $75 application fee; limited scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically, 12 – 18 students per class
Dates: Session I: June 21 – July 2; Session II: July 5 – 17; Session III: July 19 – 31
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Students must be on track to graduate from high school and enter college in the next 2 years, and be between 16 to 19 years old.
Harvard’s Pre-College Program offers two-week non-credit courses that introduce high school students to college-level thinking in arts-related subjects, with options that include Beauty, Urinals, and Revolution: The Philosophy of Art and Photography and the Social World. You live in Harvard residence halls, attend classes taught by Harvard instructors, and take part in discussions, guest lectures, and independent projects that deepen your engagement with contemporary art, visual culture, and aesthetics. Courses often involve visits to the Harvard Art Museums, giving you direct access to significant works that support class readings and assignments. The program compresses a full course into a short format, so the pace is intensive and requires consistent participation in critiques, writing, or project-based work.
12. Cornell’s Art Summer Program for High School Students
Location: Online or Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Cost: Varies as per format (online/residential/commuter); need-based financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; 10 – 18 students per section
Dates: Varies by course and format (typically, June to August)
Application Deadline: Varies as per course and format
Eligibility: Online: Students between 15 – 19 years | Residential: Students between 16 – 18 years | Commuter: Students between 16 – 19 years
Cornell’s Art Summer Program places students in credit-bearing studio courses that explore drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, and digital or experimental media. Courses like Art as Experience expose you to multiple media, from collage and video installation to digital photography, while integrating readings, critiques, and guest lectures to help you contextualize your work within contemporary art. The TransMedia option introduces cameras, audio recorders, physical computing boards, and software tools, giving you hands-on experience with digital image creation, editing, and interactive media. Other studios, such as Sculpture, Photography, and Print Media, focus on technical skills while encouraging conceptual problem-solving as you develop independent projects.
13. SAIC – Early College Program Online Summer Institute
Location: Online
Cost: $1,908 for the half-day course, $3,816 for the full-day course; merit scholarships or need-based financial aid are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Non-selective; typically, 12 – 15 students
Dates: June 15 – 26
Application Deadline: Typically, until the classes begin
Eligibility: High school students who have completed their sophomore year and are between the ages of 15-18
SAIC’s Early College Program Online Summer Institute allows high school students to take college-level art and design courses in areas such as drawing, painting, animation, architecture, fashion, and graphic design. Classes are taught by SAIC faculty and combine virtual demonstrations, live critiques, and one-on-one meetings. The online format brings together students from different countries and time zones, creating a collaborative environment where you share works-in-progress and receive structured feedback. Assignments focus on contemporary art-making approaches and ask you to experiment with both traditional and digital materials, depending on the course. You complete multiple projects and often build pieces suitable for portfolio use, with some courses offering the ability to earn college credit.
Looking for an immersive internship experience?
Check out Ladder Internships!
Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program where students work with startups and nonprofits from around the world! The startups range across a variety of industries. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship. Apply now!
Image Source - Art Institute of Chicago Logo