About

Why spend part of your free time going to school?

1. Get a taste of college-level academics

• Take regular Cornell courses in which you’ll study alongside undergraduates.
• Study with professors from the Cornell faculty or visiting instructors.
• Develop your critical thinking, reading, and writing abilities and get a head start on mastering college-level study skills.
• The academic credits you’ll earn at Cornell can generally be applied toward an undergraduate degree at Cornell or another school, at that institution’s discretion.
• Classes may include lectures from guest speakers, hands-on labs, and small-group discussions. Professors will assign readings and other homework to complete outside of class as well as team projects that give you chance to work closely with peers.

2. Experience life on a college campus

• Learn to live in a residence hall with your peers and share space with a roommate. For many students, this is their first time living away from home and family, so it can take some time to adjust. Our Residential Coordinators (RCs) are here to help!
• Experience a structured environment within which to practice being independent and making your own decisions.
• Spend your out-of-class time playing sports, attending club meetings and campus events, or just hanging out. You’ll learn to balance downtime activities with studying—and you’ll get to practice saving time for important things like laundry, sleep, and meals!

3. Prepare yourself for college admissions

• As a Cornell Precollege student, you may be able to make connections with the professors teaching your classes that can lead to long-term mentoring, personalized career advice, or even letters of recommendation.

4. Learn about yourself

• Study a favorite subject, get ahead in your chosen academic field, or try out something completely new.
• Decide what you want out of a college and which majors or careers pique your interest.
• Gain confidence—as you learn more about your interests, your plans for the future, and what you’re capable of accomplishing.

Ways to study with us

The Residential Program is our premier precollege experience for rising juniors and seniors who wish to study on campus, in person, during the summer. If you’d rather commute to Cornell, you can apply to our Commuter Program.

We also offer an engaging and rigorous Online Program if you want to experience Cornell online and earn credits from the comfort of your own home over the summer or winter.

A history of higher education for high school students

Cornell was one of the first universities in the nation to invite intellectually curious high school students to campus to enjoy the challenges and opportunities of college life. Now more than 60 years old, our precollege program is the oldest and most prestigious program of its kind.

Learn about our history

Education for all