Non-Credit Opportunities for High School Students

Summer in Boulder offers high school students the opportunity to get involved in a number of exciting CU Boulder programs that go beyond Summer Session courses.

Build a Better Book Teen Internship Program

CU Boulder’s Build a Better Book project offers high school students paid summer internships based on the CU Boulder campus, as well as at three partner sites around the country. Participating interns complete a multi-week engineering design experience, focused on using Maker technologies (e.g., 3D printers, laser cutters and electronics) to create accessible materials for community clients, typically children, who are blind or visually impaired. Funded by the National Science Foundation, this program encourages and supports the participation of teens from groups underrepresented in engineering, including girls, students of color, students with disabilities, and those who may be the first in their family to attend college.

Science Discovery Summer Classes at CU Boulder and CU Anschutz

Program Dates: June - July 2025

Science Discovery high school classes prepare high school students for their transition to college and provide insight into possible STEM career paths. These pre-college, non-credit classes combine academics and campus-based activities to give high school students a well-rounded introduction to college life. Participants are given the opportunity to connect with CU graduate students and subject matter experts, allowing them to make connections and explore labs and facilities throughout the CU Boulder and CU Anschutz campuses. Students are immersed in one-week STEM-focused courses in areas such as aerospace, medicine, biomedical research, neuroscience, maker technologies and innovation, robotics, video game design, forensics and more. High school classes are offered in a commuter format for local students.

Science Discovery STEM Research Experience

Program Dates: June 6 - July 25, 2025

A six-week commuter program inviting rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors to work on a research interest directly with CU Boulder and CU Anschutz Medical Campus faculty and graduate student mentors. Students work 15-20 hours per week, Monday-Friday with hours varying depending on lab needs. A weekly Research Methods course provides participants with support in conducting a literature review, exploring library resources, collecting and analyzing data, and communicating research results.

Sphinx Performance Academy

For the first time in 2023, the College of Music and  (SPA) are partnering to provide a full-scholarship intensive summer chamber music and solo performance program focused on cultural diversity for string musicians ages 11-17. Like the SPA’s long-term partners—The Juilliard School and Cleveland Institute of Music—the College of Music will host this nationally acclaimed program on the CU Boulder campus, June 22 - July 2.

Summer Music Academy

The Summer Music Academy at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music presents exciting opportunities for high school and middle school musicians from Colorado and around the country to receive world-class instruction.