Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes (SPCS) is a selective online enrichment program where intellectually curious students in grades 8-11 take intensive two-week courses covering advanced content not typically found in the high school curriculum. With over 75 courses across STEM, humanities, social sciences, writing, and the arts — including artificial intelligence, philosophy, genetics, creative writing, environmental science, engineering design, and entrepreneurship — students choose a single subject to study deeply in small classes averaging 16 students.
Sessions meet Monday through Friday with live synchronous instruction. Class times span both morning (8:00–11:00 AM PDT) and afternoon (4:00–7:00 PM PDT) blocks to accommodate students across 50+ countries worldwide. Synchronous attendance with camera and microphone on is required; missing more than one class affects the certificate of completion.
Tuition is $3,200 per session, with a $65 application fee (waivers available). Need-based financial aid — including both partial and full awards — is available to domestic and international students. The historical 2026 program ran in two sessions: Session 1 (June 15-26) and Session 2 (July 6-17), with applications due March 13, 2026.
Deadline check (2026-11-03): Official indexed 2026 admissions information confirms March 13, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time and says the application is closed. The indexed program page confirms June 15–26 and July 6–17, 2026; the indexed financial aid page gives the March 20 application and March 27 document deadlines. Direct page fetches returned HTTP 403 during this check. The official mailing list mentions Summer 2027, but no 2027 program dates or application deadline were verified; the retained dates are historical 2026 information.