Weeklong summer immersion programs at UNC Asheville offer students a deep dive into academic topics and hands-on experience.

UNC Asheville’s Pre-College Programs introduce high school students to college-level study, university life, and career options in a dynamic learning environment. Each one-week program offers deep immersion into an academic topic, challenging activities, and the opportunity to engage with industry professionals.


 

Student Testimonials

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Dates: June 16-21 and June 23-28, 2024

Format:  Pre-College Programs run from Sunday to Friday, and each day is filled with both classroom and recreational activity. All programs include hands-on learning and projects, and many programs will feature off-campus excursions. All students live on campus to fully experience university life and the surrounding community. 

Eligibility: Pre-College Programs are open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. 

Living on Campus: Double occupancy in a shared suite.  Residence halls are air-conditioned.  Meals will be in Brown Dining Hall.

Tuition:  Programs start at $1,430 and include lodging, meals, all course materials, activities, and excursions.

Deposit: A $500 deposit is due upon registration with remaining balance due by May 1, 2024. Click here to see our cancellation policy.

FAQ: Click here to see answers to some Frequently Asked Questions

 

Summer 2024 Program Offerings:


Arts

student working at a laptop with musical equipment

Film Scoring & Sound Design

June 16 – June 21, 2024

Music is an important part of the story telling process in films. Learn how to compose cinematic music that evokes emotion using Hollywood film scoring techniques. Develop a score concept, work with virtual instruments and compose music for an animation film, and study the dynamics of a scene layer by layer to enhance the visual elements through sound design. Musicians, non-musicians and film students are welcome.
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Music Composition & Songwriting

June 23 – June 28, 2024

Develop creative and performing skills through composition, song writing, and improvisation exercises. Create original music individually and collaboratively with other students. Perform original and improvised music on your instrument/voice. The week will culminate in a performance of a new, original musical work.
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Creative Writing: The Great Smokies Young Writers Workshop – Sensory Writing & The Poet’s Toolbox

June 16 – June 21, 2024

Hone your literary skills through workshops with experienced local authors and poets. Generate new pieces, revise works-in-progress and critique works of others in a collaborative workshop setting.
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Creative Writing: The Great Smokies Young Writers Workshop – Developing Voice in Fiction & Nature Based Poetry

June 23 – June 28, 2024

Hone your literary skills through workshops with experienced local authors and poets. Generate new pieces, revise works-in-progress and critique works of others in a collaborative workshop setting.
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students working on hand made pottery

Ceramic Pottery

June 16 – June 21, 2024

Gain hands on experience in the ceramics studio and learn new techniques. Express creativity while learning to manipulate clay into sculpture and pottery. Create vessels by wheel-throwing and coil building. Learn to paint with underglazes. Form plates & shallow bowls by rolling out clay and carving. Take home your creations!
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ceramics students working in studio at a large workbench, unfinished vases drying on shelf

Ceramic Pottery

June 23 – June 28, 2024

Gain hands on experience in the ceramics studio and learn new techniques. Express creativity while learning to manipulate clay into sculpture and pottery. Create vessels by wheel-throwing and coil building. Learn to paint with underglazes. Form plates & shallow bowls by rolling out clay and carving. Take home your creations!
Learn more & Register


Sciences

A science lab with students wearing goggles and PPE, the student in focus is holding what looks like a heart, getting ready to do a dissection

Pre-Med

June 16 – June 21, 2024

Work with a team on a simulated patient case, run microbiological and biochemical tests, debate treatment options. Learn about heart anatomy and function through a hands-on pig heart dissection. (Prerequisite courses: Biology + Chemistry or Physics)
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A large model rocket launching in a field while several people watch from a distance

Climate, Robotics, Rocketry & Aerospace Engineering

June 16 – June 21, 2024

Interactively learn about robotics, rocketry, climate science, and aerospace and satellite engineering. Participate in numerous hands-on robotics and engineering tasks such as how to design a robotic rover, and building and launching a model rocket with student built sensors on board. The students will travel to a facility near the UNC Asheville campus to launch the model rockets they build in camp. Build an Arduino controlled mini weather station, launch them on tethered weather balloons, and conduct data analytics. Learn from STEM professionals about all the opportunities STEM fields have to offer.

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students standing with a large weather device

Meteorology

June 23 – June 28, 2024

Explore the wonders of our atmosphere and experience the joys of a career in meteorology. Learn the fundamental principles of the atmospheric sciences through hands-on demonstrations and study the relationship between pressure, temperature, and elevation in the mountains. Build your own research-quality weather station. Visit the National Centers for Environmental Information, a permanent weather station, and a local media outlet to learn about careers in professional meteorology. Become a broadcast meteorologist for a day and present your forecast in a real television studio.
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students looking at computer monitor

Video Game Design

June 16 – June 21, 2024

Learn the fundamentals of game development using industry-standard Unreal Engine software. Play test classic and contemporary games in UNCA’s Esports Center and transform from consumers of video games into creators as you start to think about games from a developer’s perspective.
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a group of students in a computer lab with headsets

Video Game Design

June 23 – June 28, 2024

Learn the fundamentals of game development using industry-standard Unreal Engine software. Play test classic and contemporary games in UNCA’s Esports Center and transform from consumers of video games into creators as you start to think about games from a developer’s perspective.
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Geology & Adventure

June 16 – June 21, 2024

Program filled, please register for the waitlist below.
Learn about the geology of the Southern Appalachians while hiking and rafting to scenic landmarks. Practice field-based learning while rock climbing and rappelling on the beautiful granite bodies of western North Carolina. Experience the geology of caving systems while spelunking. Enjoy time outdoors, build lifelong friendships, participate in adventure experiences, and see what it is like to be a geologist for a week!
Program Filled – Register Here for the Waitlist

Two students in a canoe on a lake, holding paddles, wearing life jackets, trees in the background

River Ecology & Adventure

June 23 – June 28, 2024

Program filled, please register for the waitlist below.
Explore and discover our natural, aquatic world. Engaging field-based learning will pair with outdoor skills and trips. Learn about Southern Appalachian stream ecology while canoeing sections of pristine rivers, hiking to wilderness swimming holes and investigating local aquatic species, and be challenged to think critically about human impact on the environment while rafting exciting whitewater.
Program Filled – Register Here for the Waitlist