2-Week Summer Academies at the University of Pennsylvania

One subject, two weeks, taught intensively. Each academy pairs sophisticated theory with the work that follows from it — laboratory experiments and Penn's own research technology in the science academies, the archives and institutions of Philadelphia in the humanities ones. Teaching is by University of Pennsylvania faculty and established professionals in the field, assisted by graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants. The academy is non-credit: what a student leaves with is a Certificate of Completion and, on request, letters of recommendation from the Penn instructors who taught them.

The programme fee covers use of Penn academic facilities, on-campus housing, gym access, linens, the meal plan, extracurricular activities and trips, and student supervision. It does not cover the non-refundable application fee, travel to and from campus, airport transfers, class materials, meals eaten off campus, medical expenses, laundry supplies, souvenirs or personal spending money. A non-refundable enrollment deposit secures the place and is counted as part of the total programme fee, so the final bill is adjusted for it.

Students live on campus in a Penn residence hall for the length of the academy, in the University City district where the University sits. Linens are provided with the room, and the fee includes gym access alongside the housing. Residential students are supervised by programme staff; after-hours emergency or urgent care is provided nearby at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

A meal plan on campus is part of the programme fee. Students eat in Penn's dining facilities; the SHOP PENN district next to campus adds more than ten blocks of cafés and restaurants within walking distance, though meals eaten off campus are paid for separately.

Extracurricular activities and trips are part of the programme and are included in the fee. Philadelphia is used as the setting rather than a backdrop: the humanities academies draw on the city's history directly, and students have the run of Penn's galleries, performing arts centres, outdoor art and the 24-acre Penn Park. A self-guided campus tour is available to work through in free time.

Students use the University's own resources: library facilities, fitness centres, galleries and performing arts centres, laboratories and research technology in the science academies, and Penn Park. At the centre of campus stand the Quadrangle and College Green, the University's most used outdoor space. The Division of Public Safety runs police, fire and emergency services for the campus and provides 24/7 walking escorts.

Two weeks of living and studying inside a research university, in a cohort drawn from around the world. Mornings and afternoons belong to one subject taught by the people who work in it, and the rest of the day belongs to a campus in the middle of University City — restaurants, shops, parks, cafés, libraries and museums, all walkable. Students finish with a certificate, a subject explored further than school allows, and a clearer idea of what a university actually feels like.