Pre-College 2026

GW Pre-College Program 2026

High school students in the Pre-College Program spend a summer in Washington, D.C., taking advantage of GW's expertise in various topics such as global development, international relations, public policy and administration, politics, diplomacy, history, biomedical engineering, museum studies and the arts, although not every topic is covered each summer. Top-tier faculty and scholar-practitioners guide, inspire and empower students through immersive programs that connect academic experience with real-world practice. Our summer programs are intensive and exciting, allowing students to experience the academic rigors of learning in a college environment. They are academically-challenging courses that integrate lectures, seminars, and exploration of area organizations.

Pre-College also offers a transformative introduction to college life. Students develop confidence in their ability to become part of a new community, participating in recreational and social activities while making friends with peers from around the world.

Summer Immersion: Residential Programs

Summer Immersion is a two-week, full-day, non-credit program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors that integrates lecture-based instruction with experiential and applied activities. Students expand and deepen their knowledge of a topic through collaborative learning and an exploration of the diverse intellectual and cultural resources of Washington, DC.

Please note that it is strongly recommended to apply before the priority deadline of May 1, 2026. However, GW's Pre-College Program accepts applications on a rolling basis as space remains available. The final application deadlines are as follows: Session I: May 31, 2026; Session II: June 14, 2026; and Session III: June 28, 2026.

Session III: Sunday, July 19, 2026 - Friday, July 31, 2026

STEM & Health

Psychology of Misinformation

Breaking news! This course will teach you how not to fall for the headlines like this, and other wildest lies, even the ones that look totally real. You’ll learn the difference between mis- and disinformation, the psychology behind why our brains sometimes believe things they shouldn’t, learn how to spot tricks used on- and off-line content, and explore how AI is blurring the line between real life and fake. With hands-on activities, museum visits, guest speakers, and real-world investigations(on your own social media feed!), you’ll build the skills to confidently separate fact from fake in your everyday life. We will teach you how to help protect your friends and family from misinformation. Perfect for students who has interest in psychology, journalism, marketing, political conversations or anyone who wants to sharpen their instincts for what’s real and what’s not.

Join us for an information session with the course instructor on April 2nd at 5:00 pm EST. Register for the session here.

Business, Data and Innovation

Excel Your Future: Data, Dashboards & Decision-Making for Entrepreneurs

Ever wondered how entrepreneurs make smart decisions, spot business opportunities, or track what’s working and what’s not? In this dynamic, hands-on course, you’ll discover how data can become your most powerful tool — and how programs like Excel can help you think, plan, and create like a real business innovator.

You’ll learn how to build your own datasets, analyze trends, and design interactive dashboards that tell a compelling story. Through fun challenges and real-world scenarios, you’ll step into the role of a startup founder or data analyst, using numbers to make decisions about pricing, marketing, sustainability, and more.

Each day mixes guided workshops, creative projects, and collaborative problem-solving. No prior experience is required — you’ll start from the basics and quickly level up to professional-style tools that college students and business leaders use every day.

By the end, you’ll walk away with a portfolio of dashboards and a data-driven mindset you can use in school, college applications, and future careers.

Key Takeaways:

Learn how to use Excel to organize, analyze, and visualize data
Build dashboards that explain trends and guide smart decisions
Apply data skills to entrepreneurship and real-world challenges
Present your insights with confidence and clarity

Law, Politics & Social Justice

U.S. Law

A D.C. Immersion (2-Week Intensive) This intensive two-week course transforms the Nation’s capital into a living classroom, providing high school students with a dynamic, hands-on introduction to the fundamentals of the U.S. legal system. Leveraging the unique resources of Washington, D.C., the program emphasizes experiential learning through site visits, lectures, discussions with guest speakers, and practical simulations. This course combines foundational legal theory with the unparalleled opportunity to visit the institutions where law is made and adjudicated.

U.S. Foreign Policy: Global Conflict Resolution in a Multilateral World

This course explores how the U.S. and other countries develop and carry out global policies on trade, national security, international conflicts, and the environment by meeting with various stakeholders within Washington, D.C.’s foreign policy community such as American government agencies, international embassies, think tanks, interest groups, non-profits, and professional organizations. Students will learn how to recognize, analyze, and articulate various approaches to creating foreign policy while increasing their awareness of multilateral institutions and multilateral suggestions on international issues, where several countries work together as nation-states and/or through multiple organizations that represent them. Students will also learn how to evaluate conflicting goals, agendas and trade-offs of foreign and national security policy. Viewpoints and perspectives of American government officials, foreign diplomats and policy experts will be shared, and the roles played by Congress and the U.S. State Department will be explored with a focus on student participation and questions to encourage open-minded discussions of all topics.

Leadership & Civic Engagement

How to Be a Changemaker: Leadership and Civic Engagement

How can we make change in our communities around the issues that we care about? How can we be impactful and transformative leaders? How can we be effective spokespersons in advocating for people and issues that are important to us? How can we use things like art, music, and social media in ways that raise important conversations in the culture? This course will explore many different ways that you can be a changemaker! There will be an emphasis on hand-on engagement and experiential learning with a focus on local Washington DC history and culture. We will visit museums and exhibits, learn about local changemakers, practice leadership and civic engagement strategies, and make art together. We will work together to develop our leadership, advocacy, and public speaking skills while building a strong learning community and lasting personal networks.

The Art of Connection: Designing Next-Gen Leadership

Why are so many young people feeling disconnected in one of the most connected generations in history? And what can emerging leaders do to rebuild belonging? In 2025, the World Health Organization identified loneliness as a global public health concern, underscoring how social isolation is shaping modern life. This course explores how belonging, communication, and human systems influence leadership and wellbeing. Through hands-on workshops, applied exercises, and guided ethnographic analysis, students will examine how people build trust, navigate conflict, and create spaces where others feel seen and valued. They’ll then design a living leadership experiment that applies these insights to the real world - gaining practical skills in communication, collaboration, and community development.

Humanities, Languages & Culture

Washington, D.C. and the French-Speaking World

Step into the vibrant world of Francophone cultures in Washington, D.C., through a hands-on exploration of art, history, language, diplomacy, and more. Whether you speak French or not, students will discover the capital city’s many Francophone connections. Site visits may include museums such as the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and the National Gallery of Art (highlighting artists and works from French-speaking countries); experiential spaces like Planet Word and the Folger Shakespeare Library (exploring shared histories across languages); diplomatic institutions such as the Embassy of Haiti (introducing international relations and diplomacy); and cultural landmarks like the Renwick Gallery (“American Louvre”) and the Lincoln Memorial (examining Francophone influences on architecture and Franco-American cooperation). Through interactive excursions, guided discussions, and reflective projects, students will make interdisciplinary connections, develop their perspectives, and engage with the global impact of French-speaking cultures on Washington, D.C., and beyond.

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A Day in the Life

Students in the Pre-College program are constantly engaged. Connecting with their classmates, their topic of study and Washington, D.C, Pre-College students have the opportunity to interact with this program in an immersive, hands-on experience. Both in and out of the classroom, students are kept busy as we arrange opportunities for exploration through class site visits and residential programming. Students also receive a certain amount of free time to explore DC independently. Here is a sample Pre-College student schedule:

Weekdays
7:30am - 8:30am: Breakfast

9:00am - 5:00pm: Class, Study Sessions, Co-Curricular Activities

12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch

1:00pm - 4:00pm: Class, Guest Lecture and/or Site Visit

5:00pm - 6:30pm: Dinner

7:00pm - 9:00pm: College Readiness Activities and Recreational Programs with Residential Staff

11:00 pm: In-Room Curfew (weekday and weekends)

Weekends
Recreational Programs with Residential Staff. Examples of Recreational Programs include 4th of July Celebration on the National Mall, DC Cupcake crawl, and Smithsonian museum tours.

Additional Summer Opportunities

Program dates for Summer 2026 to be announced.

College Intensive programs offer rising juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn college credit by engaging in challenging online undergraduate level courses. Grades earned establish an official academic record at GW and may be transferable, depending on the policies of the receiving institution.

Students who wish to engage in credit-bearing online courses may apply for the 6-week online option. Students participating in this program are eligible to enroll in one 1000 or 2000 level course. To be eligible for enrollment, students must satisfy all prerequisites for a given course. For dates and times, please consult the GW schedule of classes, which will be posted later this spring.

Program dates for Summer 2026 to be announced.

Caminos al Futuro is a fully-funded, selective pre-college and residential summer program for rising seniors in U.S. high schools offered by the Cisneros Institute at the George Washington University, in Washington D.C.

During the 3-week intensive program, Caminos scholars examine the social, economic, and political transformations affecting the Hispanic/Latino community. Through lectures by university professors and expert leaders in their fields, scholars not only learn about pressing contemporary issues but also create their own project to bring change in their own communities.