High School Counselor Resources

Eligibility

• Current high school sophomores or juniors (exceptions may apply).
• Minimum 3.0 GPA.
• Must be at least 14 years old.

Freshman Exception

The transition from high school to college coursework is significant, which is why we recommend that students complete their sophomore or junior year of high school before taking summer classes. Still, we acknowledge that individual high school students can be ready for this transition earlier. To qualify for an exception, a student must:

• Have completed a minimum of one year of high school
• Be a minimum of 14 years old
• Meet the 3.0 GPA requirement 
• Understand that any grades you receive will go on your permanent academic record 
• Have your high school counselor or principal agree to the exception on your DocuSign Verification Form

Courses offered through High School Summer Pre-College Opportunities are university-level courses and are designed to be independent in nature. Students will earn UC credit on an official UC academic transcript. Counselors, students and parents should evaluate the student’s maturity and readiness for independence before signing verification and waiver forms.

Registration Steps

Eligible students who wish to enroll for summer must complete the registration process to have their accounts set up to access summer enrollment. Registration is an annual process and must be completed each year, even if students have taken classes at UCSC previously.

It is important to understand that the student is responsible for ensuring the completion of all registration steps before they can enroll in a summer class. To register:

1. Submit the Verification Form and Waiver Packet via DocuSign (available in February).
   • Student initiates the form, signs and then routes to their high school counselor/principal and a parent/guardian for signatures.
   • Students are responsible for following up with their high school for signatures. Plan ahead to make sure the office is open and staff are available to sign.
2. Submit the Registration Form via the Website : (opens April 1)
   • While we recognize that many parents/guardians participate in the registration process, students should submit the form after reading it carefully so they are fully aware of what they are agreeing to (or fully aware of what they are signing).
   • Registration form processing is not immediate and involves multiple offices – we estimate it will take 1-3 business days to complete before the student account is set up for enrollment.

Costs*

2026 Costs Coming Soon

• $279* per credit + the mandatory Campus Fee of $344.90, charged once per quarter. Most classes are 5 credits so the cost for a 5 week, 5-credit class would be $1,739.90.
• If students commute via car, there would be an additional parking pass expense, but a Metro bus pass is included in their enrollment. 

*Reflects 2025 Costs

Schedule a presentation

• Summer Session is happy to host an info session or send you marketing materials. Please add us to your contact list or email highschoolsummer@ucsc.edu to schedule (please note: our office is separate from UC Santa Cruz admissions). You can also add us to your summer programs/opportunities (see text for listing or include us in your newsletters.

Courses

• High school students are eligible to enroll in all sessions; however, there are no accommodations for student vacations or the overlap with a return to high school in the fall if a student enrolls in Session 2 or 10-week courses. We recommend Summer Session 1 to avoid potential conflicts.
• Browse 2026 suggested courses by interest tracks (see below) or on our courses page. Some courses may require pre-approval.
• Explore previous years’ syllabi to see the pace and course load of specific courses.

Course Recommendations By Interest Track

• Art, Music, and Theater
• Business, Economics, Entrepreneurship
• Engineering
• Film, Digital Arts, Gaming, and New Media
• Humanities 
• Pre-Law and Politics
• Pre-Med, Pre-Dental, and Public Health
• Psychology, Sociology, and Linguistics 
• Science, Ocean, and Marine Studies
• Social Justice and Feminism
• Sustainability and the Environment

Math overview

• Math 2 and 3 are general mathematics courses at the precalculus level. Math 2 is College Algebra, and Math 3 is Precalculus
• Math 11A, 11B, 19A, 19B, 20A, 20B, 22, 23A, and 23B are the calculus courses. Math 11A is Calculus with Applications I, and 11B is Calc 2.  Math 19A is Calculus for the Sciences, Mathematics & Engineering I, and 19B is Calc 2
• Math 21 is Linear Algebra, and Math 24 is Ordinary Differential Equations

While prerequisites and restrictions on math courses are lifted for visiting high school students, it is always in students’ best interest to have met the