15 Design Camps for High School Students

TL;DR

You’ll find 15 design camps here, from free and low-cost options like Girls Garage and KU’s $50 day camp to four-week studios at SCI-Arc and City College of New York. Most US camps last one week on a university campus, while UCL’s Bartlett runs 5- to 15-day courses in London. Most camps welcome rising sophomores to seniors, and many, like UTK and Mississippi State, need no prior design experience. Immerse Education’s Career Insights pathway in Architecture runs for two weeks in London for students aged 15 to 18.

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If you love sketching buildings, rearranging rooms, or designing logos, design camps for high school students let you test that interest in a real studio. Instead of working alone in a sketchbook, you draft, build models, and present your ideas to faculty and practicing designers for feedback. Many camps also help you start a portfolio, which architecture and design schools often ask for when you apply.

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Design camps range from one-week residential workshops at university architecture schools to four-week studios in cities like Los Angeles and New York. Depending on the camp, you might build furniture for a local shelter in Berkeley, design a sneaker at KU, or present models to a panel of Los Angeles architects. Most also include field trips to buildings, firms, or museums.

What are design camps for high school students?

Design camps for high school students are summer programs, usually run by university architecture and design schools, where you learn drawing, model-making, and design thinking through studio projects and critiques. Most last between five days and four weeks, and many end with an exhibition, final review, or portfolio of your work.

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Camps vary in focus and format. Some, like Penn State’s and Mississippi State’s camps, center on architecture, while NC State and KU also cover graphic, industrial, and digital design. Before you apply, check whether the camp is residential or day-only, whether it builds portfolio work, and which design fields it covers. Costs range from free at Girls Garage to $3,350 for SCI-Arc’s four-week program.

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To help you compare your options, we’ve put together a list of 15 design camps for high school students!

15 Design Camps for High School Students

1. UCL Bartlett Summer School

Location: The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, London, UK
Cost: £950 (5 days) | £1,800 (10 days) | £2,500 (15 days) | Accommodation not included
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 2026 courses ran between July 6th and August 14th (2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: All 2026 courses sold out; 2027 bookings not yet open
Eligibility: Students aged 14-16 (introductory course) or 16-18 at the start of the course | Open to international students, who must arrange any visas and appoint a UK guardian if under 18

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The Bartlett Summer Schools introduce you to architecture on UCL’s Bloomsbury campus, with options for different age groups. If you’re 14 to 16, a five-day introductory course teaches you the making and drawing methods architects use through collaborative design exercises. If you’re 16 to 18, you can choose a five-day course or a 10- or 15-day course where you develop an individual research topic with personal guidance. 

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Older students may visit architectural exhibitions, professional offices, and landmarks before working on collaborative drawings, models, and their own portfolio. Each course ends with a mini-exhibition, and you receive a Certificate of Participation if you attend at least 75% of sessions, along with guidance on turning your work into a portfolio.

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Why it stands out: You get a taste of studying at one of the world’s best-known architecture schools and leave with work formatted for university applications.

2. Immerse Education's Architecture Summer School

Location: London

Cost: Varies; summer school scholarship available through our bursary programme

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; an average of 7 participants per class

Dates: 2 weeks during the summer

Application Deadline: Multiple cohorts with rolling admissions

Eligibility: High school students around the world aged 15-18; open to international students

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With your interest in architecture, you probably have design ideas in your mind, and Immerse Education's Career Insights pathway in Architecture can be a suitable place for you to learn the skills and techniques needed to turn that vision into a reality. The program will introduce you to some fundamental concepts in architecture, including but not limited to spatial design, structural engineering, and sustainability. 

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Apart from the theoretical part, this summer school will also engage you in hands-on design projects, studio sessions, and site visits. By having you participate in different activities, this program aims to enhance certain aspects of you, like creativity, technical skills, and visual thinking, that are highly valued in the world of architecture. Past London cohorts visited Plan A Consultants to learn how a Design Manager supports architects and designers.‍

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Why it stands out: In addition to preparing you for a college major in architecture, this program also gives you a chance to explore architectural research and design theory.

3. Lumiere Research Scholar Program

Location: Remote, you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.

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The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! 

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You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.

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Why it stands out: You get 1-1 mentorship with a Ph.D. mentor and produce an independent research project by the end.

4. NC State Design Camp: High School Explorations Day Camp

Location: NC State College of Design, Raleigh, NC
Cost: $900, including meals, instruction, supplies, and activities | $50 late fee after April 10th | Financial assistance scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 80 seats; 5:1 student-to-staff ratio
Dates: July 27-31, 2026 (2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: Registration for 2027 opens at the end of January 2027
Eligibility: Rising 9th - 12th graders | International eligibility not specified

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NC State’s Design Camp has introduced students to design for more than 45 years, and the High School Explorations Day Camp is its week-long option for all high school grades. You’ll complete four short studio projects covering the College of Design’s majors: architecture, graphic and experience design, industrial design, and media arts, design and technology. 

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Outside the studio, you’ll take part in critical thinking activities and presentations about paths into college-level design study. If you want more studio time, NC State also runs residential camps, including Design Immersions, where rising juniors and seniors aim to complete one portfolio-quality project.

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Why it stands out: You sample four design majors in one week, which helps you narrow down what to study in college.

5. Mississippi State University Architecture Summer Camp: Design Discovery

Location: Mississippi State University School of Architecture, Starkville, MS
Cost: $700, including a $100 non-refundable deposit | Scholarships for students at public schools in Pontotoc, Union, and Lee Counties
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Seven days in summer 2027 (dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: May 15th (first-come, first-served)
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores through incoming college freshmen; no transcripts or recommendations required | International eligibility not specified

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Design Discovery is a seven-day residential workshop that simulates the information, skill, and intensity of an architectural education. Across the week, you’ll build a conceptual model at full scale, complete a 3D spatial study, and design a piece of furniture, with freehand drawing workshops along the way. 

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Field trips take you to modern buildings, campus architecture, and the Cotton District for on-site sketching. Your work builds to a residential design final project, which you present at reviews on Saturday morning that parents are encouraged to attend. Faculty and high-caliber architecture students serve as your instructors and counselors throughout the week.

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Why it stands out: You experience the pace of a first-year architecture studio, from charrettes to final reviews, in a single week.

6. University of Kansas Design Camp

Location: KU Lawrence Campus, Lawrence, KS | KU Edwards Campus, Overland Park, KS
Cost: Lawrence: $1,000, including housing, meals, studio fees, and materials ($150 deposit) | Kansas City: $50, including supplies and lunch | Fee waivers available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Lawrence: May 31st - June 6th, 2026 | Kansas City: June 22-26, 2026, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. (2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Lawrence: students entering 10th - 12th grade | Kansas City: high school students in and around the Kansas City metro | International eligibility not specified

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KU Design Camp offers a residential week in Lawrence and a day camp in the Kansas City area, both taught by KU School of Architecture & Design faculty. In Lawrence, you rank morning and afternoon workshops, which in 2026 included designing with VR and AI, building a city in Minecraft, animation, LEGO storytelling, UX design, and brand identity. 

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You’ll live in a KU residence hall and join evening activities between workshops. The Kansas City day camp offers one morning workshop, such as footwear design, personal branding, or surrealist world-building, and ends with an open house for families. The footwear workshop, for example, takes you from trend research to a portfolio-ready sneaker design.

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Why it stands out: You can explore design far beyond architecture, from sneakers to animation, at a camp that costs as little as $50.

7. Southern California Institute of Architecture: Design Immersion Days

Location: SCI-Arc, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $3,350
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 15th - July 10th, 2026, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: Not specified; register online
Eligibility: High school students | International eligibility not specified

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Design Immersion Days is a four-week program that simulates a college-level architecture studio at SCI-Arc. You’ll work with tools like freehand sketching, drafting, Rhino, Photoshop, Illustrator, physical model-making, 3D modeling, and virtual and augmented reality. 

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Projects develop through one-on-one desk crits with SCI-Arc faculty and pin-up reviews with instructors and peers. Weekly field trips take you to sites like the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hammer Museum, and lunchtime chats connect you with leading Los Angeles architects. Weekly portfolio workshops help you finish with a fully developed portfolio, and the program ends with a public exhibition reviewed by top LA architects and critics.

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Why it stands out: You spend four weeks working like an architecture student in Los Angeles and leave with a complete portfolio.

8. Auburn University Architecture Camp

Location: Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Cost: $900, including housing, meals, instruction, materials, and field trips | Scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: One-week sessions; 2027 dates posted in December
Application Deadline: Not specified; 2026 camps filled with an extensive waitlist
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders | International eligibility not specified

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Auburn’s Architecture Camp is a week-long residential program that starts with basic design concepts and ends with several architectural design projects. You’ll work each day in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture building, learning from university professors with opportunities for individual guidance. 

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Faculty bring a mix of practice and teaching experience, giving you a broad view of different aspects of design. Outside the studio, you’ll live on campus and experience college life, with camp counselors supervising throughout the week. If the architecture camp fills up, Auburn also runs camps in industrial design, landscape architecture, and graphic design.

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Why it stands out: You get a studio-focused week inside an architecture school, with housing, meals, and field trips included in one fee.

9. Girls Garage Young Women’s Design and Building Institute

Location: Girls Garage, Berkeley, CA
Cost: Free, including materials, safety gear, and snacks (bring your own lunch)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 30-40% of applicants accepted; 16 students per cohort
Dates: 2026 cohorts ran June 15-19 and June 22-26, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: February 1st - March 1st, 2027
Eligibility: Rising 9th - 12th grade girls and gender-expansive youth; priority for Bay Area students | International eligibility not specified

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The Young Women’s Design and Building Institute is a week-long design/build program where you create a project for a local nonprofit client. Past projects have included a parade float for SF Pride, furniture for a nearby homeless shelter, and sandboxes and wind sculptures for local preschools. 

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You’ll learn carpentry, welding, applied math, screen printing, and architectural drafting, alongside discussions about identity, making, and community. The week ends with installing your project for the client, followed by a reflection circle. No building experience is needed, and out-of-area students can apply, though Girls Garage can’t fund travel or lodging.

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Why it stands out: You design and build something a real community organization will use, at no cost to you.

10. UTK Summer Design Camp

Location: University of Tennessee College of Architecture + Design, Knoxville, TN
Cost: Residential: $1,450 | Commuter: $1,150 | Limited scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 10-16, 2027
Application Deadline: Registration not yet open | May 1st, 2027 (scholarships)
Eligibility: High school students; no prior design experience required | International eligibility not specified

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UTK’s Summer Design Camp gives you a week of design exploration across the Art + Architecture building, the UT campus, and downtown Knoxville. You’ll learn to communicate ideas through color, pattern, space, form, and composition, using both analog and digital techniques in 2D and 3D. 

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You’ll also study design theory, history, technology, and professional practice with award-winning faculty and upper-class student mentors. Every camper receives a kit of tools and materials, and you’ll learn about each design discipline UT offers and how they come together in the built environment. Evenings bring activities like painting the Rock and swimming in the campus pool.

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Why it stands out: You explore every design discipline UT offers in one week, and curiosity is the only prerequisite.

11. LSU Architecture Camp

Location: Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Cost: Not specified | Limited partial scholarships based on financial need and academic performance
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: May 31st - June 5th, 2026 (2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10-12 | International eligibility not specified

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LSU’s Architecture Camp is a one-week residential workshop sponsored by the College of Art & Design and the School of Architecture. You’ll explore design principles through building and model-making activities while working with LSU faculty and architecture students. 

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The week includes seminars, lectures, and critiques, plus tours of the LSU campus’s architecture and landscape architecture. You’ll also visit construction sites and local architecture firms and meet professional architects to learn how they prepared for their careers. You live and eat on campus, getting a taste of college life.

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Why it stands out: You combine studio work with visits to construction sites and architecture firms in one week.

12. Center for Architecture: Architectural Design Studio

Location: Center for Architecture, New York, NY
Cost: $1,750 (two-week studio) | Need-based partial scholarships (apply by May 1st)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 12-16 students with one teacher and one assistant
Dates: 2026 summer programs ran July 6th - August 21st (2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: First-come registration; 2026 registration for grades 9-12 opened March 18th
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10-12 | International eligibility not specified

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The Architectural Design Studio is a two-week program that gives you a comprehensive introduction to a first-year college architecture studio. You’ll study building precedents, explore spatial concepts, and conduct a site analysis, then use that research to develop an independent project from concept to final design. 

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Instructors provide tools, sketchbooks, and guidance to help you create portfolio-worthy work. The studio includes a visit to an architecture firm, and a panel of invited professionals responds to your sketches, scale drawings, and models at the final presentation. The Center also offers one-week courses for grades 9 to 12, such as Drawing Architecture, for $750.

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Why it stands out: You take a project from site analysis to professional panel review in two weeks in New York City.

13. Penn State Architecture and Landscape Architecture Summer Camp

Location: Penn State University Park, PA
Cost: $1,100, including instruction, materials, housing, meals, and tours | Need-based financial aid and scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 12-16 or July 19-23, 2026 (2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: June 15th, 2026, including participant forms
Eligibility: High school students | International eligibility not specified

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Penn State’s summer camp immerses you in the kinds of activities that take place in a university’s professional design programs in architecture and landscape architecture. You’ll investigate the life of a design student with access to Penn State’s facilities, faculty knowledge, and technical skills. 

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The one-week residential camp covers your instruction, materials, housing, meals, and any tours. It’s a good fit if you’re fascinated by architecture, graphics, design, or the built environment and want to see what studying it feels like. Payment reserves your spot, and need-based financial aid is available.

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Why it stands out: You explore both architecture and landscape architecture in one residential week at a major research university.

14. University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Career Explorations in Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture

Location: UNL College of Architecture, Lincoln, NE
Cost: $650, including studio supplies, meals, and lodging | Scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 36 spots
Dates: June 6-11, 2027
Application Deadline: April 9th, 2027
Eligibility: Students who have completed two or more years of high school; no art or drafting courses required | International eligibility not specified

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UNL’s Career Explorations workshop introduces you to three design professions: architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design. The heart of the program is a design studio where you explore design issues and learn architectural conventions. 

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You’ll practice client and designer scenarios, explore career opportunities, and virtually visit significant buildings and landscapes. Discussions and video presentations add context as you develop fundamental skills for studying design. You stay in a residence hall supervised overnight by College of Architecture staff.

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Why it stands out: You compare three design careers in one affordable week, including lodging and meals.

15. City College of New York: Architecture Summer Career Lab

Location: Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York, New York, NY
Cost: $2,500 + $25 non-refundable registration fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 6-31, 2026, Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. (2027 dates not yet posted)
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; 2026 registration has closed
Eligibility: Students aged 16 and up for pre-college courses; no prior architecture or design experience required | International eligibility not specified

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The Summer Career Lab is a four-week, full-time program taught by Spitzer School faculty, alumni, and graduate students. You’ll attend lectures on architectural fundamentals, drawing and making workshops, one-on-one critiques, and group pin-up reviews. 

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Field trips take you across the city, including City College’s Manhattanville and Hamilton Heights neighborhoods. You’ll also hear from award-winning architects, historians, and designers and tour professional offices. Every participant gets a kit of drawing and model-making tools, and the work you produce can go into application portfolios.

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Why it stands out: You spend a month learning from New York City’s flagship public architecture school, with critiques, office tours, and city fieldwork.

Frequently asked questions: Design Camps for High School Students

What do you do at a design camp?

At a design camp, you learn drawing, model-making, and design thinking, then apply them to studio projects that end in a presentation or critique. Mississippi State’s Design Discovery builds toward a residential design project reviewed on the final morning, and SCI-Arc ends with a public exhibition reviewed by Los Angeles architects. Many camps add field trips, like UTK’s design work in downtown Knoxville or CCNY’s office tours. To keep building skills afterward, explore these design courses for high school students.

Do you need design experience to attend a design camp?

No, most design camps welcome beginners. UTK makes curiosity the only requirement, CCNY doesn’t require prior architecture or design experience, and Girls Garage welcomes builders of all skill levels. Mississippi State doesn’t ask for transcripts or recommendation letters either. A few programs, like NC State’s Design Immersions residential camp, are aimed at rising juniors and seniors working toward portfolio-quality projects, so check each camp’s focus before you apply.

Can a design camp help you build a portfolio for college?

Yes, many design camps are built around portfolio work. SCI-Arc runs weekly portfolio workshops so you finish with a fully developed portfolio, and the Bartlett shows you how to format your summer work into a portfolio for university applications. KU’s footwear design workshop also produces a portfolio-ready project. Immerse Education’s Career Insights pathway in Architecture ends with a personal project you present to your cohort, and from age 14 you can earn 8 UCAS points.

Are there free design camps for high school students?

Yes, a few design camps are free or close to it. Girls Garage’s Young Women’s Design and Building Institute costs nothing for accepted students, and KU’s Kansas City day camp costs $50 with lunch included and fee waivers available. Many paid camps also offer aid, including need-based scholarships at NC State, UTK, and the Center for Architecture. Apply early, since scholarship deadlines at these camps often fall between March and May.

Can international students attend design camps?

Yes, many design camps accept international students, though you’re usually responsible for travel and visas. The Bartlett asks students from abroad to secure any required visas and appoint a UK guardian if they’re under 18, and its fees don’t include accommodation. Girls Garage accepts out-of-area applicants but prioritizes Bay Area students and can’t fund travel. Immerse Education’s Career Insights pathway in Architecture welcomes students from around the world in London, and you can compare more architecture summer schools in the UK.

What design fields can you explore at a design camp?

Most design camps focus on architecture, but many let you explore other fields too. NC State’s High School Explorations rotates you through architecture, graphic and experience design, industrial design, and media arts, and KU’s 2026 workshops covered animation, UX design, footwear design, and brand identity. UNL’s camp adds interior design and landscape architecture. If digital design appeals to you, browse these game design summer programs or look into design internships for high school students.

Make your design summer count for college

A week in a design studio can show you whether you love sketching, model-making, and critiques enough to pursue design seriously in college.

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When comparing design camps for high school students, look at whether each one builds portfolio work, offers housing, and covers the disciplines you want.

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Popular camps like the Bartlett and Auburn fill up fast, so join their mailing lists now and register the moment spots open.

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To turn that summer portfolio into a strong application for architecture or design school, explore our University Preparation blogs for guides on portfolios and admissions.