Express yourself through art in an intensive college art studio
Hone your skills in your preferred artistic medium
Study at the world-renowned UCLA Department of Art this summer! The Summer Art Institute is designed for talented and highly motivated high school students. The program offers three sessions, two in-person and one virtual, with various specializations to choose from and is structured around a combination of daily, focused studio work, artist lectures, group critiques, and one-on-one meetings with faculty. Students may enroll in one or more session . Students should expect an intensive two weeks of immersive studio instruction and be prepared to work hard.
Specialized Tracks include:
- Drawing – Sessions A, B & C
- Painting – Sessions A, B & C
- Photography – Sessions B & C
- Sculpture – Session B & C
- Video Art & Experimental Animation – Session A only (virtual)
- Painting – International Time Zone – Session A only (virtual)
About the Art Department
Headed by a faculty of internationally recognized artists, the Department of Art is committed to artistic development and study within the context of a major research university. As working artists, the faculty represents many approaches to making and interpreting artworks. Students are provided the curriculum to experiment and are challenged to express themselves in ways that are meaningful in the social context in which they live. For information about the UCLA Department of Art, please visit the department website or contact summerart@arts.ucla.edu.
Art Summer Institute Program Overview
Guest Artists
Daily studio work is enhanced by special programming. Participants are exposed to a range of media and contemporary art practices with presentations by both UCLA Department of Art faculty and visiting artists.
Student Gallery
Please visit the Art Summer Institute Student Gallery for sample projects.
Applications are reviewed and admission to the program is granted on a rolling basis starting February 15th. Applying at your earliest convenience, prior to June 1st, is highly recommended.
The program has application requirements for admission. Eligible applicants who successfully submit all requirements will be reviewed and notified via email of an admission decision within 3 weeks.
Applicants are required to provide the following during the online registration process:
- An unofficial transcript from grade 9 to present reflecting a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher
- If your school transcript utilizes a different grading system, please submit your transcript as is. If available, please attach a translation/equivalency guide.
- INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: If you are an international student, a transcript refers to your complete secondary academic record. To learn more about converting your grades into a US-based GPA, please click here.
- If your school has a translation/equivalency guide, please also include it with your transcript. If you do not have a translation/equivalency guide, please still submit your most up-to-date transcript as is for staff to review.
- Value statement: At the time of registration, ALL applicants will be prompted to submit a few short sentences reflecting on their pursuit of participation in a UCLA Precollege Summer Institute. Please note that students are strongly discouraged from relying on ChatGpt/AI tools for their application responses and are encouraged to submit original and authentic answers.
- Upload four examples of your original and recent artwork in JPEG format (width greater than 500 pixels, length lesser than 1024 pixels at 72 dpi).
- Complete a brief questionnaire answering the following questions:
- What is your main reason for applying to the Art Summer Institute? What do you hope to learn?
- What art experience do you have, if any?
- How would you best describe the kind of art that you make now?
- The Art Summer Institute is an intensive work environment that requires students to be self-motivated, engaged, and creative in their use of time and resources. Describe a project that you initiated or worked on independently that demonstrates these qualities and your readiness to participate in the program.
- College level art classes can be very social and diverse environments. Students share the studio and equipment to execute their artwork and are often asked to work together. Students are, also, expected to support each other in their artistic work. Describe a situation where you worked in a group, and what your role was.
- Provide the name, email address, and phone number of one previous art teacher.
- Provide the name, email address, and phone number of a second teacher.
Art Summer Institute Program (Virtual) – Session A will be conducted virtually (online). All meeting times will take place in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), unless otherwise noted on program schedule and syllabus. Participants must log-in to virtual sessions at the times indicated on the program schedule.
Students in the virtual program will not be offered housing.
Due to the intense nature of the Art Summer Institute Program (In-person) – Session B and the time commitment involved, living in on-campus housing is mandatory.
For more information on UCLA housing precollege programs, please see the Housing for Minors page.
Many of our precollege programs with mandatory housing (only) also feature non-curricular evening and weekend activities, the availability of which is at the sole discretion of the academic department offering the program, and are not operated by UCLA Summer Sessions. To learn more about whether (and when) your selected program will host such activities, please consult the schedules for each program or contact the department in question directly: summerart@arts.ucla.edu
Most of our precollege programs with mandatory housing will hold check-in on the Sunday before the start of the program between 4-6pm, and hold check-out the Saturday after the final day of class at 11am. Please contact the department in question directly to confirm check-in and check-out times: summerart@arts.ucla.edu
As Art Summer Institute – Session C is a commuter program, there is NO on-campus housing available for the Session C through the institute program or UCLA Summer Sessions. Additionally, please note that only students aged 17 and older as of June 24th, 2024 are eligible to sign a housing contract, and not all program dates correspond to when contracts are available. Students interested in exploring this option should review information at UCLA Summer Housing.
Participants of the Art Summer Institute – Session C must commute to the UCLA campus each day of the program. Specific location information (e.g. classroom) will be provided to enrolled students closer to the start of the program.
Parking
Summer Sessions parking permits will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Students have the option to purchase a summer term permit or a daily permit.
Coursework
ART 70; 3 units
Grading
Students will be graded on a Pass/No Pass basis upon completion. See University Credit, Grades and Transcripts for more information about academic credit.
In order to successfully complete the program, students must not have more than 2 excused or unexcused absences.
UCLA Summer Sessions Summer Scholars Support
Qualified students attending grades 9th – 11th in Spring 2024 in the state of California may be eligible for Summer Scholars Support, a need- and merit-based scholarship offered by the UCLA Summer Sessions Office. Students must be 15 years old by the first day of Summer Sessions 2024 on June 24th in order to participate in a Precollege Summer Institute and/or apply for Summer Scholars Support. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available to support enrollment in SCIP/eSCIP, one Summer Course, or a Precollege Summer Institute.
Summer 2024 deadline to apply: March 15.
Session A: Virtual
June 24, 2024 – July 6, 2024
Session B: In-person/Mandatory Housing
July 7, 2024 – July 20, 2024
Session C: In-person/Commuter
July 22, 2024 – August 2, 2024
Program Eligibility: 9th-12th grade in Spring 2024*
Application deadline: June 1, 2024
Enrollment deadlines:
Session A: June 21, 2024
Session B and C: June 15, 2024
*All participants must be at least 15 years of age by the first day of Summer Sessions 2024 on June 24th, no exceptions allowed.
The schedule and syllabus are subject to change. Enrolled students will be given updated materials closer to the program start date.
Fees and Payment Info
The program fee includes the unit fees for the UCLA coursework offered as part of the program and thus varies by UC student status. The program fee also includes the cost of UCLA Housing (for mandatory housing programs). In addition to the program fee, students are assessed other campus and administrative fees during the summer. This is a summary of fees that commonly apply to the selected student type.
Actual tuition and fees are subject to change by the University of California. Visit the fees, payment, and financial aid section for important disclaimer, as well as more details on fees, payment instructions, and information on delinquency, refunds, and financial aid.
VIRTUAL PROGRAM FEES:
The program fee listed in the selection are for the Mandatory Housing version only. The following are the program fees for the Virtual version.
- High School Student = $2,412
- Incoming UCLA Student = $2,094
- Incoming UC Student = $2,094
COMMUTER PROGRAM FEES:
The program fee listed in the selection are for the Mandatory Housing version only. The following are the program fees for the Commuter version.
- High School Student = $2,557
- Incoming UCLA Student = $2,239
- Incoming UC Student = $2,239
All other fees listed will remain the same for the Virtual and Commuter versions.
Art Summer Institute FAQ
Students may enroll in up to two different sessions – A, B, and C – to receive 3 units of Art 70 in both sessions they attend for a total of 6 units of UCLA credit.
If enrolling in two sessions, please note that some course content will overlap between sections offered. For this reason, we recommend that students choose different sections.
Yes! The Art Summer Institute offers undergraduate-level, intro studio art courses. Our courses are designed to accommodate students who are experienced artists, as well as those who are trying a medium for the first time. No experience with the medium is necessary. Our instructors are also skilled at responding to students working at a variety of levels with challenging assignments to help them explore and develop their work.
The Art Summer Institute is not a portfolio building program – we find that a concern towards building a portfolio can deter students from taking risks or being experimental and ambitious in their work. However, students in the Art Summer Institute can expect to make a significant number of works during the session, including many portfolio pieces, and will have access to a Department of Art admissions advising session. Students will also have ample opportunity to discuss their portfolios with their instructors throughout the program.
Students in Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture classes will order complete kits directly from Blick Art Materials in West LA. Kits include all of the tools and materials necessary for the class, and are priced at a significant discount. Materials kits can be ordered for delivery via FedEx, or picked up curbside by appointment for families living in Los Angeles.
Photography students have their own DSLR camera with manual mode, and a computer for editing their images. Students who don’t have Adobe Photoshop will be provided with a software license for the duration of the institute.
Video and Performance Art students must have a smartphone (or other digital video recording device), and a computer for editing their work. Students who don’t have the Adobe software suite will be provided with a software license for the duration of the institute.
Photo students must have their own digital SLR camera with manual mode, memory card, and access to a computer for editing their images. Students who don’t have Adobe Photoshop will be provided with a software license for the duration of the institute.
Still have questions? Check out the general Summer Institutes FAQ.