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1. What is the UCLA Economics Summer Institute?
The UCLA Economics Precollege Summer Institute is a 3-week, in-person, commuter-only summer program at UCLA for high school students. The program teaches critical economic policy issues affecting the US and the world and principles of financial analysis, supporting students to become the “next generation of economic leaders in the private sector, government, and academia.” Working alongside current UCLA undergraduate students and faculty and utilizing the university’s cutting-edge research facilities and resources, precollege students will “build data analysis skills and ability to think like an economist.”
2. Why participate in the UCLA Economics summer program?
High school students will gain key foundational knowledge and research skills to set them up for success in pursuing an Economics major. High-performing students in the UCLA Economics Precollege Summer Institute may ask for letters of recommendation—a letter with high praise from a UCLA faculty member can speak volumes for college admissions. Students will also get an inside look at the level of rigor and workload expected in a college-level class, additionally building vital soft skills in teamwork and communication with the program’s weekly presentation assignments. Let’s take a closer look at the coursework, faculty, and team collaboration aspects of the UCLA Economics Precollege Summer Institute.
Engage in rigorous coursework
The UCLA undergraduate course students will be taking is Economics 1. Topics covered include analyzing empirical data, case studies, justifying various positions based on data, price ceilings and floors, pros and cons of rent control, cost of taxation, international trade, and the power of trade. Precollege students will sit in on lectures from UCLA faculty, participate in workshops and discussion sessions with UCLA Economics Peer Learning Facilitators, and work collaboratively in small teams on economics case studies.
Students will be graded on a letter scale. Economics 1 is worth four units, and UCLA courses are generally accepted for transfer credit at most universities and colleges. UCLA is on the quarter system. As a general guide, a semester unit is worth approximately 1.5 quarter units (e.g., 4 quarter units = 2.5 semester units).
Learn from distinguished UCLA faculty
Dr. Randall Rojas will be teaching the UCLA Economics Summer Institute course. Dr. Rojas is an associate adjunct professor at UCLA and specializes in econophysics and financial engineering. He conducts research in the fields of cognitive science and astrophysics and holds two PhDs in Statistics and Physics/Astrophysics.
What makes UCLA the most distinguished public university in all of America is that it brings together some of the world’s most renowned experts in their respective fields; in this summer program, high schoolers get the chance to work with these remarkable faculty members before they even enter college.
Collaborate in teams
Students work in small teams led by UCLA Economics undergraduates and collaborate to create case study presentations in a team setting.
UCLA Precollege creates a globally integrative experience for top-ranked high schoolers to work with other exceptional students. If you have a passion for learning and want to be challenged beyond the capabilities that your high school offers, UCLA Precollege will give you the opportunities and support you need to take your education to the next level.
3. UCLA Economics Precollege Summer Institute Program Dates & Price
Important Dates
Registration opens on Saturday, February 15th, 2025.
The deadline to submit is June 13, 2025.
The program runs from July 14 to August 1, 2025.
Price
Total program price: $3,015 (including tuition and fees)
Qualified students attending grades 9th – 11th in Spring 2025 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. Scholarship deadline to apply: March 15.
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4. Who is Eligible to Take this Precollege Program?
Applicants to the UCLA Economics Precollege Summer Institute must be in high school (9th to 12th grade) by Spring 2025. All participants must be at least 15-years-old by the June 23, 2025. Applicants must be in good academic standing with a minimum 3.2 GPA. No background in economics is required, but students should know basic algebra. Note that this program is commuter-only, and there is no on-campus housing option. Students must be at least 17 years old as of June 23, 2025 to sign a housing contract for off-campus housing, so all participants under 17 years old must live with adults in the local area.
5. Application Requirements for the UCLA Economics Precollege Summer Institute
All UCLA Precollege Summer Institutes admissions process starts on a rolling basis on Feb 15th and runs until June 13th. Accepted students will be notified within 3 weeks of submitting their application. For the Economics program specifically, the application requires an unofficial transcript beginning from 9th grade, a value statement, a personal statement, and proof of English proficiency.
Value Statement is a few short sentences on why you want to join this program.
Personal Statement prompt is: Tell us what distinguishes you from your classmates and peers. What do you expect to gain from participating in the Economics Summer Institute, and what do you hope to accomplish during the program? (250 words)
6. Is this UCLA Summer Program Prestigious and Competitive?
Compared to the highly competitive and prestigious UCLA SCIP program, the Economics Precollege Summer Institute is not as difficult to get into. There is no specified acceptance rate for the UCLA Economics program, and the admissions process for this precollege program is not highly competitive. Hence, simply stating that you attended this program is not enough to impress future college admissions; you’ll need to emphasize what you learned from this program. However, UCLA is still a very prestigious university, ranked the #1 best public research university in the U.S., and you will be able to write volumes about the invaluable knowledge and transferable skills you gained from this program.
Tips on applying
Feeling ready to apply? Registration for Summer 2025 is now open! We recommend you join the UCLA summer program Zoom Drop-In Hours at this Zoom Link on Monday and Thursdays 12-1pm Pacific Time to demonstrate interest and ask questions. Help the admissions team become familiar with your face and name!
7. More Economics Opportunities for High Schooler
There are many opportunities to learn more about economics outside of your high school classroom, and Aralia Education is a great resource for you. Explore Aralia Education’s beginner-level online course, Introduction to Economics, where teachers from top-ranking college preparatory high schools guide a small group of a maximum of seven students through important topics in economics, such as specialization, benefits and risks of the stock market, financial round-up, federal reserve, monetary policy, fiscal policy, and more. Read more about other economics programs for high school students.
UCLA Economics Precollege Summer Institute is an introductory program for high school students who have little to no knowledge about economics. If you have previous experience in economics and are looking for a non-beginner option, you may want to consider more advanced courses such as Aralia Economics Research and Aralia Economics Research Scholar Program.
