Summer Academy
St. John’s Summer Academy is a college summer program for high school students (ages 15 to 18), modeled after St. John’s discussion-based, interdisciplinary method of teaching great books. A genuine introduction to college life, Summer Academy helps students hone their reading, critical thinking, and discussion skills in classes led by St. John’s faculty. This summer, we are offering week-long programs on our campuses in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, and online programs from your own home. Summer Academy is perfect for high school students who want to immerse themselves in books, ideas, and a community that loves learning as much as you do. And it is fun!
SUMMER ACADEMY 2027
2027 sessions will be posted in October! In the meantime, explore our 2026 Summer Academy sessions to get a taste of the programs we’ve offered in the past.
Save the Dates for 2027
- Annapolis: June 20–July 9, 2027
- Santa Fe: July — dates TBA
- Online: June and July — dates TBA
Applications will open in December!
Summer Academy at a Glance
Key Facts
Dates: June–July
Locations: Annapolis, MD, and Santa Fe, NM, and online
Tuition: $1,600 per session
Ages: 15 to 18
Format: One-week sessions
Why Summer Academy
Experience Real College Classes
Summer Academy is taught by full-time St. John’s faculty who lead discussion-based classes about some of the greatest books ever written. Classes are never more than 20 students.
Read the Great Books
St. John's is known for our Great Books Program where students read and discuss the most important authors over the last 3,000 years. Summer Academy students join this same odyssey in high school.
Bridge the humanities and the sciences
The faculty break down barriers that divide areas of study at most colleges. Students draw connections between literature, philosophy, history, art, mathematics, physics, and more.
Make friends that will last a lifetime
You will meet other students who love books and ideas as much as you do. The intellectual culture at St. John’s makes it stand apart from most college and high schools. Learn to hear and talk across perspectives different than your own.
Boost your college application
As the most respected program for high school students in the humanities, recent participants enrolled at top colleges like St. John’s, Amherst, Bard, Carleton, Columbia, Grinnell, Kenyon, Pomona, Smith, Swarthmore, UChicago, Vassar, and Williams.
Complete an application to St. John's
Summer Academy fulfills some requirements for St. John’s Discussion-Based Application. After Summer Academy, you can receive an admissions decision and guaranteed scholarship before your senior year begins.
Spend a week of your summer among fellow lovers of intellectual inquiry examining great works, either in Santa Fe or online! Our seminar offerings are lively, in-depth, and highly participatory conversations on enduring works that span fiction and nonfiction, math and science, poetry and philosophy, as well as visual, cinematic, and performing arts.