A Great Books Summer Reading Program for High School Students

The St. John’s College Summer Academy is a pre-college, residential summer program that offers high school students ages 15 to 18 an exceptional learning experience. Organized in one-week sessions, students read and discuss texts from the Western canon in small classes guided by St. John’s renowned faculty. Students live in dormitories and share campus amenities as well as enjoy off-campus excursions to celebrated sites. Sessions are hosted on both St. John’s campus locations, in Annapolis, MD and Santa Fe, NM.

“Summer Academy was so much fun and very collaborative. Every class was a journey to get to a point of different understanding, or unknowing. It was a wonderful experience.”
–M. Kopp (SA24)

Tuition is $1,400 per week-long session if you deposit by May 1. Tuition includes room and board, books, and activity fees. Limited financial aid is available; please contact Summer Academy directors for more information.

Students are encouraged to attend multiple Summer Academy sessions. For those attending multiple weeks on one campus, supervised activities, food, and lodging are provided and included in the tuition.

What is the Great Books Reading Program?

We take great pride in our great books curriculum, which was adopted in 1937. The tradition of all students reading fundamental texts of Western civilization is the foundation of our education. Our Great Books Reading List includes classic works by Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Cervantes and more.

Our goal with the Summer Academy is to introduce high school students to the world of critical thinking and discussion while reading great books in subjects like philosophy, literature, psychology, history, religion, economics, science, astronomy, language, and more.

Preparation for College

Summer Academy is also a great catalyst for juniors and seniors contemplating the college admissions process. You will experience our campuses, classes, books, and faculty. During Summer Academy, students receive college counseling advice from our admissions team, including one-on-one opportunities to review admission essay drafts. As a result, every year Summer Academy alumni enroll at top colleges, including, most recently, St. John’s, Amherst, Bard, Carleton, Columbia, Grinnell, Kenyon, Pomona, Smith, Swarthmore, UChicago, Vassar, and Williams.

Many students who attend Summer Academy end up taking a direct path from Summer Academy to St. John’s as undergraduates. We expedite this in a few ways:

• Every Summer Academy student receives a merit scholarship when they enroll at St. John’s.
• We open the Discussion-Based Application during Summer Academy, meaning students can apply and be admitted to St. John’s before the end of the summer.
• Summer Academy classes count toward the Discussion-Based Application requirement. Often Discussion-Based Application interviews can be offered during Summer Academy.