Summer Academy
For Students Entering Grades 8, 9, and 10

Why Attend?

The University of Mississippi’s Summer Academy gives students entering the eighth, ninth, and tenth grades a taste of college life. Through the Summer Academy students make new friends and contacts, learn time management, improve study habits, and earn high school credit which can count toward high school graduation requirements*. Depending on the grade level, students will explore the world, cultures, flex imaginations, learn about human behavior, investigate Earth’s delicate balances, conduct science experiments, or publish a literary magazine.

Students selected to attend the program can earn as much as a full Carnegie unit that may be counted in their high schools toward elective graduation requirements*. Each course offered by the Summer Academy is a half-unit course listed in the Mississippi curriculum framework but not generally offered in high school curricula across the state.

*Whether or not credit is given is determined by the student’s high school.

Who Can Apply ?

Because the curricula of these courses are advanced, students accepted to the program must meet the following criteria:

• The applicant must be a student in good academic and conduct standing in the seventh, eighth, or ninth grade at the time of admission. The school can be public, private, parochial, or even home-educated.
• The applicant must have a 3.5 GPA in all four subject areas of math, science, social studies, and English for his or her last three years in school.
• The applicant must also have standardized achievement test scores above the present grade level.
• The applicant must have permission from his or her principal.
• The applicant must have two letters of recommendation from teachers.

Students can choose to be either resident students or commuters. Residents are housed on campus in a residence hall specifically set aside for them. Commuters must arrive on campus each week day by 7:30 am and must be picked up by 5:30 pm each evening.

Click here to download an PDF version of the application.

What Goes On?

Students will attend a morning class from 8–11:35 am, followed by a break for lunch. Students will attend a second class from 12:35–4:10 pm. At the conclusion of the second class, students will have group recreation time in which they bond with each other, learn about campus, meet with current students to discuss current events, and generally decompress from the day. Following dinner, there is supervised study time, computer lab time, and study groups. Because the days are long and full, we do have a curfew that is strictly imposed.

For those who choose to stay over the weekend, we have activities planned that are covered in a weekend activity fee. Students are taken off campus in university vans for movies, swimming, outdoor recreational activities, as well as on campus events like the Shakespeare Festival, Summer Concert Series, and any regional baseball action.

The following are the courses we plan on offering for the 2008 Summer Academy session (course offerings can change based on the number of students applying for the program):

When Does It Take Place?

Summer Academy will be from July 6 – August 2, 2008. Students who attend must complete the full four weeks, including the final exam, in order to successfully complete the program and receive credit for the courses taken. Students may not miss class for any reason unless approved by the director. There is a limit on the number of students we can enroll so be sure to apply early!

How Much Does It Cost?

All students who apply must send a nonrefundable deposit of $50 to apply and hold a seat in the program. The students who plan to stay for weekend activities will send an additional $75 weekend activity fee which will include at least one meal per weekend. Costs will be accrued for tuition, housing, and a required meal plan. The costs are as follows:

Applying To Summer Academy

Download an application here.

Once you print the application (or receive it in the mail), you will need to complete it and attach the requested documents. In order to speed the process along, here are the documents you will be attaching (go ahead and begin gathering them):

• Transcript from the last three academic years
• Achievement test scores
• Copy of insurance card or Medicaid card
• Recent Photograph
• 2007 tax returns (if applying for financial aid)

Please remember:

• We do not guarantee a spot for any student until the deposit is received.
• Financial Aid applications cannot be reviewed until all forms have been filled out and returned.
• Students that meet entrance requirements are admitted on a first come basis until the program is filled.
• All applications (including all required documents) MUST be received in the Office of Outreach no later than May 15, 2008.

If you have any questions, email Jason Wilkins at jewilkin@olemiss.edu or call us at 662-915-7621

Click here to download a printable Information Request form. (PDF)

Click here to download a PDF version of our brochure.