One Course Summer Institute

June 15- July 2, 2025

Dedicate part of your summer to exploring your path into college. Our One Course Summer Institute is designed for high school students who want to experience a slice of college life:

Live in a residence hall and experience the freedom and responsibility of attending class
Complete a college-level course that gives you 3 college credit hours
Attend pre-college workshops that help you with skills you’ll need for academic success
Make friends with other students on campus in a supportive atmosphere
Enjoy hands-on coursework AND campus activities and outings with peers

When you register to take part in our two-and-a-half week institute you’re investing in your future as a college student. Plus, students who complete their course will earn a $2000 award toward their financial aid package when you enroll as a full-time student at Cornell (distributed $500/year over 4 years).

Registration opens at the end of January 2025.

Who’s invited to the institute?

If you’ll be a high school junior or senior in fall of 2025, or you’re a 2025 high school graduate, you are eligible to participate in the institute. There is no minimum GPA or test score requirements, though students should be prepared to spend 3-4 hours a day in the classroom or lab and dedicate 2-3 additional hours a day to personal or group study. There will be additional pre-college skills development workshops, non-academic fun activities, and opportunities to hang out with new friends and mentors.

Course selections

With the wide range of courses offered, it may be hard to choose what you want to prioritize:

Arts & Expression

Life Inspires Art: Writer’s Workshop
Video Games & Storytelling
Reinventing the Camera: Photography & Fabrication
Musical Theatre: Study & Performance

Science & Technology

17 Days Later: Zombies, Brains, and Basic Neuroscience
Chemistry and the Kitchen: Should We Be Wearing Goggles?
The Secret Lives of Cells
Programming Apps in Python

Business & Statistics

From Math to Money: Understanding Personal Finance
Movement by the Numbers: Fitness, Sport Skills, & Statistics

Choose your first-choice course and a second-choice course in case the first one fills up!

Read the full course descriptions

What's it like to attend the institute?

Watch this video

A day at OCSI

Your course and daily schedule will mirror Cornell’s regular One Course At A Time schedule. A typical day would be

7:30–8:30 a.m. Breakfast
9–11 a.m. Class
11 a.m.–1 p.m. Lunch & study time
1–3 p.m. Class
3–5:30 p.m. Recreation & study time
5:30–6:30 p.m. Dinner
7–9 p.m. Group social activities on and 0ff-campus, as well as additional study time

“OCSI helped me fall in love with Cornell as both a student and an employee, and the friends I made during my class are friends I will keep my whole life.” –Jaimee Gilliland ’25

Hilltop dining

All meals will be prepared and served by Bon Appétit, our award-winning food service provider that focuses on fresh, nutritious ingredients, and a made-from-scratch approach. Bon Appétit offers vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free meals, and can also accommodate food allergies.

If you plan on commuting, you can dine on campus too, and simply pay for the meals you eat.

Living in our residence halls

You will stay in one of our Hilltop residence halls with secure key-card access. (If you live nearby, you can also commute instead of staying on campus.) Most students will share a room with another institute attendee to have the opportunity to see what it will be like to live with a roommate. Institute counselors are located on each floor to provide additional support and mentoring.

Explore courses Register to attend

Questions?

If you have any questions about attending the One Course Summer Institute or our course offerings, please contact the program director for additional information, email ocsi@cornellcollege.edu.