Pre-Baccalaureate

Brown University for-credit program for high school students.

The Brown University Pre-Baccalaureate Program is a highly selective program for rising or recently graduated high school seniors ready to undertake the rigors of credit-bearing, undergraduate study. Pre-Baccalaureate students — known as Pre-Baccs — enroll in classes alongside Brown and visiting undergraduates in the university’s Summer Session. Courses available to Pre-Baccs are those open to first and second-year undergraduates, and span the natural sciences and mathematics, the social sciences, the humanities and the visual and performing arts. The program attracts serious-minded students from across the country and around the globe. Their interests are as varied as the Brown curriculum, and they share a commitment to learning and serious study.

Summer Session courses are equivalent to semester-long offerings, compressed into a fast-paced seven-week summer schedule. Pre-Bacc students may only enroll in one or two online courses

All courses are taken for Brown University credit and may provide students with advanced standing once they enroll as an undergraduate in a college or university. In most courses, students are evaluated by an A, B, C or NC (no credit) grade. In some courses (noted in the individual course descriptions), students may instead choose to be evaluated on a satisfactory/no-credit basis, rather than a letter grade. Students may also request that their instructors write a narrative Course Performance Report on their behalf, which in many cases becomes useful when students apply to college.

Program Snapshot

Who

Rising or recently graduated high school seniors, age 17 by June 16, 2024

What

7-week intensive credit-bearing program offering Brown Undergraduate Summer Session courses online.

When

June 17 to August 2, 2024

Where

Online through Canvas, Brown’s Learning Management System

Why

  • Join a community of young scholars all engaged in the serious fun of learning.
  • Get a head start on your undergraduate degree by earning credit alongside Brown and visiting undergraduate students.
  • Explore the breadth and depth of Brown’s undergraduate curriculum and emphasis on student-centered learning.
  • Experience the satisfying challenges of college academics. 
  • Immerse yourself in subjects you choose.

Experience

Many of Brown’s online courses are asynchronous, which means students are not required to log in at a set time of day. Some of these courses will have synchronous meeting times that your instructor will determine with enrolled students. Classes are typically small, facilitating close collaboration between and among students and instructors. Combining all activities related to the class, which includes engagement in online activities, studying and reading, students can expect to spend an average of 25 hours every week for each course throughout the seven-week semester. Outside of the classroom, Pre-Baccs have access to a range of virtual Student Life programs. See Your Virtual Community for more information.

Program Director