Pre-College Summer Institute
Immersive one-week college experiences for high school students
June 21-26, 2026
Shape Your Future
Eager to step into a career that will make an impact? George Fox’s Pre-College Summer Institute prepares aspiring medical professionals, engineers and scholars to lead their peers in college and beyond.
Maximize your summer by spending a week at Oregon's premier Christian university, learning from experts, honing your skills in college labs and studios, and sparking your vision for the future.
Experience Living on a College Campus
- Spend 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. learning from George Fox faculty and current students, then immerse yourself in college living with evening activities and access to our newest residential facilities
- Connect with high-achieving peers and build unforgettable memories
- Enjoy basketball, volleyball, badminton and rock climbing in our beautiful new recreation center, as well as outdoor activities and a worship night in our outdoor amphitheater
- Meals will feature options for everyone, from comfort foods to nutritious, locally sourced dishes, all served in the Canyon Commons dining hall
Earn a $1,000 George Fox Scholarship
Students who attend a Pre-College Summer Program are guaranteed an annual $1,000 scholarship* when they enroll as an undergraduate student at George Fox University. If you love your summer experience living and learning at George Fox, we invite you to become a Bruin!
* Students may qualify for one Visit Experience Scholarship at George Fox. If you have already received a Visit Experience Scholarship, you will not receive an additional award for the Summer Institute.
College-Level Learning (that’s way more fun than class)
Earn college credit with an immersive, real-world learning experience that deepens your understanding and equips you with crucial skills in your field of choice.
Nursing Institute
Delve into the dynamic world of nursing. Earn a Stop the Bleed certificate, explore nursing career paths, elevate your learning with patient care simulations, and gain hands-on experience with college-level nursing instruction.
Interior Design Institute
With the guidance of experienced faculty, explore the interior design process – from concept to completion – while learning key skills in space planning, color theory, materials selection, and completing a final design project.
Anatomy for Pre-Health Professions
Whether you want to become a doctor, nurse, veterinarian, physical or occupational therapist, or dentist, gain college-level anatomy and physiology experience. Explore major organ systems of the human body using VR technology, hands-on dissections, cadavers, models and more.
Liberation Scholars
Liberation Scholars is designed especially for Latina/o high school juniors who wish to expand their knowledge, chart their future and equip themselves to be leaders in their communities. Dive into transformative texts from ancient Greek philosophers to present-day Latina/o thinkers. Learn to write, think, and discuss together as a community of learners and leaders-in-training.
Engineering: Designing and Making
Gain college-level experience from one of the nation’s best engineering programs. Design and build a custom-animated mechanical project. Learn engineering essentials like 3D modeling, 3D printing, laser cutting and engraving, Arduino and circuits, and how to animate customized projects.
Exploring Biotechnology
Learn the basics of biotechnology. Find out how it works and explore the implications – where will this technology take us? And what are the ethical implications? With an understanding of the basic tools of molecular biology, head into the laboratory where you’ll test agricultural products for genetic modification. You’ll use CRISPR technology to modify the genome of E. coli to produce an effect visible to the naked eye.
Video Game Design
Work alongside our expert computer science and cinematic arts faculty to dive into the world of video game design. Learn the essentials of video game animation, develop programming skills and create your own video game!
Ceramics Institute
Explore clay as a powerful vehicle for creative expression in our brand-new, state-of-the-art ceramics facility, learning to experiment boldly, pivot when things don’t go as planned, and discover the reality that mistakes are often the start of the best ideas. Design and create unique projects by hand and develop artistic skills while strengthening confidence, problem-solving and resilience.
Graphic Design
With a Christ-centered approach to design thinking, work on projects that address real-world challenges and discover how creativity can drive community transformation. Explore core design fundamentals such as typography, branding and identity, through purposeful communication.
Education
Are you passionate about working with children and want a real-world look at what it takes to run an elementary classroom? Spend the week using a continuous case study to anchor all of your learning, moving beyond basic theory to experience the practical challenges and deep rewards of making an immediate impact on a student’s life.
Communication
Utilize your own communication culture, while implementing elements of healthy communication and controlling the conversation climate around you. Learn in-depth observation skills for your surrounding environment and different conflict management styles, and be eligible to earn a conflict resoluation certificate.
Theatre
Grow as an artist, collaborator and person of faith as you work alongside professional and college artists to create theatre that uplifts, reshapes and renews the world around us. Built around creating a fully realized final performance, this week-long workshop and showcase will explore all the aspects that go into making a show.
Entrepreneurship and AI
Master the basics of entrepreneurship while learning to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence. You won't just learn about business; you will build one. By using AI as your creative co-pilot for brainstorming, branding, and strategy, you will have a complete business plan ready by the end of the week.
Discover Your Calling
Experience college-level learning while exploring academic majors, career pathways, and the transition from high school to college. This engaging week will equip you with clarity, confidence and practical tools for making thoughtful academic and career decisions.
Film
Make a short film in one week! Work alongside George Fox’s cinematic arts faculty and collaborate with other students to produce, act and direct your own story. Gain hands-on experience with professional gear and industry-standard software, then screen your work at a showcase at the end of the week.
Facility Highlights
- Canyon Commons: This 30,000-square-foot facility features large windows overlooking Hess Creek Canyon, known for its local flora and peaceful walking trails. Inside the facility’s scenic surroundings are honored through the use of wooden-beam construction and expansive skylights designed to mimic the effect of sunlight filtering through tree branches.
- Hadlock Student Center: The Hadlock Student Center features a fitness center overlooking Hess Creek Canyon, three full multi-use courts, a rock climbing wall, an indoor track and two private fitness studios.
- Maker Hub: The Maker Hub is the university’s space for design, prototyping and fabrication – it’s an engineer’s dream. While the 16,000-square-foot facility features a CNC router and milling machine, welding shop, circuit board fabrication lab and more.
- The Canyon: Hess Creek Canyon runs through the center of campus, offering students 15 acres of lush green space filled with native Northwest flora and intersected by a meandering creek.
