Pre-College
UNC Asheville’s Pre-College Programs are weeklong summer immersion programs that offer high school students a deep dive into academic topics and hands-on experiences.
UNC Asheville’s Pre-College Programs introduce high school students to college-level study, university life, and career options in a dynamic learning environment. Each one-week program offers deep immersion into an academic topic, challenging activities, and the opportunity to engage with industry professionals.
Thank you for your interest in UNC Asheville’s Pre-College Summer Programs!
Be the first to know when registration opens for our Summer 2026 programs!
Complete the brief interest form below to receive a notification as soon as registration becomes available—expected by mid-December 2025.
Programs for Summer 2026 are scheduled for the following weeks:
- June 14–19, 2026
- June 21–26, 2026
In additional to the programs listed below, we will be adding a Computer Science program – Details coming soon!
Testimonials from UNC Asheville Pre-College
Pre-college Art Programs:
Great Smokies Young Writers Workshop: Character As story & The poet’s toolbox
June 14 – 19, 2026
Hone your literary skills through workshops with experienced local authors and poets. Generate new pieces, revise works-in-progress and critique works of others in a collaborative workshop setting.
Character as Story
Spend a week with fellow storytellers discovering one of the surest ways to make your fiction come alive: through your characters. In this camp, we’ll explore ways to craft compelling voices and develop complex character relationships (think romance, family, friends, enemies, frenemies–you name it!)–all while exploring the different ways that your characters’ inner conflicts and motivations give shape to your story. Whether you’re new to fiction or already drafting novels, you’ll leave this camp with new tools for writing vivid characters that are hard to forget.
The Poet’s Toolbox
In this class we’ll explore a variety of poetic techniques and forms in order to expand our writing toolboxes and to hone our ability to use the tools we already have. Building things with words is difficult, but it’s also a lot of fun. We’ll balance discipline and play, rules and exploration, hard work and the gratification of sharing what we’ve made!
Great Smokies Young Writers Workshop: forms of poetry & writing essays, memoirs & auto-fiction
June 21 – 26, 2026
Hone your literary skills through workshops with experienced local authors and poets. Generate new pieces, revise works-in-progress and critique works of others in a collaborative workshop setting.
The Many Forms of Poetry
The Many Forms of Poetry: Each day we’ll explore a different classic or contemporary poetic form — the sonnet! the ghazal! the golden shovel! — by reading exemplary models of the form and exploring it from within, figuring out how it works, and writing our own imitations. In the process students will discover some of the expressive freedoms that can emerge from rules and constraints — and sometimes the benefits of breaking them.
Writing Essays, Memoirs, & Auto-Fiction
Whether you’re drafting a college essay, translating your personal experience into semi-fictional prose, or telling the story of an important time in your life as only you can tell it, this course will help you hone your craft by focusing on voice, tone, and what makes your first person perspective distinctive and unique. We’ll discuss narrative arc, stakes, language, and the depth of thought and feeling that result in writing that’s compelling, insightful, and potentially transformative—for the reader and writer both. Whether you’re concerned with social, political, or philosophical issues; the human condition, daily life, or affairs of the heart, exploring personal, lyric, and braided essays, memoirs and auto-fiction will support you in developing the skills you need to articulate your experience with power and precision and develop a style that’s all your own. Students will receive feedback from the instructor and fellow writers, revising towards 5-8 pages of prose.
Ceramic Pottery
June 14 – 19, 2026
Gain hands on experience in the ceramics studio and learn new techniques. Express creativity while learning to manipulate clay into sculpture and pottery. Create vessels by wheel-throwing and coil building. Learn to paint with underglazes. Form plates & shallow bowls by rolling out clay and carving. Take home your creations!
Ceramic Pottery
June 21 – 26, 2026
Gain hands on experience in the ceramics studio and learn new techniques. Express creativity while learning to manipulate clay into sculpture and pottery. Create vessels by wheel-throwing and coil building. Learn to paint with underglazes. Form plates & shallow bowls by rolling out clay and carving. Take home your creations!
Music Composition & Songwriting
June 21 – 26, 2026
Develop creative and performing skills through composition, song-writing, and improvisation exercises. Create original music individually, and compose music collaboratively with other students. Perform original and improvised music on your instrument/voice. The week will culminate in a performance of a new, original musical work.
Film Scoring & Sound Design
June 21 – 26, 2026
Music is an important part of the storytelling process in films. Learn how to compose cinematic music that evokes emotion using Hollywood film scoring techniques. In this class, we will develop a score concept, work with virtual instruments and compose music for an animation film. Sound design is taught by using textures and effects to enhance dynamics for visual impact. Musicians, non-musicians and film students are welcome.
Pre-college Science Programs:
River Ecology & Adventure
June 14 – 19, 2026
Explore and discover our natural, aquatic world. Engaging field-based learning will pair with outdoor skills and trips. Learn about Southern Appalachian stream ecology while canoeing sections of pristine rivers, hiking to wilderness swimming holes and investigating local aquatic species, and be challenged to think critically about human impact on the environment while rafting exciting whitewater. This program offers a thrilling, hands-on learning experience that blends the excitement of outdoor adventure with the science of stream ecology.
River Ecology & Adventure
June 21 – 26, 2026
Explore and discover our natural, aquatic world. Engaging field-based learning will pair with outdoor skills and trips. Learn about Southern Appalachian stream ecology while canoeing sections of pristine rivers, hiking to wilderness swimming holes and investigating local aquatic species, and be challenged to think critically about human impact on the environment while rafting exciting whitewater. This program offers a thrilling, hands-on learning experience that blends the excitement of outdoor adventure with the science of stream ecology.
Geology & Adventure
June 14 – 19, 2026
Learn about the geology of the Southern Appalachians while hiking to scenic landmarks. Practice field-based learning while rock climbing and rappelling on the beautiful granite bodies of western North Carolina. Experience the geology of caving systems while spelunking. Enjoy time outdoors, build lifelong friendships, participate in adventure experiences, and see what it is like to be a geologist for a week!
Geology & Adventure
June 21 – 26, 2026
Learn about the geology of the Southern Appalachians while hiking to scenic landmarks. Practice field-based learning while rock climbing and rappelling on the beautiful granite bodies of western North Carolina. Experience the geology of caving systems while spelunking. Enjoy time outdoors, build lifelong friendships, participate in adventure experiences, and see what it is like to be a geologist for a week!
2 new programs in development:
Engineering & Computer science
Both programs: June 14 – 19, 2026
Information coming soon!
Meteorology
June 21 – 26, 2026
Interactively explore the wonders of our atmosphere and experience the joys of a career in meteorology. Learn the fundamental principles of the atmospheric sciences through hands-on demonstrations and study the relationship between pressure, temperature, and elevation in the mountains. Build your own research-quality weather station. Visit the National Centers for Environmental Information, a permanent weather station, and a local media outlet to learn about careers in professional meteorology. Become a broadcast meteorologist for a day and present your forecast in a real television studio.
Wildlife Wonders: Appalachian Zoology
June 14 – 19, 2026
Aspiring biologists and naturalists will learn about the animal life of the southern Appalachian Mountains through discussions and workshops, hands-on lab experiments, and local field trips. Learn to identify local species by searching for salamanders at a private nature reserve, snorkeling in crystal clear mountain streams, and learning to use microscopes and zoology museum collections. We will learn the proper use of zoological field and laboratory equipment such as aquatic and insect nets, binoculars, dissecting microscopes, and compound microscopes. Field trips will focus on learning how to observe and identify vertebrate wildlife in the different habitats of Western North Carolina. Finally, we will wrestle with challenging questions through readings and discussions, such as trying to figure out which species of wolves used to live in the mountains.
Game Design & AI
June 21 – 26, 2026
Building Future Worlds with Generative Tools – Designing games with vibe-coding artificial intelligence—where imagination meets emerging tech.
Step into the future of creativity with a hands-on exploration of how artificial intelligence is transforming game design. In this immersive one-week camp, students will collaborate in design teams to create their own AI-enhanced or AI-themed games… learning how to guide “vibe-coding” tools that turn imagination into interactive experiences. Together, we’ll experiment with low-code 2D & 3D platforms, explore the ethics and artistry of AI, and prototype original digital worlds. The week culminates with a showcase where students present their creations and reflect on what it means to be a designer in an AI-driven world.
This program is ideal for students excited about the intersection of technology, storytelling, and innovation… no prior coding experience required, just bring your curiosity and a love for games.
Pre-Med
June 14-19, 2026
Prerequisite: Biology
Discover the world of medicine in this immersive Pre-Med Pre-College Program for rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. Working in collaborative teams, you’ll take on a simulated patient case, perform microbiological and biochemical tests, and evaluate diagnostic and treatment options just like real medical professionals. You’ll also strengthen communication skills as you navigate the patient-doctor relationship and explore key concepts in medical ethics.
A highlight of the program is a hands-on pig heart dissection, where you’ll study heart anatomy and physiology to better understand how the cardiovascular system functions. Designed for motivated students interested in pre-med, healthcare careers, biology, and medical science, this program provides valuable exposure to the critical thinking and laboratory skills needed for future success in medicine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have additional questions? Please contact us at precollege@unca.edu.
