These programs are presented by departments at Colorado State, as well as organizations providing summer camps through CSU Conference Services.

Many programs fall into more than one category and include common elements such as leadership and creativity. Programs are placed in the category that best describes the primary focus.

Age groups vary by program; please contact the unit presenting the camp for additional information. 

The ELC summer camp lottery was open from January 10-31, 2023

Primarily for ages 7-12.

This summer the ELC offers eight week-long summer day camps. While each camp has a theme, the overall focus is getting children outside, comfortable and connected to the natural world.

The ELC is an extension of the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University.

Registration opened February 1, 2023

The two camps are available for Summer 2023:

• June 5-10
• June 11-16

Offered annually, the Youth Summer Horsemanship Camps are geared toward equine enthusiasts who are 10-15 years of age. Campers stay in the residence halls on main campus, eat in the dining halls and receive classroom/riding instruction from both equine faculty and current students.

Students who are 16-17 can join us as day campers!

Campers have the option to bring their own horse or lease a school horse, ride english, western, or both and spend the duration of camp as an overnight camper or a day camper.

June 26-30, 2023
Writing programs for youth in grades 4-12:

• Elementary Workshop (for students entering 4th-5th grades):
  • ready.set.write (9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)
• Middle School Workshop (for students entering 6th-8th grades):
  • WriteOn! (12:30-3:30 p.m.)
• High School Workshop (for students entering 9th-12th grades):
  • VOICES (9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)

Students will experiment with hands-on writing techniques in various genres of writing with support from experienced creative writing teachers. They will share their work in small writing groups and will participate in a workshop with a visiting published writer.

Snacks will be provided daily, and students will receive a t-shirt at the end of the week!

Registration opened January 3, 2023
July 10-14, July 17-21, July 24-28,
and/or July 31-August 4, 2023
Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and
Friday 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Early registration discount of 10% by February 1, 2023.

These camps feature fun cooking activities for children ages 8-12. Select a camp and then choose which week your camper would like to attend.  Register for one, two or all four weeks! Each camp runs every week!

Summer 2023 camp topics are:

• Baking Extravaganza
• Global Tastebuds

June 7-10, 2023

Between blogs, vlogs, videos and infographics, there are more ways to communicate than ever before. The Journalism and Media Jump-Start experience offers students entering grades 10, 11, or 12 in Fall 2023 a glimpse into Colorado State University’s Department of Journalism and Media Communication. You will interview, create podcasts, take photos, learn social media strategies and more, all while interacting with college student mentors and faculty. Expect to learn about storytelling and visit CSU’s award-winning Rocky Mountain Student Media newsrooms. You will also get to sample life as a college student while you stay in a residence hall, dine at CSU’s delicious dining halls, and enjoy Fort Collins in the summer.

July 17-22, 2023

This Summer 2023 institute will teach basic social justice concepts through arts-based practices. Participants will integrate all they have learned by working with the featured artist to create an art piece from a social justice framework.

Students collaborate alongside CSU faculty, students, and community educators through team building, intercultural dialogue, and collaboration across differences, nurturing individual and collective voices, and fostering community dialog by emphasizing skills that promote social justice advocacy. In the process they not only learn what a career in the arts through a social justice lens looks and feels like but also how the art fits into their lives and communities by addressing issues of equity, belonging, access, justice, and how the creative process is a part of all of our stories.

The experience will also include expert advice on applying to college, admission requirements, financial aid, housing, and careers.

Summer Music, Theatre, and Dance: Camps and Programs

Visit the home page for Summer Camps, Institutes and Seminars or the sections below.

Experience a variety of music events designed for youth, middle/high school students, and adults. Camps and institutes offer students and adults specialized training, while master classes feature the world’s finest performers providing hands-on instruction in an open, informal setting.

Five-day workshops from June through early August 2023

Kids Do It All is one of the most innovative theatre programs in the country. Offered for youth who are ages 7-9, 10-11, and 12-13. Camp participants write, design and compose musical plays entirely of their own, experiencing a practical application of all aspects of theatre from acting, movement, voice, props and scene design, and songwriting. Six one-week camps are available on the CSU campus.

July 30-August 12, 2023
Beginner through pre-preprofessional level dancers ages 14+ are invited to register for our two-week in-person intensive. In addition to dance classes and rehearsals, students will attend lectures, develop artist statements, choreograph solos, and present a public performance. Mentored by CSU Dance faculty, renowned guest artists, and current dance majors, attendees expand skills and knowledge while contributing to a collaborative creative process. To ensure individualized attention, registration is limited to 24 dancers admitted on a first-come-first-served basis.

Dance Lab is designed to increase understanding of:

• Classical and Contemporary Dance Forms
• Theory and Practice
• Reflective Writing
• Repertory
• Choreography

This program offers up to 2 performing arts credits for Poudre School District students.

Please see Dance Lab website for additional registration packages, housing information and details for students entering CSU in Fall 2023.

July 12 – July 21, 2023

The Global Business Academy is a summer business program for current high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.

You’ll create great summer memories in this 10-day, action-packed experience and meet students from around the globe while learning how to use business to create a better world. The program includes an overnight stay at CSU’s beautiful Mountain Campus in the Rockies and will give you a taste of college life, staying in the University dorms in Fort Collins.

You’ll gain lifelong skills in international business and leadership, greater confidence, new passions and interests to explore, global friendships, and discover new ways to apply your business knowledge to what you care about most. No matter where your future career path leads, it’s invaluable to have an understanding of what makes the business world turn.

July 31 – August 5, 2023
This FREE program is for rising 9th-grade through newly graduated first-generation students.

If you’re the first in your family to go to college and interested in business, this summit is for you! Whether you want to be a CEO, own a business or are still figuring out your path, this week long experience will help you learn about what business means, connect with our CSU community, and make a few friends along the way.

Stay overnight in an air-conditioned CSU residence hall on campus and eat in our dining centers as you learn the skills that will transform how business is done. Work alongside other first-generation students and College of Business faculty as you get valuable experience.

Attendees sharpen business knowledge in the classroom and at area businesses, develop the skills to successfully present to large groups, learn about career paths possible within the College of Business, and how to capitalize on the resources available for first-generation students to succeed at CSU.

June 5-9, 2023
Registration opened February 2023
One week of half-day sessions

Hybrid-Online via Zoom and in-person CSU Fort Collins Campus

The Venture Validator Youth Summer Camp is hosted by the CSU College of Business Institute for Entrepreneurship designed for incoming 7th-12th grade students to explore what it takes to become an entrepreneur in a safe, engaging, and fun space.

Students will combine problems they want to solve with their ideas to fix them and then start the journey of launching a business to do just that.

Students will also learn basic business principles and gain an understanding of different career opportunities in a wide range of fields from marketing to supply chain management, international business, organization and innovation management, and more.

June 4-8, 2024 on the CSU Campus.
Check back February 1 for the 2024 Women in CM Summer Institute Application link.

High School Summer Institute

Construction Managers work in dynamic teams to take the designer’s vision and make it a reality.

With one of the highest job placement rates and starting salaries of any major, a degree in Construction Management is a great choice for those who enjoy teamwork, solving tangible problems, critical thinking, and creating the world around them.

This five-day four-night on-campus program is for up to 25 high school students age 15-18 who are interested in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC). Each day participants will engage with professional women representing AEC industries as well as college mentors to work on building their confidence and developing an understanding of construction management and related careers while having fun exploring construction related topics and activities!

Registration is open for both 2023 sessions:

• Session 1: June 4-10
• Session 2: June 18-24

The Honors Summer Institute is a one-week camp for high school students with exceptional academic achievements. The program is an extension of the CSU Honors Program and engages students with sample classes from five different disciplines. Program includes time at the CSU Mountain Campus with two overnight stays.

Scholarships are available; no qualified student will be turned away from participating in the camp.

June 9-16, 2023
9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

This is a FREE cybersecurity summer camp students entering grades 10-12.

Have you ever wanted to learn about modern technologies and topics such as Network Security, Data Encryption and Protection, and Careers in Cybersecurity from CSU professors, students, and industry experts? Join our free camp for a week of fun activities as we show you how to use cybersecurity for fun and protection. You will work with and learn from CSU professors, students, and industry representatives who are experts in these areas.

Have fun this summer, making new connections, and learning! There will be prizes, free lunch, and fun activities!

NO PRIOR PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY

June 11 – 17, 2023, 
June 25 – July 1, 2023, or
July 23 – 29, 2023

Colorado State University and the CSU Drone Center, in collaboration with the Poudre School District Futures Lab, is proud to announce the 2023 Drone Aviation Pathways Summer Program for Colorado high school students and instructors! Choose one session and spend a week on CSU’s main campus near the base of the Colorado foothills, and attend the immersive CSU Drone Flight School, where you’ll learn to fly many types of unmanned aircraft and gain the knowledge and experience necessary to pass your FAA Part 107 exam and become certified as a Remote Pilot! Curriculum includes classroom instruction, actual hands-on flight time, engaging lectures and breakout sessions, and real-world mission-planning scenarios with our UAV aircraft!

June 4-8, 2023

ENvision is a four-week virtual learning program offered by the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors around the state of Colorado.

Students must attend all weekly sessions to complete the program.

Students will receive materials to better engage in virtual sessions. Additionally, students will benefit from connecting with assigned mentors who are current engineering students.

Questions? Please contact Claudia Hernandez.

June 5-9, 2023
Approximately 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

GirlsGetMath@CSU is a free five-day non-residential mathematics camp at Colorado State University that is open to students entering grades 9-12 in Fall 2023, regardless of gender. Students will explore a variety of topics in mathematics (such as cryptography, data science, image processing, geometry, fractals, and graph theory) in a collaborative and inclusive learning environment where they engage with hands-on activities and computer labs.

During the camp, students will also take a campus tour, eat lunch in dining halls, and hear from successful women in STEM careers. New this year, GirlsGetMath@CSU will devote time at the end of each day for fun, social activities (such as visiting the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery) to build community and develop students’ confidence by focusing on team-building abilities and leadership skills. There is no cost to attend the summer camp and all materials, daily snacks, lunch, and a camp t-shirt will be provided.

June 12-23, 2023

Our STEM program is open to middle school students entering 6th, 7th, and 8th grades in the fall following the summer program.

Fashion FUNdamentals is a two-week summer program designed to enhance young people’s interests and self-esteem in science, technology, engineering, and math by leveraging their interest in and passion for fashion.

Social programming focus areas include media literacy, body image, internet safety and anti-bullying, and highlights the importance of balanced nutrition and physical activity.

June 19-23, 2023
Application opened March 1, 2023

This summer program is for high school students ages.  This five-day program is offered by the Computer Information Systems (CIS) department at CSU.

Information Technology (IT) not only touches every aspect of everyday life but is also the primary driver of business today.

In this program high school students explore how tech supports and shapes business through fun and educational hands-on projects.

Engineering Your World:

• Ages 13-14
• June 12-16, 2023, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Designing Your World:

• Ages 14-16
• June 19-23, 2023, 9 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Join CSU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) for two highly interactive summer programs for middle school and high school students interested in exploring the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

These exciting and educational programs achieve a balance between hands-on learning and socializing, with lunch provided and time to connect with peers, CSU faculty, and current college students. Core science and engineering ideas will provide students with essential information to build upon and integrate throughout their lives.

June 19-23, 2023
The 2023 SciVet Summer Program application opened in early January, 2023.
Open to high school students who are at least 15 years of age.

Want to feel what it is like to be a scientist? Join the Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center in exploring scientific practices first hand. We will be carrying out investigations, using real tools, and collecting data both in the lab and the field.

All activities involve current topics from a variety of fields, including tree coring, the chemistry of electronic devices, key role of native bees, the secrets of the marmots, glaciers, and permafrost!

June 5-9, 2023
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Application opened April 1, 2023

SWiFT 2023, Summer Computer Science STEM Camp in Fort Collins, is an activity-based summer intensive STEM program outstanding students currently in their 7th and 8th grade in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado. The  SWiFT 2023 program is free and lunch will be provided. No prior programming experiences are required.

Students will learn Python programming and apply the programming skills to the real-world earth data. The camp involves close, targeted mentoring and we are aiming for a student to instructor ratio of 4:1 or 5:1. All sessions are offered in an interactive computer lab located in the Computer Science Department at Colorado State University.

In addition to the lectures on the Python programming, we host special lectures from the scientists, experts, and industrial leaders on various topics in computer science and earth sciences that leverage computing and programing.

Will return in Summer 2024

High school juniors and seniors interested in going into pre-med majors in college have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through a one-week academic summer camp led by award-winning faculty in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Dissect real anatomical specimens, learn anatomy on human cadavers, and look at case studies to diagnose medical problems and study technology-based, cross-sectional anatomy.

Not offered in Summer 2023

Applied Physiology Camp is a hands-on academic day camp for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have a strong interest in science and are considering pursuing a career in a health-related field.