About
The Berkeley Summer Computer Science Academy is a two-week experience that includes immersion in coding, collaborative programming, problem-solving, and unique coding challenges every day using Snap!. During the program, students pursue a programming project of their own design and interest. The program also includes a pre-arrival webinar, move-in day, orientation sessions, and activities and excursions planned by UC Berkeley undergraduate resident assistants and mentors (RAMs).
• Ages: 16–17 years old
• Schedule: Two-week experience
The Academy is based on the world-renowned Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC) curriculum, which is the introductory computer science course that Berkeley undergraduates take, and its curriculum is based on UC Berkeley undergraduate course CS10 The Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC). It is designed for introductory computer science students who have little to no previous coding experience and uses Snap!, a visual blocks-based programming language. Course topics include Abstraction, Functions; Number Representation; Boolean Logic and Conditionals; Algorithms; Social Implications of Computing; Lists and Higher Order Functions; Recursion; Tree Recursion; Artificial Intelligence; Supervised Machine Learning; Reinforcement Learning; Generative AI; and Ethics of AI, and participants explore the core “big ideas” of computer science with an introduction to Artificial Intelligence fundamentals. The culmination of the academy is a “Code Celebration.”
The Academy is developed by UC Berkeley Computer Science Teaching Professor Dan Garcia, with day-to-day instruction provided by UC Berkeley BJC veteran teachers. Dan Garcia is listed as the developer of the Academy in the leadership team.
The program is a summer residential experience with on-campus housing required for all participants, and room and board are provided by the UC Berkeley Pre-College Scholars program. Students live in a residence hall within walking distance of the main campus under full-time supervision of residential program staff resident assistant mentors, and all students share rooms (doubles and triples) with random, non-negotiable assignments. There is a daily curfew from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM for Pre-College Scholars. The meal plan offers three meals per weekday and two meals per day on weekends and holidays, and weekday meals can be requested to be saved if students are rushing to class, unable to eat in the dining area, or would like to eat later. All students are required to have valid health insurance coverage for the duration of the program, and if students do not have health insurance, they should purchase coverage before arrival to Berkeley. The program provides an “Emergency Use Only” insurance plan that can be used locally. The program is non-credit and does not issue a school-sponsored student visa due to its short duration and non-credit status, and it is open to both domestic and international high school students. Students must live in on-campus housing provided by the program during the entire program duration and are not permitted to apply or live in Summer Sessions Housing.
Students in this program are housed in Bowles Hall, which includes a historic library, study rooms, high-speed Wifi, a game room, washers and dryers, and a large lounge, and rooms have dressers, desks, mirrors, and closets.
The Pre-College Scholars program and the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) offer a scholarship to cover tuition and room and board for the Computer Science Academy, and a scholarship is available through NSHSS to cover tuition and room and board for the Computer Science Academy.
One Pre-College Scholar, Rahee, stated, “The best part was the friends I made and the classes I attended because I felt like an actual college student.” Another Pre-College Scholar, Helen, stated, “The best part of my Berkeley Summer has to be meeting amazing people from different backgrounds around the globe, going on adventures throughout the city, and simply creating fun and hilarious moments that will last forever.”
Last updated May 11, 2026.
• Ages: 16–17 years old
• Schedule: Two-week experience
The Academy is based on the world-renowned Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC) curriculum, which is the introductory computer science course that Berkeley undergraduates take, and its curriculum is based on UC Berkeley undergraduate course CS10 The Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC). It is designed for introductory computer science students who have little to no previous coding experience and uses Snap!, a visual blocks-based programming language. Course topics include Abstraction, Functions; Number Representation; Boolean Logic and Conditionals; Algorithms; Social Implications of Computing; Lists and Higher Order Functions; Recursion; Tree Recursion; Artificial Intelligence; Supervised Machine Learning; Reinforcement Learning; Generative AI; and Ethics of AI, and participants explore the core “big ideas” of computer science with an introduction to Artificial Intelligence fundamentals. The culmination of the academy is a “Code Celebration.”
The Academy is developed by UC Berkeley Computer Science Teaching Professor Dan Garcia, with day-to-day instruction provided by UC Berkeley BJC veteran teachers. Dan Garcia is listed as the developer of the Academy in the leadership team.
The program is a summer residential experience with on-campus housing required for all participants, and room and board are provided by the UC Berkeley Pre-College Scholars program. Students live in a residence hall within walking distance of the main campus under full-time supervision of residential program staff resident assistant mentors, and all students share rooms (doubles and triples) with random, non-negotiable assignments. There is a daily curfew from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM for Pre-College Scholars. The meal plan offers three meals per weekday and two meals per day on weekends and holidays, and weekday meals can be requested to be saved if students are rushing to class, unable to eat in the dining area, or would like to eat later. All students are required to have valid health insurance coverage for the duration of the program, and if students do not have health insurance, they should purchase coverage before arrival to Berkeley. The program provides an “Emergency Use Only” insurance plan that can be used locally. The program is non-credit and does not issue a school-sponsored student visa due to its short duration and non-credit status, and it is open to both domestic and international high school students. Students must live in on-campus housing provided by the program during the entire program duration and are not permitted to apply or live in Summer Sessions Housing.
Students in this program are housed in Bowles Hall, which includes a historic library, study rooms, high-speed Wifi, a game room, washers and dryers, and a large lounge, and rooms have dressers, desks, mirrors, and closets.
The Pre-College Scholars program and the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) offer a scholarship to cover tuition and room and board for the Computer Science Academy, and a scholarship is available through NSHSS to cover tuition and room and board for the Computer Science Academy.
One Pre-College Scholar, Rahee, stated, “The best part was the friends I made and the classes I attended because I felt like an actual college student.” Another Pre-College Scholar, Helen, stated, “The best part of my Berkeley Summer has to be meeting amazing people from different backgrounds around the globe, going on adventures throughout the city, and simply creating fun and hilarious moments that will last forever.”
Last updated May 11, 2026.
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