Next Generation Scholars Academy
Transform Yourself this Summer as a Next-Gen Scholar
Are you ready for the breakthrough milestone of your high school years? As a Next-Gen Scholar at Johns Hopkins University, you get to experience college life early as you gain new friends, earn undergraduate credits, and cultivate self-awareness, academic curiosity, and personal growth. Enroll in the Next Generation Scholars Academy this summer and you’ll spend five memorable weeks exploring new areas of study and expanding your potential.
What is the Next Generation Scholars Academy?
The Academy is a dynamic residential initiative designed to enrich your mind and empower your future. Between June 27 (move-in date) and August 1 (move-out date), you’ll live on campus and enroll in two undergraduate courses alongside current JHU students. Choose to immerse yourself in a specific discipline or explore different subjects as you engage in an authentic academic experience at a world-renowned institution.
At the heart of the Academy is an exclusive 1-credit course that helps students explore their goals and values, then express those insights in a compelling, authentic voice – an essential skill for personal statements and college essays.
In addition, you will go beyond the classroom through a variety of co-curricular activities that complement your academic growth. In partnership with Johns Hopkins University’s Undergraduate Admissions, Next-Gen Scholars gain access to workshops, panels, and one-on-one guidance that demystify the college application process. You’ll refine your personal statement, strengthen application materials, and prepare with confidence for interviews. Current Hopkins undergraduates share candid insight into finding purpose and navigating student life, equipping you to present your best authentic self to college admissions committees.
Don’t miss this opportunity to enrich yourself with the Academy’s programming, designed to help shape your personal, academic, and professional futures.
Student Insights
Anna
2025 Next-Gen Scholar My favorite part of being in the Next-Gen program is that you get to know a lot of people from different backgrounds and cultures, and I also think it is a really good opportunity to practice your English. Being in different courses with different friends can really enhance your understanding of this world.
Lucas
2025 Next-Gen Scholar It’s been a really fun time out here. You have all these fun activities. Besides activity, you have all this freedom to go around to restaurants and museums. I’ve been getting stuff done faster than I could have ever imagined because of the professors.
Emma
2025 Next-Gen Scholar It has been great meeting people from all over the world. Coming from a small town in Pennsylvania and meeting people from different continents is crazy, considering I have never even been on a plane.
Jennifer
2025 Next-Gen Scholar I absolutely love the Next-Gen program because it not only allows you to get college credit before you go to college and get a taste of what a college-level lecture looks like, but also gives you a hint of college life and what your university future would look like.
Benefits to Next-Gen Scholars
You will be officially enrolled at Johns Hopkins University and earn up to 8 academic credit hours on your official transcript. This is a great way to demonstrate your intellectual curiosity on college applications and to jumpstart your college years!
At the heart of the Academy is the Next-Gen Scholars: Pathways to Personal and College Success course. It is designed to help you explore your goals and values, then express those insights in a compelling and authentic voice—an essential skill for personal statements and college essays. Throughout the course, you will hear from Undergraduate Admissions representatives about writing effective admissions essays and navigating the college search process. You will also engage with current Hopkins students who share their experiences in college life. In addition, you will collaborate with a faculty member from JHU’s University Writing Program to edit and refine your own college admissions essay. This course uniquely blends self-discovery with practical guidance for college access.
You will receive guidance on the undergraduate admissions process, including assistance to refine your personal statement, build strong application materials, and prepare for interviews. This support will equip you to present your best authentic self to college admissions committees.
You will gain a deep understanding of what it takes to be a successful undergraduate at JHU, America’s first research university. Your insights into academic rigor and campus life will help prepare you to study at prestigious research universities across the United States.
Through specialized programming, you will nurture your self-awareness, build healthy interpersonal relationships, and practice responsible leadership, preparing you to be active, engaged global citizens.
At the Academy, you will find support inside and outside of the classroom. Co-curricular programming covers admissions, academics, health, wellness, and recreation. These experiences strengthen not only your academic skills but also confidence, independence, and resilience—qualities that make the transition to college life smoother and more successful.
You might join a wellness workshop on balancing coursework with self-care, learn time-management strategies from academic advisors, or participate in leadership activities that encourage collaboration and problem solving. Each experience is designed to help you envision yourself thriving in a college environment and to practice the habits that will support you on that journey.
Your weeknights and weekends are filled with new opportunities to experience the world around you. Explore Baltimore’s vibrant arts and cultural districts, immerse yourself in historical settings, and visit renowned institutions in Washington, D.C.
You’ll connect your academic interests to lived experiences as you foster curiosity, adaptability, and independence. Navigate city life with new friends. Engage in community-based learning. Draw inspiration from cultural landmarks. Through it all, you should begin to see yourself with the confidence and capabilities to contribute to a diverse undergraduate community.
Upon successful completion of your time with the Academy, you will receive a certificate recognizing you as a Next-Gen Scholar. It will highlight your commitment to academic excellence and personal development.
2026 Next Generation Scholars Academy
Available Undergraduate Courses for Next-Gen Scholars
Peruse the many Summer Term Undergraduate Courses available to qualified pre-college students in residence at Johns Hopkins during Session B.
Important Details about the Academy
Review the critical dates and important tuition and fee information related to the Next Generation Scholars Academy.
Faculty Focus
Matt Pavesich Aims to Shape Competent and Confident Writers
While pursuing a PhD in English literature at the University of Illinois Chicago, Matt Pavesich discovered a passion that would reshape his academic career. Teaching first-year writing classes to undergraduates, he found himself increasingly drawn not only to scholarship but to the craft of writing instruction. That passion ultimately altered his research focus and teaching practice. Since 2021, Pavesich has served as director of Johns Hopkins University’s Writing Program, where he oversees an innovative curriculum that incorporates new pedagogical approaches, including a required “Reintroduction to Writing Course.” He also lends his expertise to pre-college students enrolling in the Summer at Hopkins’ Next Generation Scholars Academy.
At the heart of the JHU Writing Program is the concept of rhetorical agility. “It is not enough to know where to put the comma or to have a good vocabulary,” Pavesich said. “A good writer is able to pivot between different audiences, styles, and forms.” The program emphasizes helping students learn new approaches to writing while drawing on their full range of linguistic identities. The result is strengthened personal prose and the ability to adapt writing to diverse contexts.
For Next-Gen Scholars participating in the Summer at Hopkins program, Pavesich’s guidance is especially valuable as they navigate the high-pressure process of college applications. He advises students to focus their application essays on one or two meaningful experiences that best represent who they are and urges them to embrace their linguistic diversity and cultural identities as strengths rather than liabilities.
“There has definitely been an increased competition as far as college admissions go for this generation of college applicants,” Pavesich said. “I try to be frank with these students and quell their anxieties. I encourage them to take advantage of the access they have to high-level instructors and staff who know what it takes to succeed at a top-tier university like Hopkins. I aim to provide useful, practical advice about what can strengthen their essays, share what I know about the college selection process, and help them think strategically about where they are applying. I am reminded daily that writing is the connective tissue and engine of human creativity and productivity, and why I fell in love with teaching writing more than two decades ago. It is important, challenging, and rewarding work that has brought lasting connections with students of all ages and colleagues across disciplines and has given me great joy.”
Upgrade Your Summer Plans
Take a quantum leap toward your college years with a head-start from the Next Generation Scholars Academy!
Enrich yourself and your future today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Johns Hopkins University’s Next Generation Scholars Academy provides an opportunity for qualified high school students to enroll in two undergraduate courses (up to seven credits) and study alongside current Hopkins students. The five-week summer residency on the Homewood Campus in Baltimore, Maryland, takes place between June 27-August 1, 2026. Next-Gen Scholars also gain access to workshops, panels, an exclusive one-credit course designed to help demystify the college application process, and enjoy experiential learning in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Successful students also enjoy new knowledge, memorable friendships, and a special certificate as program takeaways.
Students can focus on STEM, psychology and brain sciences, social science, and humanities. Next-Gen Scholars can select their undergraduate courses from this catalog.
The admissions criteria requires that applicants have successfully completed 10th grade prior to the program’s start date and have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Specific course prerequisites may be required to enroll in some courses. International students may have additional admissions’ requirements to consider.
The total cost for the five-week Next Generation Scholars Academy, which includes tuition, housing, dining, and programming fees, is either $13,500 or $14,775 USD. The variance depends on what combination of undergraduate courses the student selects, either two 3-credit courses or one 3-credit and one 4-credit course. An additional 1-credit course is included for Next-Gen Scholars, providing guidance with short- and long-term goals, including important insights into college decisions and navigating upcoming admissions processes. A non-refundable $85 USD fee is required with all Summer at Hopkins applications.
Enrollment in the Next Generational Scholars Academy provides a number of benefits that can help distinguish a student through their undergraduate admissions process. Participating students demonstrate their academic drive, earning up to eight academic credit hours on their official Johns Hopkins University transcripts. Through the required one-credit Pathways to Personal and College Success course, students gain practical guidance for college access and insights on writing effective admission essays and navigating the college search process. Next-Gen Scholars also receive enrichment and support from across JHU, enhance their learning and leadership skills, and make invaluable connections with peers and faculty.