Build Your Entrepreneurial Skills — On Your Schedule
Startup UCLA’s online Pre-College Institute gives high school students the opportunity to develop real-world entrepreneurship skills through self-paced programs in AI-Enabled Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship.
100% Online | Self-Paced | Grades 10–12 | Available Year-Round | Certificate of Completion
Students can apply and enroll throughout the year, complete coursework on their own schedule, and build practical entrepreneurship skills they can carry into college, future ventures, and beyond.
100% Online
Complete your program from anywhere.
Self-Paced
Learn on a schedule that works for you.
Year-Round
Apply and begin throughout the year.
Earn a Certificate
Receive a Startup UCLA Certificate of Completion.
Choose Your Program
Choose the entrepreneurship path that best matches your interests and goals.
AI-Enabled Entrepreneurship
5 Modules | 100% Online | Self-Paced
Learn how today’s entrepreneurs use AI to move from an idea to a usable prototype.
Students explore different types of AI, learn the fundamentals of how AI models work, use AI to research and validate startup ideas, and then apply those tools to build a usable prototype of their own.
Students will learn to:
- Generate and refine startup ideas using AI tools
- Conduct AI-assisted market and user research
- Explore different types of AI tools and applications
- Understand the fundamentals of AI models and how they work
- Identify the right AI tools for different entrepreneurial use cases
- Use AI to test and validate startup ideas
- Build and refine a usable prototype using AI
- Think critically about responsible and ethical AI use
By the end of the program, students will walk away with a usable prototype they have built using AI.
$1,500
Includes online instructional programming and course materials.
Social Entrepreneurship Institute
10 Modules | 100% Online | Self-Paced
Turn an idea for social change into a developed venture and a compelling pitch.
Students explore how entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and social enterprises address real-world social and environmental challenges while developing their own mission-driven venture from idea to presentation.
Students will learn to:
- Identify meaningful social or environmental challenges
- Research stakeholders, communities, and the people affected by those challenges
- Develop a mission, vision, and impact-driven solution
- Create and refine their own social venture
- Explore nonprofit and social enterprise models
- Build a sustainable model for creating impact
- Think through how their venture can create meaningful and measurable change
- Develop a clear and compelling pitch for their venture
By the end of the program, students will walk away with a developed social venture and a meaningful pitch that communicates the problem they are addressing, their solution, and the impact they hope to create.
$2,000
Includes online instructional programming and course materials.
More Than an Online Course
Startup UCLA brings entrepreneurship education and the innovation mindset of UCLA to high school students.
Students do more than learn entrepreneurship concepts. They apply them. Through hands-on activities and venture development, students investigate real problems, develop ideas, evaluate opportunities, and create something tangible from what they learn.
Whether a student is interested in launching a company, exploring AI, creating social impact, or simply discovering entrepreneurship, the Pre-College Institute provides a practical foundation for the future.
Build Something Real
Develop a tangible outcome — from an AI-powered prototype to a mission-driven social venture.
Develop Future-Ready Skills
Build skills in problem-solving, AI, research, communication, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Learn Through Startup UCLA
Experience entrepreneurship education connected to UCLA’s startup ecosystem.
Earn a Certificate
Receive a Startup UCLA Certificate of Completion after successfully completing your program.
How It Works
Getting started is simple.
- Apply: Complete the Startup UCLA Pre-College Institute application and select your program.
- Receive your admission decision: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
- Enroll: Accepted students complete enrollment and receive access to their course.
- Learn at your own pace: Complete modules asynchronously on your own schedule.
- Build something tangible: Apply what you learn to develop either an AI-powered prototype or a mission-driven social venture.
- Complete your final project: AI students finish with a usable prototype, while Social Entrepreneurship students finish with a developed venture and pitch.
- Earn your certificate: Successfully complete the program and receive a Startup UCLA Certificate of Completion.
Summer 2027 at UCLA
Want to experience Startup UCLA in person?
Join us at UCLA in July 2027.
Our in-person Pre-College Institute programming will return in Summer 2027, giving students the opportunity to experience entrepreneurship through live instruction, collaborative venture building, mentorship, pitching, campus activities, and an immersive UCLA experience.
Applications for Summer 2027 will open in February 2027.
Additional information about session dates, residential options, tuition, housing, and Summer 2027 programming will be announced prior to applications opening.
You do not need to wait until summer to get started. AI-Enabled Entrepreneurship and the Social Entrepreneurship Institute are available online throughout the year.
Program Details
AI-Enabled Entrepreneurship Curriculum
The AI-Enabled Entrepreneurship program consists of 5 self-paced modules designed to take students from an initial startup idea to a usable AI-powered prototype.
Throughout the program, students explore how artificial intelligence can support the entrepreneurial process while developing a foundational understanding of AI models, tools, and applications.
Students will learn how to:
- Generate and refine startup ideas using AI
- Conduct AI-assisted market and user research
- Explore different types of AI and their real-world applications
- Understand the fundamentals of AI models and how they work
- Evaluate and select AI tools for different entrepreneurial needs
- Use AI to test and validate an idea
- Build and refine a usable prototype using AI
- Think critically about responsible and ethical AI use
The course culminates in students developing a usable prototype of their own idea using AI.
Students who successfully complete all 5 modules and required coursework receive a Startup UCLA Certificate of Completion.
Social Entrepreneurship Institute Curriculum
The Social Entrepreneurship Institute consists of 10 self-paced modules designed to take students from identifying a meaningful social or environmental challenge to developing a mission-driven venture and presenting it through a compelling pitch.
Throughout the program, students investigate real-world challenges, research the communities and stakeholders affected, and develop solutions designed to create meaningful impact.
Students will learn how to:
- Identify meaningful social and environmental challenges
- Research stakeholders, communities, and the people affected by those challenges
- Define the problem their venture is designed to address
- Develop a clear mission, vision, and impact-driven solution
- Create and refine a social venture
- Explore nonprofit and social enterprise models
- Develop a sustainable approach to delivering their solution
- Think through how their venture can create and measure meaningful impact
- Communicate their venture through entrepreneurial storytelling
- Develop and refine a compelling final pitch
The course culminates in students developing their own social venture and a meaningful pitch that clearly communicates the challenge, their proposed solution, their venture model, and the impact they hope to create.
Students who successfully complete all 10 modules and required coursework receive a Startup UCLA Certificate of Completion.
Program Eligibility
The year-round online programs are open to students currently enrolled in grades 10–12.
Students should:
- Have an interest in entrepreneurship, innovation, AI, social impact, or venture creation
- Be prepared to complete coursework independently
- Be able to participate in a self-paced online learning environment
Eligibility requirements for Summer 2027 in-person and residential programs will be announced when applications open in February 2027.
Tuition & Fees
AI-Enabled Entrepreneurship
Format: Online and self-paced
Modules: 5
Tuition: $1,500
Includes online instructional programming and course materials.
Social Entrepreneurship Institute
Format: Online and self-paced
Modules: 10
Tuition: $2,000
Includes online instructional programming and course materials.
Summer 2027 in-person and residential tuition and fees will be announced separately prior to applications opening.
Application Process
Applications for the year-round online programs are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Eligible applicants who submit all required materials will receive an admission decision via email within approximately three weeks.
Students select either AI-Enabled Entrepreneurship or the Social Entrepreneurship Institute as part of the application process.
Application Requirements
Academic Records
Submit an unofficial transcript from grade 9 to present showing a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
If your school uses a different grading system, submit the transcript as-is. If available, include a grading translation or equivalency guide.
Short Essay Prompts
- Why are you applying for this program? What interests you about entrepreneurship or social entrepreneurship? (250 words or fewer)
- What strengths would you bring to the program in terms of skills, knowledge, or perspective? (250 words or fewer)
- Do you have any experience with entrepreneurship, nonprofit work, social impact, or AI tools? (Optional) (125 words or fewer)
Ready to Start?
You don’t have to wait until summer to experience Startup UCLA.
Apply today and begin developing your entrepreneurial skills on your schedule.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Program Contact
Questions about program selection, eligibility, the application process, or Summer 2027?
Email: Dr. Audra Huffmeyer [ahuffmeyer@college.ucla.edu](mailto:ahuffmeyer@college.ucla.edu)