UVU Excelerate - A First-Year Project-Based College Kick-Off Experience

What’s Included?

The Excelerate program offers eligible graduating high school seniors an amazing college kick-off experience! 

• Free tuition for one of our General Education courses offered this summer

• Hands-on projects that build your resume and connect you with real community and industry partners

• Small class sizes, skill-building workshops, academic resource support, and embedded peer mentors
  
  

Who Qualifies?

• First-generation high school graduates who plan to attend college in the fall. (You are considered first-generation if neither of your parents has graduated with a four-year degree in the U.S.)

• High school graduates who are undecided on their major, undeclared, or enrolled as University Studies majors.

Students can choose from 15 different courses offered across UVU’s first and second summer blocks. Each course includes hands-on, community-based projects, career guidance, and access to mentorship and campus resources.

The application window is now open. Classes will fill fast!

Learn more: UVU Excelerate Summer Program

If you're interested in UVU Excelerate, please apply to the program by completing an Eligibility Check linked here: Excelerate Eligibility Check

Empowered Professionals of Tomorrow - A High School Early Access Summer Bridge Program

What’s Included?

The Empowered Program allows 9th–11th grade high school students to gain early access and supported success for college!

•  Two tuition-free credited UVU courses offered in one of our four program tracks over the summer 

•  Career-focused exploration tracks that combine academic learning with mentorship, skill development, and career exploration activities

• Mentorship, skill-building workshops, career exploration, and academic resource supports that build confidence and early college and career success.

For Summer 2026, we are excited to offer four guided tracks in Empowered for students:

Engineers & Technologists of Tomorrow 

EDGT 1071 3-Dimensional Modeling

ENGR 1000 Intro to Engineering

Scientists of Tomorrow 

BTEC 1010 Fundamentals of Biotechnology

GEO 1010 Intro to Geology

Business Leaders of Tomorrow  

MGMT 1010 Intro to Business

ENTR  2500 Creativity and Entrepreneurial Thinking

Educators of Tomorrow  

EDEL 1010 Intro to Education

EDEL  2330 Children’s Literature 

Learn more: www.uvu.edu/bridge/

Because this program is in high demand, the application process is competitive. We recommend that interested students submit their applications as soon as possible.

If you're interested in Empowered, apply through this link.