The Westlake Pre-college Summer Program brings high-school students to Westlake University in Hangzhou for laboratory work in biology, biomedical engineering, physics, or mechanical engineering. Faculty, researchers, and graduate students guide the laboratory sessions.
Afternoons include scientific lectures, laboratory and company visits, and cultural activities in Hangzhou and Shanghai. The 2026 program ran from July 5 to July 21, and applications are now closed.
Benefits & funding
- Participants receive a completion certificate and college-level credits; outstanding students receive priority consideration for Westlake undergraduate admission and scholarships.
- Westlake provides supervised single-room campus accommodation, medical insurance, and arrival transport from Hangzhou airport or railway station.
- International participants cover their own Chinese visa fees and related visa expenses unless eligible for the stated YES invitation route.
Eligibility
- Applicants for the 2026 cycle had to be high-school students graduating in 2027 or 2028.
- Strong academic performance, especially in STEM subjects, is required; relevant national or international subject-competition awards receive priority.
- Strong English communication is required, while Mandarin is not required because teaching and activities are in English.
- The international application route requires non-Chinese citizenship and a valid foreign passport; Chinese citizens are directed to other short-term programs.
- Applicants born with foreign citizenship to at least one Chinese-citizen parent must show that the Chinese parent held foreign permanent residence before their birth and that they lived outside Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan for at least two of the latest four years; nine months abroad counts as one year.
- Former residents of Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, or Taiwan who later acquired foreign citizenship must have held foreign nationality documentation for at least four years and meet the same two-of-four-year residence test.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Education required
High School
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Application process
- 1Confirm the applicable application route and, for the international portal, complete the international-status eligibility check.
- 2Create an account in the official application system and select the academic track that fits your interests and strengths.
- 3Submit the application before the stated deadline; late submissions are not accepted.
- 4The program team and track instructors make the final decision.
Program timeline
Application deadline
Feb 1, 2026
Program starts
Jul 5, 2026
Program ends
Jul 21, 2026