Alcorn State University is offering summer programs covering academic, career and enrichment opportunities designed to grow students’ skills.

The 2026 summer lineup spans a wide range of disciplines and age groups, from fourth graders discovering robotics to undergraduate researchers exploring soil science in the Mississippi Delta.

More than 500 participants are expected across all programs. Enrollment is open now for most camps. Some will begin May 31.

The Upward Bound Summer Residential Phase, funded by the U.S. Department of Education and housed in Alcorn’s University College, anchors the early summer calendar. Running May 31 through July 8, the program immerses 44 rising ninth- and 10th-graders from Adams, Claiborne, Jefferson and Wilkinson counties in college-level coursework, tutoring and leadership workshops — all while living on campus. Students eat in the dining hall, sleep in the residence halls and navigate daily life the same way enrolled students do.

For younger students, the Technology Summer Camps offer six day camp sessions across June and July for students in grades 4 through 12. Funded by Entergy, Nissan and the National Nuclear Security Administration through Alcorn’s Department of Advanced Technologies, the camps put students to work in health physics, geospatial information systems, robotics, digital signal processing and electronics. Sessions accommodate 20 to 25 students at a time. Meals are provided. No travel is required.

The AgDiscovery 2026: Summer Day Camp, July 13 through 17, is a USDA/APHIS-funded, five-day program for students in grades 7 through 11 from Southwest Mississippi with an interest in animal science and farming.

The AgHope Middle School Camp runs June 22 through 28 for sixth through eighth graders, ages 11 to 14, and is expected to draw 60 participants from across the state. The AgHope High School Camp follows July 6 through 17 for ninth- through 12th-graders, ages 15 to 19, with another 60 participants expected. Both programs are residential, include meals and are open statewide. Contact [email protected] for information on either session.

At the undergraduate level, the 1890 Distributed Research and Extension Experience for Undergraduates brings eight students from both 1890 and 1862 land-grant universities to Alcorn’s campus June 8 through July 30 for work in crop production, soil health, urban agriculture, forestry and biotechnology.

TRIO programming runs through two separate branches this summer. Talent Search 61 South serves students in Adams, Jefferson and Wilkinson counties with separate tracks for middle schoolers, June 16–19, and high schoolers, June 21–30. Talent Search 61 North mirrors that structure for students in the Vicksburg Warren, Claiborne County and South Delta school districts, both programs run on the same dates. The middle school sessions are day camps. The high school tracks are residential. Both are federally funded, college-focused and free to eligible participants.

The TMCF ASU SOAR Summer Program, funded by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and coordinated through University College, drew 11th-grade students from across the country for a week-long residential experience July 12 through 17. Registration is now closed. Those students will explore majors and career pathways, engage with faculty and alumni, receive guidance on the college admissions process and leave with a peer network that extends well beyond Mississippi.

Rounding out the summer is The Power of Place: Memory and Heritage in the Alcorn Community, funded by the Mississippi Humanities Council and running June 1 through July 31. The program invites administrators, faculty, staff and community members to help document and preserve the living history of the nation’s first public Black land-grant institution. In a year the nation marks America’s 250th anniversary, the University Libraries are centering Alcorn’s own story — hosting community workshops, collecting oral histories and opening the archives to donations of materials connected to the university’s 155-year legacy.

For a full listing of programs, dates, eligibility requirements and contact information, visit www.alcorn.edu/summer-camps or contact Dr. Wandra Arrington, at (601) 877-6138 or [email protected].