Early College Program Summer Institute: Seoul
Early College Program Summer Institute 2025: Seoul
Monday, July 07–Friday, July 18, 2025
Register here! Registration and payment deadline has been extended to May 9.
Watch our Info Webinar
Get a comprehensive overview of the Early College Program Summer Institute (ECPSI) in Seoul this summer. Learn about the curriculum, faculty, college credit, student benefits, and much more!
Tuition:
- $3,696 USD (2.0 college credits for students between the ages of 15 and 18 who have completed their 10th year of high school)
- $1,200 USD (Current 9th graders may register for no college credit)
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is pleased to bring our esteemed Early College Program Summer Institute (ECPSI) to the world-class city of Seoul! Taught by our SAIC school faculty, and held in the incredible art classrooms and studios of Seoul Foreign School, this summer two-week intensive program is designed to educate, engage, and inspire secondary school students who are passionate about art and design in the 21st century.
ECP Korea is designed for students living in and around Seoul to commute to the program. Spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis and early registration is encouraged due to limited class capacities.
The Early College Program Summer Institute (ECPSI) Advantage
- Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive 2 college credits that may be transferable to other accredited institutions.
- A large number of ECPSI students receive top merit scholarships to our undergraduate degree program.
- Students create portfolio-ready work to enhance their admissions portfolios.
- Receive feedback from your instructors: one-on-one advice about constructing a body of work that best represents you. Our faculty look at thousands of portfolios and will provide you with expert advice!
- Following the ECPSI course, there will be an exhibition on Seoul Foreign School’s campus, as well as a presentation for students and their families.
Courses
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Work closely with dedicated faculty to elevate your artistic skills. Explore a diverse range of media—including wet and dry techniques, ink, pencil, charcoal, collage, observational drawing, and storyboarding—or experiment with mixed-media approaches. This course features tailored demonstrations aligned with your interests, and ample time for self-directed exploration. Engage in dynamic discussions and critiques with peers, develop portfolio-quality work, and receive personalized support in crafting a competitive application for art and design college programs.
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This course provides an in-depth exploration of modern product creation, focusing on Designed Objects. Through hands-on projects and personalized mentorship, you will generate and refine concepts, investigate materials and techniques, and develop unique proposals. Explore the work of innovative creators while strengthening essential skills in sketching, analysis, and creative problem-solving. The course includes tailored demonstrations based on your interests, opportunities for independent experimentation, and expert faculty support. Engage in discussions and critiques with peers, produce portfolio-worthy work, and receive comprehensive guidance to build a competitive application for art and design college programs.
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Drawing/Painting/Comics and Graphic Novels
Molly Colleen O'Connell
Molly Colleen O'Connell's work tells stories that often synthesize fantasy and personal history. As a cartoonist and comics historian, she feels that comics can seamlessly combine the surreal and the mundane to mimic the way our minds travel through narrative. Molly combines the language of cartooning with diverse techniques and materials such as ceramics, painting, poetry, candle making, felting, airbrush, puppetry, and papier-mâché to construct vibrant and immersive installations, comedic performances and narrative books. Molly previously taught in the SAIC Undergraduate Program and the Early College Program Summer Institute. She currently teaches at DePaul University.Designed Objects
Riesling Dong
Riesling Dong (she/her) is a Chicago-based book artist and graphic designer. Her bold experimental approach to her book publishing projects often challenges the convention of traditional books in both physical design and printed content. Riesling’s books take on sculptural form and she views them as a unique medium for delivery of information, storytelling, and embodied experience. Her aim is to enhance the viewer’s experience and understanding, meanwhile creating an object that holds meaning from typography to material. Riesling currently teaches in SAIC's Undergraduate and Continuing Studies Programs.
Registration, Tuition, & FAQ
Registration & Tuition
Tuition:
- $3,696 USD (2.0 college credits for students between the ages of 15 and 18 who have completed their 10th year of high school)
- $1,200 USD (Current 9th graders may register for no college credit)
Register
Continuing Studies accepts credit cards (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa).
Students must be at least 15 years old and not older than 18 years of age, and have completed grade 10 of their secondary school to enroll in the Early College Program.
Questions? Contact us at cs@saic.edu or call our office at 312.629.6170.
FAQ
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Classes will be held at Seoul Foreign School (SFS):
39 Yeonhui-ro 22-gil
Seodaemun-gu
Seoul, South Korea, 03723
Website: seoulforeign.org
About Seoul Foreign School
SFS was one of the first 200 schools worldwide authorized to offer the IB program of instruction, and has been “inspiring excellence and building character” for more than 100 years. -
All faculty are practicing artists who bring their real world experience into the classroom to help you develop a more meaningful art-making practice. These faculty also teach in the undergraduate degree program at SAIC.
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- Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive 2 college credits that may be transferable to other accredited institutions.
- Earning college credits in pre-college programs is a commonplace practice in the United States. Many high schoolers earn credit before embarking on their undergraduate degrees.
- Most accredited institutions in the United States and abroad accept these credits. It is a similar process than if a student was transferring to a different school.
- Early College programs are a benefit to a student's resume in addition to helping them create a competitive portfolio to include in their art and design application.
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- Students typically complete 2-3 projects during the program that are portfolio ready pieces.
- Participants in ECPSI Korea are not expected to bring work in progress or to complete any preliminary assignments before the start of the program.
- SAIC faculty will share influential works from modernist and contemporary artists to give context and provide inspiration.
- Students will be guided by demonstrations and one-on-one instruction to learn new skills that will help them execute their vision.
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Students in grades 10-12 are required to enroll for college credit.
Current 9th graders can register for non-credit for $1200 USD. -
All courses have 16 or less students per class providing you with a phenomenal teacher-to-student ratio.
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All requests to drop a class must be submitted in writing to CS@saic.edu and include the student’s name, ID number, and course information. 100 percent of tuition is refundable if courses are dropped by April 1, 2025. No refund will be given for classes dropped after this date. Refunds can take up to four to six weeks to process.
