LYNX National Arts & Media Camps

Summer camps for high school students

About LYNX Camps

The LYNX National Arts and Media Camps are summer immersion programs for high school students interested in the arts and music. The camps are hosted on the University of Colorado Denver campus and sponsored by the CU Denver College of Arts & Media. The camps are designed to provide students with an educational preview of the college programs offered in the College of Arts & Media while also providing students with an inspiring and memorable summer camp experience. We host high school students from throughout the U.S at the camps and occasionally even have international students attend! This creates a diverse and enriching experience as students bond over a shared passion for the arts.

2025 Camp Programs

June 9-13, 2025 | 9:00-4:30 | One-Week Commuter Camps

2D Animation/Illustration - $600

Audio Production/Ableton Live - $600

Comic Book Character Design - $600

Photography - $600

June 15-27, 2025 | Two-Week Camp

Music Industry (Songwriting, Performance, Music Business, and Recording Arts)

Residential - $2,500 - Lodging in the CU Denver City Heights Residence Hall is included. Evening and weekend programming is included. All meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) will happen at City Heights Dining Hall.

Commuter Plus - $1,800 - 9:00am-8:00pm. Evening and weekend programming is included. Lunch and Dinner are included; meals will happen at City Heights Dining Hall.

Commuter - $1,200 - 9:00am-4:30pm, weekdays only. Lunch is included and will happen at the City Heights Dining Hall. Weekend programming is not included.

July 13-25, 2025 | Two-Week Camps

Animation (2D Animation, 3D Animation, Concept Art for Games & Animation, and Stop Motion)

Filmmaking

Visual Immersive Art

Residential - $2,500 - Lodging in the CU Denver City Heights Residence Hall is included. Evening and weekend programming is included. All meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) will happen at City Heights Dining Hall.

Commuter Plus - $1,800 - 9:00am-8:00pm. Evening and weekend programming is included. Lunch and Dinner are included; meals will happen at City Heights Dining Hall.

Commuter - $1,200 - 9:00am-4:30pm, weekdays only. Lunch is included and will happen at the City Heights Dining Hall. Weekend programming is not included.

Application Deadlines

Application Opens - November 1, 2024
Priority Deadline*- March 15, 2025
Final Deadline- May 15, 2025 (late applications will be considered through June 1st)

*Please note that some programs fill up fast. Applicants are encouraged to apply early.
*Students who apply by the priority deadline receive priority for admission and scholarships.

Past LYNX Camp Recap Stories

Eligibility

The LYNX Camps are for high school students (ages 14-18) who are interested in the arts. Any student who has finished 8th grade by the start of the camp and has not yet started college is eligible to attend (we do admit students who have just completed 12th grade). Please contact us if you have any questions about eligibility.

Mission, Values, & Learning Outcomes

Vision: To expand arts and media opportunities for high school students by providing artistic skills, mentors, and college/career pathways.

Mission: To effect change by preparing high school students to successfully pursue their artistic passions through higher education.

Our students are exposed to the skills they need to foster creativity, learning, and community in a higher education environment in order to reach their full academic potential.

By participating in the LYNX National Arts & Media Camp, students will:

Develop artistic skills! Students will have opportunities for hands-on artistic learning in a fun and safe learning environment. Learn from faculty and professionals with years of experience.

Make friends and network! Students will be able to build a community of peers, mentors, staff, and college faculty members.

Learn about career opportunities in the arts! Students will hear from various guest artists and faculty who have made careers out of their talents.

The LYNX National Arts & Media Camps strive to be inclusive of students from all backgrounds. A founding goal of the camps in 2014 was to make the camps as diverse and accessible as possible. We are proud to have many BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students attend the camp every summer.

We only award need-based scholarships at the camp to do our best to increase equity. Need based scholarships help all students to be able to access the camps. We award over $50,000 in camp scholarships almost every summer.

We embrace and celebrate diversity at the LYNX Camps. We value all people for who they are. We don't tolerate any sort of harassment or bullying at the camps.

Creative excellence

Academic and artistic rigor, creativity and innovation are bedrock principles of the College of Arts & Media community and the cornerstone of how we define excellence. As champions of creative excellence in art making and artistic expression we support risk-taking, intellectual freedom and social responsibility.

Discovery

We believe in a culture of shared discovery. Our students learn by doing, and as emerging peers, are important contributors to the knowledge exchange. We value rigorous investigation, critical thinking, diversity, collaboration and invention.

Denver

We are committed to learning both inside and outside the classroom. The accessibility, diversity and cultural energy of Denver make the College of Arts & Media a better place to teach, work and learn. We strive to offer reciprocal experiences to the citizens of this great city and pay it forward by extending our reach and impact in the global community.

College of Arts & Media

CU Denver

Arts Building

1150 10th Street

Suite 177

Denver, CO 80204

303-315-7400

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Alert: The Plaza Building will remain closed through Jan. 20, 2025.

The Plaza Building will remain closed through Jan. 20, 2025. The Health Center is operating in a modified capacity. Call 303-615-9999 for appointment information during operating hours. Reminder, the Health Center is closed for the winter break Dec. 24 - Jan. 1.

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