If you’re an academically motivated high school student, pursuing a STEM program is a great way to build a strong foundation in the field.
Why should I participate in STEM programs as a high school student?
- STEM programs offer rigorous, hands-on learning experiences that surpass traditional classroom instruction. By engaging in advanced coursework, research projects, and collaborative problem-solving, you will gain invaluable exposure to cutting-edge scientific concepts and methodologies.
- These programs are often academically challenging and have some research aspects.
- They help foster critical thinking and analytical skills!
- You will get the chance to work with accomplished faculty and researchers and gain insights into your field of interest not usually available in your school syllabus.
In this blog, check out 17 STEM programs for high school students. Whether you are looking for virtual, free, or research programs that provide a stipend, this blog’s got you covered!
1. Horizon’s Research Program
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and more! It is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers a choice between quantitative and qualitative research!
Once you select a particular subject track and type of research you’ll be paired with a professor or Ph.D. scholar (from a top university) who will mentor you throughout your research journey. You’ll work to create a 20-page, university-level research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student.
This program is a solid opportunity for you to pursue a research program in highly specialized fields, under the guidance of a top scholar. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student, as well as detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects and on college applications. Apply here!
Location: Virtual
Application Date: September 25, 2024 for the fall cohort
Program Dates:
Fall seminar - October 23, 2024 - February 19, 2025
Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply 4 weeks in advance.
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
2. MITES Summer
MITES Summer is a residential six-week immersive program for high school students interested in STEM. This program includes an intensive academic program and you will attend lectures in one math course, one life sciences course, one physics course, a humanities course, and one project-based elective course. You will have midterms and finals as well as final projects and presentations in the Final Symposium.
You will be placed in the appropriate STEM courses based on your application and your assessment during the program orientation. You are also expected to spend a significant amount of time completing assigned homework and working on a hands-on project. The research project can be done in STEM areas like - Architecture, Engineering Design, Machine Learning, Genomics, and Electronics.
At the end of the program, you will receive a written evaluation from your instructors, outlining strengths and growth areas, as well as highlighting your contributions to the class!
Location: MIT campus, Cambridge, MA
Subject Areas: Math, Life sciences, Physics, Humanities, Engineering
Cost: Free. Students only need to pay for transportation to and from the MIT campus
Application Date: November 2024 to February 2025
Program Dates: Six weeks in the Summer, tentatively between June to July 2025
Eligibility: All high school students in the 11th grade, who have US citizenship or US Permanent Residency are eligible to apply.
The Engineering Summer Academy at Penn (ESAP) is an intensive program for highly motivated high school students to pursue college-level STEM courses over three weeks. You can choose from seven different courses: Biotechnology, Artificial intelligence, Complex networks, Computer graphics, Computer science, Nanotechnology, and Robotics.
You will work with UPenn’s faculty while earning college credit. The program has an instructor-to-student ratio of 1:19! The online application will require submissions of personal essays, your high school transcript, and a letter of recommendation, preferably from your teachers.
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Subject Areas: Biotechnology, Artificial intelligence, Complex networks, Computer graphics, Computer science, Nanotechnology, Robotics
Cost: $8,500 program fee and $85 non-refundable application fee
Application Date: January 2, 2025 to March 1, 2025
Program Dates: July 6, 2025 to July 26, 2025
Eligibility: All rising sophomores to rising seniors who are at least 15 years old are eligible to apply. You need a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale to apply. The selection criteria for international students are a bit different and can be found here.
Stanford AI4ALL is a three-week online program, designed to be an immersive experience for high school students interested in AI through a combination of lectures, hands-on research projects, and mentoring activities. You will attend online lectures with Stanford faculty in Computer Science, AI, and related fields. In association with the Stanford AI Lab, you will gain hands-on experience with real, significant research projects.
These research projects will typically focus on the societal impacts of AI and how AI can be used to address some of our world’s most pressing problems!
Various subfields of AI such as computer vision, natural language processing, robotics, and computational biology will be explored in this program. The student intake is roughly 40-50 every year.
Location: Virtual
Subject Areas: Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Cost: $4,000. Financial aid of 25%, 50% and 100% is available. The financial aid application is here.
Application Date: March 2025
Program Dates: Three weeks in July 2025
Eligibility: All rising 10th graders are eligible to apply. While there are no grade requirements, students with a good academic record with a passion for STEM are preferred.
Veritas AI offers multiple programs for high school and middle school students interested in exploring AI, machine learning, and data science projects. The programs include project development, collaborative learning, and 1-on-1 mentorship. These programs are designed and run by Harvard graduate students and alumni and you can expect a fulfilling and enhancing learning experience.
There are three programs designed for high school students - AI Scholars, AI Fellowship, and AI Accelerator. To enroll in either program, students are expected to have a basic understanding of Python. If you want to pursue the fellowship, it is advisable to complete the AI Scholars program first.
In the Scholars program, students attend group classes totaling 25 hours with a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio and the final output is a group project that highlights your learning. The AI Fellowship program allows students to work with AI experts and a couple of sessions with publication experts, who will help with the submission of the research proposal to a high school or college-level research journal. You can find examples of previous projects here. AI Accelerator helps students with 30 one-on-one mentorship lessons with a mentor, who will help the participants pursue independent research in the field of AI.
While all Veritas AI programs are paid, need-based financial aid is available for talented students. You can apply to the program and scholarship here!
Location: Virtual
Cost: Between $2,290 to $9,400. Financial aid is available
Application Date: September 8, 2024 for the fall cohort
Program Dates: To be announced soon
Eligibility: Motivated high school students located anywhere in the world. To be considered for the AI Fellowship, applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or have demonstrated past experience with Python coding and projects
Lumiere Research Programs are a good choice for ambitious high school students looking to conduct research across multiple fields including biology, data science, mathematics, astrophysics, computer science, and more under the guidance of renowned PhD mentors. All programs, founded by researchers at Harvard and Oxford, take place completely virtually, allowing you to pursue independent research from anywhere in the world!
If you participate in the Individual Research Program, you will be assigned a top PhD mentor and will work under their guidance for 12 weeks to produce a high-quality, university-level research paper. The Premium Research & Publication Program runs for 16-20 weeks and helps with publication in high-school or college-level journals. Research Fellowship is a 6-12 month long program and helps with preparation for a highly selective research competition or publication.
You can find the application form here.
You can also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented students from low-income families.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Between $2,990 to $8,900. Financial aid is available
Application Date: August 25, 2024 for the fall cohort
Program Dates: To be announced soon
Eligibility: Motivated high school students located anywhere in the world may apply
The Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) is an eight-week program for high school students with a strong interest in research and medical sciences. It is a very prestigious program, selecting only 50 participants every summer. You will work in the laboratories of Stanford faculty members, where they are mentored by graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and other members of the research team to develop a research project.
While you are expected to spend most of the time in labs, you will be attending lectures throughout the program to boost your learning. During the last 2 weeks of the program, you will be busy preparing your poster for the poster session.
A stipend ranging from $500 to $2,500 is provided, and students are expected to spend approximately 40 hours/week in research labs. This is a commuter program and local Bay Area students are preferred, as housing and meals are not provided.
You can read more about the program in detail here. If you are looking for an academically inclined program with no lab work, you should opt for the SIMR Bioengineering Team Internship.
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Subject Areas: Biology, Immunology, Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Neurobiology, Cardiovascular Biology, Cancer Biology, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Genetics and Genomics
Cost: $40 application fee, which is waived for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. A stipend between $500 to $2,500 is available at the end of the program
Application Date: December 2024 to February 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Program Dates: June to August 2025
Eligibility: All high school juniors or seniors, who are at least 16 years old and have US citizenship or US Permanent Residency are eligible to apply. Students from outside the Bay Area need to produce proof of residency before the program begins.
Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS) is a fully funded, merit-based program that provides opportunities for students from underrepresented communities to explore STEM-related fields. In this program, you will participate in a rigorous curriculum taught by renowned faculty and staff across STEM fields, with a focus on math and science. The learning experience will include traditional classroom instruction and hands-on projects.
The program will take place in two phases. In the first phase, which will take place before the residential 6-week track, you will attend virtual lectures that will help you prepare for the rigor of the in-person program. The second phase is the in-person program will help you develop your quantitative and computational skills through daily lectures and STEM-related workshops.
The program culminates with the day-long Symposium which includes a Closing Awards Ceremony and STEM project student presentations.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Subject Areas: Math, Science
Cost: Free
Application Date: The application deadline is March 1, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Program Dates: June to August 2025
Eligibility: All high school juniors, who are at least 16 years old and have US citizenship or US Permanent Residency are eligible to apply.
Michigan Math and Science Scholars is a two-week pre-college STEM program for high school students interested in exploring the current developments and research in the sciences. You will attend one of the courses offered by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts including Anthropology; Astronomy; Chemistry; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Earth and Environmental Sciences; Mathematics; Paleontology; Psychology; and Physics.
The class size is roughly 15 for every course, which is taught by accomplished UMich faculty. You can explore all the course offerings from the 2024 program here. You will attend classes every day between 9 am to 4:30 pm and spend time in research and computer laboratories, as well as doing fieldwork with your professors.
You can attend all three sessions in the summer and can choose to pursue different courses in each one.
Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Subject Areas: Art & Music, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology
Cost: $1,300 tuition, $100 non-refundable application fee, and $1,000 add-on for the residential option. Limited financial aid is available
Application Date: The deadline is March 2025
Program Dates: Three sessions in June and July
Eligibility: Open to all rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors in high school, including international students
Columbia Engineering's Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE) is a pre-college program for high school students to help them enhance their STEM learning. You will attend college-level, project-based courses in engineering taught by Columbia University faculty over three weeks. Courses will cover subject areas such as Data Science, Mathematics, Sustainability, and multiple Engineering domains.
The three-week program is designed to provide high school students with an introduction to various STEM concepts through college-level instruction and hands-on learning through group projects and participating in research laboratories. For instance, students attending the Data Science course will explore fundamental statistical theories and use computer programming to conduct computation, data manipulation, data visualization, and data analysis.
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Subject Areas: Robotics, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Sustainable Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics
Cost: $5,500. Need-based financial aid is available
Application Date: November 2024 to March 2025
Program Dates: Two sessions in July and August
Eligibility: Open to all high school students, including recent graduates.
Harvard Medical School hosts multiple STEM-immersive programs for high school students during the summer and academic year, which focus on enhancing the participants’ knowledge in medicinal research, forensics, diagnosis, dentistry, and more. You will learn from Harvard Medical School staff and other expert healthcare professionals who will be giving guest lectures. In courses ranging from one to two weeks, you will have hands-on learning experiences to complement lessons.
The summer program offers six different options that you can choose from with courses ranging from MEDscienceLAB, a day program that helps you understand how medical research is conducted. MEDscience Moonshot is a program that you should consider if you want to explore the intersection of computer science, artificial intelligence, surgical robotics, and engineering to study current medical technology problems.
Location: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Subject Areas: Biology, Anatomy, Physiology, Medicine
Cost: Varies from $2,650 to $5,550 depending on the program
Application Date: January to March 2025
Program Dates: Between June to August 2025
Eligibility: Open to all high school students, including recent graduates, excluding rising freshmen.
CS Scholars (CSS) is a four-week, fully-funded pre-college program at Carnegie Mellon University which is designed for high school students to take a deep dive into the world of computer science through a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on research projects, faculty lectures, and industry engagement with leading tech companies.
You will be introduced to the basics of programming and problem-solving in Python. You will learn algorithmic components (variables, functions, conditionals, and loops), basic data structures (lists and dictionaries), and problem-solving techniques (algorithmic thinking, top-down design, testing, and debugging). The course will also involve working on your computational skills, so you will also attend multiple Mathematics lectures.
The program also has a research component and you will be introduced to ongoing research projects from faculty and graduate students. You will also take part in group projects and the program will conclude with Capstone group presentations on the final day Symposium.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Subject Areas: Math, Computer Science
Cost: Free
Application Date: The application deadline is March 1, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Program Dates: June to August 2025
Eligibility: All high school juniors, who are at least 16 years old and have US citizenship or US Permanent Residency are eligible to apply.
The Summer Training in Academic Research (STAR) Program at Duke University is an eight-week, paid research program for high school students and undergraduates interested in science and medicine who want real hands-on experience in research methodology and writing. You are placed in teams and matched with Duke faculty mentors to work on an original, hypothesis-driven project. A goal of the program is to have every participant qualify for co-authorship on a peer-reviewed manuscript related to their team’s project.
The first two weeks of the program will be the research and literature survey phase and in collaboration with your mentor and team members, you will establish a specific question or issue related to the uses and effects of a particular medication. This will form the basis of your research project and peer-reviewed paper.
The final six weeks of the program will involve full-time commitment to develop a thesis consisting of a description of the research question, aims, methods, figures/tables, results, and discussion for their specific project. Throughout the duration, you will be guided by a medical writer and statistician to help you prepare a good draft and attend lectures on topics like neonatology, antimicrobial therapy, and pharmacoepidemiology by a Duke faculty.
Location: Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, NC
Subject Areas: Medicine, Epidemiology
Cost: Free. Participants need to make their own housing and transportation arrangements
Application Date: November 2024 to January 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Program Dates: June to August 2025
Eligibility: All rising juniors or seniors in high school and undergraduate students who have US citizenship or US Permanent Residency are eligible to apply.
The ASPIRE program is an annual summer STEM enhancement program for high school students in the Washington-Baltimore Metro area, providing them with hands-on internship opportunities. The primary goal of the program is not to test and evaluate students, but to offer a supportive environment to learn more about STEM skills and careers, thus it is focused on the research aspect more than lectures.
If selected, you will be expected to complete a minimum of 190 hours of work during the internship between the onboarding date and your return to school in the fall. You may, and are encouraged to, complete additional hours past the minimum to make the most of the learning experience. Your internship will culminate with the submission of a digital poster on your research internship experience. Some students continue their projects through the semester between September and May.
The ASPIRE program is competitive, though the GPA is not the main requirement. You can read more about the selection process here. The current acceptance rate is approximately 15%-20%. There is also the STEM Academy at JHU for middle and high school students, who are interested in pursuing academic enhancement courses.
Location: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Subject Areas: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering (All), Information Technology & Cybersecurity, Mathematics & Data Analysis, Physics, Planetary Science
Cost: Free. Participants need to make their own housing and transportation arrangements
Application Date: January to February 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Program Dates: June to August 2025
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 15 years old with US citizenship and a minimum 2.8 GPA on a 4.0 scale living in the Washington-Baltimore Metro area.
The Laboratory Learning Program is a full-time, free research experience offered as a summer internship for high school students. Selected students get to work on ongoing research projects at the university labs, where they will be supervised and mentored by Princeton University faculty and research staff in either an engineering or natural science project. For the 2024 program, students will conduct research in the fields of natural sciences and engineering. Roughly 3000 applications were received for the 2024 program.
This internship is designed to be a purely educational experience and no academic credit is provided, which interested students should keep in mind before applying. Students will get to work with Princeton faculty and will have the opportunity to build valuable connections.
Note: Students are not provided transportation or housing facilities, and are not allowed to stay on the Princeton University campus.
Location: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Subject Areas: Engineering, Natural sciences
Cost: Free.
Application Date: February to March 2025
Program Dates: 5-6 weeks in the summer, dates will be provided based on project needs
Eligibility: High School students, including international students enrolled in a New Jersey high school, who are at least 16 years old are eligible to apply.
Yale Pathways to Science is not a single program but an initiative from Yale University to support promising young scholars to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. If selected, you will be part of a group of roughly 1900 top young minds in the New Haven area and will be able to participate in academic enhancement programs, research internships, and workshops for free!
Once accepted into the program, you will have access to over 150 different programs and events annually. In the past, students have viewed the cosmos at Yale’s state-of-the-art planetarium, launched rockets, built telescopes, examined brain specimens with Yale neuroscientists, and much more.
One of the top options for participants in this program is the Yale Pathways to Science Summer Laboratory Research Internships and the Summer Scholars Program, with both having lectures across various science fields conducted by Yale faculty alongside a hands-on research component.
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Subject Areas: Earth & Planetary Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Applied Physics, Genetics, Chemistry, Computer Science
Cost: Free.
Application Date: Notifications are sent to teachers in May every year
Program Dates: Varies depending on the particular program
Eligibility: All middle and high school students from New Haven, West Haven and Orange Areas nominated by their math or science teacher are eligible to apply.
SSSP is a free 4-week residential summer program for high school students organized by the University of Southern California, which is designed to promote an interest in STEM among students from marginalized communities that have been underrepresented in the industry. Topics like robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum computing, space engineering, and more are covered in a hybrid setting with 3-4 hours of daily instruction, workshops, seminars, mentorship, and industrial visits.
To apply you will need two letters of recommendation, need to meet the word count requirement on each short essay question, and submit an unofficial transcript indicating a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Location: USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Los Angeles, CA
Subject Areas: Robotics, Coding, Artificial intelligence, Cybersecurity, Space engineering
Cost: Free, including the transportation costs to and from the USC Information Sciences Institute
Application Date: April to May 2025
Program Dates: June to July 2025
Eligibility: All high school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates who are at least 15 years old from inner cities of Los Angeles County and have a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale are eligible to apply.
David Wilkinson is a freelance writer for Horizon and currently resides in the United States.