If you’re a high school student in Louisville looking to spend your summer building new skills and exploring your interests, a summer program is a solid way to start. These programs give you hands-on experience in fields like science, technology, the arts, and social studies.
Many of these programs give you the chance to build field-specific skills you wouldn’t usually learn in a classroom. You could study environmental science by conducting experiments in a professional lab, learn coding and data analysis through tech-focused workshops, or explore journalism by reporting and writing real-world stories.
To make your search easier, here is a list of 7 Louisville summer programs for high school students!
7 Louisville Summer Programs for High School Students
1. Ladder Internships
Subject Areas: STEM, Arts and humanities
Location: Remote
Cost: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. February 9 for the upcoming spring cohort.
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year. The spring cohort starts on March 3
Eligibility: High school students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up that offers internships across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. As an intern, you will work closely with your managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present your work to the company. Here is the application form. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
2. Lumiere Research Scholars Program
Subject Areas: STEM, Arts and Humanities, Commerce, Economics
Location: Remote — You can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Program Dates: Summer: June – August, fall: September – December, winter: December – February, spring: March – June.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. The Summer Cohort I priority application deadline is March 9!
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subjects that you can explore as a high schooler.
The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
3. UofL Brown Cancer Center High School Summer Research Program
Subject Areas: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Location: Brown Cancer Center (BCC), University of Louisville.
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors in Louisville and the Jefferson County Metro area who will be 16 years old by June 10
Application Deadline: March 14
Program Dates: Monday, June 10–Friday, August 1 (8-week internship).
Cost: Free. Students will receive a stipend of $4000.
UofL Brown Cancer Center High School Summer Research Program gives high school students hands-on experience in cancer research. Over eight weeks, you’ll start with a two-week wet lab tutorial and then work on an individual research project guided by a faculty mentor.
The program also includes weekly lectures and ends with a research poster presentation. Through this program, you’ll learn essential research skills like lab techniques, data analysis, scientific writing, and how to present research findings. You’ll also gain a deeper understanding of cutting-edge cancer research topics and experimental design.
4. Louisville Science Pathways Program
Subject Areas: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Location: University of Louisville’s Belknap and Health Sciences Campuses.
Eligibility: Students must be 16 years old, entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year, committed to the full 6 weeks, and live in Jefferson County.
Application Deadline: The application deadline is April 1st
Program Dates: June 16th to July 25th
Cost: Not specified
Louisville Science Pathways (LSP) offers high school students in Jefferson County hands-on research experience at the University of Louisville. Over six weeks, you’ll work with researchers in fields like neurobiology, biochemistry, computer science, and cancer immunology, learning skills like experimental design, data collection, lab safety protocols, and scientific writing. You’ll also gain experience in analyzing research findings, using specialized lab equipment, and presenting your work.
5. Young Leaders Academy
Subject Areas: Arts & Humanities, Social sciences
Location: University of Louisville.
Eligibility: Students must be in grades 9-12 and have completed at least one year of high school by the time of the conference.
Application Deadline: March 28
Program Dates: July 15-July 19
Cost: The program is all-expenses-paid.
Young Leaders Academy (YLA) is a four-day, all-expenses-paid residential program at the University of Louisville. You’ll explore American Constitutionalism, including the origins of the written Constitution and Federalist and Anti-Federalist debates.
Through lectures, seminars, and discussions with faculty and experts, you’ll develop skills in constitutional analysis, evidence-based argumentation, policy evaluation, and persuasive writing. You’ll also practice public speaking, debate techniques, and interpreting historical texts, gaining a deeper understanding of the American founding.
6. UofL Brown-Forman INSPIRE Summer Enrichment Program
Subject Areas: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Location: J.B. Speed School of Engineering, University of Louisville.
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
Application Deadline: May 1
Program Dates: July 14– July 19
Cost: Free upon acceptance
UofL Brown-Forman INSPIRE Summer Enrichment Program is a free, weeklong program at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering. You’ll explore engineering concepts, college preparation, and career development through interactive field visits, hands-on design challenges, and seminars led by industry professionals and faculty. The program wraps up with a final presentation and ceremony, and you’ll earn a certificate of completion.
7. UofL Speed School Summer Chip Camp
Subject Areas: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Location: STEM+HUB, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, University of Louisville.
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12
Application Deadline: Not specified.
Program Dates: June 9–June 13
Cost: Free
Chip Camp at the University of Louisville is a free, five-day program from June 9–13 at the STEM+HUB in the J.B. Speed School of Engineering. You’ll get hands-on experience in microprocessor chip design and semiconductor technology, learning the fundamentals of chip architecture, circuit design, and electronic systems. This program also helps you develop problem-solving, technical analysis, and innovation skills while exploring real-world applications in electronics.
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source – University of Louisville logo
