If you’re a high school student looking for a summer program, you’ve made a good decision. Summer programs give you the opportunity to enhance your knowledge and improve your practical skills, giving you a head start for the school year. Whether you are exploring different fields or looking to dive into a specialized interest, summer programs can help you learn beyond your high school curriculum.
For high school students in New Mexico, there are many options available, from camps and immersions to research programs. These programs cover a wide range of topics as well, from STEM fields to humanities topics like poetry and even performing arts like dance and music.
Here are 11 of the best summer programs for high school students in New Mexico:
1. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)
Subject area: Political theory, chemistry, psychology, cybersecurity, neuroscience, and more
Location: Virtual
Application Date: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer and Fall cohorts.
Program Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September).
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! A few tracks require prerequisites, see here.
Horizon’s programs offer high school students the opportunity to conduct research in highly specialized fields under the guidance of either a professor or PhD scholar. Under their expert guidance, you will study your chosen topic in depth and create a 20-page college-level academic paper. You can choose from a number of fields like political theory, chemistry, psychology, cybersecurity, neuroscience, and more. You can even choose between quantitative and qualitative research. Apply to the program here!
2. Albuquerque Academy Think Summer
Subject area: Multiple options available (STEM and humanities)
Application deadline: Not specified, but registrations have previously opened during February
Eligibility: Students in grades K-12
Program dates: Changes with each course, but all courses take place between June and July
Location: Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque, NM
Fee: Varies with each camp
Albuquerque Academy’s Think Summer is an academic enrichment program that aims to help students advance their knowledge and skills outside school classrooms. You can choose between half-day or full-day programs as well as 3-week or 6-week programs. The camp options span STEM and humanities subjects, including sports, graphic design, mechanical engineering, literature, ceramics, and more. Here is the full list of available camps.
3. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Subject area: Biology, chemistry, astrophysics, engineering, physics, economics, business, philosophy, and more
Application deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. You can apply here
Eligibility: High school students
Program dates: There are four cohorts throughout the year in the spring, summer, fall, and winter
Location: Online
Fee: $2,990 for the Individual Research Program, $5,900 for the Premium Research and Publication Program, $8,900 for the Research Fellowship and the Professor Premium Publication Program. Financial aid available
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is an academically rigorous program where you get the mentoring and resources to work on an individual research project. Through the process of developing a research paper, you will learn about a specific topic in-depth and study it at a university level. You can choose your topic from fields like biology, chemistry, astrophysics, engineering, physics, economics, business, philosophy, and more. You can also check out the Lumiere Foundation, a non-profit research program that offers assistance to low-income students.
4. Hiland Theater Summer Programs
Subject area: Dance
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students between the ages of 3 and 18
Program dates: Not specified
Location: The Hiland Theater, Albuquerque, NM
Fee: Not specified; the organization uses a sliding-scale tuition structure which you can read about here
If you’re interested in performing arts, you can consider the Hiland Theater’s summer programs, organized by the National Dance Institute of New Mexico. High schoolers can choose the Arts in Motion track, which has full-day and half-day intensives in ballet, jazz, modern, and other styles. The other option is the Continuum track, which is a two-week immersion for intermediate-level dancers who want to pursue it as a career. The latter culminates in a final performance by the students.
5. Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Summer Physics Camp for Women
Subject area: Physics, engineering, chemistry, environmental science, robotics, coding, bioengineering, cybersecurity
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students living in NM, NM tribal communities, or East Hawaii Island who have completed Algebra I or a high-level math course
Program dates: June 10 – 21
Location: New Mexico School for the Arts, Santa Fe, NM
Fee: Free
The Los Alamos National Laboratory organizes this annual camp for young women to explore STEM fields. The curriculum focuses on energy and energy security, which you will study through practical activities, lectures, tours, demonstrations, and an engineering project. You will also learn about fields like bioengineering, computer programming, and chemistry, as well as hone professional skills like resume writing and interviewing.
6. Summer Science Program
Subject area: Astrophysics
Application deadline: February 21
Eligibility: Current high school juniors who are at least 15 years old and have completed the required courses
Program dates: Mid-June to July (tentative, based on previous years)
Location: New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
Fee: Ranges from free to $8,800 depending on family income. Stipends of up to $3,000 are available
The Summer Science Program is one of the most prestigious summer programs for high school students in the U.S. The New Mexico State track of the program focuses on astrophysics and will introduce you to research in near-earth asteroid orbit determination. During the program, you will learn about celestial coordinates, observe asteroids through a telescope, write Python software to calculate velocity vectors, and predict the asteroid’s future position.
7. The University of New Mexico’s Engineering and Computing Summer Academy
Subject area: Engineering and computer science
Application deadline: April 15
Eligibility:
- Rising freshmen, sophomores, and juniors can apply to the commuter program
- Rising juniors and seniors can apply to the residential program (priority will be given to those who are 16 years of age or older)
Program dates: June 3 – 28 for the commuter program | July 7 – 26 for the residential program
Location: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Fee: None (students will receive a stipend on completion)
The University of Mexico’s Engineering and Computing Summer Academy serves as an introduction to the fundamentals of engineering and computer science. The commuter program has a different theme each week, while the residential program focuses on the transportation industry. In both tracks, you will learn about STEM fields through activities, field trips, and networking opportunities with the STEM faculty and industry professionals.
8. New Mexico Tech’s Summer STEM Experience
Subject area: UX design, materials engineering, electrical engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering, biology, mechanical engineering, mineral engineering, petroleum engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and computer science
Application deadline: May 24 for the June session | June 28 for the July session
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have a minimum GPA of 2.75 and have completed Algebra I
Program dates: June 9 – 14 | July 14 – 19
Location: New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM
Fee: $565 per session
A five-day residential program, the Summer STEM Experience allows you to explore a STEM field in detail through lectures, lab work, and field trips. You can choose from specialized topics like transforming solar power to usable energy, making a miniaturized chemical sensor, space rover optimization, mining, and scaling chemical discoveries. You will also earn college credit through this program!
9. St John’s College Summer Academy
Subject area: Politics, poetry, mathematics, philosophy, history, literature
Application deadline: May 1
Eligibility: High school students between the ages of 15-18
Program dates:
- Session 1: July 7 – 13
- Session 2: July 14 – 20
- Session 3: July 21 – 27
Location: St. John’s College, Santa Fe, NM
Fee: $1,400 per week. Scholarships and other financial aid options are available
During this week-long residential program, high school students get to explore a humanities subject in depth. The topics generally have an interdisciplinary focus and involve discussion-based teaching, which will enhance your reading and critical thinking skills. Previous courses have included ‘Inquiring into the Origins of Politics, Poetry, and Mathematics’ and ‘Civil Disobedience: Understanding the Relationship Between the One and the Many.’ You will analyze and discuss texts like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and speeches by Malcolm X.
10. New Mexico State University’s Youth Entrepreneurship Summer (YES) Camp
Subject area: Business, entrepreneurship, and economics
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Juniors and seniors from high schools that are participating in NMSU’s Dual Credit Program and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (3.2 if you haven’t taken the PSAT, ACT, or SAT)
Program dates: Not specified
Location: New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
Fee: Free
This summer camp for high school students explores how entrepreneurship affects individuals, communities, and the economy. During the process, you will learn about entrepreneurship challenges, supply and demand forces, market research, training employees, financing strategies, social responsibility, and other elements or business planning. Aside from attending classes, you will produce a business plan and present it at the end of the program. You will also earn three college credits.
11. University of New Mexico’s Architecture + Design Summer Academy
Subject area: Architecture and design
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
Program dates:
- Santa Fe (non-credit): June 10 – 22
- Santa Fe (dual-credit): June 10 – 28
- Albuquerque (non-credit): July 8 – 19
- Albuquerque (dual-credit): July 8 – 26
Location: New Mexico School for the Arts, Santa Fe or the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Fee: $300 per session. Full scholarships are available on a first-come-first-served basis
This UNM summer program is meant to introduce high school students to the disciplines under the School of Architecture and Planning. As a participant, you will attend lectures on various topics within architecture and design, go on field trips, and have your work reviewed by professionals on the final day of the program. You can choose between credit and non-credit tracks, but keep in mind that the homework and assignments will be different for each.
Image Source – Horizon Logo
