Physics programs for high school students can look very different depending on what you’re looking for, and that’s a good thing. Some are short workshops that introduce you to big ideas such as astrophysics or relativity through discussions and guided activities, while others are longer research-based experiences where you work with mentors on real problems. You’ll also find more structured academic programs that help you build a strong foundation in areas such as mechanics, thermodynamics, or mathematical modeling, alongside coding or lab work. Most programs combine conceptual learning with some level of application, whether that’s experiments, simulations, or collaborative projects.
Why should you choose a program in Kentucky?
Kentucky might not be the first place people associate with physics, but that’s exactly why its programs are worth considering. Many are hosted by universities such as Western Kentucky University and focus on accessibility, lower costs, regional outreach, and support for first-generation or underrepresented students. This often translates into smaller cohorts and more direct interaction with instructors and mentors. The programs here also tend to balance fundamentals with exposure to different areas of physics, making them useful if you’re still figuring out your interest in physics rather than committing to a narrow specialization early on.
If you’re still exploring options beyond one location, you can check out our other lists including 15 Physics Programs for High School Students in Maryland and 15 Science Internships for High School Students in Nevada to get a broader sense of what’s available and how Kentucky-based programs fit into that landscape!
1. Brown-Forman INSPIRE Program
Location: J.B. Speed School of Engineering, Louisville, KY
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 12 – 18
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: High school students (Grades 9–12)
If you’re exploring physics but aren’t sure how it translates into real-world careers, INSPIRE gives you a practical entry point through engineering. Over the week-long program, you’ll work with core concepts that draw directly from mechanics, and energy systems, while developing problem-solving skills that mirror college-level STEM work. Workshops led by faculty and industry professionals help you see how physics principles are used in engineering careers, from designing systems to analyzing real-world constraints. You’ll also visit local companies, giving you a closer look at how physics shows up in applied settings. By the end of the week, you can walk away with exposure to applied physics pathways and a certificate of completion to mark your experience!
2. Stanford Program for Inspiring the Next Generation of Women in Physics (SPINWIP)
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 6 – 24
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Female and gender minority students in Grades 9–11; preference for first-generation and underrepresented students in physics; open internationally
If you’re looking for a physics program that goes beyond school-level theory, SPINWIP gives you a glimpse into how modern physics is actually studied and applied. You’ll attend live sessions led by researchers, where topics such as quantum mechanics, astrophysics, and cosmology are broken down in an accessible way. The program also introduces you to niche areas such as dark matter, lasers, and exoplanets, helping you see the breadth of the field early on. Along the way, you’ll receive mentorship from Stanford undergraduates. By the end of the program, you’ll have a working familiarity with coding in physics and a clear sense of where your interests might lie within Physics.
3. NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) Internships
Location: Multiple NASA centers (U.S.) + virtual options
Cost/Stipend: Free; paid internship
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Fall (August–December, 16 weeks) | Spring (January–May, 16 weeks) | Summer (May/June–August, 10 weeks)
Application Deadline: January (Fall) | August (Spring) | October (Summer)
Eligibility: High school students with a minimum 3.0 GPA
Working on actual NASA projects is at the heart of this internship, not simulated coursework. As a high school intern, you’ll be placed on a team where physics shows up in practical ways, whether through materials testing, fluid dynamics, instrumentation, or space systems, depending on your role. You’ll be guided by engineers or researchers who walk you through both the technical details and the broader purpose of the project. The structure varies across sessions, but the exposure to real workflows is what sets it apart. By the end of the program, you won’t just understand the concepts but see how physics operates inside large-scale missions!
4. The Summer Program for Verbally and Mathematically Precocious Youth (VAMPY)
Location: Western Kentucky University, KY
Cost/Stipend: $4,200 program fee + $400 deposit (financial aid available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: June 21 – July 11
Application Deadline: Rolling; testing requirement tied to April 11 (ACT/SAT)
Eligibility: Students completing Grades 7–10; ACT or SAT scores required
VAMPY runs as a three-week academic immersion program where you delve deeply into a single subject for most of the day, with structured study time in the evenings. If you choose physics, you’ll cover core topics such as Newtonian mechanics, electricity, magnetism, waves, light, and optics. What sets this experience apart is its focus on application. You’ll take part in laboratory experiments and demonstrations that bring these concepts to life. Classes are discussion-based and move at a fast pace, so staying engaged is the key. Outside academics, you live on campus and interact closely with a peer group that shares similar academic interests, making the environment both intense and collaborative.
5. Upward Bound at Western Kentucky University (WKU)
Location: Western Kentucky University (WKU), Bowling Green, KY
Cost/Stipend: Free (includes housing, meals, and program activities)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Six-week residential program (late May/early June – mid-July, exact dates TBA)
Application Deadline: April 14 (current UB students) | May 15 (newly admitted students)
Eligibility: High school students from eligible Kentucky districts; must meet income/first-generation criteria and have a minimum 2.25 GPA
This six-week residential program combines core academics with college prep, giving you a structured routine similar to an early college experience. You’ll take a mix of subjects, including math and lab science, which help build the kind of problem-solving skills and foundational knowledge that supports further study in physics. Alongside your classes, you’ll participate in workshops on careers and college admissions, helping you understand possible STEM pathways. The residential setup adds a strong community aspect, as you’ll live on campus, take part in group activities and events, and build connections with peers who share similar goals. Overall, this program is less about specializing and more of a broad academic preparation program, with enough STEM exposure to build a base for physics-related interests.
6. MITES Semester (MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science)
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Highly selective
Dates: June – December
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: U.S. citizens/permanent residents; high school juniors
MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering and Science (MITES Semester) runs over six months, combining online coursework with structured college prep. You’ll take one project-based STEM course alongside a core subject such as physics, calculus, or computer science. Physics shows up both directly and indirectly, through topics such as astrophysics and thermodynamics, and indirectly through applied, inter-disciplinary work. Classes are live and collaborative, so you’ll regularly interact with instructors and peers rather than work at your own pace. The program continues into the fall with weekly sessions focused on college applications, essays, and decision-making. The long duration means you stay within the same peer group, building both academic depth and a sense of community. The program concludes with an in-person conference at MIT.
7. University of Maryland – WIE RISE! A Summer Research Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $25 (scholarships available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 27 – 31
Application Deadline: April 25
Eligibility: Rising Grades 9–12
This five-day virtual program introduces you to engineering through a research-focused lens, with each day covering a different field such as aerospace, materials science, or electrical engineering. During the program, you’ll attend live sessions with current University of Maryland students, explore lab work through virtual tours and demos, and learn how to read and understand scientific research papers. While the program isn’t purely focused on physics, topics such as mechanics, materials, and energy systems naturally connect back to core physics concepts, giving you a practical sense of how physics is applied in engineering contexts. The structure is short and exploratory, with simple at-home experiments and discussions rather than deep technical training. Overall, it works best as an introduction to research and interdisciplinary STEM.
8. George Mason University’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free; $25 application fee (waiver available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Highly selective
Dates: June 18 – August 12
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: High school students aged 15+
The Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) places you directly into an eight-week research environment, where you work closely under faculty mentorship on a specific project, often in areas such as physics, astronomy, or mathematical modeling. The experience is lab-driven and technical, with an emphasis on data analysis, experimentation, and scientific writing, rather than classroom instruction. During the program, you’ll engage with real research problems, which may involve coding, simulations, or theoretical models, depending on your field. You’ll regularly interact with mentors and researchers, gaining insights into how scientific work is conducted and communicated. In some cases, projects extend to conference presentations and journal submissions.
9. Cornell Precollege Studies Program
Location: Cornell University (in-person & virtual options)
Cost/Stipend: Varies (tuition charged per credit)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Summer & Winter sessions (varies by course)
Application Deadline: Rolling (varies by session)
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors (ages 15–19)
This program at Cornell University lets you enroll in actual undergraduate courses while still in high school, earning 3–12 college credits and an official transcript. You can choose from a wide range of subjects, including physics, where courses are taught at the same level as first-year college classes. This means lectures, assignments, and exams all move at a similar pace as they would for Cornell undergraduates. The experience is less guided than typical summer programs; rather you would have to keep up with coursework independently and engage at a college level. Depending on your preference, you can enroll in residential, commuter, or online formats
10. Dartmouth Precollege Online Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $1,895 / course (Need based scholarships available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round (varies by course length)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students aged 13+
This program, designed by Dartmouth University, offers short, flexible online courses across subjects such as applied math, AI, biology, and more. The format is asynchronous, so you can work through video-based lessons at your own schedule and receive guidance when needed. While there isn’t a dedicated physics track, courses in areas such as applied math and other science-focused options can help you build the analytical thinking and problem-solving skills relevant to physics. Each course ends with a certificate, making it a lighter, flexible option compared to research or credit-based programs.
11. GoPhysics! Online Workshops – Perimeter Institute
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 7–8
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Grade 9–10 (Exoplanets & Universe) | Grade 11–12, with Physics (Gravity & Black Holes)
Run by Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, these short workshops introduce you to modern physics topics through guided discussions and activities rather than traditional lectures. You can choose between two tracks: an introductory track covering topics such as exoplanets, Big Bang, and how scientific thinking works, or a more advanced track diving into gravity, relativity, and black holes, comparing how Newtonian and Einsteinian physics explain the universe differently. The format combines live sessions with a small amount of independent work, keeping the pace manageable but conceptually focused. Interaction is a key part of the experience, with group problem-solving and an optional Q&A session with a researcher. The program is brief but content-rich, making it a good snapshot of theoretical physics beyond the school syllabus.
12. Biomedical Engineering Innovation (BMEI) – Johns Hopkins University
Location: Virtual (asynchronous)
Cost/Stipend: $4,260 total (tuition + lab kit), Need based scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round (Fall, Spring, Summer cohorts)
Application Deadline: Rolling (varies by term)
Eligibility: High school students with strong math/science background; must have completed Algebra II, trigonometry, and one year of physics
The BMEI program from Johns Hopkins University is a college-credit course where you apply physics concepts directly to biomedical systems through project-based work. The course is lab-heavy despite being online, with hands-on builds such as Arduino-based sensors, biomechanical modeling of motion, and simulations of cardiovascular systems, all of which rely on mechanics, circuits, and data analysis. You’ll work through pre-recorded lectures on your own schedule but follow structured deadlines, with optional live sessions for support and design feedback. Academically, the level is closer to an introductory college engineering course. You are expected to be comfortable with ideas such as free-body diagrams, equations of motion, and basic circuits. Overall, the program is best suited if you want to use physics in applied, interdisciplinary contexts rather than study it in isolation.
13. Engineering Innovation (EEI) – Johns Hopkins University
Location: In-person (multiple U.S. sites) + hybrid + virtual
Cost/Stipend: $4,225 (tuition + lab kit; varies by format)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Example (Online): June 29 – July 31
Application Deadline: Rolling (varies by cohort)
Eligibility: High school students with strong math/science background; Algebra II, trigonometry, and one year of chemistry and/or physics required
The EEI program from Johns Hopkins University is a multi-week, college-level experience that introduces you to different branches of engineering through hands-on projects and team-based problem solving. Physics is woven throughout the experience; you might be analyzing forces for bridge design, working with circuits in electronics projects, or understanding how systems behave in mechanical and materials contexts. The course is structured around building and testing your work, with an emphasis on applying math and physics rather than learning theory in isolation. You collaborate in small groups, follow a fixed schedule (especially online), and complete design challenges that mirror introductory engineering coursework.
14. BWSI Quantum Software – MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Highly selective
Dates: Summer (4-week program; exact dates vary)
Application Deadline: Not specified (typically early year)
Eligibility: High school students with programming experience
This program focuses on quantum computing at the intersection of physics and programming, taking you from foundational concepts to real implementation. You’ll start by building the necessary groundwork in linear algebra, complex numbers and computational logic. From there, the focus shifts to core quantum mechanics concepts such as superposition, entanglement, and quantum gates. You spend most of the time coding in Q# and working through algorithms such as Grover’s and Shor’s, rather than just learning theory. The final week is team-based, where you implement a quantum algorithm from research literature and present your results, with attention to both correctness and efficiency.
15. MIT OpenCourseWare – Introduction to Statistical Physics
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Open access
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students with single-variable calculus and basic programming experience
Offered through Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare, this course covers core statistical physics topics such as entropy, thermodynamics, and the Boltzmann distribution. The approach is both conceptual and mathematical, so you’ll be working through ideas as well as the equations behind them. The material mirrors an actual MIT course, so you’ll need to be comfortable with calculus, along with some coding to simulate random systems. You work independently through lectures and problem sets, making it more self-driven than structured programs. By the end of the program, you’ll have a deep, quantitative understanding of how large systems behave.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
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: Dartmouth