15 Can’t-Miss STEM Programs for High School Students

We know, we know: as a high school student, you already have a lot on your plate. But at this point in your life, you also have tons of unique opportunities to get unique STEM experiences. These STEM opportunities for high school students range from internships and summer bootcamps to research projects and competitions.

Seize these opportunities, and you’ll get a chance to develop problem-solving skills, meet like-minded people, and make connections. And yes, your participation will look good on your college application!

Ready to give it a go? Start your search for STEM programs by browsing our list of the best 15 among them below, along with program selection and application tips from our experts.

Things to Consider When Choosing the STEM Program

How do you separate a good STEM program for high school students from one that will probably be a waste of your time? In a nutshell, the program you choose should both align with your interests and offer quality learning experiences. Ask these nine questions to guide your decision-making process:

• What STEM field does it focus on (e.g., coding, biomedicine)?
• Does it offer an opportunity to gain real-world experience?
• How competitive is the admissions process? Do you meet the eligibility criteria?
• Does the cost of attendance fit within your budget? Consider both program fees and travel and accommodation costs.
• Is the program well-reputed or organized by a reputed institution?
• Does it offer mentorship?
• Can you earn college credits or a certificate during the program?
• What are the expected outcomes (e.g., research results, portfolio)?
• What is the required time commitment?

15 Best STEM Programs for High School Students

After spending hours researching STEM programs for high schoolers, these fifteen came out on top. Here’s our ranked list of both free and paid programs, with all the information you may need to decide whether they’re good for you.

1. MITES Summer (MIT)

Field: Math, science, and humanities

Format: In-person, on MIT campus

Length: 6 weeks

Cost: Free, with room and board provided; travel costs not covered

Eligibility: Grade 11

Application difficulty: Competitive

Why it’s great for students:

• Advanced classes and workshops that cover diverse STEM topics
• Free MIT on-campus experience packed with social events
• Project-based elective course

Notable outcomes:

• Project completed during an elective course
• Written evaluation from the instructor

2. Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes

Field: Varies (75 courses available)

Format: Online (live)

Length: 2 weeks

Cost: $3,200 (course-specific costs may apply); need-based financial aid available

Eligibility: Grades 8 through 11

Application difficulty: Competitive

Why it’s great for students:

• Diverse course offerings in STEM (AI, engineering, math, etc.) and beyond
• Open to participants from around the world
• Student life workshops added to the curriculum

Notable outcomes:

• Written feedback from the instructor
• Certificate of completion

3. Carnegie Mellon Summer Academy for Math and Science

Field: Math and science

Format: Hybrid

Length: 6 weeks

Cost: Free; travel costs not covered

Eligibility: Grade 11 at the time of application

Application difficulty: Moderate

Why it’s great for students:

• Mentorship by Carnegie Mellon faculty or graduate students
• Holistic curriculum with workshops on college prep
• Designed to promote STEM learning among underrepresented groups

Notable outcomes:

• Completed STEM-related research project
• Credits earned after completing the Student to Scholar course
• Ongoing alumni online sessions

4. Inspirit AI Scholars Program

Field: AI

Format: Online

Length: 25 hours/10 sessions

Cost: $1,400 (payment plans available)

Eligibility: Grades 9 to 12

Application difficulty: Moderate

Why it’s great for students:

• No programming experience required, only interest in AI
• Advanced cohorts for participants with coding experience
• Taught by graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more

Notable outcomes:

• Competed AI projects
• College and career workshops
• 1:1 AI research mentorship

5. STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES)

Field: Earth science

Format: Hybrid

Length: 2 weeks (residential internship)

Cost: Free, with housing and meals included; travel costs not covered

Eligibility: Grades 10 and 11

Application difficulty: Competitive (~10% acceptance rate)

Why it’s great for students:

• Hands-on research opportunity focused on NASA satellite data
• Access to industry experts for extra research
• Demonstrated interest in STEM considered alongside academic achievements

Notable outcomes:

• Research projects presented during a virtual symposium
• NASA certificate of completion

6. Research Science Institute (RSI)

Field: Varies (physics, chemistry, robotics, etc.)

Format: In-person

Length: 6 weeks

Cost: Free, with housing and dining covered

Eligibility: Currently in grade 11

Application difficulty: Highly competitive (2.5% acceptance rate)

Why it’s great for students:

• Brings together 100 students from all around the world
• Free on-campus MIT experience
• Hands-on individual research experience

Notable outcomes:

• Research projects guided by experienced scientists and researchers
• College letter of recommendation from the RSI Director
• Access to the RSI alumni network

7. RISE Internship / Practicum (Boston University)

Field: Science and engineering (internship); computational neurobiology or data science (practicum)

Format: In-person (separate residential/commuter sessions)

Length: 6 weeks

Cost: $6,185 (commuter), $9,785 (residential); need-based financial aid available

Eligibility: Grade 11 at the time of application

Application difficulty: Competitive

Why it’s great for students:

• Intensive full-time research internship
• Workshops for building academic and professional skills
• Social activities with High School Honors and Academic Immersion students

Notable outcomes:

• Research projects presented at the Poster Symposium

8. Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation

Field: Engineering

Format: Online, in-person (commuter/residential), or hybrid

Length: Varies

Cost: Prices vary from $1,290 to $10,190; need-based scholarships available

Eligibility: Grades 9 through 12 or recent graduates; As and Bs in math and science classes

Application difficulty: Competitive

Why it’s great for students:

• Possible to choose between various program formats
• Multiple sessions during the year (spring, summer, fall)
• College-level coursework with hands-on learning opportunities

Notable outcomes:

• Johns Hopkins credit
• Engineering projects for the portfolio

9. Google Summer of Code

Field: Computer science

Format: Online

Length: 12+ weeks

Cost: Free

Eligibility: Aged 18+

Application difficulty: Moderate

Why it’s great for students:

• Participation in real-world open-source software projects
• Suitable for seniors with coding experience
• Guidance from mentors throughout the project

Notable outcomes:

• Pass/fail for the submitted code

10. Girls Who Code Pathways

Field: Computer science

Format: Online

Length: 6 to 7 weeks

Cost: Free

Eligibility: Grades 9 to 12; girls and non-binary students only

Application difficulty: Moderate

Why it’s great for students:

• Applications from all around the world accepted
• Optional corporate partner events and career panels
• Multiple curriculum tracks to choose from (game design, cybersecurity, etc.)

Notable outcomes:

• Course projects
• Networking and community-building opportunities

11. Berkeley Summer Academy of Sustainability

Field: Sustainable engineering

Format: Hybrid

Length: 2 weeks

Cost: $5,000; housing not provided

Eligibility: Grades 10 and 11 at the time of application

Application difficulty: Competitive

Why it’s great for students:

• Visits to Berkeley student labs and Silicon Valley companies
• Combines lectures on advanced topics with lab sessions
• Small cohort size (up to 40 students)

Notable outcomes:

• Capstone projects showcased during the Completion Ceremony

12. Harvard Summer School

Field: Varies

Format: Online or in-person (residential/commuter)

Length: 2, 4, or 7 weeks

Cost: Varies between $4,180 and $15,735; need-based aid available

Eligibility: Grades 10 to 12 at the time of application

Application difficulty: Competitive

Why it’s great for students:

• On-campus Harvard experience for residential sessions
• Tons of courses to choose from (200+ for the seven-week program)
• 50 different topic areas covered, including multiple STEM tracks

Notable outcomes:

• Possible to earn college credits and receive a Harvard transcript

13. Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE)

Field: Varies

Format: In-person

Length: 10 weeks

Cost: Free

Eligibility: Grades 10 and 11 at the time of application; NYC students only

Application difficulty: Moderate

Why it’s great for students:

• Extensive hands-on research experience (~120 hours)
• Mentorship from faculty and mentors at one of 80 labs
• Diverse research opportunities, from engineering to machine learning

Notable outcomes:

• $1,000 stipend available upon completion
• Access to a vast alumni network
• Group and 1:1 college application support

14. ACE Mentor Program

Field: Architecture, construction, engineering

Format: In-person

Length: Varies by local chapter

Cost: Free

Eligibility: Grades 9 through 12

Application difficulty: Moderate

Why it’s great for students:

• Hands-on challenges, activities, and field trips for exploring career paths
• Year-long program for career exploration and field-specific skill development
• Possible to secure summer camp opportunities and scholarships after the program

Notable outcomes:

• Group design project
• Mentorship and career guidance
• May lead to paid Summer Workplace Experiences

15. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program

Field: Medicine

Format: In-person

Length: 8 weeks

Cost: Free; housing and transportation not covered

Eligibility: Grades 11 or 12 at the time of application

Application difficulty: Competitive

Why it’s great for students:

• One-on-one research mentorship at a Harvard lab with full-time lab work
• Possible to participate in a bioengineering bootcamp
• Eight areas of research, from immunology to genetics and genomics

Notable outcomes:

• $500 minimum stipend for all students
• Research poster presentation for the project

6 Cool Summer STEM Programs for High School Students 

Can’t take a breather during the school year, let alone take part in an intensive STEM program? Luckily for you, most of them actually take part in the summer, including many internships for high school students. Here are just six of such summer STEM programs:

• Summer Science Research Program. The Rockefeller University welcomes 32 students for a group-based research program. Mentorship, elective courses, workshops, guest lectures, and networking opportunities are included.
• Young Scientist Program: Summer Focus. Living in the Greater St Louis area? Washington University has a research opportunity for you! Participation is free, with a $4,500 stipend available.
• CCNY College Now STEM Research Academy. NYC students in grades 10 and 11 can take part in a summer research internship after completing a 45-hour science class.
• Simons Summer Research. This program brings rising seniors from across the country to the Stony Brook campus. It’s free, but you’re responsible for transportation and housing.
• Beyond Albert High School Research Program. Students from the Bronx can spend 8 summer weeks at a cancer center. The program focuses on lab work, with year-round activities available.
• Heithoff-Brody High School Scholars Program. San Diego high schoolers can land an eight-week paid internship at the Salk Institute that conducts research in biosciences.

5 Free STEM Programs for Tight Budgets

Can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on an experience that lasts several weeks? Don’t worry: you don’t have to search far to find some free STEM programs.

Our list already includes MITES Summer, ARISE, and RSI, for example. If that’s not enough, here are five more free STEM programs to consider:

• Cybersecurity for Computer Science (CS4CS). NYU Tandon invites NYC and New Jersey students to learn more about cybersecurity for free. The program includes cybersecurity training, coding practice, and more.
• Penn Engineering Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP). Are you a rising Philadelphia senior? Penn’s AEOP is your opportunity to gain hands-on research experience.
• Anson L. Clark Scholars Program. Every year, Texas Tech University welcomes 12 students for a seven-week intensive research program. Research can focus on biology, cancer research, chemistry, engineering, and more.
• Meta Summer Academy. Ever dreamed of visiting Meta’s HQ? Or getting mentored by its developers? If so, this program is for you. It includes coding workshops and stipends for select participants.
• NSA Summer Internships. This is your opportunity to earn a buck (internships are paid) and get bona fide NSA work experience. Internships focus on engineering, math, computer science, and cybersecurity.

5 Online-Only STEM Programs for Remote Participation

Want to combine a STEM program with other commitments? Or simply can’t afford long-distance travel? Opt for STEM online programs, such as:

• Coursera STEM courses. Leading universities like Princeton and Duke offer their courses on this MOOC platform for free. Choose a subject you’re curious about and study at your own pace!
• AI Scholars Live Online. Interested in all things AI? Inspirit AI offers 10 live sessions for students curious about AI. You’ll be studying in small groups (5:1) and working on real-world projects.
• edX courses. Like Coursera, edX hosts free online courses for high schoolers wanting to boost their college preparedness. You can also get a formal certificate, although it’s paid. Spoiler: edX is home to the famous CS50 course.
• MIT OpenCourseWare. MIT puts all of its lecture notes, exams, and videos online, free for anyone to use. Thanks to this extensive library, you can take a bona fide MIT course without leaving your room.
• The Odin Project. This open-source coding curriculum can be your getaway into a web development career. It’s completely free and combines tutorials and courses with portfolio-worthy projects.

6 STEM Competitions You Can Join Now

If you want to show off your problem-solving abilities (and your persistence) during college admissions, sign up for a STEM competition. Even if you don’t take one of the prizes home, the whole experience will be a worthwhile story for one of the essays.

These six STEM competitions are worth looking into:

• Science Olympiad. Every year, thousands of teams across all 50 states take on the Olympiad’s standards-based challenges at multiple levels.
• FIRST Robotics Competition. This international competition brings teams from 30+ countries, and all of them have one thing in common: love for building robots.
• Regeneron Science Talent Search. Every year, the Society for Science selects the top 300 high school seniors with outstanding individual research.
• NASA Student Launch Challenge. This nine-month-long challenge is open to anyone not afraid of the words “rocket science.” Teams compete in designing and building high-powered rockets capable of carrying payloads.
• MATHCOUNTS. Fascinated by math problems? This competition is your chance to flex your problem-solving muscles and win the largest cash prize in the field (up to $40,000).
• International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF). The ISEF is among the largest competitions, with 22 different categories and almost $9 million in awards.

How to Pick the Right STEM Program

Ready to start preparing your program applications? Before you invest time and energy into getting recommendation letters, writing essays, and filling out forms, make sure each program is right for you. To do so:

• Consider your academic interests and career goals; select programs that focus on those areas
• Verify you can afford participation costs; consider both fees and implicit costs like travel and housing
• Decide what you want to focus on: taking courses and expanding your knowledge, getting research experience, or building real-world skills with hands-on projects
• Ensure you can realistically travel to the program’s location, be present for its whole duration, and manage the time commitment (especially if it’s full-time)
• Prioritize the programs relevant to your preferred major and college/university
• Verify your eligibility in terms of the academic level, background, age, and more

How to Apply for STEM Programs

Different programs have different eligibility and selection requirements. So, know who the perfect participant is for each program you apply for. Plus, read all the fine print regarding the application process.

That said, most STEM programs and research opportunities for high school students require you to submit:

• Academic transcript. You may need it to prove a minimum GPA or prerequisite course completion (e.g., Algebra I or II).
• One or several essays. Strong essays showcase your passion or interest in the field and are unique.
• Recommendation letters. They typically have to come from your teachers. Make sure they’re tailored to each program.
• Portfolio or past projects. Those can include everything from GitHub repositories to research papers.

To ace your application:

• Collect all documents well in advance
• Keep track of all deadlines in one place (e.g., spreadsheet, note-taking app, calendar)
• Consider adding a portfolio or describing a past project, even if not required
• Don’t put your eggs into one basket; apply to multiple programs!

‍

In Closing

Participating in just one STEM program during your high school years can open up a few doors for you down the road. And we’re not talking solely about college admissions! The connections you make and the initiative and rigor you demonstrate will give you a head start in building a career, too.

So, check out the programs on our list, ask your teachers about local STEM-focused opportunities, and apply to at least one for next summer.

Worried about the essay part of the application? Our essay writers can handle it for you, so don’t let it stop you! Remember: any STEM program is a rare opportunity to build a network of like-minded peers and let your curiosity run loose.