STEM summer programs for high school students
189 research programs, internships and camps. Many are free, and some pay a stipend.
Editor's choice 16
The standouts: highly selective, strong mentorship, usually free or funded.
Research Science Institute (RSI) 👑 Editor's choice
Arguably the most prestigious STEM program globally. Students conduct full research cycle at MIT from lit review to formal presentation.
Usually late June to early August (about 6 weeks)
FreeDecember 1Clark Scholar Summer Program 👑 Editor's choice
Only 12 students selected. Intensive, multidisciplinary research with Texas Tech faculty; applicants must be 17 by the start date.
Usually mid June to early August (about 7 weeks)
FreeRollingMITES Summer 👑 Editor's choice
6-week residential program for highly driven, underrepresented students. Incredible pipeline to MIT and Ivies.
Late June - Early August (6 wks)
FreeFebruary 1PROMYS 👑 Editor's choice
Intensive 6-week exploration into Number Theory at BU. "To think deeply of simple things".
Usually late June to early August (about 6 weeks)
FreeFebruary 27Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program (SSRP) 👑 Editor's choice
Highly mentored biomedical research in NYC. Extremely selective; students design and conduct their own research.
Usually late June to early August (about 7 weeks)
FreeJanuary 2Simons Summer Research Program (Stony Brook) 👑 Editor's choice
Elite STEM research program; students frequently win Regeneron STS with their Simons projects.
Usually late June to early August (about 6 weeks)
FreeFebruary 1Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) 👑 Editor's choice
Hands-on research in Stanford labs (immunology, neurobiology, cancer, etc.). Massive boost for pre-meds.
Usually early June to early August (about 8 weeks)
FreeFebruary 21Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC) 👑 Editor's choice
Focuses on abstract algebra and topology. Pure math oriented and extremely highly regarded.
4 weeks (residential or online)
$8,250RollingSummer Science Program (SSP) 👑 Editor's choice
Historic, intense 39-day program where teams calculate asteroid orbits or sequence fungal genomes.
Usually mid June to late July (about 6 weeks)
$8,800RollingTelluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS) 👑 Editor's choice
The premier humanities program. Focuses on critical Black/ethnic studies and anti-oppressive frameworks.
Usually late June to early August (about 6 weeks)
FreeRollingThe Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program 👑 Editor's choice
Ten weeks of mentored genetics and genomics research in Bar Harbor, Maine, with travel, room and board covered plus a stipend. High schoolers must be graduating seniors.
Late May - early August (10 weeks)
FreeRollingUPenn Management & Technology Summer Institute 👑 Editor's choice
Run by the Jerome Fisher M&T program. Combines tech and business; massive boost for Wharton/Engineering.
Usually early to late July (about 3 weeks)
$9,000RollingUT Southwestern STARS Program 👑 Editor's choice
8 weeks working in a UT Southwestern lab under a mentor, with a stipend and a closing poster presentation.
June - July (8 weeks, variable start/end)
FreeRollingRoss Mathematics Program 👑 Editor's choice
Intensely focused on number theory. "Think deeply of simple things." Historic and highly respected.
2 sessions, usually early June to late July (about 6 weeks each)
$7,000RollingSPARC (Summer Program for Applied Rationality and Cognition) 👑 Editor's choice
Focuses on applied rationality, quantitative thinking, and cognitive science. Heavily sponsored/free.
Usually early to mid August (about 2 weeks)
FreeRollingStanford STaRS Internship 👑 Editor's choice
Free 7-week wet-lab research internship in Stanford's plastic surgery division. Ages 16+, no lab experience needed.
Usually mid June to early August (about 7 weeks)
FreeRolling
More programs 173
Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces @ Stony Brook
Intensive polymer and materials science research. High correlation with Regeneron STS success.
Usually late June to early August (about 6 weeks)
$3,000 laboratory RollingMemorial Sloan Kettering (HOPP) Summer Student Program
Extracurricular science and lab program focusing on cancer research at a world-class facility.
Usually late June to late August (about 8 weeks)
FreeFebruary 6NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP)
Paid summer research beside NIH scientists. The high school version (HS-SIP) was folded into SIP: high schoolers must be seniors who are 18 by the start of summer, and US citizens or permanent residents.
Mid-June - early August (8 weeks)
FreeRollingYau Mathcamp (Shanghai)
Elite math camp in China, named after Fields Medalist Shing-Tung Yau. Highly rigorous.
Usually mid July to late August (about 6 weeks)
FreeRollingCarnegie Mellon SAMS (Summer Academy for Math and Science)
CMU-based program focusing on building STEM skills for underrepresented students.
Usually late June to early August (about 6 weeks)
FreeFebruary 1Iowa Young Writers’ Studio
One of the most prestigious creative writing programs in the country. Highly competitive.
2 sessions, usually mid June to late July (about 2 weeks each)
$2,500RollingLEDA Scholars
Empowers high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with leadership and college prep at Princeton.
Usually mid June to early August (about 7 weeks)
FreePart 1: December 10 | Part 2: Late FebruaryLLRISE (Lincoln Laboratory Radar Introduction for Student Engineers)
Free two-week residential workshop at MIT and MIT Lincoln Laboratory where rising seniors build a Doppler and range radar alongside Lab engineers. U.S. citizens only; permanent residents aren't eligible.
Usually mid to late July (about 2 weeks)
FreeMarch 11Lodha Genius Programme (Ashoka University, India)
Fully funded, highly selective program for India’s brightest students in math and science.
4 weeks each summer + year-round mentoring
FreeRollingMathILy @ Bryn Mawr College, PA
Highly interactive, fast-paced discrete mathematics program. Very collaborative environment.
Usually late June to early August (about 5 weeks)
$5,300RollingMichigan State University High School Honors Science/Engineering/Mathematics Program (HSHSP)
Oldest continuous purely research-oriented program in the US. Highly prestigious.
Usually late June to early August (about 7 weeks)
$4,000RollingMIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
Run by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the MIT School of Engineering for rising seniors. Project-based, focusing on autonomous systems, quantum software, and AI. Requires rigorous online prereqs.
Usually early July to early August (about 4 weeks)
FreeMarch 31NASA OSTEM Internships
Paid NASA internships across centers; some roles are open to high-school students aged 16+.
Spring / Summer / Fall
FreeVaries (3 cycles)National Youth Science Camp
Fully funded STEAM camp in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest, blending lectures with outdoor adventure. Typically two delegates per state.
Usually late June to mid July (about 3 weeks)
FreeMarch 30Notre Dame Leadership Seminars
Fully funded, highly competitive seminars exploring complex issues (global health, environment, religion).
10 days in late June or mid-July
FreeRollingPerimeter Institute ISSYP (International Summer School for Young Physicists)
Two-week theoretical physics program (quantum mechanics, relativity, cosmology) for students in grades 11-12 who plan to study physics.
Usually mid to late July (about 2 weeks)
$250 CADRollingSEAP (Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program)
Paid summer apprenticeship in U.S. Navy research labs, working one-on-one with a mentor scientist.
Summer (8 weeks)
FreeNovember 1Stanford iGEM Bioengineering Research Program
Free online synthetic-biology program from Stanford's iGEM team: speaker sessions, workshops and mentorship from Stanford students toward a research proposal. Prioritizes first-gen and low-income students.
3 weeks in July (online)
FreeJuneStanford Pediatrics Internship Program (PIPS)
Learn about pediatric medicine, research, and clinical care directly from Stanford faculty.
Usually mid June to late July (about 6 weeks)
FreeFebruary 1Stanford Summer Humanities Institute
Intensive humanities seminars taught by Stanford professors. Great for future humanities/law majors.
3 weeks (residential)
$8,850RollingYUVIKA (Indian Space Research Organisation)
ISRO-run program to catch young talent in space technology and science across India.
Usually mid to late May (about 2 weeks)
FreeRollingAEOP (Army Educational Outreach Program)
Umbrella of free U.S. Army STEM programs and paid apprenticeships (REAP, GEMS, UNITE and more), open nationally.
Year-round
FreeVariesBU RISE
Offers both Practicum (structured research) and Internship (lab placement) tracks. Highly respected.
Usually late June to early August (about 6 weeks)
$5,350RollingLLCipher (Lincoln Laboratory cryptography workshop)
Free one-week MIT Lincoln Laboratory course in theoretical cryptography at MIT Beaver Works in Cambridge: build a secure encryption scheme and digital signature. Non-residential, so plan your own housing and transport. For U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
Usually early August (5 days)
FreeApril 15MIT Lincoln Laboratory Summer Research Program (SRP)
Paid summer research internships at MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, MA for college students who have finished sophomore year and for grad students. U.S. citizens only; travel help and discounted housing for students coming from 50+ miles away.
Mid-May - mid-August
FreeVariesMIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP)
Female-focused introduction to Mechanical Engineering and CS. Very collaborative, no prior experience needed.
Usually late June to mid July (about 4 weeks)
FreeDecember 15NREIP (Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program)
Paid 10-week research internships at U.S. Navy labs for college students (31+ credits, U.S. citizens 18+); stipends start at $7,500.
Summer (8-10 weeks)
FreeNov 1Princeton Laboratory Learning Program
Unpaid but highly prestigious research internships in Princeton faculty labs.
Usually mid June to early August (about 8 weeks)
FreeMarch 15REAP (Research & Engineering Apprenticeship Program)
Paid summer research apprenticeship for students from historically underrepresented and underserved communities.
Summer (5-8 weeks)
FreeFebRoswell Park SURE-CAN (High School Summer Research Experience in Cancer)
Immersive cancer research experience in Buffalo, NY. Great for future oncologists/researchers.
Late June - early August (6 weeks)
FreeJanuary 31University of Iowa Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP)
Conduct research in university labs, produce a research paper/poster. Highly respected.
Usually mid June to late July (about 5 weeks)
$7,500RollingYale Young Writers’ Workshop
Excellent creative writing workshops led by working writers and Yale faculty.
1 week in June
$3,085April 1Brookhaven National Laboratory High School Research Program
Six weeks of hands-on STEM research with Brookhaven staff at a US Department of Energy lab. Free, but you arrange your own daily commute to Upton, NY.
Usually early July to mid August (about 6 weeks)
FreeRollingHarvard SRI (OpenBio Laboratory)
Run by Harvard's student-led Undergraduate OpenBio Laboratory: high schoolers team up with a mentor on a life-science research project or literature review. No research experience needed.
April 1IIT Kharagpur i-KITES
Six-week residential program mixing faculty-led math, physics and life-science coursework with hands-on projects at IIT Kharagpur.
6 weeks (residential)
FreeRollingNIST SHIP (Summer High School Internship Program)
Unpaid 7-week research internship with NIST scientists in Gaithersburg, MD or Boulder, CO. For high school juniors and seniors who are U.S. citizens with a 3.0+ unweighted GPA.
Summer (7 weeks)
FreeFebNorthwestern CIERA REACH
Astronomy and astrophysics focus. Students work on data science and programming in astrophysics.
Usually late June to early August (about 6 weeks)
$4,500RollingSeattle Children’s Research Training Program
Four weeks of lab research training at Seattle Children's for local students from groups underrepresented in biomedical research.
4 weeks (summer)
FreeMarch 8UCSB Research Mentorship Program
Pairing high-achieving students with UCSB researchers. High-quality output, very structured.
Mid-June - late July (7 weeks)
$4,700RollingBerkeley Lab Experiences in Research (EinR)
Paid internship on real projects at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, hybrid or virtual. For grades 10-12 in Northern California, ages 16+.
Mid-June - late July (6 weeks)
FreeRollingClinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience (CNI-X) @ Stanford
Interactive seminars in neuroscience, psychiatry, and behavioral sciences.
2 weeks (in person in July, virtual in June)
$3,325RollingCOSMOS: California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science
Cluster-based STEM learning at UC campuses. Great for CA residents looking to boost UC admissions.
Usually early July to early August (about 4 weeks)
$5,005RollingDuke STAR (Summer Training in Academic Research)
Team research with Duke faculty mentors at the Duke Clinical Research Institute, aiming for co-authorship on a published paper. No research experience needed.
5 weeks (summer)
FreeJanuary 2European Space Camp (Andøya, Norway)
A real rocket campaign at Andøya Space in northern Norway, launch included, with lectures from European scientists. Ages 17-20.
1 week, late July - early August
FreeRollingGEMS (Gains in the Education of Math and Science)
Hands-on STEM enrichment at Army labs with near-peer mentors, for middle and high schoolers.
Summer (1-4 weeks)
FreeSpringGeorge Mason ASSIP (Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program)
8-week research internship with George Mason faculty mentors, remote, hybrid or in person. Ages 15+, or 16+ for wet labs. Often leads to publications.
Usually mid June to mid August (8 weeks)
$1,299 tuition forFebruary 15Hofstra University Summer Science Research Program
Local NY research program offering hands-on experience in biological and physical sciences.
July (4 weeks)
$2,500RollingNYU Summer Program in Automation, Robotics, and Coding (SPARC)
Hands-on robotics and coding at NYU Tandon. It did not run in summer 2026, so check the page for future sessions.
2 sessions, usually mid June to mid July (about 2 weeks each)
$3,220RollingPlaksha YTS+ (Young Technology Scholars)
Intensive tech and engineering bootcamp in India. Strong focus on robotics and data.
Usually early to mid June (about 2 weeks)
INR 90,000RollingSci-MI (Science Mentorship Institute)
Remote, free mentorship program matching students with mentors to conduct literature reviews/research.
Usually late June to early August (about 7 weeks)
FreeMay 1Tufts Summer Research Experience
Work in Tufts university labs across various disciplines. Good pre-college research exposure.
Usually early July to early August (about 6 weeks)
$6,500RollingUNC ISHTaR
Specialized university-level research exposure at UNC Chapel Hill.
Usually mid June to early July (about 4 weeks)
FreeFebruary 1USC Bridge Undergraduate Science (BUGS) Jr
Paid summer research in USC labs on human-health topics, paired with a faculty mentor. No GPA minimum; not residential, so best for LA-area students.
Usually mid June to early August (7 weeks)
FreeRollingUSC Neuro Scholars
Free virtual journal club: read neuroscience papers, discuss them with USC professors, then build a capstone project.
Late May - early August (biweekly)
FreeRollingHelix Medical @ UC Berkeley
Free program run by UC Berkeley students for Bay Area high schoolers from groups underrepresented in medicine: clinical skills labs, shadowing and mentorship.
4 weeks (summer)
FreeRollingInternational Space School Educational Trust - UK
Space-themed STEM camps often involving NASA astronauts and leading space scientists.
Usually late July (5 days)
~£500 - £1,500RollingJHU Explore Engineering Innovation Pre-college Program
Hands-on engineering projects (spaghetti bridges, etc.). Offers college credit if passed with an A or B.
Usually early to late July (about 4 weeks)
$3,550January 30 (early action)WPI Frontiers
Exploratory STEM and humanities pre-college program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Two 2-week sessions in July
$4,995 per sessionRollingYale Young Global Scholars
Large, diverse international cohort. Great for networking and lectures, but very high acceptance rate/cost.
2 sessions, usually late June to mid July (about 2 weeks each)
$6,500RollingISSOS International Summer Schools - UK and Switzerland
Balanced academic and cultural summer school in historic universities (St Andrews, Cambridge, Yale).
2 sessions, usually late June to mid August (about 3 weeks each)
£4,200RollingJohns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY)
Well-known gifted program offering fast-paced academic courses. High cost, but good early high-school experience.
2 sessions, usually late June to early August (about 3 weeks each)
~$3,000RollingRose-Hulman Operation Catapult
Project-based engineering camp. Great for students wanting hands-on building and design experience.
Three ~11-day sessions in June and July
$2,700RollingUBC Future Global Leaders
Pre-college academic courses at the University of British Columbia. Good for international exposure.
2 sessions, usually early to late July (about 2 weeks each)
~$3,100 CAD per 2-RollingWPI Launch
Shorter, focused STEM workshops for younger high school students (freshmen/sophomores).
Usually late June (5 days)
$895Rolling- March 1
- FreeMarch 6
- FreeJanuary 1
- FreeDecember 1
- December 1
- FreeMarch 1
- February 1
- February 1
- February 28
- February 1
- January 1
- Varies
- Rolling
- Varies
- Check Website
- Varies
- Nomination
- February?
- FreeMarch 1
- FreeApril 1
- March 13
- February 15
- February 6
- December 1
Health Services Mentorship Program (HSMP)
Year-long remote health research internship that prioritizes low-income students; students with research experience can apply as peer-mentor fellows.
September 19- March 1
- FreeFebruary 1
- FreeJanuary 19
- February 28
- May
- Varies
- FreeMarch 20
- FreeRolling
- Varies
- February 28
- Check Website
Kaiser Permanente Summer Youth Employment Program (LAUNCH)
Paid summer health-care jobs for Southern California high schoolers 16 and up, with weekly workshops and mentoring.
FreeMarch 1- FreeMarch 15
- March 31
- Rolling
- February 7
- FreeVaries
- January 1
- February 1
- FreeFebruary?
- March 15
- February 22
- February 9
- February 1
- FreeFebruary 21
- FreeJanuary 1
- Rolling
- April 6
- FreeCheck in the Fall
- FreeVaries
- October 19
- FreeJanuary 1
- December 5
- FreeFebruary 1
- Varies
- Rolling
- Varies
- February 23
- FreeFebruary 27
- March 1
- March 31
- June 19
- Varies
- March 31
- April 13
- Varies
- Rolling
- April 30
- April 1
Stanford Medical Youth Science Program (SMYSP)
Five-week, tuition-free Stanford Medicine program for low-income, first-generation juniors from eligible California counties.
FreeMarch 23Summer Healthcare Experience (SHE) in Oncology
Free two-week virtual program run with cancer centers across the country: a genetics research project, a patient case study and a $500 stipend.
FreeVaries- February 28
- FreeVaries
- June
- February 1
- FreeDecember 1
- FreeVaries
- Varies
- April 26
- February 1
UCSC Scholar Immersion Program (SIP)
Summer research with UC Santa Cruz mentors across science, engineering, social sciences, humanities and art. Formerly the Science Internship Program.
Rolling- March 1
- FreeFebruary 8
- March 1
- FreeFebruary 14
UIUC Grainger Engineering Young Scholars (GEnYuS)
Six weeks of residential research in University of Illinois engineering and physics groups, for rising 10th-12th graders from seven Midwest states.
FreeMarch 31UIUC SpHERES
Six-week residential research experience in departments across the University of Illinois, for rising 10th-12th graders from seven Midwest states.
FreeMarch 31- April 15
- March 31
- January 1
- January 1
- February 1
VCU Transfusion Services Summer Scholars
Hands-on intro to blood banking and lab science at VCU, with campus housing, meals and a stipend. For rising 11th graders through rising college juniors.
1 week (residential)
FreeRolling- May
- Varies
- Varies
- Varies
- FreeFebruary 1
- FreeMarch 20
- Varies
- April 15
- April 4
- FreeDecember 1
- FreeMarch 31
