Are you an aspiring engineer or doctor? Do you have your eye set on The Top STEM Schools in the Nation and Their Programs? Or maybe even a BS/MD Program? It’s no secret that these are highly-competitive programs. Thankfully, there are lots of science summer programs that can help bolster your college applications.
Attending a STEM summer camp while you’re in high school is a great way to gain practical experience while demonstrating your commitment to your prospective field. There is a wide variety of summer STEM programs to choose from; some focus on completing original research projects, while others offer a more traditional curriculum.
If you’re looking to enrich your vacation with STEM summer activities, you’re probably interested in learning more about the best STEM summer camps. There are lots of pre-college summer programs that emphasize STEM extracurricular activities. In this article, we will review some of the best STEM summer programs, so if you’re interested in learning more about STEM-related extracurriculars, you’ve come to the right place!
List of 28 STEM summer programs
The following list features some of the best STEM summer programs, including several free STEM summer programs with great reputations! If you’re interested in STEM extracurriculars, take a look at our list below for valuable summer opportunities that may be available to you.
AI4All
- Three-week programs
- Programs offered on 11 college campuses
- Focuses on Artificial Intelligence
- Most programs are free to attend
Bethel College Summer Science Institute
- Online summer STEM research program
- Open to students entering 10-12 grade
- Encourages close interaction with faculty
Carnegie-Mellon University’s Summer Academy for Math and Science
- Six-week program
- Offers STEM seminars
- Open to underrepresented, first-generation, and low-income students
- Free to attend
Carnegie-Mellon University’s Computer Science Scholars
- Six-week program
- Focuses on Computer Science
- Open to underrepresented, first-generation, and low-income students
- Free to attend
Cornell CATALYST Academy
- Week-long engineering research program
- Open to rising high school juniors and seniors
- Scholarships available
Clark Scholars Program
- Seven-week intensive research program
- Open to rising high school juniors and seniors
- Held at Texas Tech University
- Free to attend (includes housing and meals)
The Garcia Program
- Seven-week program
- Held at Stony Brook University
- Opportunity for continued mentorship
- Focuses on original research projects
GirlsWhoCode Summer Immersion Program
- Two-week immersion program and six-week self-paced program
- Focuses on coding and understanding the tech industry
- Open to students in 9-12th grade who identify as girls or nonbinary
- Free to attend
Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program
- Eight-week biomedical or computational lab-based internships
- Held at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (Manhattan, NY)
- Housing not provided
Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program
- Ten-week program
- Offered on two college campuses (Bar Harbor, ME, and Farmington, CT)
- Focuses on genetics and genomics research
- Open to high school and undergraduate students
Lincoln Laboratory Introduction for Student Engineers (LLRISE)
- Two-week program
- Open to rising high school seniors
- Students work with skilled engineers to build radar systems
- Free to attend
Mathcamp
- Five-week program
- Focuses on advanced topics in mathematics
- Free for low-income students
MDI Biological Laboratory High School Summer Research Fellowship
- Six-week STEM research fellowship
- Offered to 100 students each summer
Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science (MITES)
- Six-week program
- Focus on science and math
- Open to rising high school seniors
- Free to attend
MIT Online Science Technology and Engineering Community (MOSTEC)
- Program completed over the course of 6 months
- Online and in-person components offered by MIT
- Open to rising high school seniors
- Free to attend
MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP)
- Four-week program
- Open to rising high school seniors
- Focuses on mechanical engineering
- Free to attend (no housing provided)
Physics of Atomic Nuclei (PAN) Summer Program
- Week-long program
- Offered on two college campuses
- Focus on astrophysics and nuclear research
- Free to attend
Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS)
- Six-week program
- Held at Boston University
- Open to students who’ve completed 9-12th grade
- Free for low-income students
Princeton Laboratory Learning Program
- Five to six-week internships
- Held at Princeton University
- Focuses on science and engineering
- Free to attend (no housing provided) ```html
Research Science Institute (RSI)
- Six-week program
- Held at MIT
- Emphasizes the formal research process
- Free to attend
Roswell Park Summer Cancer Research Experience Program
- Seven-week program
- Students must live in Western NY
- Open to rising high school seniors
- Stipends provided
Simons Summer Research Program
- Seven-week program
- Held at Stony Brook University
- Open to rising high school seniors
- Free to attend (no housing provided)
Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program
- Eight-week program
- Held at Stanford University
- Open to high school juniors and seniors
- Free to attend
Summer Science Program (SSP)
- 39-day program
- Offered on various college campuses
- Open to rising high school juniors
- Emphasizes Biochemistry, Genomics, and Astrophysics
- Free for low-income students
Summer Science Research Program at the Rockefeller University
- A seven-week biomedical research program
- Held at The Rockefeller University
- Open to high school juniors and seniors
- Free to attend
Summer Ventures in Science & Mathematics
- Four-week program
- Held on the University of North Carolina campuses
- Open to rising high school juniors and seniors living in NC
- Free to attend
The National Institute of Health High School Summer Internship Program
- Eight-week internships
- Held at the National Institute of Health
- Free to attend/stipends provided
UPenn Biomedical Research Program
- Three-week program
- Held at UPenn
- Focuses on cellular, molecular, and genetic```html aspects of biology
- Scholarships available
Key takeaways and moving forward
College admissions are becoming increasingly competitive, and if you have your heart set on attending one of the Top STEM Schools in the Country, you’ll need to find ways to stand out from your peers. Engaging in STEM summer activities — either through a pre-college summer program or through a self-designed passion project — is a great way to prepare for your college applications. Attending one of the best STEM summer camps is also a great way to learn how to demonstrate leadership skills in high school. In the meantime, if you need help with your college application strategy, reach out to learn more about our services.
