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Writer's pictureStephen Turban

8 Free STEM Summer Programs for Middle School Students

If you’re a middle school student interested in STEM, you might enjoy participating in a STEM summer program. These programs not only develop your interest in these subjects but also give you skills that can be useful in high school. Participating in prestigious, fully-funded STEM programs can enhance your applications for future opportunities and even high school.


These programs can give you access to mentorship opportunities, collaborative projects, and real-world applications of classroom knowledge while still in middle school. To help you find a good fit, here are 8 free STEM summer programs for middle school students. 




Location: Online

Cost: $2,400. Financial aid available

Eligibility: Middle school students

Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort

Dates/Duration: Multiple cohorts throughout the year (8 weeks)


The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program offers middle school students the chance to explore topics like biology, computer science, and mathematics. You will work on small research projects, gaining hands-on experience in scientific methodologies. You will receive one-on-one mentorship from PhD candidates from leading universities and present your findings at the end of the program.


The goal of the Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is to encourage you to explore various STEM fields. In the first few weeks, you’ll explore various topics within your chosen track before choosing one to create a high school-level project in. The program helps you improve your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities by giving you access to real-world activities, experiments, and mentorship opportunities. 




Location: Online

Cost: $1,990. Financial aid available

Eligibility: Middle school students (Grades 6-8)

Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort

Dates/Duration: 25 hours over 2 weeks (weekdays) in summer


Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers program is a virtual initiative designed to introduce middle school students to the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Over 25 hours, you will participate in lectures and group sessions, where you’ll learn Python programming, data analysis, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. With a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio, the program offers personalized mentorship from AI professionals. By the end of the program, you will complete a hands-on AI project, such as building machine-learning models for tasks like music genre classification or recommending educational resources. 




Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Cost: Free

Eligibility: Students entering 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th grade in the fall

Application Deadline: TBA for 2025, you can sign up to be notified when applications open here 

Dates/Duration: Mid to late August 2025 (one week for rising 6-7 grade, one week for rising 8-9 grade)


DynaMIT is a STEM outreach program for middle school students hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This free program allows you to participate in hands-on activities under the guidance of MIT undergraduates. DynaMIT aims to teach you the engineering design process and key STEM concepts while sharpening your critical thinking skills. The program offers two one-week sessions for different age groups. 




Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Cost: Free

Eligibility: Middle and high school students

Application Deadline: TBA for 2025

Dates/Duration: TBA for 2025, summer program


The Stanford seeME program offers middle and high school students a chance to explore mechanical engineering. Through engaging workshops led by Stanford engineering graduate students, you will learn about what being an engineer is like. SeeME will introduce you to topics like data science, industrial engineering, wind energy, and predicting disease spread. The program is is targeted at students who are underrepresented in engineering fields. 




Location: Columbia University, New York, NY

Cost: Free

Dates: July 8 – August 2, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Deadline: May 15, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)  

Eligibility: Students must be:

  • Enrolled in Grades 7 to 12

  • A New York State Resident or a Permanent Resident residing in the state

  • Economically disadvantaged, or Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Alaskan Native, or American Indian; and will benefit from academic enrichment.


Columbia University's State Pre-College Enrichment Program is an academic enhancement program for students interested in pursuing careers in medicine or related STEM fields. You will take science courses and attend lab sessions and workshops on college readiness and career paths. S-PREP includes tours of Columbia’s medical facilities and research labs, and you will have the chance to interact with Columbia University faculty, medical students, and professionals through guest lectures and panel discussions. 




Location: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Dates: June 25 – 28, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Deadline: May 1, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Cost: Free

Eligibility: Current students in grades 7 and 8


Purdue University's Physics Inside Out program is an opportunity for middle school students to explore physics. You will engage in experiments and activities to understand the application of physics in everyday life. Physics Inside Out gives you access to Purdue’s physics laboratories and research facilities as a middle schooler. These visits will also give you the chance to meet university researchers and professors. The program also includes special demonstration events and team projects that develop your collaboration and critical thinking skills.




Location: Online and select locations across the U.S.

Cost: Free

Eligibility: Middle school students

Application Deadline: Rolling admissions, typically April

Dates/Duration: June 3 – 7, 2025 (tentative, based on last year) 


Code.org is a non-profit organization that provides coding education to students around the world. They offer summer camps that aim to introduce students to coding concepts and programming languages. The camps are typically held online and cover topics such as game development, robotics, and web development. In the Game Lab, for example, you’ll learn to create interactive art and program animations for use in your own games. 




Location: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD and online

Cost: While financial aid options and scholarships are available for qualifying students, residential programs typically cost around $3,750 for three weeks, while day/commuter programs are approximately $2,250​Eligibility: Middle school students

Application Deadline: March 1, 2025

Dates/Duration: 2-3 weeks in summer


The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) offers STEM programs for gifted students worldwide. Their STEM programs, designed for students in grades 2-12, focus on developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills. The programs consist of online courses, residential programs, and international study centers. CTY partners with top universities and organizations to provide curricula in subjects like computer science, engineering, and mathematics. You can engage in project-based learning, participate in competitions, and interact with peers and experts from diverse backgrounds.


Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.



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