8 Summer Programs for High School Students in Rhode Island
If you’re a high school student interested in gaining new skills over the summer and strengthening your CV, consider an extra-curricular summer program!
Taking part in summer schools, internships, and research experiences helps you explore your interests, develop new skills, and gain hands-on experience. These programs can boost critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-reliance. They will also strengthen your college applications by demonstrating a sustained interest in a subject. Admissions officers value students who show initiative and curiosity!
Here, we’ve compiled a list of 8 summer programs in Rhode Island worth considering, with information on programs’ features, cost, eligibility, dates, and more.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,990 (Financial aid is available)
Dates: 12 weeks. There are Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter sessions.
Application Deadline: Varies based on cohorts. The final deadline for the Summer cohort is May 12
Eligibility: High school students passionate about research can apply.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a selective online research opportunity designed for ambitious high school students interested in research. Founded by researchers from Harvard and Oxford, the program offers students the chance to work one-on-one with a Ph.D. mentor to learn about the cutting edge in their field of interest and produce an independent research project. This rigorous program is ideal for students passionate about learning and contributing original research in any area of interest. Additionally, students from underrepresented backgrounds can apply for the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, which offers full need-based financial aid to talented, low-income students, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder participation.
The program provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights into advanced research and writing, develop critical thinking skills, and engage with complex issues under the guidance of an experienced mentor. Whether you're interested in computer science, law, engineering, social sciences, or any other field, the program will help you hone your research skills and produce work that could stand out in your college applications. Over the course of the program, participants will dive deep into their chosen area, explore cutting-edge topics, and develop an independent research project that reflects their interests and expertise. You can find the application form here.
Location: Brown University, Providence, RI
Cost: Free
Dates: Three weeks in July
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until seats are full.
Eligibility: The program prioritizes rising high school students from Providence, Central Falls, and local areas. You must be at least 14 years old by September to apply.
Brown Summer High School (BSHS) offers 200 motivated students an in-person, three-week summer program in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. You can opt for up to three courses during the program. You will learn more about these subjects through lectures, projects, lab work, and field visits. Brown’s master's students lead the courses. Academic credit, which can be used in high school, is available upon completing the course.
The BSHS curriculum changes annually. For the previous cohort, English students explored writing by the novelist Darci Little Badger, Math students created games using algebraic, geometrical, and statistical concepts, science students investigated the link between racism and diseases among minority communities, and social studies students learned about ethical storytelling through social media.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $1,490 for the AI Scholars program (10-week boot camp), $4,200 for the AI Fellowship (12–15 weeks, 1-1 mentorship). Need-based financial aid is available. No stipend is given.
Program Dates: Rolling. Spring, summer, fall, and winter cohorts are available.
Application Deadline: September 8
Eligibility: All high school students
Veritas AI offers a range of AI programs for high school students, from close-group, collaborative learning to customized project pathways with 1:1 mentorship. These programs have been designed and run by Harvard graduate students & alumni.
In the AI Fellowship program, you will collaborate with Ph.D. candidates from top institutions to work on your own research projects that will be published and showcased. These research projects can be across fields that intersect with computer science or artificial intelligence. Students have previously worked on projects in AI & finance, AI & medicine, creating software for educational resources, applications of computer science in gaming, and more. Examples of more exciting projects students have worked on can be found here.
You will get creative freedom and guidance from experienced mentors in these programs. To apply, you can fill out this application form!
Location: RWU, Bristol, RI
Cost: $1,400 (includes lodging, meals, instruction, materials, field trips)
Dates: TBA. The program will likely have three week-long sessions during July and August
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until seats are full.
Eligibility: High school students between the ages of 15 and 17 interested in the aquatic sciences can apply.
RWU’s Marine Biology Camp is a week-long residential camp for high school students to learn more about marine biology. The curriculum covers coastal ecosystems, food webs, marine life, and current topics in marine biology. Here, you will go on field excursions, participate in laboratory demonstrations, and attend expert-led seminars.Field activities include oceanographic sampling, kayaking in bay ecosystems, snorkeling along barrier beaches, and a whale-watching boat trip off Cape Cod. In the laboratory, you will explore topics like plankton sampling, shellfish and finfish biology, and productivity studies. Guest seminars by recognized experts delve into crucial marine biology issues such as marine mammal protection, invasive species, overfishing, and aquaculture.
Location: RISD, Providence, RI
Cost: $11,350 (with a non-refundable $60 application fee). Scholarships are available.
Dates: June 29 – August 3
Application Deadline: Sometime in January.
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who will be 16 years old by October 1
The RISD Summer Residential Immersive Program is a five-week, in-person opportunity to experience life as a design undergraduate student. Here, you will attend day-long studio classes, learn design critique, and undertake hands-on creative projects.You will complement theory by working toward a design project that you will present by the end of the program. This project can fall under any of the program’s “majors,” which include animation, architecture, ceramics, drawing, glass, game design, illustration, and more. You will also have access to the RISD Museum, which houses over 100,000 objects, the Nature Lab, which boasts a collection of natural history specimens, a microscope lab, and living plants and animals, and the RISD Library to influence and inspire your work.
Location: Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI
Fee: $995 (includes tuition, housing, and dining)
Program dates: July 14 - July 19
Application deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students in grades 10, 11, and 12 can apply.
The RWU Forensic Science Summer Camp is a week-long, residential program that lets you explore cutting-edge technology and investigative procedures used by law enforcement agencies globally. You will use RWU’s state-of-the-art laboratories to engage in hands-on activities such as fingerprinting, collecting footwear evidence, and analyzing unknown substances. Additionally, the camp offers an innovative VR experience that lets you assume the role of a crime scene investigator and analyze bloodstain patterns.
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.