15 Best STEM Programs for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 16 hours ago
- 9 min read
If you like science or tech and want to see how people actually use it to solve real problems, a selective STEM program can give you a great head start. These programs let you roll up your sleeves and try things for yourself, like building small projects, running simple experiments, or messing around with code to see what happens. They usually fit around your school schedule, so you get something new to try without stressing about extra homework.
The best part is that you learn by doing. You might test a design, fix something that didn’t work the first time, or change one small piece of a project just to watch how everything else reacts. When you’re picking a program, it helps to focus on the selective ones made for grades 6–8. They usually keep the groups smaller, the lessons clearer, and the activities closer to real STEM work.
To help you sort through the options, we’ve chosen the 15 best STEM programs for middle schoolers!
15 Best STEM Programs for Middle School Students
Cohort Size: Very competitive
Location: NYU, New York, NY
Cost: Comes with a $200 academic program fee, but offers waivers for economically eligible students
Application Deadline: Not specified
Program Dates: Fall/Spring cycles run from October to May
Eligibility: Open to students in grades 8 to 12, residents of New York with at least a B average in math, science, and English, and who meet state-determined income criteria
STEP is a selective program offered at many universities across the country, including NYU. Your focus in the program will be on developing your knowledge and skills in math, science, and English. You will be trained in conducting research, preparing for standardized tests, receiving college counseling, and getting started on a career in the field. You will be taught classes that cover topics like algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus AB, and calculus BC.
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Accepts only around 12 students
Location: Remote
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Closes in March
Program Dates: 3-week program in July and the fall semester from August to December
Eligibility: Open to low-income U.S. students in grades 6 or 7 with a family income of less than $90,000
The Stanford Middle School Scholars Program is a tuition-free program for low-income U.S. students in grades six and seven that helps you prepare for challenging high school work. You take a three-week online summer course and continue with weekly after-school meetings in the fall, where you receive academic support and mentorship. The program focuses on strengthening your critical thinking, study habits, and confidence, while building a community of peers who learn together. By working with students at an early stage, the program helps you move from middle school to high school with the skills needed for advanced classes.
Location: Remote ,  you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring.
Eligibility: Open to students in grades 6-8
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is an online research experience for middle school students who want to explore academic interests through a guided project. You’ll be matched with a mentor, often affiliated with top universities like MIT, Harvard, or Stanford, who helps you choose a topic, learn research methods, and develop your project step by step. As you work through the program, you’ll practice independent investigation, critical thinking, and experimentation. It all leads to a final project that reflects your learning and growth.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Financial aid is available
Application deadline:Â Rolling deadlines. You can apply to the program here.
Program dates:Â 25 hours over 10 weeks (on weekends) during the spring cohort and 25 hours over 2 weeks (on weekdays) during the summer cohort.
Eligibility:Â Students in grades 6-8
The AI Trailblazers program by Veritas AI is a virtual program that teaches middle school students the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Over 25 hours, you will learn the basics of Python as well as topics like data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. Students learn through lectures and group sessions with a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio. Previous student projects have included building a machine-learning model to classify music genres and creating a machine-learning algorithm to provide a custom list of educational resources based on selected specifications.
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Competitive selection
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: None!
Application Deadline: Varies per session; summer sessions close by April and academic year sessions close by November
Program Dates: Varies per session; summer sessions are in June or July, while academic year sessions run from October to May
Eligibility: Open to students in grades 7-12 with an interest in medicine or other STEM fields and a minimum 80% grade average in math and science
S-PREP is a free preparatory program for middle and high school students interested in pathways in medicine or related fields. The program will guide you through lectures in math and science subjects. These include lessons in anatomy, biochemistry, chemistry, organic chemistry, brain and cognitive science, physics, psychology, algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, calculus, and statistics. You will also be put through standardized tests that mirror college admissions exams. Alongside these, you will attend college preparation and career development workshops, college and academic counseling services, field trips, and college tours. Another standout feature is that participation in S-PREP opens up avenues for you to apply to other prestigious programs like BRAINYAC and YES in THE HEIGHTS.
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Accepts between 7 to 14 students per class
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Cost: Costs $75 with full scholarships available
Application Deadline: Applications close in February
Program Dates: Late June–late July
Eligibility: Open to middle school students enrolled in public or parochial schools in New Haven, CT
The Ulysses S. Grant Foundation Summer Program is a six-week enrichment program run by Yale University and New Haven for middle school students who want to explore both STEM and the humanities. You spend your mornings in core classes covering subjects such as art, writing, poetry, philosophy, biology, chemistry, finance, and architecture, which gives you a mix of creative and analytical work. In the afternoons, you choose electives that match your interests and let you try new skills. The program emphasizes collaboration, critical thinking, and community engagement, and it gives you early exposure to an academic setting connected to Yale.
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective program
Location: Brooklyn schools
Cost: Offers a full scholarship
Application Deadline: Typically in May
Program Dates: July to August
Eligibility: Open to rising 7th to 8th-grade students who are residents of New York City
The NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s Science of Smart Cities Program is a middle school initiative that introduces you to engineering ideas through the study of sustainable and efficient cities. It runs through NYU Tandon’s Center for K12 STEM Education, which supports hands-on STEM learning for young students. SoSC focuses on how cities can become smarter and more sustainable, and you explore subjects such as energy use, transportation systems, infrastructure, and urban innovation. You work on group projects that ask you to study real problems and think through practical solutions. You design, build, and test ideas that connect directly to the challenges facing future smart cities.
8. MIT dynaMIT
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Completely free
Application Deadline: Typically in February
Program Dates: Varies per grade level, typically in August
Eligibility: Open to rising 6th to 9th-grade students
DynaMIT is a free, week-long STEM program created and taught by MIT students, giving you a chance to explore science and engineering through hands-on activities. You join middle schoolers from many backgrounds to try experiments, take part in interactive lessons, and work through problem-solving challenges that introduce you to core STEM ideas. The program is fully funded and open to students from low-income families who may not have access to similar opportunities.
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size:Â Not specifically mentioned
Location: Virtual
Cost: $500 per quarter
Application Deadline: Rolling cohorts
Program Dates: Runs year-round
Eligibility: Open to students from grades 1 to 12
Stanford University Math Circle is a year-round online program where middle school students explore advanced mathematics concepts through weekly problem-solving sessions. You will work with like-minded peers in solving challenging questions to think creatively about math. The format is called a circle, which means you will meet regularly in small groups to discuss, strategize, and build your skills together. Instructors include mathematicians and educators, who will guide you through topics like logic, proofs, and higher-level math concepts. Overall, this is a prestigious and promising opportunity to learn beyond the standard school curriculum.
10. Penn GEMS
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Takes around 60 students
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: Costs around $650 with financial assistance available
Application Deadline: Closes in March
Program Dates: Typically late June
Eligibility: Open to rising 7th to 9th graders with at least a B average
Penn GEMS is an experiential camp at the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on engineering, math, and science. You will learn concepts in bioengineering, robotics, AI, materials science, and more through hands-on activities. Workshops will be led by Penn students, faculty, and staff. You will be guided by these as mentors throughout the program, discovering how engineers solve real-world problems by completing challenging projects.
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Limited spots available
Location: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Cost: Fully funded
Application Deadline: April 17
Program Dates: Takes place in June
Eligibility: Open to students in grades 7 to 8
Physics Inside Out at Purdue University is a summer program that introduces high school students to both the theory and practice of physics. You take part in lectures that build your understanding of core ideas, and you use hands-on activities to apply those ideas in practical situations. The program shows how abstract physics concepts connect to real experiments and developing technologies. You also learn about careers in physics through sessions led by Purdue faculty and researchers. Campus tours and lab visits give you a look at college life and expose you to ongoing work in the field.
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Limited only to 16 participants!
Location: Carneys Point, NJ
Cost: Costs around $300
Application Deadline: Not specified on the website
Program Dates: Typically in July
Eligibility: Open to campers aged 10 to 14
The RoboQuest Robotics Camp, run by South Jersey Robotics and hosted at Salem Community College, gives you a full week of designing, building, and programming a LEGO robot from scratch. You begin with guided workshops on robot mechanics and coding, learning directly from local engineers in the college’s robotics lab. As the week progresses, you refine your design and prepare for the final challenge course, where teams compete and present their robots. With only about 16 students per cohort, you get close mentorship and steady hands-on practice.
13. MathPath
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Competitive; Small cohort of 35–40 students
Location: Rotating U.S. university campuses
Cost: Approximately $6,000. Financial aid is availableÂ
Application Deadline: Typically Late MarchÂ
Program Dates: Takes place from June to July
Eligibility: Rising 6th–9th graders (ages 11–14)
MathPath is a four-week residential math camp for students ages 11 to 14 who show strong talent and interest in mathematics. Each summer, a small cohort gathers on a university campus for a month of intensive exploration in number theory, combinatorics, geometry, graph theory, and related topics. You attend daily seminars, take part in problem-solving workshops, and work through challenging activities guided by MathPath instructors and university faculty. You spend much of your time working with students who share your interest in advanced mathematics, building skills in reasoning, teamwork, and clear mathematical communication. Admission is selective, which keeps the cohort small and focused.
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size:Â Accepts 120 students per session out of 1000 applicants
Location: West Point, NY
Cost: Free, includes tuition, room & board
Application Deadline: Mid-February
Program Dates: Runs in June
Eligibility: Open to middle school students who demonstrate strong academic performance and a strong interest in pursuing a college education
The United States Military Academy’s Summer STEM Workshop is a week-long, residential program that brings middle school students to West Point for hands-on science and engineering work. You’ll spend your days in academy labs building robotics projects, working through engineering design challenges, and applying math and technology concepts under the guidance of West Point faculty and cadet mentors. Team-based problem-solving is at the center of the experience, and you’ll work closely with peers on structured projects that mirror real-world STEM tasks. You’ll also live in the barracks with cadet supervision, giving you a clear look at daily life on a military campus.Â
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Opens about 32 slots per year
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: May 5
Program Dates: July 14- July 25
Eligibility: Currently enrolled in grades 5-7
The Summer Engineering Camp at USC is a free, two-week residential program for students entering grades 6 to 8. You’ll explore aerospace, civil, electrical, environmental, and mechanical engineering through hands-on activities. The work is practical and varied. One day you might launch a small rocket, another day you might build a bridge, program a robot, or design a simple app. You’ll spend your days in USC’s engineering labs, attend guided sessions with faculty and mentors, and collaborate with peers on group assignments. At the end of the program, you’ll present a final project that brings together what you learned.
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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