10 Best Summer Programs for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
If you’re a middle school student looking to level up your knowledge and upgrade practical skills, joining a summer program would be a solid choice. These programs channel your interests and existing skills in the right direction through hands-on learning, advanced education, and top-notch mentorship.
Before opting for a summer program, it is important to discern the quality of education, learning outcomes and future opportunities the program offers. Information on acceptance rates, networking opportunities, academic rigor and other factors determine what the program brings to the table.
Keeping in mind the discussed criteria and established standards, below is a list of the 10 best summer programs for middle school students.
Dates: Varies for different cohorts, with two Summer cohorts starting on June 2 & July 14.
Application Deadline: Varies for different cohorts, more details here.
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
Fee: $2,400 (Financial Aid available)
Location: Virtual
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is an 8-week virtual program that lets you pick from a wide range of exploration tracks and collaborate with an expert mentor to build a customized and impactful project. The available disciplines range from computer science, engineering & mathematics to history, economics, and sociology.
In the first four weeks, you will learn more about different subjects, before settling for a focused learning approach towards one specific subject area in weeks 5 and 6. In the final two weeks, you will work on a customized project related to your field and present it in the form of a literature review, a policy brief, or a business case analysis. In this process, you will be guided by your PhD mentors from top universities like Harvard, Stanford, Oxford throughout the 8-week period.
Dates: June 9 - June 20 (Cohort I), July 14- July 25 (Cohort II)
Application Deadline: Varies according to the cohort, more details here.
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
Fee: $1,990 (Need-based financial aid is available)
Location: Virtual
The AI Trailblazers program by Veritas AI is a virtual STEM program for middle school students. In 25 hours, the program trains students in the basics of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The coursework involves the fundamentals of coding, data analysis, AI ethics and deep learning.
Selected students work with mentors from top universities and engage in collaborative work with other participants. You will not only develop your theoretical understanding of the field, but also undergo practical training through work on data sets and AI applications. In the past, participants have curated machine-learning models to appropriately group music genres, worked on projects to detect malaria and CIFAR-10 recognition!
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective.
Dates: June 3 - June 27
Application Deadline: March 3
Eligibility: Students entering grades 7-9 (students must attend school within a 60-mile radius of the university’s campus and at least have a B average)Fee: $650 (Financial Aid available)
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Penn GEMS is a STEM summer camp hosted by the University of Pennsylvania for students entering grades 7 to 9. If selected, you will upgrade your understanding of the foundations and specific subjects in applied science, math, and engineering under the guidance of reputed academicians and experts.
Over a week-long period, you will be introduced to the fields of nanotechnology, bioengineering, materials science, graphic,s and computing. Penn GEMS aims to help you question & understand the significance of engineering in everyday life through hands-on activities.
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June 23 - July 30
Application Deadline: February 21
Eligibility: Students entering grades 6-9 (from public and parochial schools based in New Haven, CT)
Fee: $75 (Full scholarship available)
Location: Dwight Hall, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Ulysses S. Grant Foundation program offers a summer program that spans six weeks for committed middle school students from New Haven, CT. Selected students are introduced to subjects from two broad streams. Humanities introduces students to history, poetry, creative writing, and companion subjects, while Investigation focuses on problem-solving skills and hands-on learning through projects on natural & social sciences.
Selected students also hone their interpersonal skills by engaging in club activities, sports, games, music, debates, and mock trials. The program is also known for its highly competitive selection process, requiring teacher recommendations and other academic prerequisites.
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: July 7 - August 1
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Students in grades 7-12
Fee: Free
Location: Columbia University, NY
The State Pre-College Enrichment Program (S-PREP) is a competitive preparatory program for middle school and high school students looking to pursue a career in medicine or other associated fields in STEM. Primarily, the program aims to aid the representation of students belonging to historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged communities.
The program consists of 4-hour classes from Monday to Friday, where you will take courses that delve into subjects like anatomy, chemistry, cognitive science, physics, psychology, geometry, statistics, and more! You will also stand the chance to seek academic counselling, attend career development workshops, tours and field trips.
Selected students who attend the program also become eligible to apply for high school summer research programs like the BRAINYAC program and the YES in THE HEIGHTS program.
Acceptance Rate: Not selective, but limited spots available to students from each nationality.
Dates: July 13 - August 3
Application Deadline: TBD; applications are currently open.
Eligibility: Students aged 13 - 18 years.
Fee: $8800 (with $500 registration fee)
Location: Yale University, CT
The International Summer School at Yale University is a residential summer program by ISSOS for middle school and high school students from across the world. Selected students choose one academic option and one elective option spanning tuition periods of 45 hours and 36 hours respectively over a 3-week-long period.
Academic options include business & entrepreneurship, creative writing, debate, English, and study skills. On the other hand, elective options let students pick from subjects like film, outdoor leadership, photography, tennis, and theatre.
Acceptance Rate: Selective, limited spots available.
Dates: August 4 - August 8
Application Deadline: TBD (Applications open in June)
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8 (for students from Allston-Brighton schools)
Fee: Free
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
The Summer Explorations Program is a fully funded program offered by Harvard Ed Portal for school students. Organised in partnership with Harvard Museum of Natural History, it is designed to blend the disciplines of arts and science through a creative and hands-on approach.
This year’s program focuses on evolutionary game design through daily four-hour classes for five days in the summer. You will study microstructures that guide the survival of the marine ecosystem using scientific tools and methods. As a learning outcome, you will create a board game to model your own island, with its own distinct dynamics and biogeography.
8. dynaMIT
Acceptance Rate: Selective.
Dates: August 11 - August 15 (for students in grades 6-7), August 18 - August 22 (for students in grades 8-9)
Application Deadline: March 3
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-9
Fee: Free
Location: MIT Campus, Cambridge, MA
DynaMIT, hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is a free STEM program for middle school students. The primary aim of the program is to expand access to STEM education to economically disadvantaged students through its free week-long program. Through the program, you will cement your foundations in mathematics, biology, space science, physics and other STEM fields through interactive sessions and hands-on activities.
You will also engage in collaborative work with other participants and mentors from MIT, developing critical thinking and creativity in the process. As a learning outcome, you will also work on a project and have the opportunity to present it before your friends and family on the final day of the program!
Acceptance Rate: Selective, more details on the review process are available here.
Dates:June 16 - June 27 (Session I), July 7 - July 18 (Session II)
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: Students in grades 8-11
Fee: $3080, not including $65 registration fee and other course-specific costs. (Financial Aid available)
Location: Virtual
The Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes is an online summer program that typically offers about 70 summer courses in humanities, science, mathematics, business, social science and more! Individual courses range from creative writing, game design, and ethics studies to C++, product design and biosciences.
You will find a small class of approximately 16 students, which allows educators to be more attentive to individual needs. In addition, you will also connect with and learn from like-minded and motivated peers from across the world. All the courses are subject to strict attendance policies.
Acceptance Rate: Not selective
Dates: Varies as per cohort, more details here.
Application Deadline: Applications open on March 19. (Seats fill quickly)
Eligibility: Rising 6th graders through rising 8th graders
Fee: $200 (Scholarship available)
Location: HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL
The Code of Life Summer Camp is a summer camp that introduces middle school students to the world of DNA. Selected students experiment by extracting DNA from several organisms to learn how the coded information affects the organisms physically.
You will be guided by teachers and educators to study genetic disorders, the roles of enzymes in living systems. Students who attend the summer camp also become eligible to apply to one of the institute’s two advanced biology summer camps: I Want To Work In A Lab Coat and The Secret Lab.
Image Source - University of Pennsylvania Logo