12 Free Earth Sciences Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 10 min read
If you’re interested in exploring Earth sciences in high school, a structured academic program can give you far more than a classroom elective ever could. Through these programs, you get early exposure to college-level coursework, field or lab experience, and direct interaction with university faculty, researchers, or industry professionals. You also begin to understand what studying geology, climate science, environmental systems, oceanography, or sustainability actually looks like at the university level. Just as importantly, many of these opportunities are fully funded or offer full scholarships, meaning you can gain meaningful academic experience without the burden of high tuition costs.
Why should I participate in a free Earth sciences program in high school?
Participating in a free Earth sciences program gives you early exposure to how scientists actually study the planet, from analyzing climate data and modeling Earth systems to conducting field observations and interpreting environmental research. You develop technical skills such as scientific writing, data analysis, geographic reasoning, and evidence-based argumentation, all of which are valuable for STEM majors. From a college admissions perspective, demonstrating sustained interest in Earth sciences through programs can strengthen your academic narrative and make your application more cohesive and compelling.
For this list, we’ve narrowed down 12 free Earth sciences programs for high school students.
If you’re looking for online summer research programs, check out our blog here.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective (interview required; small cohorts)
Program Dates: June through mid-August
Application Deadline: Application portal opens February 27; in-person interviews held in May
Eligibility: Ninth–eleventh-grade students who live in New York City and attend school in or near the Rockaway peninsula
Cost: Free; students receive up to a $1,200 stipend
Location: RISE (Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity), Far Rockaway, NY
Environmentor is a summer research mentorship program where you conduct field-based environmental research focused on Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway shoreline. You work four days a week with science mentors from local universities and research institutions, developing independent research projects on topics such as salt marsh ecology, coastal flooding, air quality monitoring, and species interactions. Students engage in structured orientations, research workshops, and hands-on data collection in coastal environments. Past projects have included analyzing PM2.5 and VOC levels, characterizing native plant species, and studying the impacts of ecosystem restoration. In addition to research training, you receive water safety certification, CPR training, and participate in community service initiatives connected to local environmental resilience efforts.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Program Dates: Vary based on yearly cohort—multiple 12-week cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Application Deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November). You can apply here!
Eligibility: You must be enrolled in high school or plan to enroll as a first-year student in college in the fall and must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Cost: The program is fully funded!
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
The Lumiere Breakthrough Scholar Program is the equivalent of the Individual Research Scholar Program at Lumiere Education. In the flagship program, talented high-school students are paired with world-class Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll develop an independent research paper. You can choose topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. This program is a solid option if you are interested in interdisciplinary research and want to create an individual research paper.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Nationwide competitive selection; the exact cohort size is not published
Program Dates: June – August (8 weeks; dates arranged between mentor and student)
Application Deadline: January 25
Eligibility: High school students; emphasis on students from underrepresented groups in fisheries and aquatic sciences
Cost: Fully funded; students receive a $3,000 stipend
Location: Nationwide placements across all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico (within commuting distance of the student’s home)
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program is an eight-week paid summer internship sponsored by the American Fisheries Society. You work directly with professional fisheries scientists, gaining hands-on field and laboratory experience in aquatic ecosystems, conservation biology, and fisheries management. Projects may include fish population surveys, habitat assessments, water-quality analyses, and ecological monitoring. The program is designed to introduce you to careers in fisheries, marine science, and environmental research through mentorship and real-world scientific work. Internship placements are coordinated to be within commuting distance of your home, making the program accessible nationwide.
Location: Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Boston
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts; rolling admissions.
Program Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Eligibility: Students aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school
The Academic Insights Program lets high school students experience university life firsthand. You will live on campus, study in small groups of 7-10, and learn from tutors from top universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. Participants can explore a wide range of subjects, spanning over 20 options, including Architecture, AI, Business Management, Computer Science, Economics, Medicine, Philosophy, and more. The courses are experiential and focus on hands-on learning. You may find yourself conducting dissections in medicine, designing a robotic arm in engineering, participating in a moot court for law, or building creative writing portfolios and business case studies. By the end of the program, you’ll complete a personal project, receive written feedback, and receive a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited space with small cohorts
Program Dates: June 15 – July 17
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Robeson County students who are 18 or older
Cost: Free; includes housing in Chapel Hill and a $1,500 Visa gift card stipend
Location: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Geo-Health Summer Interns is a multi-week, in-person science enrichment program focused on geoscience and environmental health. You engage with faculty and scientists from UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC-Pembroke as you explore environmental health challenges specific to North Carolina. The program includes field trips, hands-on environmental investigations, and collaborative STEM-based activities tied to watershed science, environmental exposure, and public health. You connect directly with working scientists and professionals, gaining insight into research methods and applied environmental problem-solving. The program is fully funded and provides free housing in Chapel Hill for accepted participants. Through structured activities and mentorship, you build foundational skills relevant to environmental science careers and STEM degree pathways.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 6–30 scholars selected from 175–300+ applicants
Program Dates: Third Tuesday in June – First Thursday in August
Application Deadline: February 1 – March 15
Eligibility: High school students who have completed at least one year of high school and live within 25 miles of campus in the San Francisco Bay Area
Cost: Free (no participation cost; limited honorarium available for eligible scholars)
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
Stanford Young Investigators is an 8-week research internship where you work 15–30 hours per week in active sustainability and Earth science laboratories. You collaborate directly with graduate scholars, postdoctoral researchers, and lab managers on ongoing research in geology, oceans, paleobiology, environmental science, energy systems, and agricultural sustainability. Projects have included seismic data analysis, fossil morphology studies, lithium-ion battery modeling in MATLAB and Python, water chemistry testing, and carbon capture modeling. Interns participate in weekly lab tours, field trips, and group sustainability seminars, and present their work at a final symposium in August. This is a working research internship emphasizing scientific rigor and professional research skills.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective with limited spots
Program Dates: Year-round (half-time summer options; quarter-time available all year)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors; GPA above 3.25; at least one honors science or honors English course (exceptions are considered)
Cost: Free; unpaid internship
Location: Virtual
EnergyMag’s Virtual Internship is an unpaid research-based program focused on renewable energy and energy storage systems. As a high school intern, you will research and analyze a specific company, technology, or market within the clean energy sector, synthesizing your findings into a published report credited to you. The work emphasizes scientific literacy, energy economics, and infrastructure analysis, making it particularly relevant if you’re interested in climate solutions, grid systems, or storage technologies. You will conduct independent research, contact industry professionals, analyze technical and business information, and produce a structured written report under a mentor's supervision. Interns work remotely and maintain daily digital communication with their supervisor.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; space dependent
Program Dates: Climate Change: Biological Impacts - July 1 – August 12 | Earth & Environmental Systems Geography - September 9 – December 16
Application Deadline: Rolling registrations; contact required before the course starts
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
Cost: Free (full scholarships funded; includes textbook rental)
Location: Penn State Scranton, Dunmore, PA
Penn State Scranton offers free, dual-credit environmental science courses designed for high school juniors and seniors. You study topics such as climate change, biology, Earth system science, hydrology, plate tectonics, oceanography, and ecosystem dynamics through structured, college-level coursework. The curriculum emphasizes scientific literacy, critical analysis of research articles, and systems-based thinking about the atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere. You’ll use tools such as Google Earth StoryMaps, geographic analysis frameworks, and scientific databases to evaluate environmental change and human impacts. All courses are tuition-free, funded by full scholarships from the DeNaples Family Environmental Program Fund.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; the exact cohort size information is not available
Program Dates: July 12 – 18
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; scholarship consideration awarded until funding is distributed
Eligibility: High school students; scholarship applicants must reside in the United States, demonstrate financial need (household annual gross income of $80,000 or less), show good academic standing, and submit a counselor recommendation
Cost: ~$2,250–$2,350; a full-course scholarship is available. Read about the available discounts and scholarships here.
Location: University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
This immersive Earth and Environmental Sciences pre-college course introduces you to field and laboratory methods used by professional geoscientists. You work alongside UConn faculty conducting rock, soil, and water sampling, mineralogical analysis, and environmental geochemistry investigations. The program integrates lectures, field demonstrations, and interpretations of geologic history focused on Connecticut’s landscapes, erosion processes, rivers, climate systems, and environmental change. Students learn analytical approaches used in Earth systems science, including interpreting sediment records and environmental data. While typically a paid program, scholarship decisions are awarded on a rolling basis until available funding is exhausted.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~215 selected from ~2,000 applicants (≈10–11% acceptance rate)Program Dates: Virtual: June – July 21 | On-site: July 5 – 18
Application Deadline: February 22
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores or juniors (rising juniors/seniors) must be 16 by July 5; U.S. citizens only
Cost: A full scholarship covers tuition, housing, meals, tours, and local transportation. Travel scholarships to Texas may also be available. Virtual participation is free. Paid option: $2,000 (covers housing, meals, tours, and local transportation; travel not included).
Location: University of Texas at Austin, Center for Space Research, Austin, TX (virtual and on-site options available)
The SEES High School Summer Intern Program is a nationally competitive NASA-funded research experience hosted by the University of Texas Center for Space Research. Interns collaborate with NASA scientists, engineers, and industry experts on mission-based projects related to Earth systems, natural hazards, aerospace science, planetary science, remote sensing, and space geodetic techniques. You’ll complete structured Earth & Space Science modules, engage in data analysis and systems modeling, and conduct research either virtually or on-site in Austin. The program emphasizes authentic NASA mission data, giving you exposure to real-world scientific workflows while strengthening teamwork, communication, and technical problem-solving skills. All interns present their findings at the SEES Virtual Science Symposium, attended by NASA experts and guests.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective cohort-based program
Program Dates: June 21 – July 2; July 5 – July 16
Application Deadline: Rolling admission; final deadline May 8
Eligibility: Students completing grades 10–12; must be 16–18 years old by June 14
Cost: Residential Pre-College program tuition (varies by session; see Brown Program Dates & Costs). Need-based Sibley Scholarships are available for eligible U.S. students (first-applied, first-awarded). Full scholarships are available for qualifying Providence Public School District (PPSD) students. Additional partner and employee-dependent scholarships are offered.
Location: Brown University, Providence, RI (with field sites across Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts)
Brown’s Environmental Leadership Lab (BELL): Rhode Island is a 12-day immersive residential program that combines environmental science with leadership development. You’ll study ecosystems, sustainability, and environmental challenges through lecture-style lessons, collaborative discussions, and field-based site visits across Southern New England. The program emphasizes experiential learning, including daily outdoor exploration, hands-on inquiry, and engagement with diverse land and seascapes. Beyond scientific understanding, you’ll develop an Environmental Action Plan focused on a pressing issue you care about, applying leadership frameworks to real-world challenges. Students live together in residence halls, participate in structured community activities, and receive a Course Performance Report and Digital Certificate of Completion upon successful completion.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly listed (selective 1-week enrichment cohort)
Program Dates: July 12 – 17
Application Deadline: Rolling (Session 2 – July 12–17)
Eligibility: Current 11th-grade students, at least 15 years old
Cost: $2,500. Need-based financial aid is available. Students with household income ≤ $125,000 receive a full program fee waiver; students with household income ≤ $60,000 receive a full program fee waiver plus domestic round-trip travel coverage.
Location: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Young Innovators: Climate & Energy is a one-week residential enrichment program that introduces you to the intersection of climate science, energy systems, and public policy. Hosted in partnership with the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), the Becker Friedman Institute, and the Climate Impact Lab, the program combines rigorous discussion-based classes, faculty lectures, and collaborative projects focused on global energy challenges. You’ll examine how economic growth, sustainability, and environmental protection interact, while exploring real-world climate and energy policy solutions. The curriculum also includes industry exposure, such as site visits and discussions with professionals in the renewable energy and clean technology sectors.
Stephen is one of Lumiere's founders 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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