14 Free Science Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 44 minutes ago
- 10 min read
If you’re interested in science, free science programs give you the opportunity to engage in academic work beyond what is typically available in high school. These programs often involve research, lab-based learning, or structured coursework. They allow you to have experiences you can mention in your college applications. Many of these programs are fully funded, which makes advanced science exposure accessible.
Why should I do a free science program in high school?
Many free science programs are selective, which can help you show colleges your level of preparation and interest in a subject. Participation can provide concrete examples of your interest, such as research projects or lab work. This strengthens your college essays and interviews. For students applying to competitive STEM programs, these experiences can show how you’ve pursued your academic interests outside the classroom.
Below, we list 14 free science programs for high school students in the U.S. Each offers structured academic or research experience and uses a competitive admissions process. These programs span fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science.
14 Free Science Programs for High School Students
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free program. $1,000 stipend awarded upon successful completion
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 2 to August 14
Application Deadline: February 20
Eligibility: New York City residents attending an NYC high school in grades 10 or 11
NYU ARISE is a research-focused program that introduces you to hands-on scientific work at a leading engineering school. You begin with structured training in research methods and laboratory practices before transitioning into a research placement at New York University. You select a broad area of interest, such as robotics, machine learning, biomedical engineering, or civil engineering, and are matched with an NYU faculty lab in that field. You’ll gain 120 hours of lab experience, during which you’ll work closely with a researcher and graduate students on an active project, using advanced facilities and equipment. Alongside research, the program includes workshops on college readiness and STEM careers, as well as opportunities to engage with New York City’s research and technology ecosystem. You’ll conclude by preparing and presenting a scientific poster that summarizes your research work.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple 12 week cohorts in spring, summer, fall, and winter
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students with strong academic achievement and financial hardship
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.
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free. Stipends available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 5 percent of applicants selected each year
Dates: June 29 to August 7
Application Deadline: February 5
Eligibility: Current high school juniors in grade 11. U.S. citizens or permanent residents. At least 16 years old by program start. School nomination required
The Simons Program is a selective summer research internship where you work full-time on a real STEM research project at Stony Brook University. As a Simons Fellow, you will be matched with a faculty mentor in a field such as biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, or astronomy. Over six weeks, you contribute to ongoing research in a lab or research group, gaining hands-on experience with advanced methods that may include experimental work, data analysis, or computational modelling. Alongside lab work, you attend faculty talks and skill-building workshops to gain a deeper understanding of how academic research operates. You conclude the program by presenting your work at a symposium or poster session, after which you will receive your stipend.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies. One hundred percent financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Cohorts run year round. Sessions last 10 to 15 weeks. Dates vary by program and cohort
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students. AI Fellowship open to prior AI Scholar participants or students with experience in AI or Python
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. If you are looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science, you would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, you will be introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects. Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, you will get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that you will have access to the in-house publication team to help them secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here and read about a student’s experience in the program here.
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: Late June through early August. Six weeks
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: High school juniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
MITES is a fully funded six-week enrichment program at MIT that focuses on intensive academic preparation for students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM. You take college-level courses in subjects such as mathematics, physics, life sciences, and humanities, paired with hands-on laboratory work. The coursework is demanding and comparable in pace and depth to early undergraduate classes, with support provided through teaching assistants and collaborative study groups. Outside the classroom, you tour research labs, interact with faculty and professionals, and participate in community-building activities. At the culmination of the program, each student receives a written evaluation from their instructor, outlining strengths and growth areas, as well as highlighting the student’s contributions to the class. Many students choose to submit this as supplemental material with their college applications.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Information not available
Dates: June 20 to August 1
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Current high school juniors in grade 11. U.S. citizens or permanent residents. At least 16 years old by program start
SAMS is a six-week residential STEM enrichment program at Carnegie Mellon University designed for high school juniors interested in college-level science and engineering. You will take advanced STEM courses in subjects such as calculus, physics, computer programming, or biology, taught by CMU faculty and graduate instructors. Alongside classes, you work on hands-on projects guided by faculty and/or graduate students, and collaborative design or problem-solving challenges that extend across the program. You live on campus, which creates a structured and collaborative environment for studying, lab work, and peer learning. The program also includes college admissions workshops, campus tours, and opportunities to interact with STEM professionals and alumni.
Location: Virtual plus UT Austin campus, Austin, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 10 percent of applicants selected each year
Dates: Online modules and project work from May 15 to July 3. On site projects from July 5 to July 18. Virtual symposium on July 20 and July 21
Application Deadline: February 22
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors who are U.S. citizens and at least 16 years old by July 5
SEES is a hybrid research program run by NASA and the University of Texas at Austin that introduces you to applied Earth and space science research. You begin with a virtual component, completing online training and working remotely with NASA scientists on data-driven projects such as analyzing satellite imagery or mission datasets. In July, you travel to Austin for a funded, two-week residential experience where you collaborate in teams on interdisciplinary projects spanning Earth science, planetary science, and astronomy. During the residency, you work intensively on research tasks, such as studying climate impacts, remote sensing data, or astrophotography. You can find the project themes for the upcoming cycle here. The program also includes a visit to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, offering direct exposure to ongoing space missions and engineering work. You conclude by presenting your findings at a Virtual Science Symposium to NASA researchers and peers.
Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free with a $25 application fee. $750 stipend provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 12 applicants selected each year
Dates: June 21 to August 6
Application Deadline: February 16
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors and advanced juniors who are at least 17 years old by program start
This is a highly selective summer research experience where you work one-on-one with a faculty mentor at Texas Tech University on an independent research project in a field that can range from biology, physics, and computer science to the humanities. The program emphasizes close mentorship, allowing you to engage deeply in research design, execution, and analysis. In addition to research, you participate in seminars, field trips, and group activities that provide academic and professional context. By the end of the program, you produce a formal research report and may continue the project beyond the summer.
Location: Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free. Stipends available for students with financial need. $50 application fee with fee waiver available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 50 students selected per year. Preference for local students
Dates: June 8 to July 30. Tentative
Application Deadline: February 21
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old by program start. U.S. citizens or permanent residents attending high school in the U.S.
SIMR is a summer biomedical research internship hosted by Stanford University School of Medicine that places high school students in active medical research labs. You’ll select a research area such as cancer biology, immunology, neuroscience, bioengineering, bioinformatics, genetics, or stem cell research, and will be matched with a Stanford faculty lab. Over eight weeks, you will work close to full-time in the lab, assisting with ongoing experiments and learning field-specific techniques that may include molecular biology methods, computational analysis, or engineering-based approaches. In addition to lab work, you’ll attend weekly seminars and career talks led by researchers and clinicians.
Location: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free. $1,200 stipend provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 20 students selected per year
Dates: June 29 to August 21
Application Deadline: February 6
Eligibility: High school juniors living in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut within 25 miles of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center main campus. Full eligibility criteria listed on the program website
The Memorial Sloan Kettering HOPP Summer Student Program is an intensive research internship focused on cancer science. You will be placed in a laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where you will work alongside researchers on a defined project in areas such as molecular oncology, immunotherapy, computational biology, or pathology. Over the summer, you gain hands-on experience with research techniques while learning how experiments are designed, conducted, and analyzed. The program also includes lectures and professional development sessions that introduce current topics in cancer research and scientific communication. You conclude the experience by presenting your work in a poster session, building skills relevant to future research and academic pathways.
Location: U.S. Navy Research Labs across the United States. Programs offered at 38 locations
Cost/Stipend: Free. Stipends available. $4,000 for new participants. $4,500 for returning participants
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 300 students selected per year
Dates: 8 weeks, generally June to August. Option to extend up to two additional weeks
Application Deadline: November 1
Eligibility: High school students (typically rising juniors and seniors); Age 16+; Check full eligibility criteria here
SEAP is a summer apprenticeship that places you in a U.S. Department of Navy laboratory, where you work alongside professional scientists and engineers on applied research projects. You are assigned to a mentor and join an active research team at a Navy lab located in regions such as Washington, D.C., Maryland, California, or Mississippi. Over the summer, you work full-time on projects that can range from materials science and aerospace engineering to software development or applied biology, depending on the lab’s focus. Your work contributes to real defence or maritime research efforts tied to practical applications. The program typically concludes with a short report or presentation summarizing your contributions.
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free. $75 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Fewer than 2.5 percent of applicants selected each year
Dates: Typically 6 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Early to mid December. Usually the Wednesday of the second full week in December
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors; Check full eligibility criteria here
RSI is widely regarded as one of the most selective free science programs for high school students. Each summer, you join a cohort of about 100 top STEM students from around the world for five weeks at MIT, combining college-level coursework with a mentored research internship. You begin with intensive classes taught by MIT faculty, then move into a one-on-one research placement where you work on advanced topics such as quantum physics, genomics, or computer science. Throughout the program, you engage in the full research process, including literature review, experimental design, data collection, and analysis. By the final week, you produce a journal-style research paper and deliver a conference-style
Location: Rockefeller University, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free. Stipends available for students with financial need
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 32 students selected per year
Dates: June 22 to August 6
Application Deadline: January 2
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors who are at least 16 years old by program start
Rockefeller University’s SSRP is a mentored summer research apprenticeship focused on collaborative biomedical research. You work at The Rockefeller University in a team-based structure, where the cohort is divided into small research teams led by scientist mentors, often from Rockefeller, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, or Weill Cornell Medicine. Over seven weeks, you will conduct hands-on lab work in dedicated teaching labs, using techniques such as cell culture, microscopy, bioinformatics tools, or molecular biology methods, depending on the project. Alongside lab work, you’ll attend elective classes, guest lectures, and professional development sessions on topics like reading scientific literature and exploring STEM careers.
Location: The City College of New York, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 7 to August 7
Application Deadline: May 25
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 12
The CCNY STEM Institute provides free summer STEAM programs for middle and high school students. You will explore subjects across math, science, engineering, technology, and the arts, including topics such as calculus and physics, while building problem-solving skills and working on research-based projects. The program also offers coursework in areas such as financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and writing. Alongside academic learning, you’ll develop college- and career-readiness skills and receive academic support. You conclude the program by presenting your research at a poster symposium.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. 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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