10 Free STEM Programs for Middle School Students

As middle school students, now is a good time for you to explore different academic pathways and discover your interests, including in STEM subjects. Many organizations offer free or scholarship-based STEM programs that introduce you to the various fields. In addition to academics, you can network with experts and professionals who provide insights into their careers.

Opting for STEM programs while in middle school offers you the flexibility to change your track before high school. This is a time for you to consider your options without having to worry about tuition. Here is a list of 10 STEM programs for you to get started.

10 Free STEM Programs for Middle School Students

1. Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program

Location: Virtual

Cost: Varies, financial aid available

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective

Dates: 8 weeks, varies by cohort

Application Deadline: Varies by cohort

Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8

Middle schoolers who wish to conduct STEM research can consider Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program. You are matched with PhD mentors from prestigious universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Princeton, based on your chosen topic. The mentor provides support throughout the program to help you gain specialized knowledge. Working on your research project ensures you learn to read and interpret academic literature, build research questions, and create outputs such as a high school-level research paper or case study. The program is designed to help you develop critical thinking and scientific communication skills. Lumiere also offers a Junior Research and Publication Program for students who wish to publish their research in academic journals.

2. Science of Smart Cities

Location: New York University, New York, NY

Cost/Stipend: None

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective

Dates: To be announced

Application Deadline: To be announced

Eligibility: Rising 7 to 8th graders who are residents of NYC

This program by NYU is aimed at ambitious middle schoolers living in NYC. The curriculum teaches you coding, microcontroller programming, electronics, circuitry, sensors, and hardware. You also learn about urban design and sustainability in the context of NYC. Working in groups, you develop a technology that solves a real-world issue while gaining collaboration skills. Through the program, you gain knowledge of engineering as well as technology. 

3. Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers

Location: Virtual

Cost: Varies, financial aid available

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective

Dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks on weekends during spring, 25 hours over 2 weeks on weekdays during summer

Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines

Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8

Students considering a career in technology may benefit from Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers program. The program offers a middle-school level curriculum that gives you foundational knowledge of AI and machine learning. In the online classes, you will encounter topics like Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. What you learn from the classes must then be applied to a practical project that responds to a real-world challenge in any field. In the past, students have built a machine-learning model to classify music genres and a machine-learning algorithm to provide a custom list of educational resources based on selected specifications.

4. Ulysses S. Grant Foundation

Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT

Cost/Stipend: $75, full scholarships available

Acceptance rate/cohort size: 8 to 15 per class

Dates: June 23 to July 30

Application Deadline: February 26

Eligibility: Middle school students enrolled in public and parochial schools in New Haven, CT

Ulysses S. Grant Foundation’s 6-week academic program allows you to delve into science and humanities subjects. Yale undergraduates deliver humanities and investigations classes in the mornings. While humanities subjects include history, poetry, creative writing, and more, investigations classes cover the natural and social sciences. You can also choose electives that are held in the afternoons. You gain access to academic resources and become part of a community of advanced learners.

5. State Pre-College Enrichment Program (S-PREP)

Location: Columbia University, New York, NY

Cost/Stipend: None

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive

Dates: July for the summer session, October to May for the academic year session

Application Deadline: April 15 for summer, November 1 for academic year

Eligibility: Students in grades 7 to 12 with an 80 percent average in math and science who are interested in medicine or related STEM fields

This free program helps you prepare for high school and college as a middle schooler to help you maximize your available time. Focusing on STEM subjects, you will prepare for a career in the field, especially medicine. The program teaches subjects such as Anatomy, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Brain & Cognitive Science, Ready for PreMed, Physics, Psychology, Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus and Statistics. It helps you prepare for standardized tests and provides college and career development workshops. You can go on field trips as well as college tours. Participating in this program makes you eligible to apply for other prestigious programs.

6. Stanford Middle School Scholars Program

Location: Online

Cost/Stipend: Fully funded

Acceptance rate/cohort size: 12

Dates: Three weeks in July and the fall semester from mid August to December

Application Deadline: March 20

Eligibility: Low-income students in grades 6 or 7 who attend school in the United States with family income under $90,000

SMSSP is a virtual program for ambitious middle schoolers. It is held over two terms in the summer and fall. In the summer, you will attend live, interactive classes that cover topics related to your chosen track. The fall term involves weekly meetings where you participate in discussion. You receive college counseling and guidance to apply for prestigious courses. Workshops help improve your written communication and polish your applications to other schools and courses.

7. West Point Summer STEM Program for Middle and High Schools

Location: United States Military Academy, West Point, NY

Cost/Stipend: None

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified

Dates: June 2 to 6 for grades 6 and 7, June 9 to 13 for grades 8 and 9

Application Deadline: February 28

Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 9 who are U.S. citizens

This STEM program encourages middle schoolers with a strong academic background to explore and pursue STEM careers. Hands-on workshops equip you with practical skills needed to succeed in a STEM career. You will complete critical projects to expand your knowledge. The workshops are delivered by academy faculty and USMA cadet mentors. Through this program, you develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

8. Purdue University’s Physics Inside Out

Location: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Cost/Stipend: Fully funded

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited spots

Dates: June 9 to 13

Application Deadline: April 17

Eligibility: Students in grades 7 and 8

Students interested in physics can opt for Purdue University’s Physics Inside Out program. This fully funded program teaches you the fundamentals of physics and their application to the real world. You participate in hands-on activities that demonstrate physics principles and concepts, for which all materials are provided. Faculty and staff also walk you through their career journey to provide insights into pathways available to you. You can tour the college campus and labs to get a taste of college life. 

9. dynaMIT

Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA

Cost/Stipend: Fully funded

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified

Dates: August 11 to 15 for rising 6th and 7th graders, August 18 to 22 for rising 8th and 9th graders

Application Deadline: February 10

Eligibility: Rising 6th to 9th grade students

dynaMIT is a program for middle schoolers from underprivileged backgrounds. The aim of the program is to make STEM education accessible. Designed and executed by MIT undergraduates, they mentor you throughout the program. During the program, you will complete practical experiments and activities. Because the program is led by students and hosted at MIT, you can experience college life.

10. SEE: Summer Engineering Experience

Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Cost/Stipend: None

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective

Dates: July 7 to 11

Application Deadline: To be announced

Eligibility: Rising 8th and 9th graders

If you’re interested in math and science, this week-long program may suit your requirements. Depending on your grade, the course focuses on a specific theme. For rising 8th and 9th graders, the program covers making and engineering. You learn design and engineering concepts by working on two practical projects. The first is a group project, and the second is a small group or individual project. By encouraging you to push your creativity, the program fosters problem-solving, critical thinking, and design skills.  

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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