15 Pre-College Summer Programs for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Aug 23
- 8 min read
If you’re in middle school and want to use your summer for something more hands-on than just regular classes, a pre-college program can be a good way to start. These programs are either hosted by universities or closely tied to them. You will be learning in a way that’s more focused, more project-based, and often more advanced than your school classes.
You can pick a subject that matches your interests. Some programs let you explore STEM topics like robotics or medicine. Others are built around writing, business, law, or design. You might be in a classroom, a lab, or even working on a group project with students from other states. For many students, it’s also the first time they experience life on a college campus or learn directly from faculty or professionals in a subject.
To help you find the right fit, we’ve compiled a list of 15 pre-college summer programs for middle school students!
15 Pre-College Summer Programs for Middle School Students
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort. Apply here!
Program Dates: 8 weeks, Multiple cohorts in the year
Eligibility: Grades 6-8
Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is an 8-week virtual mentorship program for middle school students (Grades 6–8). You work one-on-one with a PhD mentor to explore academic interests and build a personalized research project. You choose a track, such as artificial intelligence, economics, psychology, or social anthropology, and spend the first four weeks exploring topics, followed by four weeks developing your project. You meet weekly with your mentor and receive guidance on reading, writing, and critical thinking.
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: March 20. Applications for Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes will open in mid-December. Join the mailing list here.
Program Dates: Summer Course: July 7 - July 25; Fall Semester Meetings: August 27 - December 10
Eligibility: All applicants must be in Grade 6 or Grade 7 and must be attending school in the US.
Stanford Middle School Scholars Program (SMSSP) is a free, online program for low-income 6th and 7th graders across the U.S. You start with a three-week summer course, then continue with weekly fall meetings through December. You join a small cohort of 12 students and take live classes led by Stanford instructors, 65% hold PhDs. You build skills in writing, math, media literacy, and study strategies, and get support preparing for high school. You can only attend once, but if not selected, you can reapply next year.
Location: Online
Cost: Varies depending on program type
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort.
Program Dates: 25 hours over 2 weeks (on weekdays) during the summer cohort
Eligibility: 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. By the end of the program, you will have worked on a hands-on project in a subject of your choice! Previous projects done by students 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.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Up to $1,895
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year (1-week, 2-week, and 4-week options)
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and up
The Georgetown University Medical Research Program introduces you to clinical trials, cancer research, and how evidence-based medicine shapes healthcare. You’ll learn how researchers design studies, weigh ethical questions, and test new treatments. The highlight is your capstone: you’ll create a video explaining your research idea using the scientific method. You’ll spend 20–30 hours learning from mentors and exploring how clinical trials drive medical breakthroughs.
Location: Online
Cost: Varies based on course
Application Deadline: Varies based on course
Dates: June 1- June 30
Eligibility: Students in grades 7–10
Johns Hopkins CTY Legal Reasoning Afterschool Program introduces you to legal thinking, courtroom strategy, and how the U.S. judicial system works. You’ll study real and fictional cases, build arguments, and learn how to defend your position clearly and persuasively. You meet weekly on Zoom and complete assignments on your own. Classes are small, and instructors give direct feedback. You’ll practice debate, advocacy, and legal analysis, skills that apply to law, public policy, and everyday decision-making.
Location: Online
Cost: $700
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates: typically run 9 weeks in the Summer
Eligibility: 7th-8th graders
NYU Courant Math Programs for Young Minds help you explore advanced math in a fun and challenging way. You learn topics like number theory, group theory, graph theory, knots and surfaces, and computer science. Each day includes lectures, problem-solving in small groups, and math games that build creative thinking. You work with NYU professors and graduate students who show you how math connects to science, technology, and everyday life. You might learn how prime numbers protect online data, how symmetry helps in chemistry, or how graphs explain social networks.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $275
Application Deadline: 31 March
Dates: July 7 to July 11
Eligibility: All teenagers and middle schoolers are invited to apply
University of San Diego’s Middle School Raspberry Pi Program introduces you to the world of computing and electronics using the Raspberry Pi microcomputer. You’ll learn how to write basic Python scripts and use them to build real projects like a dimmer switch, an intruder alarm with a camera, and a working drum set. Along the way, you’ll get hands-on experience with electronic parts like resistors, LEDs, and rotary potentiometers, giving you a strong foundation for future coding and app design.
Location: Berkeley, California
Cost: Residential Tuition: $2,898, Commuter Tuition: $1,498, Application fee: $99
Application Deadline: Not available
Dates: Session 2: July 13 - July 18; Session 3: July 20 - July 25; Session 4: July 27 - August 1
Eligibility: Grades 6-8
Middle School Astronomy: Space Explorers at UC Berkeley is a one-week residential program where you explore space science through hands-on experiments and real-world applications. You’ll study physics, planetary geology, and orbital mechanics to understand how scientists investigate planets, stars, and space travel. You’ll build and launch model rockets, simulate Martian geology using Mars rover data, and learn about meteor composition and solar wind. Stargazing tools like telescopes and star wheels help you practice observational techniques.
Location: University of California, San Diego, CA; some programs are offered virtually
Cost: $175 – $450 per course; financial aid available
Dates: July 7 – July 25
Application Deadline: Different deadlines for different courses
Eligibility: Open to all middle and high school students
Sally Ride Science Academy Summer Program gives you the chance to explore science, technology, engineering, arts, and math through hands-on workshops led by UC San Diego faculty and expert instructors. Whether you're curious about robotics, biology, computer science, filmmaking, business, or even gemology, you’ll find courses that match your interests and help you build real skills.
Each workshop runs for three hours and focuses on teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving. You might design your own medicine in A Dose of Pharmacreations, explore ocean life in Adventures Under the Sea, or learn global business skills in Around the World in Business. You’ll get to experiment, build, and collaborate while learning from college-level instructors.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Rolling until filled; early registration recommended
Dates: March 15
Eligibility: Open to Students in 7th–8th grade
Everyday Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University is a hands-on program for middle school students that helps you see the world through the eyes of an engineer. Hosted by CMU’s College of Engineering, it’s designed to spark curiosity by encouraging you to look at everyday objects like sports gear, furniture, or electronics and ask questions about how they work, what problems they solve, and how engineering makes them better. You’ll explore different engineering fields through interactive exhibits, real-world examples, and conversations with CMU engineering students.
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Cost: $75; full scholarships available
Dates: June 23– July 30
Application Deadline: February 26
Eligibility: Rising 6th to 9th-grade students enrolled in New Haven schools
Ulysses S. Grant Foundation Summer Program at Yale is a six-week academic enrichment experience for New Haven middle school students who want to build strong skills in writing, critical thinking, and inquiry-based learning. Taught by Yale undergraduates, the program offers two tracks: Humanities and Investigations. In the Humanities track, you might explore topics like philosophy, identity through the arts, or music theory. The Investigations track includes courses on sustainability, civic spending, and architecture.
Location: University of Pennsylvania campus, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $650. Limited need-based financial aid is available
Dates: June 24 to June 28
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Students entering grades 7 through 9 who live within 60 miles of Penn’s campus
Penn GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science) is a week-long day camp at the University of Pennsylvania designed for middle school students entering grades 7 through 9. You’ll explore fields like bioengineering, nanotechnology, materials science, and computer graphics through hands-on projects, lab activities, and team-based challenges. The program is built around real-world problem solving and guided by Penn faculty, graduate students, and industry professionals.
Location: Columbia University campus, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Program Dates: July – August
Application Deadline: Applications open in February and close in April; exact dates vary by year.
Eligibility: New York State students in grades 7–12 who are economically disadvantaged or from historically underrepresented backgrounds (Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Alaskan Native)
S-PREP at Columbia University is a free academic enrichment program for middle and high school students in New York City who are interested in medicine and STEM. You’ll take rigorous courses in subjects like calculus, biochemistry, anatomy, and cognitive science, all taught by Columbia-affiliated instructors. If you’re accepted, you’ll also be eligible to apply for Columbia’s advanced research programs like BRAINYAC, which focuses on neuroscience, and the HICCC CURE program, which offers cancer research internships.
Location: Yale University campus, New Haven, CT
Cost: $7,100
Program Dates: July 13 - August 3
Application Deadline: Rolling until filled; early application strongly recommended
Eligibility: International students aged 13 to 18
SSOS at Yale is a three-week residential summer school for international students aged 13 to 18. You’ll live and study on Yale’s campus while choosing one academic course, such as Debate, Business and Entrepreneurship, Study Skills, Creative Writing, or English Language, and one elective like Theatre, Film, Photography, Tennis, or Outdoor Leadership. All classes are taught in English and designed to give you a taste of American campus life and classroom culture. The program includes structured study blocks, evening activities, and cultural trips, all within a diverse community where no more than 10 percent of students come from any one nationality.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free enrollment
Application Deadline: Rolling
Program Dates: Self-paced
Eligibility: Anyone can apply
This online course introduces you to machine learning and artificial intelligence. You will learn how models work through simple visuals and hands-on coding in Python. The course covers supervised and unsupervised learning, neural networks, and decision trees. You will use tools like TensorFlow and scikit-learn to build real models and explore how AI is used in the world. No coding or math experience is needed. You just need a computer with a basic setup to begin.
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.
Image Source - Stanford University logo