14 STEM Camps for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Sep 10
- 8 min read
Updated: Oct 19
If you are a middle school student and want to explore STEM in a short and focused manner, the best way to start is by enrolling in a STEM summer camp. A STEM camp usually spans a few days to a few weeks, and allows you to learn skills like coding, robotics, engineering, or lab work in a hands-on and productive way. These camps typically run during your summer or school breaks and give you a chance to apply what you learn instead of just reading about it. Unlike longer programs, STEM camps do not require a big time commitment and are also more budget-friendly, making them easier to try without much expense.
By joining a STEM camp, you can explore different fields and figure out what excites you most, whether it is computer science, math, or engineering. At the same time, the projects and experience you gain can strengthen your profile for future academic opportunities.
With that, here are 14 STEM camps for middle school students!
14 STEM Camps for Middle School Students
Location: Virtual
Dates: Varies by the cohort
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 - 8
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is an 8-week mentorship-based experience designed for middle school students to explore academic interests and create a project they’re passionate about. Students are paired one-on-one with mentors who are scholars from top-tier institutions like Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and LSE. The program begins with a broad exploration of four key topics within the chosen track (weeks 1–4). In weeks 5 and 6, students narrow their focus to one specific area for deeper study. The final two weeks (weeks 7–8) are dedicated to developing and completing their projects with continued mentorship and support. You can find the application form here.
Location: Virtual
Dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks (on weekends) during the spring and 25 hours over 2 weeks (on weekdays) during the summer cohort
Application Deadline: Varies by the cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers is a virtual program designed to introduce middle school students to the core concepts of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Over 25 hours, students explore Python programming along with topics like data analysis, regression, neural networks, image classification, and AI ethics. The program features a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio, with learning delivered through a mix of lectures and collaborative sessions. By the end, participants complete a hands-on project tailored to their interests. Past projects have included building music genre classifiers and AI tools that recommend personalized educational resources. You can find the application form here.
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: May 17
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; Check the program website regularly for updated information.
Eligibility: Middle and high school students; no prior engineering experience required
Stanford seeME Program is a free, one-day engineering experience for middle school students hosted by Stanford University’s Mechanical Engineering department. You’ll work directly with Stanford faculty and graduate student mentors on hands-on projects that introduce real engineering concepts in an accessible way. Topics have included wind energy, autonomous vehicles, disease modeling, fire science, and data analytics. You’ll participate in interactive demonstrations and design challenges that show how engineering applies to everyday problems.
Location: Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Cost/Stipend: $60–$320, depending on the camp; need-based scholarships available
Dates: Varies by program, with options in June, July, and August
Application Deadline: Varies by program
Eligibility: Students entering 6th-8th grade students
At Oregon State University’s STEM Academy Middle School Summer Camps, you’ll spend a week diving into science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on learning. These camps are designed for students entering grades 6 to 8 and take place on OSU’s Corvallis campus. You’ll explore exciting topics like robotics, engineering design, computer programming, and environmental science, all while working alongside OSU faculty and mentors who guide you through fun, interactive projects. Each camp focuses on a specific theme, so you might find yourself building solar cars, programming microcontrollers, designing arcade games, or studying wildlife and ecosystems.
Location: Michigan Engineering Zone, Detroit, MI
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: Session 1: June 23- June 27; Session 2: August 4-August 8
Application Deadline: Not specified, refer to the program website to stay updated
Eligibility: Current 6th-8th-grade students
At the Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab Summer Camp at the University of Michigan’s Michigan Engineering Zone (MEZ), you’ll spend a week exploring engineering, coding, and robotics through hands-on projects and interactive challenges. This free camp is designed for middle school students entering grades 6 through 8 and is fully funded by Qualcomm, so there’s no cost to attend. You’ll work with University of Michigan faculty and industry mentors who guide you through the engineering design process while helping you build your innovative projects.
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Cost/Stipend: Full Scholarship
Dates: July 8- August 2
Application Deadline: April 29
Eligibility: New York City residents aged 12-14 by the start of the program
At New York University Tandon School of Engineering’s Science of Smart Cities (SoSC) program, you’ll spend four weeks tackling real-world urban challenges using STEM tools and techniques. You’ll learn foundational electronics, circuit design, coding, and engineering principles while building smart-city technologies that solve problems like energy efficiency, environmental monitoring, and infrastructure design. You’ll work in teams to design and prototype solutions using microcontrollers, sensors, and embedded systems, guided by NYU faculty and industry professionals.
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: Need-based financial aid is available
Dates: June 22- June 26
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Rising 7th- 9th graders; Students must live and attend school within 60 miles of Penn’s campus
At the Penn GEMS Engineering, Math, and Science Camp, you’ll spend a week at the University of Pennsylvania exploring how engineers solve real-world problems through hands-on STEM projects. You’ll explore fields like bioengineering, computer science (including AI), materials science, mechanical and electrical engineering, and robotics, all while working alongside Penn students, researchers, and staff. Throughout the week, you’ll build your skills in teamwork, communication, and critical thinking as you design and prototype innovative solutions.
Location: University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Cost/Stipend: Sponsored programs available; $700 per week for day students; $1,350 per week for residential students
Dates: Varies by program, check here for full details
Application Deadline: Not specified, stay updated here
Eligibility: 5th-12th graders
University of New Hampshire’s Tech Camp gives you a chance to explore science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on workshops and team-based projects. You’ll explore topics like robotics, environmental science, regenerative medicine, transportation engineering, and data analytics, applying STEM concepts to real-world challenges in a fun and supportive environment. You’ll work alongside UNH faculty and industry professionals who guide you through interactive sessions that build your problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
Location: Harvard Museum of Natural History, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: August 4-August 8
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines, check here
Eligibility: Allston-Brighton students entering grades 6–8 in the fall and who are members of the Harvard Ed Portal
Harvard’s Summer Explorations: Island Hopping - Evolutionary Game Design invites you to investigate how life colonizes and evolves on islands through a blend of scientific inquiry and creative game design. Over a week, you’ll explore how islands form and how species like birds, plants, spiders, and mammals reach and adapt to these isolated environments. You’ll use microscopes to examine survival adaptations, design your island ecosystem, and then create a board game that models the ecological dynamics of island biodiversity.
Location: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: June 9- June 13
Application Deadline: April 17
Eligibility: 7th & 8th graders
Physics Inside Out is a free, one-week summer program at Purdue University designed for students currently in grades 7 and 8. You’ll explore physics through hands-on lessons and experiments that span everything from the nanoscopic world of atoms to the vast scale of astronomy. Each day, Purdue faculty and research staff introduce core physics concepts and help you connect them to real-world applications.
You might investigate nanotechnology used in modern devices, learn how particle accelerators work, or explore the cosmos through telescopes. The program often includes tours of Purdue’s cutting-edge research facilities, such as the Birck Nanotechnology Center, the PRIME Lab particle accelerator, and the PUR1 nuclear reactor.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: July 7- July 11
Application Deadline: Early May
Eligibility: Rising 8th and 9th graders
Carnegie Mellon’s Summer Engineering Experience (SEE) is a free, one-week camp for rising 8th and 9th-graders that introduces you to the world of engineering through hands-on design challenges. Centered on the theme of “Making and Engineering,” the program gives you the chance to explore multiple engineering disciplines by working on two key projects. You’ll work with a small team on a weeklong group challenge using everyday materials, like building a bridge or creating a Rube Goldberg machine. This helps you learn how to brainstorm, prototype, and iterate like a real engineer. You’ll also take on an individual mini project that lets you get creative and put your spin on a design task.
Location: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: July 7- July 11
Application Deadline: March 30
Eligibility: Students in rising 7th-9th grades
The Data Science Summer Camp at Ohio State University’s Translational Data Analytics Institute is a free, five-day program designed for students entering grades 7 through 9. You’ll learn how to collect, analyze, and interpret data to solve real-world problems, skills that apply to everything from science and public health to business and city planning.
You’ll start by learning the basics of the data science process: how to ask meaningful questions, gather datasets, and use analytical methods to spot patterns and trends. Working in teams with guidance from OSU researchers and graduate student mentors, you’ll tackle mini-projects that apply data analysis to topics like disease outbreaks, school improvement, and urban design.
Location: Virtual or in-person in New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Washington, D.C.; London, England; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; and St. Louis, MO
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: Session I: June 2 – 13 | Session II: July 7 – 18 | Session III: July 21 – August 1 | Session IV: August 4 – 15
Application Deadline: March 3
Eligibility: Young women and gender expansive teens who are 13–18 years old
Kode With Klossy offers free, two-week summer coding camps for young women and gender-expansive teens ages 13 to 18 who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM. You can choose one of four specialized tracks from Web Development, Mobile App Development, Machine Learning, or Data Science and learn to build websites, apps, chatbots, or data visualizations using languages like JavaScript, Python, Swift, and SQL. You’ll be guided by licensed educators and instructional assistants in a supportive, collaborative environment.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: Summer Program: July 7 – 25 | Fall Semester Meetings (weekly commitment): August 27 – December 10
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: Students currently in grades 6 or 7
Stanford’s Middle School Scholars Program is a free, online academic enrichment experience designed for students in grades 6 or 7 from low-income backgrounds across the United States. You’ll begin with a three-week summer course taught live by instructors from Stanford Online High School, where you’ll explore advanced topics like modular arithmetic, encryption, and real-life applications of mathematics. Classes are small, just 12 students per cohort, so you’ll build close connections with peers who share your interests. After the summer, the program continues into the fall with weekly online meetings that focus on academic writing, math enrichment, study strategies, and high school admissions prep.
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.
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