14 STEM Programs for High School Students in Pittsburgh, PA
- Stephen Turban
- 3 minutes ago
- 9 min read
If you’re a high schooler who wants to explore science, technology, engineering, or math at a more advanced level, STEM programs can give you that opportunity. Many STEM programs include project-based work, lab time, and close interaction with instructors, helping you learn by doing. Participating in a selective program can make your college applications stand out, especially if you’re applying to top colleges.
Why consider a STEM program in Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh offers high schoolers programs run by universities, research centers, and medical institutions across the city. You can take part in research studies, technical projects, or structured workshops that reflect professional work. These programs help you see how STEM connects to healthcare, engineering, data, and technology in practice. These experiences add weight to college applications by showing that you’ve taken initiative and spent time engaging with challenging academic work.
14 STEM Programs for High School Students in Pittsburgh, PA
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost: Fully funded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: June 20 – August 1
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Current 11th-grade high school students who are at least 16 years old by the program start date and are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
SAMS is widely recognized as one of CMU’s flagship access programs for STEM-focused students. In this program, you move through college-level STEM coursework combined with labs, projects, and collaborative problem-solving. You will work on projects that connect math, science, and computing, and learn how theory is used in research and engineering contexts. Faculty and staff guide you through structured classes as well as team-based work that mirrors how STEM work is done at the university level. The program includes a final presentation where you explain your project and the methods behind it.
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies by the program. Full financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Currently enrolled high school students; strong academic performance
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. You are paired one-on-one with a Ph.D. mentor and work on an original research project in a field of your choice. Subjects range from computer science and data science to chemistry, economics, and psychology. Over the program duration, you develop a full research paper under close mentorship. The flexible structure allows you to participate from anywhere, including Pittsburgh. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Location: UPMC Hillman Cancer Center sites
Cost: Free; stipend provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: June 15 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High school students in good academic standing; applicants must be at least 15 years old by the program start date for computational sites and at least 16 years old for placement in CB, TDX, Pathobiology, ICI, VISION, or WCRC sites
UPMC Hillman Academy is hosted by UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh. You will work in cancer research settings with a research group focused on areas such as cancer biology, immunology, or computational biology. Your work depends on placement and can include wet-lab experiments, analyzing biological data, or building and testing computational models used in cancer research. Alongside daily research work, you attend lectures and seminars that explain how basic research connects to clinical care and cancer treatment. You work closely with a faculty mentor who guides your research process, helps you interpret results, and introduces you to how biomedical research is carried out in real hospital and university labs.
4. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by the program. Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November). You can apply to the program here.
Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility: High school students. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students who are looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science 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 get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that students 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.
Location: Magee-Womens Research Institute
Cost: None. A stipend of $1,800 is provided (if the household qualifies for the National School Breakfast and Lunch program for Pennsylvania)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: June 15 - July 24
Application Deadline: February 9
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors who are over 16 years old by the program start date and have a permanent or primary residence in the local southwest Pennsylvania region
In the Magee-Womens Research Institute High School Summer Internship, you work inside an active biomedical research lab focused on women’s, reproductive, and infant health. You will be paired with a research mentor to contribute to ongoing projects by running experiments, handling lab equipment, and working with research data. Weekly sessions introduce different research careers and explain how lab findings connect to clinical outcomes. You end the program by presenting your work and explaining the research question, methods, and results.
Location: Pitt Public Health building, University of Pittsburgh campus
Cost: Free; students get $1,000 upon completion
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 23 – July 18 (Tentative)
Application Deadline: March 3 (Tentative)
Eligibility: Current 10th or 11th graders at Allderdice HS, Brashear HS, CAPA 6–12, Carrick HS, Environmental Charter HS, Milliones 6–12, Obama 6–12, Perry HS, SciTech, or Westinghouse Academy 6–12 with a minimum 3.0 GPA
Through the Pitt Public Health Science Academy, organized by the University of Pittsburgh, you will examine how science is used to address public health problems. You will take part in lectures, discussions, and interactive sessions led by public health faculty on topics such as disease prevention and environmental health. Site visits show how research connects to policy and community action. You also work on a group research project and present your findings at the end of the program.
Location: University of Pittsburgh, Langley Hall
Cost: Free; $1,000 stipend upon completion
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective (30% of applicants); 18–20 students per cohort
Dates: June 23 – July 18 (tentative)
Application Deadline: March 28 (tentative)
Eligibility: Current high school students (grades 9–11) from Pittsburgh public schools and urban Pittsburgh-area high schools who have completed one year of high school biology
The Gene Team Research Program at the University of Pittsburgh immerses you in cutting-edge biological research as part of an active research project in Pitt's Department of Biological Sciences. You will engage in laboratory work, carry out experiments, collect data, and develop professional skills, with dedicated college preparation sessions. These sessions focus on strategies for navigating college applications, building academic confidence, and exploring paths into STEM careers.
Location: In-person (location not specified)
Cost: Free; $10/hour stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 15 – June 26; July 13 – July 24
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders
In the L.A.U.N.C.H. Leadership in STEM Program, you combine STEM exposure with leadership and career-focused learning. You will engage with professionals through mentoring sessions and industry visits that show how STEM careers operate. Workshops cover topics such as financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and personal branding. You work in teams on a real-world problem-solving project that emphasizes collaboration and communication rather than lab-based research.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University campus
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: June 20 – July 18
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Current 11th-grade high school students who are at least 16 years old by the program start date and are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a valid U.S. green card
The AI Scholars program is one of the most selective and academically rigorous STEM programs for high school students in Pittsburgh. It is a four-week, fully funded experience that introduces you to artificial intelligence through college-level coursework and applied projects. You will work in teams to explore how AI can be used in areas like healthcare, sustainability, or social impact. Throughout the program, you receive mentorship from CMU faculty and researchers who are actively working in AI-related fields. The program also includes structured support around college admissions and financial aid. You end the experience by presenting your final project, which helps you practice communicating technical ideas clearly.
Location: ALCOSAN service area
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: First-come, first-served
Dates: July 14 – July 25
Application Deadline: June 23
Eligibility: High school students living or studying in the ALCOSAN service area
The ALCOSAN Clean Water Academy Program, organized by Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, focuses on how clean water systems connect engineering, public health, and the environment. You tour wastewater treatment facilities to see how large-scale infrastructure operates. Lab activities introduce concepts from chemistry and microbiology tied to water treatment. Throughout the program, you interact with engineers, scientists, and IT professionals and work on a technology-focused project related to water systems.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University campus
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: June 20 – July 18
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Current 10th-grade high school students who are at least 16 years old by the program start date and are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a valid U.S. green card
The CS Scholars Program is hosted by Carnegie Mellon University. In this program, you get a structured introduction to computer science through hands-on programming in Python. You will learn core ideas such as variables, functions, control flow, and basic data structures, while solving problems, tracing logic, and debugging code. The coursework focuses on how to think algorithmically and how to break down problems the way computer scientists do. Alongside technical work, you attend sessions focused on preparing for college-level academics and understanding pathways into computer science.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), Pittsburgh, PA
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified; selective holistic review
Dates: June 22 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors; at least 16 years old; U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or DACA students; commuter students living within ~30 miles of campus or within Allegheny County
In ETC - Experience Designing Games: Exploration (EDG:E), offered by the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University, you explore game design as a multidisciplinary field. You will rotate through workshops covering programming, visual art, audio, music, and interactive storytelling to understand how each element contributes to a finished game. The second half of the program shifts to team-based development, where you design and build original games from concept to prototype while following professional production workflows.
Location: Entertainment Technology Center
Cost: $12,529 + $50 application fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 20 – August 1
Application Deadline: Early - February 1; Final - March 1
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores or juniors who are at least 16 years old by the program start date, have a B (3.0/4.0) or higher academic average
Through the CMU Pre-College – National High School Game Academy, hosted by the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University, you work through the full process of game development. Coursework covers programming, game design, visual art, sound, music, and storytelling. Based on your interests and prior work, you take on a primary role within a development team. You collaborate on multiple game projects, building playable prototypes while learning how creative teams plan, iterate, and solve problems together.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $25 + additional activity fees
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: February – June (various dates)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students
The Whitaker Center Surgery Live! The program, run by the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, gives you direct exposure to real surgical procedures. You observe an operation as it happens while surgeons explain each step. Operating room staff describe the tools, techniques, and decision-making involved during surgery. When attending in person, you take part in a post-procedure session focused on clarifying medical terms and understanding what you observed.
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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