15 Summer Programs for High School Students in Canada
- Stephen Turban
- 3 hours ago
- 11 min read
\\If you’re a high school student hoping to challenge yourself this summer, joining a structured program can be a great place to start. These programs give you a clear way to engage with college-level academics, develop practical skills, and understand the expectations of university coursework before you apply. They also connect you with faculty, industry professionals, and motivated peers.
Why should you attend a program in Canada?
Canada is home to various universities, non-profits, and organizations that offer summer programs across fields such as medicine, tech, and the arts. You might conduct research in a university lab, participate in design challenges, or explore how ideas from science, business, or the arts connect to real issues. Whether you live in Canada or are traveling from abroad, these programs offer a welcoming environment where you can learn, connect, and experience the country’s academic and cultural diversity.
To help with your search, you’ll find 15 summer programs for high school students in Canada.
If you are looking for summer internships in Canada, check out our blog here.
15 Summer Programs for High School Students in Canada
Location: Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Toronto, ON
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; cohort size not specified
Dates: March session: March 16 – 20 | Summer session: June 29 – August 21
Application Deadline: March session: January 9 | Summer session: Typically April
Eligibility: Grade 11–12 students (16+) who have completed (or are currently taking) grade 11 Biology and Chemistry
The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute Student Internship gives you an early pathway into biomedical research by placing you directly inside active labs at Mount Sinai Hospital. Whether you join during March Break or the eight-week summer session, you’ll work alongside researchers, shadow trainees, and assist with real experiments in biology and chemistry. This program targets Grade 11 and 12 students who have completed or are currently enrolled in both biology and chemistry, ensuring they possess the necessary foundation to engage in lab activities. Throughout your placement, you’ll observe scientific workflows, gain hands-on exposure to core lab techniques, and understand how researchers investigate biomedical questions. The March Break version offers an intensive one-week immersion, while the summer session allows for deeper involvement through full-time lab work.
Location: Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Boston
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts; rolling admissions.
Eligibility: Students aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school
The Academic Insights Program lets high school students experience university life firsthand. You will live on campus and study in small groups of 7-10, and learn from tutors from eminent top universities like Oxford and Cambridge. Participants can explore a wide range of subjects, spanning over 20 options, including Architecture, AI, Business Management, Computer Science, Economics, Medicine, Philosophy, and more. The courses are experiential and focus on hands-on learning. You may find yourself conducting dissections in medicine, designing a robotic arm in engineering, or participating in a moot court for law. By the end of the program, you’ll complete a personal project, receive written feedback, and receive a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: University of Toronto, St. George Campus, Toronto, ON
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 57 high school participants (40 Research Stream and 17 Lecture Stream)
Dates: July 14 – 25
Application Deadline: Opens sometime between April to May, tentatively
Eligibility: High school students studying in Ontario; however, 11th to 12th graders are preferred. Applicants who identify as Black, Indigenous, PoC, or belong to other underrepresented groups are prioritized.
SPRINT is a free ten-day program that introduces you to psychology as a scientific discipline through structured lectures, workshops, and interactions with researchers at the University of Toronto. You’ll explore topics such as cognitive science, social psychology, mental health, and neuropsychology, depending on the program stream you’re placed in. If you join the Research Stream, you’ll work with undergraduate and graduate mentors to learn research design, hypothesis development, and proposal writing. Throughout the program, you’ll gain experience in literature review, experimental reasoning, and scientific communication while collaborating with peers on psychology-focused tasks. The program also connects you with university researchers, giving you early exposure to academic pathways and research environments.
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 57 high school participants (40 Research Stream and 17 Lecture Stream)
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
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. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Location: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; ~25 students
Dates: Starts on July 6 (tentative)
Application Deadline: February 13
Eligibility: High school students; 16+ by July 1; Strong academic performance in math and sciences | Legally authorized to work in Canada
The Focused Ultrasound High School Summer Research Program gives you the chance to work inside a biomedical engineering lab where focused ultrasound (FUS) technology is studied for non-invasive medical treatments. During the internship, you’ll support ongoing experiments in acoustic physics, imaging systems, signal analysis, and device prototyping while learning how research in physics, biology, and engineering converges to advance medical innovation. You’ll assist researchers with experimental design, data interpretation, and hands-on testing of therapeutic ultrasound systems, gaining skills that are rarely available at the high-school level. The program is designed to build genuine exposure to engineering-based medical research and help you explore potential paths in biomedical engineering and device development.
Location: Downtown core of Toronto / Remote
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, exact hourly rate will be outlined in your offer letter.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically small cohorts
Dates: July 2 – August 20
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Ontario-based high school students; Working knowledge of one or more programming languages | Applied experience with technology concepts or coding
The RBC Summer Tech Labs program places you in a small development team where you spend the summer solving real-world technology challenges faced by RBC. As an Innovation Developer, you’ll design, develop, and test working prototypes using tools like JavaScript, GitHub, and React.js while learning how modern tech products are built. You’ll collaborate with business users and senior leaders to gather requirements, refine ideas, and apply design-thinking methods to complex problems. The program includes workshops, mentoring, and hands-on coding experience, giving you exposure to both technical and professional workflows. By the end of the summer, you and your team will present a functional proof-of-concept solution, gaining practice in pitching, teamwork, and creative problem-solving.
Location: The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 10 – 12 students per summer
Dates: July 6 – August 14
Application Deadline: January 12
Eligibility: Grade 11-12 students, aged 16+, identifying as Indigenous, Black, or Filipino; must have previously taken Grade 10 Science | Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident
The Student Advancement Research (StAR) Program at SickKids is a six-week paid summer internship that places Indigenous, Black, and Filipino high school students directly inside an active pediatric research lab. You’ll work alongside scientists on real projects involving techniques such as gene editing, flow cytometry, and bioinformatics analysis. Throughout the internship, you’ll build technical, analytical, and communication skills while contributing meaningful data to ongoing studies. The program also connects you to additional science-focused opportunities through the Kids Science initiative, giving you broader exposure to careers in health research. The experience ends with a research symposium where you present your project findings to peers, mentors, and the SickKids community.
Location: Various sites across Canada (including universities, industry, and government labs)
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Admissions are competitive
Dates: 8 – 16 weeks, depending on high school programs and schedule
Application Deadline: Typically, February or early March
Eligibility: Black youth ages 15–22 who are high school students, post-secondary students, or transitioning into post-secondary education; more details here
The ELITE Program for Black Youth (Experiential Learning in Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship) offers a paid internship experience where you work on genuine STEM and business projects in university labs, tech companies, or government teams. You’ll contribute to hands-on work in areas like robotics, automation, tissue engineering, and advanced manufacturing, using industry-grade tools and methods. Alongside your placement, you’ll participate in weekly workshops that build skills in leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The program also provides personalized coaching in career development and resilience to help you transition confidently into post-secondary pathways. Your experience concludes with a final showcase where you present your project outcomes to peers, mentors, and industry partners.
Location: University of Toronto, St. George campus, Toronto, ON
Cost: C$1,688 (~$1,223) per module
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple week-long modules from July to August
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10-12; Module 4 is also open to 9th graders
As a high school student, you can join Med YSP for week-long academic modules that introduce you to university-level medical science through structured labs and discussions at U of T’s Medical Sciences Building. The program consists of four modules: Human Physiology, where students explore cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, metabolic, and hematological systems via labs measuring lung volume, blood pressure, reflexes, and sensory responses; Pharmacology & Toxicology, focusing on drug mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, biotransformation, and pharmacogenetics through practical sessions and case studies; Molecular Biology & Genetics, involving DNA fingerprinting, genetic transformation, and forensic techniques via a mock crime scene investigation; and Microbiology, which covers Gram staining, antibiotic resistance testing, water microbiology, and basic virology through laboratory experiments and research presentations. Across all modules, you engage in practical lab work, data analysis, and interactive sessions that build foundational skills in diagnostic and therapeutic sciences.
Location: Nationwide
Cost/Stipend: Varies based on the program
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies based on the program
Dates: Programs run year-round with seasonal cohorts or rolling participation
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary by program
Eligibility: Canadian youth aged 12–18 years; specific age and grade requirements vary by program
The Government of Canada's Youth Leadership and Cultural Programs provide high school students with multiple pathways to develop leadership, teamwork, and civic responsibility through structured national initiatives. Through the Cadet Program, you can train with the Army, Navy, or Air Cadets to develop discipline, survival skills, physical fitness, and group leadership in a structured, military-style environment. The Junior Canadian Rangers program supports youth ages 12–18 in remote and Northern communities, offering training in traditional skills, first aid, wilderness knowledge, and community leadership while strengthening cultural connections. Youth Exchanges Canada offers a reciprocal exchange program in which you travel to another province or territory, stay with peers, collaborate on community projects, and gain exposure to diverse cultures and local histories. Together, these programs help you build confidence, communication skills, and civic awareness while engaging directly with Canadian communities and cultures.
Location: Ontario Pioneer Camp, Port Sydney, ON
Cost: C$2,780 (~$2,007)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Session 1: July 1 – 18 | Placement 1: July 18 – August 1 | Placement 2: August 1 – 15
Application Deadline: May 18
Eligibility: Students aged 16 – 17 years
The Ontario Pioneer Leadership in Training (LIT) program offers high school students a faith-based, month-long leadership experience that blends formal instruction with hands-on service. During the initial 2.5 weeks, you’ll engage in group sessions, individual coaching, small-group discussions, and a three-day canoe trip, all aimed at learning and practicing servant leadership inspired by Jesus. This phase also builds a close community where you explore questions about faith, develop mentoring relationships with experienced staff, and receive personalized feedback to strengthen your leadership skills. After training, you’ll move into a two-week work placement on a camp team, where you might assist cabins, support individuals with special needs, help in the kitchen, or contribute to maintenance and housekeeping.
Location: University of Toronto, St. George Campus, Toronto, ON
Cost/Stipend: C$725 (~$525) /week for domestic students; C$1,100 (~797)/week for international students; Financial aid may be available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple one-week sessions in July. Check details here
Application Deadline: TBA
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-12; Must have strong performance in science and math; International students can apply
The DEEP Summer Academy, offered by the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, lets you explore advanced topics in engineering, science, technology, and business through courses taught by graduate students, researchers, and industry-trained mentors. Designed for motivated high school students with strong math and science backgrounds, the program exposes you to subjects such as robotics, data science, biomedical engineering, cybersecurity, and systems modeling. You’ll work through lectures, lab sessions, and group research projects that develop skills in experimental design, rapid prototyping, algorithm development, and analytical reasoning. By engaging with material typically taught in upper-year undergraduate or graduate courses, you get an early look at research-based STEM education.
Location: Ivey Business School, Western University, London, ON
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 4 days in summer
Application Deadline: TBA; opens in January
Eligibility: High school students currently in grades 9 to 11, interested in leadership, business, and innovation
The John F. Wood Summer Leadership Program at the Ivey Business School is a multi-day immersive experience designed for high school students interested in business, leadership, and innovation. Through Ivey’s case-based learning model, you’ll analyze real business challenges, work in teams, and practice structured decision-making similar to undergraduate business education. Faculty-led workshops and industry sessions help you understand how leaders approach strategy, communication, and problem-solving in fast-changing environments. You’ll also participate in residence life and team-building activities, giving you a chance to connect with peers who share similar academic and career interests. By the end of the program, you will have strengthened your leadership skills, improved your communication abilities, and built experience that supports future university applications.
Location: McGill University Downtown Campus, Montreal, Quebec
Cost: C$5,500 (~$3,986)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 50 students into each stream for each session
Dates: Session 1: July 5 – 18 | Session 2: July 19 – August 1
Application Deadline: March 22
Eligibility: High school students currently in grades 10 and 11 (For students in Quebec: Sec IV and Sec V)
The McGill Summer Academy is a two-week pre-university program in Montreal that lets high school students explore either Neuroscience & Health Sciences or Global Citizenship & Migration through structured academic learning. You will attend lectures led by McGill faculty, engage in group discussions, and work on simulations that demonstrate how experts analyze real-world problems. The program also features collaborative projects designed to enhance communication, research, and critical-thinking skills within an academic environment. Beyond the classroom, you’ll have chances to explore Montreal’s diverse neighborhoods, campus areas, and summer events as part of the overall experience.
Location: York University, Keele Campus
Cost/Stipend: C$495 ($359); Financial aid offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not selective / Open enrollment
Dates: July 7 – August 1
Application Deadline: First-come, first-served basis
Eligibility: High school students (each course has different grade requirements)
The Spark Lab Summer Program at York University gives high school students hands-on exposure to physics, biology, chemistry, and interdisciplinary science through structured lab experiments. You’ll work in real undergraduate lab spaces and practice core techniques, including titration, microscopy, basic spectrometry, and data acquisition. The Research Spark stream introduces you to active faculty-led projects, where you’ll learn to read scientific literature, form hypotheses, and understand how research questions are developed. Each week-long session is designed to move you out of a textbook setting and into experiment-driven learning that builds practical scientific skills.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. 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 - Lumiere Education logo