15 Summer Programs for High School Students in San Diego
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 11 min read
If you are a high school student looking to add to your academic skills and prepare for college, summer programs are a great way to get started. Summer programs give you access to college-level academic training and research experiences, exposure to professional industries and skills, and opportunities to connect with professors and professionals. As a participant, you will also gain insight into academic and career paths you can pursue.
Being home to multiple universities, colleges, and research institutes, San Diego offers various opportunities. From conducting university-level research to earning transferable credits to get ahead on college course requirements, institutions in San Diego allow you to explore your interests and build your skills and profile. Whether you are a local or looking to study in the city, you can find a program that suits your needs.
In this blog, we’ve narrowed down a list of 15 summer programs for high school students in San Diego.
15 Summer Programs for High School Students in San Diego
Location: Virtual
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 1-on-1 program
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer sessions that run between June and August
Application deadline: Multiple deadlines for each cohort; summer session applications are due in May/June
Eligibility: High school students with strong academic backgrounds; accepted students have an unweighted GPA of at least 3.3 out of 4.0
Lumiere’s Research Scholar Program provides a personalized research experience for high school students in San Diego and beyond across STEM, humanities, and social sciences. You will be matched with a Ph.D.-level mentor in your discipline of interest. Over virtual sessions with your mentor, you will explore various topics within your chosen field and narrow down a research focus. Then, you will collaboratively design an independent research project and present it at the end of the program. You will finish the program with a formal research paper and detailed guidance from your mentor, which will help you access advanced ongoing research opportunities or publication in a student journal.
Location: Scripps Research Translational Institute, La Jolla, CA
Stipend: TBA; paid or course credit-based opportunities available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: About 40 students per year
Dates: June 2 – August 8 | June 16 – August 22
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, and graduate students who are at least 16 years old
This internship is an opportunity to work alongside college and graduate students at Scripps’ Research Translational Institute. You will be paired with a faculty mentor to design and complete an independent research project proposal in translational medicine, mHealth, genetics, and mobile technologies. Alongside project assistance, your mentor will provide guidance on your next educational steps and career planning in research and medicine. You will attend weekly seminars covering advanced topics in translational medicine and genetics, and engage in additional readings and assignments alongside the research work. You will present your research both at the Translational Institute Research Meeting and the Student Research Internship Poster Symposium at the end of the program.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts each year, including summer sessions
Application deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students; a few programs may require prior coding background or the completion of the AI Scholars program
Veritas AI offers a variety of learning opportunities focused on hands-on artificial intelligence exploration. These programs have been developed and executed by Harvard graduate students and alumni. The beginner-friendly AI Scholars program is an opportunity to learn about the applications of AI, Python, and key machine learning, AI, and data science concepts. You can also opt for the AI Fellowship program, which offers you access to expert mentorship to help you develop your own unique AI-focused project. In the past, Veritas AI program participants have worked on interdisciplinary STEM projects that utilize concepts from medicine, AI, environmental science, and mental health. You can check out past projects here.
Location: UC San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 16 – August 8
Application deadline: Early March
Eligibility: High school students in San Diego County who are at least 16 years old when the program starts
SPARK is a summer program that offers high school students hands-on exposure to regenerative and stem cell medicine. As a participant, you will be placed in a laboratory at one of San Diego's research institutes (Salk, Sanford Consortium, UCSD, or Scripps Research) and conduct research under the mentorship of a principal investigator. You will design and complete your own research project, practice advanced laboratory techniques, and engage in professional development workshops. You will also shadow doctors in clinics and learn about fields related to regenerative medicine during the program.
Location: J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla/San Diego, CA
Stipend: $17.50/hour or academic credit
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 23 – August 22
Application deadline: Rolling enrollment
Eligibility: Students, ages 16 and up
The J. Craig Venter Institute’s Summer Internship Program is a STEM research-focused experience for high school and college students. As an intern, you will work on a project that aligns with your academic interests while collaborating with researchers. You will take up hands-on lab work and attend scientific and professional development workshops covering topics like career planning, published research, and research presentations. The experience can help build foundational skills for academic or research opportunities in STEM.
Location: San Diego City College, San Diego, CA
Cost: Free; additional cost applicable for taking more than 12 credits
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 9 – August 16
Application deadline: Enrollment begins April 24
Eligibility: Current high school students; certain courses may have specific prerequisites
San Diego City College offers a free opportunity to take on advanced coursework and gain transferable college credit while you are in high school. You can choose from career-oriented subjects. If you want to pursue the role of a therapist or social worker in the future, you can take classes like Behavioral Health Science; if you are interested in mechanical engineering or machine technology, you can enroll in courses offering hands-on training in CNC and CAD tools. Alternatively, you can choose courses in specialized arts fields, including Film, Media Production, and Commercial Music. Other STEM, humanities, and social science courses are also available.
Location: San Diego State University (SDSU), San Diego, CA
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; ~15 students/year
Dates: June 24 – July 19
Application deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates, community college students, and SDSU freshmen and sophomores who live in the San Diego area and are able to commute to campus; students from historically marginalized groups are particularly encouraged to apply.
The NSF-funded SDSU STARS program offers a summer of hands-on work in astronomy to high schoolers in and around San Diego. As a participant, you will study under SDSU’s Department of Astronomy faculty and tackle coursework in Python programming, core astronomy topics, and data analysis, before undertaking advanced projects like using Marvin software to analyze galaxy data. You will attend an evening field trip to Mount Laguna Observatory, where you will get to observe the sky using research instruments like high-power telescopes and reflectors. In the second half of the program, you will design a small group research project under an advisor. You will present your findings to the rest of the group on the last day of the program.
Location: Various University of California campuses, including UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
Cost: $5,518; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 20–25 students/cluster and 160–200 students/campus
Dates: July 5 – 31
Application deadline: February 6
Eligibility: Rising 9th – 12th grade students who are California residents; generally, GPA should be 3.5 or above. Each cluster area specifies additional prerequisites.
COSMOS is a STEM research and education program for California high school students, hosted at UC campuses, including UC San Diego. You can apply directly to the UC San Diego program, specifying your two preferred focus areas or clusters out of about 12 choices, with options including Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Music and Technology, and Climate Change. You will learn within a group of 20–25 students under two or three professors and researchers from UC campuses and other California universities. During the program, you will complete an academic deep-dive into your cluster area, including hands-on activities and lab work. You will undertake an independent or small-group research project tailored to your interests and the cluster, with typical projects ranging from creating renewable bioplastics to simulating climate change to building an autonomous car. You will present your work to the COSMOS cohort and your family at the end of the program
Location: Online and in person at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, CA
Cost: $4,800
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 23 – July 25
Application deadline: TBA; check the official site for updates. Applications are typically reviewed on a rolling basis.
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 – 12 who are at least 14 and able to commute to campus; applicants must have either taken a UCSD Tier One Marine Science course, AP Biology, or a course in environmental/marine science
USCD’s Marine Science Research Institute’s summer program “Investigating Human and Climate Impacts on Oceans and Biodiversity” offers students exposure to research in marine biology and climate science. You will be paired with professional researchers to design and execute a marine science project and undergo training in data analysis, experimental design, and research presentations. After a week of online subject-area and research methods training, you will commute daily to Scripps Institution of Oceanography to begin hands-on research work on topics such as California coastal ecology, marine animal physiology, and fisheries science. Potential projects include applying thermal imaging to analyze climate change effects on California's coastal ecosystems or using eDNA methods for marine biomonitoring. Outside of work, you will go on field trips to San Diego coastal habitats, marshes, and intertidal zones to learn about local marine ecosystems.
Location: UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
Cost: $4,500; optional SAT tutoring program available for an additional $200
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; <25 students per course
Dates: July 7 – 25
Application deadline: Early: February 14 | Regular: May 9
Eligibility: Rising 9th – 12th graders who can commute to campus daily; a few courses may have additional prerequisites.
UCSD offers learning experiences to high school students in San Diego looking to gain college-level academic experience and earn course credits over the summer break. You can apply directly to one of the Academic Connections courses across STEM, social sciences, and humanities, with options including courses like Neuroscience, Speculative Fiction, and Digital Media. You will work under the guidance of a UCSD graduate student instructor in a small-group setting. You will learn through lectures and classroom discussions, in-class and homework assignments, and independent or group projects. You will finish the class with 7.5 credit units from UCSD, which can help you get ahead on college coursework requirements.
Location: Sally Ride Science Academy/UCSD Division of Extended Studies, San Diego, CA; online options also available
Cost: Varies; between $275 and $320 for in-person classes
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Four-day workshops running from July 6 – 24
Application deadline: Rolling admissions beginning in January
Eligibility: High school students
The Sally Ride Science Academy at UC San Diego hosts specialized STEM summer programs for high schoolers looking for advanced coursework outside of the traditional school curriculum. You can choose from courses like AI, epidemiology, sustainability, or digital media, or enroll in multiple courses to explore several disciplines. The program follows a workshop-like format, allowing you to practice what you learn through hands-on activities and group projects. You will take on the roles of professionals during the program to explore what a career in STEM fields looks like.
Location: University of San Diego, San Diego, CA
Cost: Not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: One week during the summer; dates TBA
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Current middle and high school students
The USD STEAM Academy is a week-long summer program focused on interactive training in science, arts, and engineering. You will explore the applications of scientific knowledge, focusing on how science can support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. You will also dabble in physics while building self-designed chain reaction machines and learn about topology and geometry through origami activities. The program also offers sports and artistic activities, teamwork-focused leadership training, and goal development for college and career. At the end of the program, you will attend and participate in the Youth and Community conference.
Location: UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
Cost: $7,075
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 13 – August 2
Application deadline: May 2; rolling enrollment starts from January 22. Late applications are considered if space remains.
Eligibility: Rising 10th – 12th-grade students in the U.S. or abroad
The Future Leaders Summer Program at UC San Diego focuses on helping high schoolers build diplomacy skills and knowledge of international affairs across the U.S., China, India, and other Indo-Pacific countries. You will participate in diplomatic role-playing activities focused on climate change, energy innovation, AI, and internet governance, and explore how these topics influence global politics through simulating the policy development process. You will attend guest lectures led by UCSD professors and researchers in STEM and policy and participate in field trips to scientific institutes like the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the San Diego Supercomputer Center. Additionally, you will attend a workshop on college applications led by UC San Diego admissions officers, tour the UCSD campus, and earn 1 unit of pre-college credit transferable to UC schools and many other colleges.
Location: UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Cost: $3,500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 6 – 24
Application deadline: TBA; applications reviewed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders with a minimum 3.3 GPA
UCSD’s Sports Medicine Research Academy is a hands-on summer program for high schoolers interested in the intersection of medicine and athletics. Under the guidance of clinicians and professional physical therapists, you will learn about the anatomy, pathology, and epidemiology of sports and musculoskeletal injuries while engaging in lectures and discussions. You will also explore broader topics in health science, including nutrition, mental health, exercise science, and developing research in the field. To prepare for future career paths, you will work on developing diagnostic skills for assessing muscle and ligament injuries, practice wound care and therapeutic taping, and analyze medical case studies. The program also offers insights into careers in sports medicine, an opportunity to take up an independent research project, and information for analyzing your own physical health.
Location: Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
Cost: $950
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 28 – August 1
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising and current 9th – 12th grade students
Scripps’ Computational Biology Research Camp is a research-focused summer program covering the study and treatment of diseases with genetic implications. On the first day, you and your peers will choose a disease of focus, based on which you will conduct research to identify novel treatments or diagnostic protocols over the course of the program. You will explore topics like gene networks and expression, biostatistics, and DNA-personalized medicine. You will work on your project simultaneously, progressing from identifying a genetic dataset for the chosen disease to identifying biomarkers and biological functions. On the last day of the program, you will present the project to instructors and your family. After finishing the program, you can choose to be an approved miRcore volunteer, where you can lead a high school club on computational biology affiliated with the miRcore research institute.
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 in which students work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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