15 Free Summer Programs for High School Students in Houston, Texas
Structured programs can be a strong option if you’re a high school student looking to explore academic interests beyond your regular classes. They allow you to build skills in areas like research, engineering, coding, or data analysis while learning from instructors, mentors, or professionals. Many of these programs are free or fully funded, making them more accessible while still offering meaningful academic and career exploration.
Why should you attend a program in Houston, Texas?
Houston hosts several universities, hospitals, and research centers that offer free programs for high school students focused on biomedical research, aerospace engineering, sustainability, and more. Depending on the program, you might work in research labs, complete engineering challenges, or attend seminars led by scientists and medical professionals. These opportunities are worth considering, whether you are a local or out-of-state student interested in exploring programs in a new academic setting.
To make your search easier, we've narrowed down our list to 15 free summer programs for high school students in Houston, Texas.
If you’re looking for free online programs, check out our blog here.
1. Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation High School Summer Program in Biomedical Sciences – MD Anderson Cancer Center
Location: Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: $7,200 stipend (before taxes)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Up to 6 participants
Program Dates: June 1 – August 7
Application Deadline: January 14
Eligibility: Texas high school seniors who are 18+ by program start and graduating that spring
Hosted by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, this summer program places you in a biomedical research lab where you’ll work directly with faculty on a research project related to allied health or cancer science. Your typical week looks like a full-time lab schedule, with about eight hours a day spent running experiments, collecting data, and learning how research teams approach scientific questions. Since the cohort is extremely small, you’ll work closely with a mentor and gain a clear picture of what day-to-day biomedical research looks like inside one of the largest cancer research hospitals in the world. In addition to lab work, you’ll attend seminars and participate in activities such as poster, abstract, or elevator pitch presentations that introduce you to how scientists communicate their findings. By the end of the summer, you’ll present your research and reflect on what you learned about allied health careers and biomedical science.
2. Veritas AI Scholars Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies; full financial aid available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Program Dates: 10-week cohorts offered multiple times each year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students looking to get started in AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, students are introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and have the opportunity to work on real-world projects. Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, students have the opportunity 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 and read about a student’s experience in the program here.
3. UPWARDS Summer Program: High School Track – MD Anderson Cancer Center
Location: Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Up to $7,200 stipend
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: 10 participants per year
Program Dates: 10 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: January 14
Eligibility: High school juniors from underserved backgrounds who will be 18+ during the program
Hosted by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the UPWARDS Summer Program places you in a research lab where you’ll contribute to projects related to biomedical and cancer science. During the program, you’ll work closely with a faculty mentor and help with ongoing lab research, while also completing coursework and training designed to introduce you to research methods. You can indicate areas of cancer research that interest you when applying, which helps guide lab placement. Alongside your lab work, you’ll attend seminars, scientific lectures, and career development events that explore biomedical research and healthcare careers. The program concludes with a poster session where you present your research project to faculty and peers. With a small cohort and full-time research schedule, this program offers early exposure to how biomedical research teams operate in a clinical research environment.
4. Breakthrough Scholar Program – Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None. Fully funded
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Program Dates: Multiple 12-week cohorts throughout the year (spring, summer, fall, winter)
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort. You can apply here.
Eligibility: High school students demonstrating strong academic achievement and financial hardship
The Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation places you in a one-on-one research mentorship with a PhD-level mentor to complete an independent academic project. Over about 12 weeks, you’ll meet regularly with your mentor to develop a research question, review academic literature, and gradually build your own research paper. You can choose topics across a wide range of fields, including psychology, physics, economics, computer science, data science, engineering, chemistry, and international relations. The core experience centers on individualized mentorship, meaning you’ll work directly with a researcher to shape and complete a project from idea to final paper. By the end of the program, you’ll produce a full research paper that reflects the work you completed during the mentorship.
5. High School Emerging Researcher Experience – Houston Methodist Academic Institute
Location: Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Program Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application Deadline: January 30
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
In this research program at Houston Methodist Academic Institute, you’ll spend the summer working in a biomedical research lab alongside undergraduate interns. You are paired with a faculty mentor who assigns a project in your research area, so your day-to-day experience usually involves learning lab techniques, analyzing data, and discussing results with your team. You’ll work in a real translational research environment inside the Texas Medical Center, where scientists focus on research that connects laboratory discoveries to patient care. The schedule is structured like a full-time internship, with about eight hours in the lab each day plus seminars and intern events throughout the summer. The program ends with a research symposium where you present your findings as a poster to faculty and other interns. If you’re curious about biomedical research and want exposure to a professional lab environment before college, this program gives you a look at how academic research teams operate and what the research process actually feels like day to day.
6. MohanLab Summer Internship Program – University of Houston
Location: Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective; small cohort
Program Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application Deadline: March 26
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors
This internship at the University of Houston MohanLab begins with one to two weeks of training that introduces you to research methods and core laboratory techniques. After the training period, you’ll join ongoing lab projects and work under the guidance of a scientist or graduate researcher. Research areas can include biomedical sciences, biomedical engineering, big data analytics, and neuroscience. Much of the program focuses on bench research, where you contribute directly to experiments and data collection alongside the lab team. At the end of the internship, you’ll present your work through an oral presentation summarizing your research experience. Depending on the project’s progress and outcomes, you may contribute to research papers or other scholarly outputs.
7. High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) – NASA
Location: Virtual program with residential experience in Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Varies by year
Program Dates: Virtual course: October 6 – March 8; Virtual Moonshot: June sessions; Residential experience: July
Application Deadline: September 27
Eligibility: Texas high school juniors who are U.S. citizens
The NASA High School Aerospace Scholars program is a year-long experience focused on space science and engineering. The program starts with an online learning phase during the school year, during which you complete lessons and projects in aerospace science and engineering. Students who perform well during the virtual phase may be invited to participate in an in-person residential experience at the Johnson Space Center. During the residential component, you’ll work in teams to tackle engineering and design challenges connected to NASA missions such as Moon to Mars and the Artemis program. As a participant, you collaborate with NASA engineers and scientists while applying coding, design, and problem-solving skills in simulated mission challenges. This program works well if you’re interested in aerospace engineering and want exposure to how large scientific missions are designed.
8. TC Energy Summer Scholars Academy – University of Houston
Location: Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free; opportunity to earn a $1,000 scholarship
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Approximately 55 students
Program Dates: June 8 – August 7
Application Deadline: April 9
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors planning to attend the University of Houston
The TC Energy Summer Scholars Academy at the University of Houston is a nine-week academic program designed to help incoming college students prepare for STEM coursework. During the program, you’ll take classes and attend lectures focused on calculus, chemistry, and college-level study strategies. Small-group review sessions and tutoring provide additional support as you work through challenging concepts. If you complete the program and pass the final exam, you can earn college credit for Calculus I before your first semester begins. The program also includes peer mentoring, academic workshops, and collaborative learning sessions designed to help you adjust to the expectations of college coursework. It’s designed specifically for students entering the University of Houston who want additional preparation for STEM majors.
9. Sustainable Futures Academy – Rice University
Location: Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Limited spots
Program Dates: July 7 – 11
Application Deadline: June 7
Eligibility: High school students entering 10th or 11th grade; priority focus on girls, though all genders may apply
At the Rice University Sustainable Futures Academy, you’ll spend a week exploring engineering and science through hands-on sustainability projects. The program includes lab activities, engineering challenges, and discussions led by university researchers and graduate students. Activities may involve designing engineering systems, experimenting with prototypes, and using tools such as Micro: bits and TI-Nspire devices. The curriculum focuses on sustainability-focused problem solving, encouraging you to evaluate environmental impact and engineering trade-offs. Throughout the week, you’ll work in teams to design, build, and test solutions to real-world engineering challenges. This short program offers a quick introduction to engineering design and environmental problem-solving.
10. Computational Biomedicine Lab Summer Internship – University of Houston
Location: Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: 6 – 12 weeks (June – September)
Application Deadline: Rolling applications via email
Eligibility: High school students with basic coding experience
This internship at the University of Houston Computational Biomedicine Lab introduces you to how artificial intelligence and data science are used in healthcare research. As an intern, you’ll join projects exploring topics like biomedical computation, health analytics, and AI accountability. You’ll work with graduate researchers to design experiments, analyze datasets, and develop code, often using Python. The program emphasizes research fundamentals, including hypothesis formulation, model testing, and interpretation of computational results. You’ll collaborate within a research group while learning how machine learning methods are applied to healthcare and biomedical problems. Students interested in both coding and healthcare research may find this experience particularly relevant.
11. Young Scholars Invent – Rice University
Location: Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: May 15 – 16
Application Deadline: April 3
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–11 living in the Houston area
Young Scholars Invent at Rice University is a short workshop focused on engineering design and problem-solving. Over about a day and a half, you’ll work with students from other schools to tackle a real-world challenge using the design process. Teams brainstorm solutions, build prototypes, test ideas, and refine their designs. The workshop centers on collaborative problem-solving, where you create and test a prototype before presenting your idea to a panel of judges. You also practice research, communication, and teamwork skills as you work through a fast-paced design challenge. It’s a brief introduction to engineering thinking and group-based innovation.
12. Caring Teen Volunteer Program – Houston Methodist Hospital
Location: Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: June 8 – July 26
Application Deadline: March 16
Eligibility: Teens
The Caring Teen Volunteer Program at Houston Methodist Hospital offers a summer volunteer experience within a major hospital setting. Volunteers assist hospital staff in clinical support areas, administrative offices, or patient service departments. Tasks may include helping with operational work, organizing materials, and supporting staff with non-clinical responsibilities. You spend the summer supporting staff and learning basic workplace and service skills in a healthcare environment. This experience is most relevant for students who want early exposure to hospital operations and service roles.
13. DocPrep Program – Baylor College of Medicine
Location: Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Approximately 60 students from partner schools
Program Dates: One week in the summer
Application Deadline: March (varies by school)
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors from partner schools; school nomination required
The DocPrep Program at Baylor College of Medicine provides a short introduction to healthcare careers and medical education. During the week, you’ll attend lectures, participate in lab activities, and join simulations that explore different areas of medicine. The program also includes sessions on healthcare communication skills, taught by graduate students from Rice University. Medical students serve as mentors throughout the program, offering guidance and answering questions about medical school and healthcare careers. Through lectures, activities, and discussions, you’ll gain a broad overview of how medical training and healthcare careers develop. The program focuses on early exposure rather than in-depth research training.
14. Inspiring Careers in Mental Health Internship – UT Southwestern Medical Center
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: June 1 – 5 and June 8 – 12 (tentatively)
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the United States
Offered by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, this two-week virtual internship introduces students to careers in mental health and psychology. Participants attend online sessions with professionals, including neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and physician assistants. Each session focuses on different aspects of mental health care and research. You’ll hear directly from practitioners about their career paths and the work involved in fields like psychotherapy, neuroscience, and community psychiatry. The program also introduces topics such as neuropsychological testing and interventional psychiatry through presentations and discussions. This experience is designed for students exploring whether mental health careers might be a good fit.
15. Kode With Klossy Summer Camp
Location: Virtual and in-person locations (varies each year)
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: Two weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Women and gender expansive teens ages 13 – 18
The Kode With Klossy Summer Camp is a two-week program that teaches coding through hands-on projects. You choose from tracks such as web development, app development, machine learning, or data science. Lessons introduce programming concepts and guide you through building projects such as apps, chatbots, and data-driven tools. Each track combines instruction with project work, so you spend much of the program applying coding concepts to build a working product. The camp also includes speaker sessions with women working in technology, offering insight into careers in computer science and software development. It’s designed to introduce coding fundamentals while helping students build a portfolio project.
Image source - RICE University