12 Science Summer Camps for High School Students
If you're a high school student with an interest in science, summer camps are one of the more direct ways to explore it beyond what a classroom can offer. You’ll be placed in university labs, research facilities, and field environments where you’ll gain applied-based knowledge. Faculty, graduate students, and working scientists will actively engage with you. Beyond the content itself, camps also give you a firsthand look at what different science career paths involve, connect you with peers who share the same interests, and build practical lab skills that are difficult to develop in a standard high school setting.
How are science summer camps different from other programs?
Science summer camps are shorter and more focused than multi-week research programs or semester courses; most run anywhere from one to two weeks. The format is built around project work from the start, depending on the camp, that might mean running experiments in a neuroscience lab, culturing bacteria, analyzing environmental samples, building and testing engineering prototypes, or using electron microscopes to examine materials at the microscopic scale. Some camps are broad by design, rotating through biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science within a single session, while others go deep into one discipline. Either way, the emphasis is on doing rather than just reading about it, and most camps close with a presentation or showcase where you’ll share what you’ve worked on.
We've narrowed this list down to 12 science summer camps for high school students.
If you’re looking for online STEM programs, check out our blog here.
1. SAGE Camp at SLAC
Location: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford Campus, Menlo Park and Palo Alto, CA
Cost: Free
Program Dates: June 21 – June 27
Application Deadline: March 17
Eligibility: Currently in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade at a Northern California high school; must be under 18 years of age for the full week of camp
SAGE Camp at SLAC is held across the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford campus, giving you direct access to one of the country's leading particle physics and photon science facilities. The program is built around four main components: technology and career talks by scientists and engineers, job shadowing in which small groups spend time with STEM professionals observing their daily work, team-based, hands-on projects, and facility tours showcasing the latest technologies being developed at the national lab. Evening programming is structured to give you time to engage with science and engineering in a less formal setting, build connections with peers, and interact with the researchers and engineers you’ve met during the day. Professional development is woven throughout, covering skills like confidence-building and scientific communication.
2. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort. You can apply to the program here.
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. National Youth Science Camp
Location: Monongahela National Forest, Davis, WV
Cost: Free
Program Dates: July 11 – August 1
Application Deadline: Varies by state
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors; typically two delegates selected per state and Washington, D.C
NYS Camp selects delegates from across the country for a three-week residential STEAM program. The camp centers on seven areas. A daily lecture series featuring two talks from working STEM professionals, directed studies that function as small-group mini-courses with a low facilitator-to-delegate ratio, and dedicated STEAM programming in physical, natural, and computer sciences. Informal seminars on a wide range of topics, a robust outdoor adventure program including hiking, rock climbing, caving, kayaking, and backpacking in the West Virginia mountains, an arts program spanning multiple mediums and performing arts, and a trip to Washington D.C. where past delegations have met congressional members, toured museums, and attended panels at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs high school students with PhD-level mentors for one-on-one independent research across a wide range of disciplines, including artificial intelligence, engineering, psychology, physics, and chemistry, among others. Over 12 weeks, you work closely with your mentor to develop and complete an original research project, finishing the program with a full independent research paper. The program is designed for those who want substantive research experience.
5. LLNL Biotechnology Summer Experience
Location: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA
Cost: Free
Program Dates: July 13 – July 24
Application Deadline: March 6
Eligibility: Must be 16 or older by program start, with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher and a minimum science GPA of 3.5. Must attend a Northern California high school and have completed Biology and Chemistry or Integrated Science Series I and II by the end of the current school year
The LLNL Biotechnology Summer Experience places you inside an active national security and research laboratory for two weeks, working on a molecular biology research project. The focus is on the duckweed species Landoltia punctata, a freshwater aquatic plant of active scientific interest, and the work involves isolating and purifying plasmid DNA, performing PCR, running restriction digests, and executing gel electrophoresis. Bioinformatic analysis uses the same tools working scientists use, and the DNA sequences you produce are submitted for publication in GenBank, the international DNA repository, with each of you acknowledged by name.
6. Camp SEA Lab’s Voyage Seaward
Location: Monterey Bay, CA
Cost: $1,495
Program Dates: Multiple 5-day sessions throughout the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Ages 13–16
Voyage Seaward is a live-aboard sailing program run by Camp SEA Lab in which you’ll spend the full duration on the Seaward, an 82-foot classic schooner, sailing the California Coast and Monterey Bay under the guidance of a professional captain and crew. The science content is integrated directly into the sailing experience: physical oceanography, coastal and bay marine ecology, navigation, weather and tides, and vessel handling are all covered as part of daily life on the water. Hands-on activities include marine mammal studies, whale watching, squid dissection, oceanography sampling, plankton studies, benthic biology, and beach campfire sessions. No prior sailing experience is required; the program is designed to develop seamanship skills from scratch while simultaneously building scientific observation and data collection habits.
7. UCLA’s Tech Revolution STEM Camp
Location: UCLA, 308 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: Varies by week and number of weeks enrolled
Program Dates: June 15 – August 21
Application Deadline: Enroll by March 1 for multi-week discounts
Eligibility: Ages 13–16 for high school; broader camp runs ages 6–16
Camp Tech Revolution at UCLA runs weekly STEM sessions on the UCLA campus throughout the summer, covering topics such as robotics, coding, game design, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and STEM and medicine. For high school-aged participants, the High School Robotics with VEX IQ track is the primary option, using VEX IQ robotics systems to develop skills in engineering design, programming, and iterative problem-solving. The camp is structured around hands-on, project-based learning rather than lectures. You’ll experience campus life at UCLA using campus outdoor spaces alongside the technical curriculum. Weekly sessions are independent of each other, so you can attend one or multiple sessions, depending on your schedule and interests.
8. Virginia Tech’s Explore Science Camp
Location: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Cost: Residential: $1,150 | Day Camp: $700
Program Dates: Residential: July 26 – July 30 | Day Camp: July 20 – July 24
Application Deadline: First round deadline March 2; rolling admissions from March 31 until June 1 or camp fills
Eligibility: Residential option open to rising 9th–10th graders; day camp open to rising 7th–8th graders
Virginia Tech's Explore Science Camp gives you exposure to science disciplines, taught by Virginia Tech professors and staff. Topics rotate across sessions and have included neuroscience, DNA form and function, bacterial evolution, paleontology, nanoscience and Bucky balls, food microbiology, crime scene investigation, behavioral genetics, game theory, and physics. Each topic is covered through hands-on activities
9. Virginia Tech’s Explore Life Sciences Camp
Location: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Cost: $1,150
Program Dates: July 5 – July 9
Application Deadline: First round deadline March 2; rolling admissions from March 31 until June 1 or camp fills
Eligibility: Rising 11th–12th graders
Explore Life Sciences is a week-long residential camp at Virginia Tech, specifically for rising juniors and seniors, that covers biology from the molecular level to the ecosystem scale. Experimental work spans neuroscience and psychology, bacterial evolution, virology, and biotechnology in the lab, as well as field-based ecology at the Duck Pond on campus. You’ll explore ancient life forms in Virginia Tech's Geoscience Museum and work through fermentation science in the food science kitchen.
10. Hillsdale College’s Summer Science Camps
Location: Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, MI
Cost: $150
Program Dates: June 21 – June 26
Application Deadline: Applications open January 13
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors; students with prior science coursework will benefit most, though science majors are not required
Hillsdale College's Summer Science Camps offer four parallel tracks: Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. Each runs simultaneously across the same week, so you can only choose one track. The Biology track covers DNA and photosynthesis using techniques including colorimetry, light quantification, population sampling, protein extraction, PCR, DNA sequencing, DNA fragment analysis, and gel electrophoresis. Chemistry and Biochemistry covers nanotechnology, organic synthesis, chemical dyes, polymers, chromatography, recombinant protein expression and purification, SDS-PAGE, fluorescence spectroscopy, and PCR. The Physics track addresses mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, relativity, and optics through daily hands-on labs and demonstrations. Each day follows a structured schedule of morning lecture and lab, afternoon lecture and lab, and an evening lecture or recitation session. The week closes with an optional one-hour examination for transferable college credit.
11. Horizons of Science: From Microbes to Megastructures
Location: Ohio State Marion, Science and Engineering Building, Marion, OH
Cost: $185
Program Dates: June 22 – June 26
Application Deadline: May 31
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th-grade students
Horizons of Science is a week-long day camp at Ohio State Marion that moves across biochemistry, engineering, and environmental science within a single session. Lab-based activities include molecular gastronomy experiments, blood-typing simulations, and crime-scene biochemistry challenges. On the engineering side, you’ll build and program a take-home robot and design and race cardboard boats in a YMCA regatta. Environmental science work takes place in the Larry R. Yoder Prairie Learning Laboratory on campus and extends to a full-day off-site field trip to Recreation Unlimited, where you’ll conduct stream exploration studies and apply engineering principles to build survival structures outdoors. The combination of lab work, design challenges, and field science across the week gives you exposure to multiple methodologies.
12. Hamline University’s Young Physicist Camp
Location: Hamline University, Saint Paul, MN
Cost: $598 before April 30 and $698 after April 30
Program Dates: July 20 – July 24
Application Deadline: Early registration encouraged before April 30
Eligibility: Students entering or currently in grades 9–12
The Young Physicist Camp at Hamline University centers on renewable energy and the physics principles that underpin energy systems. Hands-on experiments involve working directly with energy conversion and storage devices, including solar cells, supercapacitors, and lithium-ion batteries. Team-based work involves designing a renewable energy system and developing, writing, and presenting an innovation plan that covers both the technical and communicative aspects of the scientific process. Local experts come into the camp to discuss renewable energy principles and the broader innovation process, connecting classroom-level science to real-world application.
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