15 Free Camps for High School Students
If you are looking to explore a subject beyond your school curriculum without committing to a long duration, camps are a practical option. These programs give you the chance to work with like-minded peers, try out new subjects in a dedicated setting, and build connections. Many camps are free or offer full financial aid, making them accessible while still providing meaningful academic and professional experiences.
How are camps different from other programs in high school?
Camps are short, focused programs that offer rigorous learning in a limited time. Instead of broad, long-term coursework, you spend your time working on specific projects, participating in workshops, and exploring subjects through practical activities. Depending on the camp, you might work on coding projects, engage in research tasks or leadership exercises, and participate in field-based experiences across STEM, data science, psychology, and more.
To help you get started, we’ve narrowed down a list of 15 free camps for high school students.
If you’re looking for science camps, check out our blog here.
1. National Youth Science Camp (NYSCamp)
Location: Monongahela National Forest, near Bartow, WV
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 11 – August 1
Application Deadline: March 30
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors from around the world
The National Youth Science Camp (NYSCamp) is a residential program in West Virginia, designed for high school students interested in STEM. Each day includes lectures by STEM professionals on a range of topics, alongside directed studies where you work in small groups with an expert. You also attend seminars that cover both academic and informal topics, led by instructors with diverse areas of interest. The program includes outdoor activities such as hiking, rock climbing, and kayaking, as well as overnight trips in the surrounding mountains. You participate in arts sessions and creative work, and travel to Washington, DC, for visits and group activities.
2. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type | full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Multiple 12 to 15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter
Application Deadline: On a rolling basis – spring (January), summer (May), fall (September), and winter (November) | apply to the program here.
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 looking to get started in AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, you 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, you have the opportunity to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that you have access to the in-house publication team to help you 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. SAGE Camp at SLAC
Location: SLAC and Stanford University, Menlo Park/Palo Alto, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 21 – June 27
Application Deadline: March 17
Eligibility: Currently enrolled 9th, 10th, or 11th graders under 18 years old in Northern California high schools
The SAGE Camp at SLAC is a one-week residential program at SLAC and Stanford campuses, designed for high school students interested in exploring STEM careers. You’ll spend the week interacting with scientists and professionals at national laboratories, learning about different career paths and how research connects to real-world problems. You’ll also participate in group activities that focus on observation, analysis, and interpreting information across different fields. Throughout the program, you meet peers and mentors while building connections within the SAGE network. By the end, you gain a clearer sense of how different interests can shape a path in STEM and beyond.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type | full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies depending on the 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 designed specifically for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a wide range of academic areas. You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. The program pairs high school students with PhD mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper. You can find more details about the application here.
5. √mathroots@MIT
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: Two weeks in early July
Application Deadline: March 3
Eligibility: High school students who are between the ages of 14 and 18 years, US citizens, or attending high school in the US (before the last year of high school)
The √mathroots program is a two-week summer program hosted by MIT PRIMES, designed for high school students interested in mathematics and problem-solving. You attend classes and group sessions where you work through creative problems and explore topics not usually covered in school. Instructors guide you through different approaches to solving problems and introduce methods used in mathematical proofs. You also participate in discussions and lectures that present new ideas in an accessible way. Throughout the program, you interact with peers and mentors who share a strong interest in math. By the end, you have practiced solving unfamiliar problems and learned how to approach them more systematically.
6. European Space Camp
Location: Andoya Space Center, Andenes, Norway
Cost: Free, based on your scholarship. Read more here
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 24 students
Dates: July 26–August 2
Application Deadline: February 8
Eligibility: Students aged 17–20; open to applicants worldwide
The European Space Camp at Andoya Space Center in Norway is a one-week, selective program for students interested in space and science. You learn the physics and engineering behind space exploration through sessions led by aerospace scientists and engineers. Over the week, you design and launch a sounding rocket while working through topics like rocket dynamics, telemetry, and atmospheric physics in a research setting. A key part of the experience is its peer-led structure, with alumni mentors from Team Space Camp returning to help run the program and guide participants.
7. The University at Buffalo: National Grid Leadership Camp
Location: The University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Cost/Stipend: No cost
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 20 – 23
Application Deadline: May 30
Eligibility: Western New York Students entering grades 10-12
The UB/National Grid Camp is a short residential program for high school students interested in math and science who want to explore STEM careers early. You stay on UB’s North Campus for three nights and work in teams on an engineering challenge that uses mathematical reasoning, data analysis, and problem-solving. The program includes design tasks, lab sessions, and computer-based work. You also visit National Grid, join a business lunch with professionals, and participate in small-group conversations about different STEM career paths.
8. University of Southern California: MASTERMIND Program
Location: University of Southern California
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 16 – July 11 (based on previous year)
Application Deadline: May 30 (based on the previous year)
Eligibility: High school seniors/Graduating seniors from USC MESA, USC NAI, USC Trio Programs, USC Bovard Scholars, LA Metro MESA students preparing for advanced math and STEM fields
The MASTERMIND Program is a math-focused enrichment program designed for high school students interested in strengthening algebra, precalculus, and early calculus skills. You work through topics using tools like ALEKS for personalized practice and MATLAB to visualize equations and solve applied problems. In the MATLAB track, you write code to model mathematical concepts and connect algebra to real-world scenarios through guided projects. The advanced track builds on this with higher-level work in precalculus and calculus, using similar tools for more complex problems. Across both tracks, you build familiarity with technical tools and practice applying math beyond standard classroom exercises.
9. Thomas Jefferson University: STEM Summer Camp Experience
Location: Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: August 3 – 20
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Rising grade 9 students in the Greater Philadelphia Area
The STEM Summer Camp Experience is a three-week program at Thomas Jefferson University, designed for rising ninth-grade students interested in engineering and applied STEM. Through multiple project options, you’ll analyze sports data, write simple programs to calculate player statistics, and see how data connects to real-world decisions. You might learn to design parts using SolidWorks and produce them through 3D printing. You might have the opportunity to complete a supply chain project where you plan how to source, build, and deliver a product. Across the program, you move between coding, design, and applied problem-solving to see how different STEM fields connect in practice.
10. Carnegie Mellon University: Statistics & Data Science Camp
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost/Stipend: Free/Stipend offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 22 - 26
Application Deadline: March 25
Eligibility: High school students in Pittsburgh and surrounding school districts
The Statistics & Data Science Camp at Carnegie Mellon is a one-week program designed for high school students interested in statistics and data science. You will attend daily sessions that introduce core ideas like data collection, modeling, and analysis through short lectures and guided discussions. You’ll spend time in computer labs learning R, where you write code to work with datasets and test basic models. You’ll visit a local company that uses data science in its daily operations to see how these methods apply in industry. You also explore topics like text analysis and linear regression through hands-on exercises. By the end of the week, you will have used data tools yourself and have a clearer sense of how statisticians and data scientists approach real problems.
11. Harvard T.H. Chan: Data Science in Action
Location: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: Registration Cost: $50/Stipends are available for students from low-income families (full attendance and successful completion of the course required)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Small cohort
Dates: June 29 – July 3 (online self-paced), July 6-17 (In-person)
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: High school students from all over the world
The Data Science in Action program is a two-part summer camp hosted by Harvard-affiliated institutions, designed for high school students interested in machine learning and programming. You’ll start with a week of self-paced online sessions where you learn Python and build a foundation in statistics and machine learning concepts, with support from teaching assistants. In the in-person portion, you work in teams on coding exercises that range from basic programming to image classification. You use tools like Raspberry Pi kits to build and program a toy car, applying the models you train during the program. With guidance from instructors and TAs, you train neural networks to recognize real-world objects and test their performance. The program ends with a final demo where your team runs its trained model on a self-driving toy car.
12. The Louis August Jonas Foundation: Camp Rising Sun (CRS)
Location: Louis August Jonas Foundation, Rhinebeck, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective with limited slots
Dates: Girls and Non-Binary Session: June 28 - July 25; Boys and Non-Binary Session: July 31 - August 27
Application Deadline: Varies by region, check here
Eligibility: You must be 15-16 years old during the summer of the camp. International students are welcome to apply
The Camp Rising Sun is a four-week, fully funded summer program in upstate New York, designed for high school students interested in leadership and global community building. You live on campus with students from around the world and share daily responsibilities, discussions, and activities as part of a close-knit group. The schedule is camper-led, so you plan and run sessions, lead group initiatives, and shape how each day unfolds. You spend time on collaborative projects, group discussions, and activities that push you to take initiative and work with people from different backgrounds. Outside structured time, you try new activities, from arts to outdoor challenges, while adjusting to a shared residential environment. By the end of the program, you leave with experience leading peers, navigating group dynamics, and building connections across cultures.
13. Western New England University: WNE-MHC Golden Bear Summer Camp
Location: Western New England University, Springfield, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited to the first 35 students who register
Dates: June 22 – 26
Application Deadline: Registration open until spots fill
Eligibility: High school students from all nationalities aged 13–18
The WNE–MHC Golden Bear Summer Camp is a one-week program at Western New England University, designed for high school students interested in pharmacy and healthcare careers. You will attend sessions in the Center for Sciences and Pharmacy, where faculty introduce different roles across pharmacy, occupational therapy, and neuroscience. You’ll participate in lab activities such as compounding medications and extracting DNA, as well as demonstrations that show how treatments are developed and used. You’ll learn how pharmacists work in community settings, hospitals, and outpatient care teams. You will also explore occupational therapy through practical exercises focused on daily living and rehabilitation. Alongside the academic sessions, you’ll receive guidance on preparing for college applications and healthcare pathways.
14. Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Law Camp
Location: UCONN School of Law, Hartford, CT
Cost: No cost
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive
Dates: July 6 – 10
Application Deadline: May 31
Eligibility: Connecticut high school students
The CBA Law Camp is a one-week summer program at the UConn School of Law, designed for high school students interested in law and the legal system. You spend the week working with attorneys, judges, and law students through panel discussions, workshops, and small-group mentorship. You learn how courtroom roles function, how to build arguments, examine witnesses, and prepare opening and closing statements. Midweek, you visit courts to observe real proceedings and see how cases move through the system. You work in teams to prepare for a mock trial, with guidance and feedback from practicing lawyers. The week ends with a full mock trial competition where you present your case in a courtroom setting.
15. Auburn University: Brain Camp
Location: Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Cost: $750 (On campus housing + All meals, snacks, and drinks while at camp + Program instruction, materials, and equipment + Transportation to and from off-campus field-trip sites + Recreational activities); Pending funding decisions, scholarships may be available to offset the costs of the camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: July 13 - 17
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising 11th – 12th Grade students
The Brain Camp is a one-week residential experience at Auburn University designed for rising 11th–12th-grade students interested in neuroscience and psychology. You’ll work with faculty from the Department of Psychological Sciences and learn how researchers study the brain using imaging tools and lab techniques. You’ll use methods like Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) to map neural pathways and build 3D models of brain structure. You also visit the MRI Research Center, where you see how functional MRI works and may participate in a brain scan, depending on eligibility. Outside the lab, you stay in campus dorms and get a glimpse of university life. By the end of the week, you will have a clearer sense of how neuroscience research is conducted and what studying the brain looks like at the university level.