15 Programs for High School Students in Louisiana
Structured programs give high school students a chance to explore potential career paths beyond what a regular classroom covers. By participating in these academic experiences, you’ll get to work alongside researchers, professionals, and other motivated students while picking up practical skills that are hard to build in school alone. You can learn how to code a working project, run lab experiments, analyze data, and present findings to an audience that isn't just your teacher. These experiences also strengthen your college applications by showing initiative and follow-through on something you chose to pursue.
Why should you attend a program in Louisiana?
Louisiana is home to a strong network of universities and institutions, such as LSU, Tulane, Xavier, and Loyola, that offer summer programs built specifically for high schoolers. Depending on the program, you may build an engineering project, run biomedical research, develop a coding project, or explore creative fields like jazz and design. Some programs even let you dig into artificial intelligence through structured one-on-one mentorship, and since those run virtually, your location doesn't hold you back. If you already live or study in Louisiana, these programs are a great way to build ties with local universities and research communities. Students from outside the state may also find Louisiana worth considering, given its mix of research-driven STEM programs and creative, arts-focused options.
To help you get started, we've put together 15 programs for high school students in Louisiana.
If you’re looking for research programs in Louisiana, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
These 15 programs for high school students in Louisiana span STEM research (LSU, UNO, Tulane), healthcare (Ochsner, LSU Health Shreveport), engineering (Halliburton XCITE), and the arts (Loyola Creative Summer Experience, Loyola Jazz Camp).
Several programs, including AMRI, LSU's HSSR, and Ochsner's STAR Summer Scholars, are free or provide stipends of up to $2,000, while others range from a few hundred dollars to over $5,000 with need-based financial aid available.
Programs like Tulane's LCCA and TSSP offer transferable college credit or heavily subsidized costs specifically for Louisiana students who are first-generation or demonstrate financial need.
Remote options like Veritas AI and the Lumiere Research Scholar Program let students build AI, research, or writing skills regardless of location within or outside Louisiana.
1. University of New Orleans – AMRI Summer Research Program for High School Students
Location: University of New Orleans, LA
Stipend: $2,000
Dates: 8 weeks during the summer; typically running from early June to late July
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: Reside and attend high school within 40 miles of the University of New Orleans
AMRI places you directly into a working research lab alongside nationally and internationally recognized scientists, rather than a simulated or classroom-based research experience. Depending on your lab placement, past projects have covered areas like nanomaterials, sensor arrays, environmental remediation, 3-D printing, battery materials, neuroscience, and computational modeling, and you'll either run your own smaller project or contribute to a larger one within the group's focus. Alongside lab work, you'll attend weekly seminars covering research ethics, lab safety, and specific technical areas like electron microscopy and crystallography. Past participants have gone on to complete science degrees and doctorates.
2. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on the program type; full financial aid is available.
Dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Application Deadline: Rolling – spring (January), summer (May), fall (September), and winter (November); you can 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 just starting in AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, students learn the fundamentals of AI & data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects. Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, students can work 1:1 with mentors from leading universities on a unique, individual AI project. A bonus of this program is access to the in-house publication team, which helps students secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here.
3. LSU Health Shreveport AHEAD Program
Location: LSU Health Shreveport, School of Health Professions & Sciences, Shreveport, LA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Session 1: June 8–12; Session 2: July 6–10
Application Deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Louisiana high school students at least 16 by the start of the session, minimum 3.0 GPA
AHEAD program puts you inside LSU Health Shreveport's School of Health Professions and Sciences to explore healthcare career paths beyond the usual pre-med route. Each day is full and hands-on, mixing interactive activities across different healthcare disciplines with field trips, so you get a real sense of what different allied health careers actually look like day-to-day. Beyond the career exposure, you'll pick up practical tips for succeeding in college and guidance on pursuing a professional path in healthcare.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Remote; you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on the program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically 1:1 mentor-student ratio
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year
Application deadline: Varies based on cohort
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (accepted students typically maintain an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher)
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. 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.
5. Ochsner Medical Center – STAR Summer Scholars Program
Location: Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA
Cost: None
Dates: June 1–26
Application Deadline: Typically early-to-mid March
Eligibility: At least 16 by the start of the program, currently in 11th grade, a Louisiana resident attending a Louisiana high school
STAR is a free, four-week program at Ochsner Medical Center for Louisiana students who might not otherwise get hands-on healthcare exposure, and there's no GPA or test-score cutoff to apply. You'll run inquiry-based scientific experiments under the guidance of Ochsner scientists in a dedicated student lab, get hands-on time with real medical technology, and hear directly from Ochsner physicians, nurses, and administrators about current advancements in medicine. Beyond the science, the program also builds practical skills like writing a resume, putting together a presentation, and networking, plus sessions on stress management, CPR certification, and debates on social issues tied to science and medicine.
6. LSU College of Engineering – High School Summer Research (HSSR) Program
Location: LSU College of Engineering, Baton Rouge, LA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Summer (typically June through July)
Application Deadline: February 6
Eligibility: At least 15 years old, currently enrolled in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade, with a minimum 3.5 GPA
HSSR places you directly on an LSU College of Engineering faculty member's research team, working alongside graduate and undergraduate mentors on a project tied to that team's ongoing research. Outside the actual research work, you'll go through training on lab safety, research best practices, research ethics, and technical communication, and the program wraps up with a mandatory poster presentation of your project. You're also expected to compete in regional science fair competitions, with the program providing training specifically for that.
7. The Governor's Program for Gifted Children (GPGC)
Location: McNeese State University, LA
Cost: $3,000; sliding-scale financial aid is available based on household adjusted gross income
Dates: June 7 – July 25
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until all spots are filled
Eligibility: Intellectually and artistically gifted students in Louisiana
The GPGC curriculum is built around how to think: in science, you'll work on framing questions as testable hypotheses and designing ways to test them, while composition and humanities push you toward creative writing and broader questions about truth, justice, and ethics through literature. Your work builds toward a major research project that you present at the end of your third year in the program, giving you a substantial, ongoing body of work to speak to in college essays and interviews. Because it runs across multiple summers rather than as a single standalone camp, you get to keep developing the same research and writing instead of restarting from scratch each year.
8. Tulane University – Tulane Science Scholars Program (TSSP)
Location: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on factors; more details here; financial aid is available
Dates: Session 1: June 14–27 (Residential); June 15–26 (Commuter) | Session 2: June 28 – July 11 (Residential); June 29 – July 10 (Commuter) | Session 3: July 12–25 (Residential); July 13 – 24 (Commuter)
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Exceptional rising 11th- and 12th-grade high school students with demonstrated talent and a strong interest in science, engineering, and mathematics
The Tulane Science Scholars Program (TSSP) offers an immersive summer experience dedicated to the core fields of science, engineering, and mathematics. Over two weeks, your coursework will cover specific STEM topics including astronomy, biomedical engineering, genetics, and chemical engineering. You will participate in several hands-on activities, such as attending faculty-led lectures, performing DNA extraction in research labs, observing planets through a 16-inch telescope, and exploring New Orleans on curated weekend excursions. Ultimately, this residential program features the unique opportunity to earn three transferable college credits before you even graduate high school.
9. Tulane University – Louisiana Center for College Access (LCCA) Summer Program
Location: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA (residential)
Cost: $5,495; all admitted students receive scholarships covering 75% to 100% of the program's cost based on demonstrated financial need
Dates: June 14–27
Application Deadline: March 6
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors attending high school in Louisiana who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and/or will be first-generation college students
LCCA is built specifically for Louisiana students, and it backs that up by covering most or all costs for every student admitted. During the first week, you'll go through college-readiness programming and visit a mix of community colleges, public and private universities, and HBCUs, while the second week has you taking an actual Tulane Pre-College enrichment course. You're also paired with a mentor who helps guide you through the college search and application process, on top of direct guidance on essays, standardized tests, and financial aid.
10. Tulane University – Summer Enrichment Institute (TSEI)
Location: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA (residential)
Cost: $995 for the 1-week Commuter Enrichment program; $5,495 for the 2-week Residential Enrichment program; financial aid and discounts are available
Dates: Weeklong courses aligned with two-week residential sessions
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th graders motivated to explore the academic focus of their selected course; application requires a current report card and an essay on course interest
TSEI gives you a wider net to explore than TSSP, since it's less about earning college credit and more about digging into a subject you're curious about, across whatever academic units Tulane offers that summer. Instead of one fixed curriculum, you pick a weeklong course, so you can go in without a settled major or career path and just explore what genuinely interests you. Being on campus with instructors and peers who share that interest pushes you past what a normal high school class covers and into more interdisciplinary territory.
11. Halliburton XCITE Engineering Camp (LSU)
Location: LSU campus, Baton Rouge, LA (residential)
Cost: $800; financial assistance and partial need-based scholarships are available
Dates: July 12–18
Application Deadline: June 9
Eligibility: Rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade female students
Halliburton XCITE is a week-long residential camp built specifically for high school girls interested in engineering, and it's hands-on from day one. Across the seven days, you'll explore, create, experiment, build, code, design, and compete through a mix of engineering projects and college-prep activities, rather than sitting through lecture-style sessions. Living on campus for the week also gives you a preview of what dorm life and a college schedule actually feel like. Since it's aimed specifically at female engineering students, it also gives you a chance to build a peer network of other girls exploring the same field.
12. Xavier University of Louisiana – STAR Programs
Location: Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA
Cost/Stipend: $150 non-refundable deposit to reserve a spot (total program fees have historically ranged between $300–$400); need-based financial assistance is available
Dates: Session I begins June 1 | Session II begins June 22
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students enrolled in the corresponding high school course for the Fall of the current year
STAR is built around a simple idea: take the course before you actually need it, so you walk into the real class already comfortable with the material. You'll pick from five subject-specific tracks: CHEMStar, BIOStar, PHYStar, MATHStar I: Algebra, or MATHStar II: Geometry; each designed to be completed the summer right before you enroll in that corresponding class. The program kicks off with a mandatory orientation for both students and parents, and wraps up with an awards ceremony to mark what you've completed. Because it's structured around teamwork rather than working solo, it also gives you a low-stakes way to get used to a college-style classroom before senior year applications are in full swing.
13. Xavier University of Louisiana – SOAR X Program
Location: Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA
Cost: $2,900 for the credit-bearing option, $2,300 for non-credit-bearing; need-based financial assistance is available on a case-by-case basis
Dates: June 27 – July 25
Application Deadline: April 27
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders at least 16 years of age and have not yet earned a high school diploma; a college-credit or CLEP-prep pathway is mandatory for rising 12th graders, with academic eligibility for the credit-bearing option determined alongside Xavier admissions
SOAR X is Xavier's flagship pre-college program, built around stress-testing students' analytical reasoning before they hit college. Courses are student-driven, meaning you help pick the topics you research and discuss, then present your findings back to the class as papers, projects, or open discussion rather than sitting through straight lectures. Rising 12th graders are required to pursue either a 3-credit-hour humanities course or a CLEP prep course through Modern States, so you leave with either real transferable credit or a real shot at earning it. Beyond the classroom, you're living on campus for four weeks with a roommate, eating in the dining hall, and taking part in group activities and off-campus excursions.
14. Loyola University New Orleans – Creative Summer Experience
Location: Monroe and Communication Buildings, Loyola University New Orleans, LA
Cost: $600 per week; limited need-based scholarships are available
Dates: Week 1: June 15–19; Week 2: June 22–26
Application Deadline: Rolling admission until spots are filled
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th graders
In this program, you can choose from areas like graphic design, filmmaking, motion design, photography, game design, book arts, songwriting, theater-making, costume design, broadcast journalism, and creative writing, all taught by working professionals and educators in those fields. Class sizes are small, with a 5:1 student-to-staff ratio and only 12 students per track, so you're getting real feedback instead of getting lost in a crowd. By the end, you walk away with resume-worthy, portfolio-ready projects, which matters if you're applying to a creative program or just want tangible proof of what you can do.
15. Loyola College of Music & Media – Loyola Jazz Camp
Location: Loyola College of Music & Media, New Orleans, LA
Cost: $300; $700 (Tuition with single-occupancy room and board); scholarships are available
Dates: June 8–11
Application Deadline: May 22
Eligibility: Non-beginners who've completed 7th through 12th grade with at least one year of playing experience; vocalists and instrumentalists
This short, intensive four-day camp is built entirely around small-group jazz improvisation and ensemble performance, taught by Loyola's jazz faculty. Your days are structured around theory and improvisation sessions, faculty performances, master classes, and combo rehearsals, and the camp closes with a public concert in Nunemaker Auditorium where you perform what you've worked on. Evenings include supervised jam sessions and listening sessions, so even downtime focuses on developing your ear. Since the camp caps how many of each instrument it accepts to keep the group balanced, apply and pay your deposit early if you want a guaranteed spot.
Frequently asked questions
1. What are the best programs for high school students in Louisiana?
Strong options depend on interests. Students interested in engineering research might consider LSU's HSSR or Halliburton XCITE; those interested in healthcare might look at Ochsner's STAR program or LSU Health Shreveport's AHEAD program; and students interested in the arts might consider Loyola's Creative Summer Experience or Jazz Camp.
2. Are there free programs for high school students in Louisiana?
Yes, several programs are free, including AMRI at the University of New Orleans, LSU Health Shreveport's AHEAD program, Ochsner's STAR Summer Scholars, and LSU's High School Summer Research Program.
3. Can students outside Louisiana participate in these programs?
Most in-person programs, like AMRI, GPGC, and Xavier's STAR and SOAR X programs, require Louisiana residency or attendance at a Louisiana high school. Virtual options like Veritas AI and the Lumiere Research Scholar Program are open to students regardless of location.
4. Do any of these programs let students earn college credit?
Yes, Tulane's Science Scholars Program offers three transferable college credits, and Xavier's SOAR X program includes a credit-bearing humanities course option for rising 12th graders.