15 Free Programs for Middle School Students
If you're a middle school student wanting to get an early start on your future education or career, consider participating in a structured educational program. As a participant in these programs, you’ll get to explore different fields and subject areas, like coding, data science, engineering, medicine, and more. Many of these programs are free or offer financial aid, making them more accessible while still allowing you to explore your interests and build new skills.
Why participate in a free program?
Attending a program in middle school gives you the chance to explore different subjects while building skills in a structured and supportive environment. You might learn new concepts, take part in guided activities, and interact with instructors or mentors who introduce you to areas such as STEM, the arts, or the humanities. These experiences can help you develop skills and better understand your interests as you prepare for high school.
With that, here are 15 free programs for middle school students that you should check out.
If you’re looking for online programs, check out our blog here.
1. dynaMIT
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free
Dates: August 17 – 21 (rising 6th-7th graders); August 24 – 28 (rising 8th-9th graders)
Application Deadline: March 10
Eligibility: Rising 6th-9th graders
The dynaMIT program is designed to give you a chance to explore science and engineering through hands-on activities, all while you're still in middle school. Throughout the week, you'll take part in team challenges and interactive projects that connect STEM concepts to real-world issues. You’ll also receive close mentorship from MIT undergraduate students. Aside from that, the program gives you the chance to visit MIT’s cutting-edge research labs.
2. Veritas AI: AI Trailblazers
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; Full financial aid offered
Dates: 25 hours over 10 weekends in the spring; 25 hours over 2 weekdays in the summer
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: 6th-8th graders
AI Trailblazers by Veritas AI is a virtual, educational program designed to introduce you to the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and machine learning while you’re still in middle school. Spanning over 25 hours, you will develop foundational skills in Python programming and explore topics such as data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. Learning is facilitated through lectures and group sessions, with a student-to-mentor ratio of 5:1. Past student projects have included developing a machine learning model to classify music genres and creating an algorithm to generate personalized educational resource recommendations based on specific criteria.
3. Physics Inside Out
Location: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Cost: Free
Dates: June 8 – 12
Application Deadline: March 11 – April 15
Eligibility: Current 7th-8th graders
The Physics Inside Out program gives you the chance to learn about the fundamental principles of physics and its applications. You will learn from Purdue faculty and research staff, participate in hands-on learning and experimentation, and explore areas such as astrophysics, physics, and astronomy. You’ll also gain insight into college-level environments and get to explore parts of the campus like the Wilmeth Active Learning Center and Library, the France Cordova Recreational Center, and more. Aside from this, the program also offers field trips to the Birck Nanotechnology Center, PUR1 nuclear reactor, PRIME Lab particle accelerator, and so on.
4. Lumiere Education: Junior Explorer Program (JEP)
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; Full financial aid offered
Dates: Multiple cohorts in a year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort. You can apply here.
Eligibility: 6th-8th graders
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is a virtual research program that introduces you to the basics of academic research across different subjects, all while you're still in middle school. Over eight weeks, you'll work with a mentor who has or is working towards a Ph.D. at a research university to explore a topic you're interested in, like artificial intelligence, environmental science, history, or business. Each week, you'll have a one-on-one meeting to help you develop research questions, organize your sources, and shape your ideas. The program focuses on building your project step by step, from choosing a topic to outlining, drafting, and revising. By the end, you'll put together a short research paper showing what you’ve learned and your research process.
5. Stanford Middle School Scholars Program (SMSSP)
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Dates: July 6 – 24 (summer); August 26 – December 9 (fall)
Application Deadline: March 25
Eligibility: 6th-7th graders from low-income backgrounds in the U.S.
The Stanford Middle School Scholars Program is designed for middle school students from low-income families who are preparing for a rigorous high school education. The program features a three-week summer online course, followed by weekly online after-school meetings during the fall semester. Throughout the program, you'll connect with your cohort and instructor to explore academic writing, sharpen your math skills, explore high school options, and more. Some of the courses you can take in the summer include Democracy & Dissent, Real-Life Applications of Mathematics, and History through Graphic Novels. Your instructor will also act as a mentor, helping you build the skills you need to succeed in school.
6. Science of Smart Cities (SoSC)
Location: Andries Hudde Magnet School of STEAM, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: Free
Dates: July 6 – 31
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Current 6th-7th graders in NYC
As a participant in the SoSC program, you'll explore topics in engineering, computer science, and tech, and learn what it takes to make cities sustainable, efficient, and safe. You’ll get hands-on experience designing projects related to electronics and circuitry, coding, microcontrollers, sensors, and other hardware. Along the way, you’ll also study environmental and urban science. By the end of the program, you'll demonstrate how your project solves real-world problems.
7. Harvard Ed Portal: Youth Mentoring & Programs
Location: Harvard Ed Portal, Allston, MA
Cost: Free
Dates: February 17 – April 30
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: 1st-8th graders
Harvard Ed Portal offers several programs for middle school students that improve classroom learning and support professional and personal growth. Some of these programs include clubs like Code Crafters or Start-Up Studio, where you’ll explore programming and the world of entrepreneurship, respectively. You’ll also benefit from mentoring programs, during which you will be paired with a Harvard College undergraduate student and explore your areas of interest. These programs give you the chance to prepare for life beyond middle school.
8. Sounds of New York City (SONYC)
Location: Andries Hudde Magnet School of STEAM, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: Free
Dates: July 6 – 31
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Current 6th-7th graders in NYC
During the SONYC program, you'll learn about noise pollution and explore how sound affects public health. Some of the activities you’ll do include sampling sounds and studying sound waves in local NYC communities. You’ll also get to design devices that generate and monitor sound and evaluate the impact of sound pollution on human well-being. Along the way, you’ll gain skills like coding and communication and learn more about electronics. By the end of the program, you’ll be expected to demonstrate the skills you’ve learned by creating and presenting actual smart city technologies.
9. Ohio State University: Data Science Summer Camp
Location: Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Cost: Free
Dates: July 7 – 11 (tentative)
Application Deadline: March 30 (tentative)
Eligibility: Rising 7th-9th graders; Applicants from Columbus City Schools encouraged
During the Data Science Summer Camp, you will get the chance to explore the fields of data science and analytics. As a participant, you will learn all about the scientific methods and processes used to extract new knowledge or information from data. You’ll also learn about how data science intersects with other fields, like healthcare, business, biology, city planning, and so much more. Over the course of the program, you will work in student teams with mentors and develop analytical and problem-solving skills. You’ll also get to learn from scientists and professionals and explore the educational and career opportunities that data science and analytics have to offer.
10. EX.I.T.E. Camp (Exploring Interests in Technology and Engineering)
Location: PACER, Bloomington, MN
Cost: Free
Dates: August 3 – 7
Application Deadline: May 31
Eligibility: Minnesota middle school girls and gender expansive youth with disabilities
During the EX.I.T.E. Camp, you will get to explore your interest in STEM through fun and hands-on learning. You’ll experience experiments, activities, and educational presentations centered around developing your knowledge of STEM fields and subjects. The program also gives you the chance to learn from mentors, who will offer support and guidance during your time there. You’ll learn from scientists, tech experts, engineers, and more, from renowned institutes like Accenture, IBM, Medtronic, and so on.
11. Kode With Klossy
Location: Various locations across the U.S. (virtual options offered)
Cost: Free
Dates: Varies by location (2 weeks)
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Young women and gender expansive teens (ages 13-18)
Kode with Klossy offers free, intensive summer camps focused on coding basics and sparking an interest in STEM fields. As a participant, you’ll get to choose from four specialized tracks: web development, mobile app development, data science, or machine learning. In the machine learning track, you'll dive into the fundamentals of AI and machine learning, covering algorithms, datasets, and Python programming. The web development track teaches you what goes into building a website, including three main languages: JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, and helps you get a feel for good UI/UX design. The mobile app development track centers on programming with Apple’s Swift language, guiding you through the creation of a fully functional iOS app. The data science track involves analyzing raw data using tools like SQL, Python, and data visualization to uncover meaningful insights.
12. NYU’s College and Career Lab
Location: NYU, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Dates: July 6 – 31
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Current 7th-8th graders in NYC
The NYU College and Career Lab program gives you the chance to explore several academic pathways while still in middle school. It’s structured as a six-year program and offers multi-week sessions every summer along with monthly “Practice Labs” during the academic year. As a participant, you’ll get to experience college-style lectures and intensive workshops led by NYU faculty in your preferred subject area. You can explore areas of study like the arts, anthropology, business, law, brain & spine science, public service, health sciences, and more. The program is split into two parts: the Exploratory Stage, aimed at rising 8th-9th graders looking to explore potential academic and career pathways, and the Immersive Stage, for rising 10th-graders and beyond looking to dive deep into subject areas, explore internships, and more.
13. SEE: Summer Engineering Experience – Maker Camp
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost: Free
Dates: July 13 – 17 (Maker Camp)
Application Deadline: March 23
Eligibility: Rising 8th-9th graders
If you’re interested in math, science, and engineering, the Summer Engineering Experience program offers multiple sessions that give you the chance to explore different areas of engineering. As a middle school student, you’ll get to participate in the Maker Camp, which explores different engineering disciplines and the concept of design. During this session, you will attend various educational presentations and complete two projects (a group project and an individual project) using items from your household. This session gives you the chance to develop skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, and design thinking.
14. State Pre-College Enrichment Program (S-PREP)
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Dates: July 6 – 31 (summer session); October – May (academic year)
Application Deadline: March 1 – April 15 (summer session); October 1 – November 1 (academic year)
Eligibility: 7th-12th graders residing in New York State; More info here
S-PREP is for middle and high school students interested in exploring future careers in medicine and other STEM fields. It consists of two sessions: summer and the academic year. As a participant, you will take enrichment courses in math and science, including biochemistry, anatomy, psychology, calculus, statistics, and more. The program also offers the chance to prepare for the PSAT and SAT. Aside from this, you will have the chance to attend career development and college prep workshops, college counseling services, college tours, and field trips. As a participant of the S-PREP, you also have the chance to apply for the BRAINYAC program or the YES in THE HEIGHTS program.
15. Stanford’s Code in Place
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Dates: Starts in April; Runs for 6 weeks
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Middle school students
Stanford’s Code in Place program gives you the chance to learn the fundamentals of computer programming from Stanford professors. The program is run in small cohorts of 10 students to one teacher to ensure a solid community of teaching and learning. As part of the syllabus, you will learn Python fundamentals like control flow, graphics, loops and conditionals, console programs with variables, and more. The program lets you explore programming in a more hands-on way by working on creative projects from scratch.
Image source - Veritas AI