14 STEM Pre-College Summer Programs for High School Students
If you are a high school student with a passion for science, technology, engineering, or math, you should consider spending your summer in a STEM pre-college program. While most STEM subjects are taught in high schools, pre-college programs go beyond the typical classroom experience and give you access to lab work, projects, and university-level coursework. Given that these programs are mostly offered by prestigious universities, you will have access to top-tier resources, research environments, and like-minded peers from different parts of the world. In addition to learning, these programs provide a space to network, collaborate, and build relationships that support your academic and career journey.
What are the benefits of a STEM pre-college program?
STEM pre-college programs offer opportunities to engage in a variety of projects, including coding a simple app, conducting lab experiments, analyzing data, or collaborating on research with university students. Taking college-level classes or engaging in research can help you determine whether you want to continue in the field. Additionally, you earn college credits or complete projects that can enhance your college applications, making your profile more competitive.
Keeping these benefits in mind, we have compiled a list of 14 STEM pre-college summer programs for high school students.
If you’re looking for online summer programs, check out our blog here.
1. Young Scholars Summer STEMM Research Programs
Location: Most activities are hosted at the University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
Cost/Stipend: Participants will receive a fellowship payment
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; only 30 lab spots available
Dates: June 17 – July 31 (tentatively)
Application Deadline: March 31 (Priority deadline)
Eligibility: Rising 10th through 12th graders from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin
If you are a high school student interested in research, this program consists of multiple research groups, such as the SpHERES Young Scholars, the Grainger Engineering Young Scholars (GEnYuS), and the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP), and as a participant, you will join one of them. Research areas span cancer immunology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, physics, quantum mechanics, bioengineering, and electrical engineering, depending on your placement. College- and career-preparation activities in science and engineering run alongside the research throughout the program. The program closes with a poster symposium on the final day, where you present your findings.
2. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: An application fee of $50, which will be waived if your annual family income is below $80,000 or if you have special circumstances that make it difficult to pay; a very limited number of stipends are given out from a special grant based on need
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 8 – July 30 (tentatively)
Application Deadline: December 19 – February 21
Eligibility: 11th and 12th graders who are at least 16 years old, a US citizen or permanent resident, living and attending a high school in the US; preference given to students from the Bay Area
In this eight-week program offered by Stanford Medicine, you will have the opportunity to complete research projects focused on medical topics alongside Stanford’s professors, postdoctoral fellows, students, and researchers. Research tracks span eight fields, including immunology, neurobiology, cancer biology, bioengineering, stem cell and regenerative medicine, cardiovascular biology, bioinformatics, and genetics and genomics. The program is structured around immersive lab work, giving you sustained exposure to how research is conducted in a professional scientific setting. As a participant, you would be conducting research under the one-on-one supervision of a mentor from the university’s Institutes of Medicine or other departments.
3. Pre-College Research Internship for Scholarship and Mentoring (PRISM)
Location: University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of $1,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 5 students
Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application Deadline: November 17 – January 19
Eligibility: 10th graders who are U.S. Citizens or permanent residents; you must be from disadvantaged backgrounds as defined in the Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity, or must be the first generation of their family, intending to pursue college
Offered by UAB’s surgery department, PRISM places you in a lab team alongside undergraduates and medical students, working under the supervision of surgeons and surgical researchers over eight weeks. The research is centered on understanding how scientific work connects to patient care and clinical outcomes. In addition to lab work, you participate in seminars, workshops, and clinical shadowing sessions throughout the program. With only five students selected, the cohort is small enough that mentorship is close and consistent.
4. MITES Summer
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Late June through early August
Application Deadline: Opens in November and is due on February 1
Eligibility: 11th graders who are US citizens or permanent residents
Over six weeks at MIT, you take college-level courses across five subject areas, including math, science, and the humanities, alongside electives in fields not typically covered in high school curricula. Past electives have included machine learning, genomics, electronics, and engineering design. Workshops, lab tours, and mentoring sessions run throughout the program alongside your coursework. The experience concludes with a final project or symposium presentation where you share your work with the broader program community.
5. Harvard’s Pre-College Summer Program
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost: An application fee of $75 and a tuition of $6,100 (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: An average class size of 15
Dates: June 21 – July 2 for Session I | July 5 – 17 for Session II | July 19 – 31 for Session III
Application Deadline: Opens December 1 and has multiple deadlines, including January 7 (Early Application & Priority Financial Aid Deadline), February 11 (Regular Application & Financial Aid Deadline), and April 1 (Late Application Deadline)
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders who will be 16 years or older before the program starts but will not turn 19 by the time the program ends; open to students from anywhere in the world
Through this pre-college summer program, Harvard University invites academically talented students to dive into their favorite subject at a university level. With nearly 30 courses to choose from, the two-week experience lets you understand the level of difficulty in studying a course, especially at an Ivy League institution like Harvard. As someone interested in pursuing STEM, the program offers courses in astronomy, biology, physics, computer science, math, statistics, and more. Since the classes are nongraded, you can spend your time in the program solely concentrating on exploring your curiosity about the subject you're interested in. In addition to academics, the program engages you in social and creative activities that help you connect with other participants and stimulate your mind.
6. NYU Precollege
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: An application fee of $50, an estimated tuition fee charge of $700 to $16,000 depending on the number of credits, and other charges (check here)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by the course
Dates: July 1 – August 12
Application Deadline: Summer applications open February 1 and close March 13 for international students and June 15 for US students
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders from anywhere in the world if applying for the summer cohort
The NYU Precollege program gives you a glimpse of what it's like to be a student at New York University, where you'll attend classes taught by university professors and engage in practical exercises. Since NYU offers a wide variety of courses, you can enroll as a STEM enthusiast in classes such as Introduction to Computer Programming, Human Physiology, Introduction to Engineering and Design, Calculus I, and more. You will also earn college credits upon completing a course. Additionally, you can participate in the College 101 information sessions, which cover important topics such as the college admissions process, study skills, financial aid, and other vital areas for college preparation.
7. USC Summer Programs
Location: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: An application fee of $85; program fee is estimated to be $11,570 for residential participants and $8,130 for commuting participants
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 22 – July 17
Application Deadline: Opens in October and closes on March 13 for international students and on May 8 for US students
Eligibility: High school students who have completed 9th grade and are pursuing a rigorous high school curriculum
The four-week summer program is your chance to immerse yourself in various subjects or check out what the college curriculum is like. The program offers a selection of courses, including STEM courses such as Discover Engineering, Health and Healing: Writing the Medical Humanities, Psychological Science and Society, The Brain: Introduction to Neuroscience, and The Science of Food, Nutrition, and the Biological World. Taught by professors at the University of Southern California, the classes include lectures, workshops, lab activities, and guest seminars. You will be involved in both academic and extracurricular activities, so you will learn to balance college life early on.
8. Penn Arts and Sciences Pre-College Residential Program
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: A non-refundable application fee of $100; program fee varies by course units (Philadelphia residents attending a School District of Philadelphia public or charter high school are eligible for an application fee waiver and scholarships)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 30 – August 8
Application Deadline: Admissions are on a rolling basis
Eligibility: 10th and 11th graders with a minimum GPA of 3.5 from anywhere in the world; international students should have an F-1 student visa and sign up for a minimum of 1.5 c.u.
If selected for this pre-college program, you choose from four curriculum options spanning STEM subjects like biology, physics, experimental physics, and medicine, then take those courses alongside enrolled Penn students taught by university professors or visiting scholars. Classes meet two to five times a week and include assignments, research work, and exams; some courses also require lab sessions. The syllabus for the pre-college program courses was created to give high school students a preview of an Ivy League curriculum.
9. Columbia University College Edge: Summer
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: An application fee of $80, a tuition fee of $2,672 per point (2 courses are typically equivalent to 6 points), and other required fees (need-based scholarships available for permanent residents and US citizens located in the United States of America or its five major territories)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Summer Session A: May 25 – July 3 | Summer Session B: July 6 – August 14
Application Deadline: Extended to April 20 for Session A and May 25 for Session B
Eligibility: 11th and 12th graders from anywhere in the world
High school juniors and seniors can take college-level classes alongside Columbia University's undergraduates through the College Edge Summer program and earn college credits. The program is academically rigorous by design, with roughly three hours of homework expected for every hour in class. STEM course options include Calculus, Linear Algebra, General Chemistry I and II, and courses from other departments, depending on your interests.
10. Cornell University Pre-College Studies Residential Program
Location: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Cost/Stipend: A non-refundable application fee of $75; Three-week sessions: $9,274 (3 credits) and $11,214 (4 credits); Six-week sessions: $18,402 (6 credits), $20,342 (7 credits), and $22,282 (8 credits); financial assistance available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Small class size
Dates: June 22 – July 10 or July 13 – 31 for the three-week sessions | June 22 – July 31 for the six-week sessions (as this is a residential program, students move in to the campus one day before the course starts and move out a day after the course ends)
Application Deadline: January 12 – May 5 (application form) and May 19 (application materials)
Eligibility: Students from anywhere in the world who have completed 10th grade and are between 16 and 18 years of age
The Cornell University Precollege Studies Residential Program allows you to choose from a range of college-level courses taught by Cornell faculty, with options including Calculus for Engineers, Multivariable Calculus, Data Science and Decision Making, and Veterinary Medicine, among others. The condensed format covers roughly 15 weeks of material in either a three- or six-week session, so the pace is deliberately intensive. Beyond coursework, the residential structure introduces you to the rhythms of college life on an Ivy League campus. Activities outside the classroom are built into the program to help you practice managing academics alongside everything else.
11. Pre-College at Eckerd
Location: Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL
Cost/Stipend: Varies by the course (limited need-based scholarships available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by the course
Dates: One week in June
Application Deadline: Opens in January
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders; Rising 10th graders are eligible for some courses
As a participant in this pre-college program, you enroll in a week-long college course at Eckerd College on Florida's Gulf Coast, choosing from options like Marine Science, Coastal and Wildlife Ecology, and Elasmobranch Science. Each course combines professor-led lectures, guest seminars, group workshops, field trips, and hands-on experiments into a structured daily schedule. The Marine Science course has you collecting and examining live plankton under a microscope, while Coastal and Wildlife Ecology involves gathering data in the field. The format gives you a realistic preview of studying a subject at the college level in a short, focused window.
12. Stevens' Immersive Pre-College Summer Residential Program
Location: Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ
Cost/Stipend: $3,350 for one-week courses and $4,950 for two-week courses (financial aid available).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 5 – 11 and July 12 – 18 for the one-week courses | July 19 – 31 for two-week courses
Application Deadline: March 16 (Priority Application Deadline) and June 1 (Final Application Deadline)
Eligibility: Rising 10th through 12th graders from anywhere in the world
In this program, you choose a one- or two-week course in subjects such as biology, civil engineering, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, computer science, and medicinal chemistry, then work directly alongside Stevens faculty on hands-on projects. The program is designed to help you test a genuine interest in a subject before committing to it in college, without the pressure of earning transferable credits. Residential life runs alongside the academic coursework, and the combination is meant to give you a realistic sense of what independent college living looks like.
13. NC State University Summer Engineering Residential Camps
Location: NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Cost/Stipend: $1,550 (limited financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by the camps
Dates: Week 1: June 14 – 19 | Week 2: June 21 – 26 | Week 3: July 5 – 10 | Week 4: July 12 – 17
Application Deadline: January 12 – February 27
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders from anywhere in the world
Catered towards high school students with an interest in engineering, this residential camp gives you a taste of what studying the subject at a college level entails. Each one-week session focuses on a single engineering discipline, with options spanning biological and agricultural engineering, civil and environmental engineering, industrial and systems engineering, textile engineering, aerospace engineering, biomedical engineering, and more. You complete hands-on exercises under the supervision of NC State College of Engineering faculty and students throughout the week. Since each student participates in only one camp, the experience is focused on a single subject area.
14. Quinnipiac’s High School Summer Programs
Location: Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT
Cost/Stipend: $1,800 with an additional $100 supply cost for some programs (1-week residential program); $1,500 with an additional $100 supply cost for some programs (1-week commuter program); $3,600 with an additional $100 supply cost for some programs (2-week residential program); and $2,600 with an additional $100 supply cost for some programs (2-week commuter program); limited need-based financial aid available Acceptance rate/cohort size: Maximum 30 students for most courses; some programs have a smaller cohort due to equipment needs and available lab space.
Dates: July (exact dates vary by the course)
Application Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: High school students from anywhere in the world
Quinnipiac’s High School Summer Programs offer various options, including Data Sciences Lab, Healthcare Career Exploration, Pre-Med Preparation: Medical Microbiology, and combined tracks, each structured around college-level study in the chosen subject. You work on projects designed to build a portfolio in your area of focus alongside a small cohort, with most programs capping at 30 students. Some programs have even smaller cohorts due to equipment requirements and available lab space. The program also places explicit emphasis on communication, critical thinking, and other professional skills that are developed alongside the academic content.
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