15 STEM Programs for High School Students in Washington State
If you’re a high school student interested in science, technology, engineering, or math, a structured STEM program can be a practical way to explore those fields in more depth. These programs often introduce you to research tools and methodologies, help you explore new concepts, and develop skills in coding, analysis, and research. Many of these programs, frequently offered by prestigious organizations and universities, provide opportunities to collaborate with peers and learn from experienced mentors, helping you create a strong network.
Why should you attend a program in Washington State?
Washington State offers a wide range of STEM opportunities hosted by universities, research centers, and tech companies, such as the University of Washington (UW) and Seattle Children’s Hospital. Many of these programs let you work directly in labs, design engineering projects, or explore computer science through coding and data analysis. These options are great for both local and out-of-state students looking to explore the region's STEM opportunities and research environments.
To make your search easier, here’s a list of 15 STEM programs for high school students in Washington State.
If you are looking for internships in Washington State, you can check out our blog here.
1. University of Washington’s Changemakers in Computing (CiC)
Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: No cost / $1,200 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; typically, small cohort sizes
Dates: July 6 – 30, with an Orientation Day on May 16
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores or juniors from Washington State | Must be U.S citizens, permanent residents, DACA, or have an Employment Authorization Document
This STEM program for high school students in Washington State introduces you to the connections between technology, society, and justice. Designed for rising juniors and seniors with little to no coding experience, the program uses culturally relevant, project-based activities to help you build foundational computing skills. You will work in small mentee groups led by current UW undergraduates who guide you through daily check-ins, hands-on coding projects, and discussions about the real-world impact of technology. The program also allows you to explore different areas of computing, learn from undergraduate mentors, and receive guidance as you consider future pathways in higher education.
2. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on the program type; full financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; AI Scholars: student-to-mentor ratio of 5:1; AI Fellowship: 1:1 mentoring
Dates: Multiple 12–15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter
Application Deadline: Rolling basis; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November); apply 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 who are looking to get started with 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 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 get a chance 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.
3. The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
Location: Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories across the U.S., including Washington State
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipends of $4,000 for new participants and $4,500 for returning participants
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive, with around 300 placements in more than 38 DoN laboratories
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer with an option to extend by 2 weeks
Application Deadline: November 1
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors, as well as graduating seniors | Must be at least 16 years old | Must be solely U.S. citizens (check individual lab pages for lab-specific grade, age, citizenship, and other prerequisites)
SEAP is an eight-week summer internship that places you in a DoN laboratory, where you work alongside scientists and engineers on real-world research projects. Depending on your placement, you may contribute to work in areas such as engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, robotics, oceanography, or undersea technology. A defining feature of SEAP is its emphasis on direct mentorship, giving you structured guidance while you assist with research tasks, shadow professionals, attend technical meetings, and participate in lab tours. Your day-to-day responsibilities can include coding, drafting simulations, data analysis, or other forms of hands-on support for ongoing projects, depending on the lab’s mission.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program – STEM Tracks
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies depending on the program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Application Deadline: Varies based on cohort; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), Winter (November)
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 virtual research experience that pairs high school students with PhD scholars from universities such as Harvard, MIT, Yale, and Stanford. You will dive into a STEM field of your choice, such as medicine, data science, physics, engineering, biology, computer science, neuroscience, chemistry, or mathematics, and develop an independent project with support from your mentor. Throughout the process, your mentor will guide you through core elements of academic research, including forming a research question, reviewing scientific literature, implementing research methodologies, and analyzing data. By the end of the program, you will produce a college-level research paper that can be submitted to competitions or science journals for publication, and become eligible for a UCSD Extended Studies credit.
5. Fred Hutch Pathways Research Explorers Program
Location: Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. Learning Lab, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: No cost / $500 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 32 students each summer (16 per session)
Dates: Session 1: July 28 – August 8 | Session 2: August 11 – 22 (tentative; subject to change)
Application Deadline: March 14 (tentative; subject to change)
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores or juniors from Seattle or surrounding areas | Must have completed introductory biology or chemistry | Must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents
The Fred Hutch Pathways Research Explorers Program is a two-week summer experience that introduces you to biomedical research through hands-on activities and guided exploration. You will work in the Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. Learning Lab, where you can practice basic lab techniques and engage with research related to cancer prevention, epidemiology, and public health. The program includes tours of active research labs and opportunities to meet scientists and students at various stages of their careers, giving you insight into different academic pathways in biomedical science and the steps you can take to pursue research in the future.
6. Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Training Program for High School Students
Location: Seattle Children's Research Institute: B. Wayne Hughes Building, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: No cost / $2,000 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; around 16 students
Dates: July 14 – August 8 (tentative; subject to change)
Application Deadline: January 6 – March 9 (tentative; subject to change)
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors who can commute to and from Downtown Seattle
In this program, you will learn how research labs operate while exploring topics such as biochemistry, immunotherapy, gene editing, and infectious diseases through lectures and hands-on lab activities. A major component of the program is the independent research project, where you investigate a scientific question in areas like biology, microbiology, public health, or a related scientific field and present your findings in a final oral presentation. Along the way, you will gain experience in skills such as microscopy, agarose gel electrophoresis, isolating white blood cells, polymerase chain reaction, gene editing, and more. The program also includes workshops on college readiness and career exploration, faculty tours, and interactions with research staff.
7. Microsoft’s High School Discovery Program
Location: Microsoft Headquarters in Redmond, WA
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, but the exact amount is not specified.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; typically small cohorts
Dates: July 7 – August 1 (tentative; subject to change)
Application Deadline: Typically, late February
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors who live and attend high school within 50 miles of Redmond, WA | Must have completed pre-calculus or an equivalent course or 3 consecutive years of math (including your senior year of high school) by the start of the program | Must be members or participants of Microsoft sponsored organizations: Computing for All, College Success Foundations, Washington MESA, Rainier Scholars, Technology Access Foundation, or UW STEMsub Program
Microsoft’s High School Discovery Program introduces you to the fundamentals of how products are designed, developed, and supported within a large tech organization. Over four weeks, you will explore core aspects of product development, including identifying customer pain points, understanding unarticulated customer needs, and the early stages of the design process. The experience places you in a small project team, where you work on hands-on assignments that offer insight into software engineering, product management, and UX design. You will receive mentorship from Microsoft employees throughout the internship, helping you build foundational professional skills while gaining insight into Microsoft’s workplace culture.
8. Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP)
Location: Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
Stipend: Interns receive a financial award upon completing the internship, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; approximately 16 students per session
Dates: June 22 – August 14
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who are at least 16 years old and reside in Greater Seattle or the surrounding areas
This program is designed to introduce you to biomedical research in a professional laboratory setting. During the first two weeks of the internship, you will receive training in lab safety and core techniques, such as pipetting, sterile work, tissue culture, DNA isolation, PCR, and gel electrophoresis. In the following six weeks, you will work in pairs and join an active Fred Hutch research lab, where you may be responsible for preparing solutions, observing experiments, entering data, or participating in regular lab meetings. You will also attend weekly interactive presentation sessions with your cohort, which cover topics like ethics, health disparities research, biostatistics, and “meet the scientist” discussions.
9. Institute for Systems Biology (ISB)’s High School Summer Internship Program
Location: Institute For Systems Biology, Seattle, WA
Stipend: Volunteer and paid positions available, amounts not specified for the latter
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; around 10 – 15 students
Dates: June 30 – August 22 (tentative; subject to change)
Application Deadline: Mid-March
Eligibility: Current high school juniors
ISB’s High School Summer Internship offers rising seniors the opportunity to explore systems biology through an eight-week, project-based research experience. Possible focus areas include computational biology, microbial interactions, the microbiome, microbial evolution, cancer, and systems medicine, with placements connected to ongoing projects in the Baliga Lab or other ISB labs. You may work alongside research professionals, contribute to laboratory or computational tasks, and participate in activities such as curriculum development or website building to document your projects. You may also meet with ISB staff across scientific, administrative, and technical roles, which may give you insight into a wide range of career pathways.
10. Youth Engaged in Sustainable Systems (YESS) – Riverview
Location: Riverview Learning Center, Carnation, WA, with field work at various project sites throughout King County
Cost/Stipend: No cost / $1,800 (upon full attendance)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; up to 16 high school students (selection is through a lottery process with preference given to first-time participants)
Dates: June 26 – August 1 (tentative; subject to change)
Application Deadline: April 24 (tentative; subject to change)
Eligibility: Rising high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors who attend a school within the WANIC consortium - Bellevue, Issaquah, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Northshore, Riverview, and Snoqualmie Valley school districts; (freshmen might be accepted if there is space available) | Comfortable being outdoors in various conditions for up to 6 hours
In this program, you will engage in field activities across King County, such as land restoration, plant identification, watershed ecology observations, and trail maintenance. Additionally, you will participate in classroom sessions on land management practices and restoration ecology laws. The program emphasizes hands-on ecological work paired with skill-building in public speaking, project planning, and scientific observation. You will be taught by a Riverview School District teacher and an educator from the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, and you will work alongside peers who share an interest in outdoor STEM learning. This program may be especially useful if you want to earn credit and gain experience in conservation-related tasks.
11. University of Puget Sound’s Summer Academic Challenge (SAC)
Location: University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; typically focused groups
Dates: 4 weeks between mid-June and mid-July
Application Deadline: June 1 (tentative; based on previous years)
Eligibility: 7–12th grade students who are currently attending a public school | Must be from underrepresented minoritized groups, first-generation college students, and/or from underrepresented socio-economic status from the Tacoma and greater Pierce County areas, as determined by the Federal Free or Reduced Price Lunch program
University of Puget Sound’s SAC is a four-week tuition-free program that introduces you to STEAM concepts through project-based coursework connected to real issues in the Puget Sound region. Depending on your grade level, you might study themes such as salmon life cycle and survival, sustainability, robotics, or the history of transportation technology. Throughout the program, you will attend classes, participate in hands-on projects, build models, execute computer programs, and conduct lab work that deepens your understanding of STEM. Field trips, special events, and workshops on writing and presentation skills are built into the program, giving you multiple ways to apply what you learn in class.
12. University of Washington’s Engineering Academy
Location: University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 40 students per year
Dates: July 21 – 25 (tentative; subject to change)
Application Deadline: Typically, mid-to-late April
Eligibility: High school sophomores or juniors from the greater Seattle area
The University of Washington’s Engineering Academy is a free, one-week, in-person summer camp that introduces you to core engineering concepts through hands-on activities and guided exploration. Across five days on the UW Seattle campus, you will participate in design challenges, attend sessions led by engineering faculty and students, and explore how different engineering disciplines contribute to our communities. You will also learn about different engineering pathways and participate in a campus tour, gaining first-hand insight into college life. The Academy also involves building connections with the UW community through activities like campus tours of the UW Seattle campus and direct interaction with current engineering students and faculty.
13. Seattle Children’s Hospital Summer Nurse Camp
Location: Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; around 36 students
Dates: July 14 – 18 (tentative; subject to change)
Application Deadline: Typically mid-April
Eligibility: High school students aged 16–18 by the camp start date and from the Puget Sound area
Seattle Children’s Hospital Summer Nurse Camp is a five-day program that introduces you to pediatric nursing through clinical observation, skills labs, and educational panels. Throughout the week, you will shadow nurses as they work in areas such as NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit), emergency care, radiology, and cancer care, gaining insight into how clinical teams deliver care in a hospital setting. The curriculum includes hands-on simulations using practice models, allowing you to explore fundamental nursing skills in a controlled environment. You will participate in panel discussions where nurses and educators answer questions about training pathways, daily responsibilities, and career options.
14. Fred Hutch Girls Who Code Club
Location: Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; 10–15 students per session
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year; Fall Session: October 14 – December 2
Application Deadline: Varies as per cohort; Fall Session: Typically, late September/early October
Eligibility: Female and non-binary high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors
The Fred Hutch Girls Who Code Club is a six-week, in-person after-school program where you learn core programming concepts through projects rooted in computational biology and bioinformatics. Led by women and non-binary computational biologists from Fred Hutch and the University of Washington, the club introduces you to Python, data analysis, and problem-solving through group-based activities. Projects have previously included analyzing infectious disease data, studying protein evolution, and programming robots to navigate a maze. You will also interact with researchers and industry professionals through virtual sessions and field trips, which have included visits to computational labs and meetings with programmers and data scientists at major tech companies.
15. Northwest Youth Corps’s Youth Community Program – Washington Community Crews
Location: Various locations across Washington State, including Tacoma, Olympia, Lakewood, and Mount Rainier National Park
Cost/Stipend: $200; tuition assistance available) / Stipend of up to $2,500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 6 to 8 participants led by two adult leaders
Dates: Session 1: June 23 – July 25; Session 2: July 29 – August 29 (tentative; subject to change)
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Students between the ages of 15 and 18 who reside near the locations where the programs are conducted | Must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents
The Youth Community Program allows you to explore environmental science and conservation through hands-on fieldwork in your own community. Over five weeks, you may work on projects such as tree planting, invasive species removal, train maintenance, or urban forest health assessments, depending on the crew you join. The program emphasizes practical skill-based learning, guiding you through tasks that build your understanding of ecology, resource management, and teamwork. You may also participate in daily educational lessons that introduce you to concepts in environmental policy, wildfire prevention, and conservation practices, with the potential to earn high school credit.
Image source - Veritas AI