Bay Area Opportunities for High School Students
Browse 50 verified Bay Area opportunities for high schoolers, from in-person programs to local competitions.
SHTEM Summer Internships
Eight-week in-person Stanford research internship on interdisciplinary projects spanning information theory, machine learning, and the humanities. Unpaid with a $95 application fee; you arrange your own housing and transport.
Stanford AI4ALL
Two-week AI program covering computer vision, robotics, medical AI, NLP, and ethics with graduate-student mentorship, online in June or residential in July. Open only to 9th graders; tuition is steep but need-based aid exists.
SEP High School Intern Program
Paid eight-week summer research internship at UCSF with a scientist mentor in neuroscience, immunology, or molecular biology, paying $4,500 on completion. Roughly 25 spots, open only to juniors at SFUSD or San Francisco public charter high schools.
Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program
Eight-week mentored research placement in a Stanford lab spanning immunology, cancer biology, neuroscience, and bioengineering. Free, with special consideration for Bay Area students.
Genomics Research Internship (GRIPS)
Eight-week wet-lab genomics research internship with a Stanford mentor, free apart from a waivable $55 application fee. You must be 16+ with a 3.0 GPA and live in one of six Bay Area counties.
Pre-College Academy
Saturday conservatory program in downtown San Francisco running August through May with private lessons, ensembles, and master classes. Admission is by audition and expects 1-2 years of prior study; financial aid is offered.
Northern California Leadership Seminar
Three-day residential leadership seminar for sophomores at Menlo College in Atherton. You can't self-nominate — a counselor or administrator submits you, and schools often cover the fee.
Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience
Two-week immersion in neuroscience, psychiatry, and psychology taught by Stanford faculty, ending in a capstone project. Offered on campus and virtually, with scholarships available.
PITCH Health Careers Program
Three-week summer program at UCSF exploring health and medical science careers through mentored investigations and college-readiness workshops. Prioritizes first-generation and low-income students; 2.5 GPA minimum.
Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes
On-campus and online summer courses at Stanford open to any qualifying student, not just those enrolled at Stanford OHS. Tuition-based with need-based financial aid.
LINC Summer High School Program
Free summer conservation and leadership program with an environmental-justice community-science track and an outdoor-leadership track including camping and kayaking. Participants receive a completion stipend.
Careers in Science Internship
Multi-year paid internship in Golden Gate Park for SFUSD 9th and 10th graders underrepresented in STEM, doing fieldwork and visitor programs through graduation. Requires a 2.5 GPA and a 2-3 year commitment.
SAGE Summer Camp
Free one-week residential camp at the SLAC and Stanford campuses with job shadowing, hands-on projects, and career sessions led by lab scientists. Ages 14-17 in a set list of Northern and Central California counties.
Experiences in Research
Paid six-week internship ($500/week) working about 30-35 hours a week with Berkeley Lab scientists on real projects in data science, coding, or experimentation. Northern California students who turn 16 by mid-June, with priority near the Berkeley site.
Academic Talent Development Program
Summer enrichment courses at UC Berkeley across the sciences, math, and humanities. Costs several hundred to about $1,250 per course, with a Pathway Scholarship for financial need.
Stanford Medical Youth Science Program
Tuition-free five-week science, medicine, and public health program admitting a small cohort of juniors. Limited to low-income and/or first-generation students in Northern and Central California.
AI4ALL Summer Internship
Ten-week internship at UCSF Mission Bay working with faculty on biomedical research using data science and AI. Restricted to SFUSD juniors taking AP Statistics or AP Computer Science; unpaid and you commute daily.
Galaxy Explorers
Multi-year Oakland program where teens run museum demonstrations and join inquiry teams in engineering, climate tech, and digital media, with externships at partners like NASA Ames. $1,500 a year, fully covered for students with demonstrated need.
Youth Task Force
County advisory body of students who bring youth voice to government and community-organization policy, meeting monthly in San Jose. Open only to Santa Clara County students.
Mosaic Journalism Workshop
Free two-week summer newsroom intensive at SJSU where about 20 mostly Bay Area students report, write, shoot, and produce work that gets published. Requires work samples and full attendance.
Summer Environmental Interns
Five-day wetland science service internship at Tule Ponds in Fremont, with water sampling, plant surveys, and microbe studies. It is free, and 10 to 15 students are chosen. Applications for 2027 are due April 15.
San Francisco Youth Commission
A 17-member commission that is the official youth voice in City Hall, advising the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on youth budget and policy over a year-long term. Open to San Francisco residents ages 12-23.
Stanford National Forensic Institute
Speech, debate, and public speaking institute run at Stanford since 1990, with summer sessions in Palo Alto plus online options. Enrollment is rolling and space-limited.
Berkeley Math Tournament
Student-run math tournament at UC Berkeley with individual and team rounds, including a novice division for students newer to competition mathematics.
Berkeley Model United Nations
Three-day conference on the UC Berkeley campus drawing roughly 2,000 high school delegates across 20 committees. Registration is first-come and requires an adult advisor from your school.
California Mock Trial
Statewide competition where school teams argue a hypothetical criminal case in real courtrooms before sitting judges, including Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Contra Costa counties. Join through your school's team.
Children's Health Council Teen Volunteers
Teens ages 14 to 18 volunteer with a Palo Alto nonprofit that supports children and teens with learning differences and mental health needs. Volunteers serve across the Peninsula and South Bay.
Computer History Museum Teen Volunteer Interns
Students in grades 9 to 12 research technology history and run tours and hands-on activities for young visitors at the museum in Mountain View.
Engineering and Robotics Academy
Two-week hands-on program where teams identify a real-world problem and design a robotic solution, ending in a capstone presentation.
Flight Teen Volunteers
Teens ages 14 to 18 run aviation and STEM activities for museum visitors in San Carlos, including the Invention Lab and virtual reality experiences. Applications are taken on an ongoing basis.
Genesys Works Bay Area
Free eight-week summer technical and professional training followed by a paid, year-long corporate internship during senior year. Open to students from partner high schools; interns earn roughly $10,000-$13,000 over the year.
High School Explainer Program
Paid part-time museum job in San Francisco (about $19.61/hour, ~7.5 hours a week) where teens lead demonstrations and staff exhibits after 60+ hours of training. Ages 15-18, no science background required; postings open in July and March.
Intensive Immersion Program
Free 15-month mentorship and technical-training program in Oakland for Black male high schoolers, combining two 7-week summer sessions with year-round coding, entrepreneurship, and leadership training. No prior coding experience required.
Junior Ambassadors
Volunteer and philanthropy program for ages 14-18 supporting UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital through fundraising events, bedside activity kits, and cards for patients — not clinical shadowing.
Junior Auxiliary
Hospital volunteer program in Mountain View or Los Gatos for students 14+ who've completed 8th grade, requiring a year-long commitment. Join through an application seminar, typically announced each January.
KP LAUNCH High School Internship
Paid seven-week summer internship across Northern California Kaiser facilities in non-clinical roles like operations, IT, communications, and finance. Ages 16-19 living in a Northern California KP service area; 2027 applications open in November.
Oakland Youth Advisory Commission
Commission of about 20 young people ages 13-21 representing Oakland's council districts, advising the City Council and Mayor and meeting twice monthly at City Hall. Unpaid, with dinner and transit reimbursement.
Pre-College Scholars
Enroll in real UC Berkeley lower-division courses for college credit over a 6- or 8-week summer session, as a commuter or in the residential track.
Project Pull
Paid eight-week internship placing San Francisco juniors and seniors in city departments like the SF Public Utilities Commission, with weekly STEAM enrichment alongside the paid work.
Stanford Math Tournament
Student-run math competition on the Stanford campus with individual, team, and relay rounds, plus a novice division and practice problems published online.
Summer Engineering Seminar (SES)
Free five-day residential engineering seminar at Santa Clara University for high school sophomores and juniors, with priority for sophomores. Housing and meals cost nothing, and applicants are judged on math and science grades and financial need. The 2027 application opens in December.
Summer Student Research Program
Seven-week full-time program pairing you one-on-one with UCSF researchers and clinicians, ending in a research symposium; high schoolers received a $3,000 stipend. Requires being 16+ and demonstrating economic, educational, or medical disadvantage.
Teen Volunteer Program
Year-round hospital volunteer program for ages 16+, staffing the gift shop, information desks, or administrative areas on a weekly shift. This is a volunteer role, not clinical shadowing.
TiE Young Entrepreneurs
In-person academy in Palo Alto where Bay Area students build a startup in teams over about eight weeks and pitch to Silicon Valley judges, with winners advancing toward TYE Global. Seats fill first-come.
Volunteer Services Teen Program
Structured, non-clinical hospital volunteer program for 16-17 year-olds at select Northern California medical centers (link goes to Santa Clara; other sites list their own pages). Requires a health screening and a weekly shift commitment. Kaiser's volunteer portal listed teen applications as closed at the last check.
Writing Workshops & Teen Poetry Slam
Free weekly spoken-word writing and performance workshops in San Francisco and Oakland, plus an annual Teen Poetry Slam whose finalists represent the Bay Area at Brave New Voices.
Youth & Government
Year-long civic program where you join a local Bay Area delegation and take a role as legislator, attorney, judge, or journalist at statewide sessions. Fees and deadlines are set by each local YMCA.
Youth Crew
Five-month, hands-on service-learning program for ages 15-18 at the Center's Sausalito hospital, working alongside staff on animal care and ocean-conservation education. Applications open in fall for the following year.
Youth Media Programs
Free Oakland-based training in journalism, audio production, and digital storytelling for ages 14-24, no experience needed. The organization paused in late 2024 and relaunched in 2026 — confirm current status before applying.
Youth Stewards
Free, hands-on habitat-restoration program at open space preserves in Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto, doing invasive-plant removal in seasonal cohorts. The next cycle opens in spring.