STEM Opportunities for High School Students
Browse 169 verified STEM opportunities for high schoolers — research programs, internships, competitions, and summer programs in science, math, engineering, and technology.
STEM covers a lot of ground, and the opportunities inside it don't behave the same way. A math competition rewards practice and has no application; a research program is selective and asks for essays and recommendations; a summer engineering program sits somewhere between the two.
Because of that, this page is a starting point rather than a shortlist. Pick the subject you'd actually spend a free Saturday on, then look at the specific list — computer science, biology, math, physics, engineering, and the rest each have their own page with far fewer, better-matched options.
Congressional App Challenge
Build an original app for any platform and compete against peers in your congressional district. Winning apps are exhibited in the U.S. Capitol.
Conrad Challenge
Multi-stage innovation competition for teams of 2-5, judged on a lean canvas, innovation brief, video, and team site. The activation stage closes in October and the innovation stage in January; advancing teams pay a $499 team fee.
USA Mathematical Talent Search
Free, proof-based math contest you complete from home over several weeks, with detailed written feedback on every solution you submit.
NASA TechRise Student Challenge
School teams design an experiment that NASA flies on a high-altitude test vehicle in summer 2027. A teacher or school employee submits the team's proposal, and 60 winning teams are chosen.
AMC 10/12
The nation's largest high school math competition, and the first step toward AIME, USAMO, and the IMO team. Register through your school's math department.
Regeneron Science Talent Search
The nation's oldest and most prestigious science research competition for seniors, judging original independent research. Top awards exceed $250,000.
Cedars-Sinai Teen Volunteer Program
Session-based hospital volunteering in Los Angeles where teens work alongside patients and staff. You must be 14 to 18 and complete a full session. The volunteer jacket costs $30.
PRIMES-USA
Year-long original research project in mathematics, pairing sophomores and juniors nationwide with an MIT researcher and completed remotely. No tuition or fee.
HOSA-Future Health Professionals
Career organization for students interested in health careers, with 70+ competitive events, leadership conferences, and community health service from state to international level. Join through a school chapter.
Dream with Us High School Engineering Challenge
Teams of 3 to 7 students design a new cargo aircraft and write a proposal for it. Registration closes December 8, 2026, and the engineering notebook is due January 25, 2027.
Research Science Institute
Six-week research program on MIT's campus pairing juniors with a mentor for original STEM research, capped by a formal presentation. Free, including room and board; seniors are not eligible.
GTRI High School Summer Internship
Five-week paid summer internship for Georgia high schoolers (Georgia residents only, 16+ by April 2027) working on real STEM research projects — robotics, drones, radar physics, piezoelectric systems — with GTRI engineers and scientists. Runs June 14–July 23, up to 24 hrs/week; no housing provided.
MIT THINK Scholars Program
Propose a STEM research or engineering project you haven't built yet; finalists get up to $1,000 in funding, weekly MIT mentorship, and an all-expenses-paid trip to MIT. Free to apply, solo or in pairs.
Lockheed Martin High School Internship Program
Nine-plus week paid internship working alongside aerospace and defense engineers on real projects at a Lockheed Martin site (Denver, Sunnyvale, Cape Canaveral, King of Prussia, Huntsville, or Herndon), with mentoring, workshops, and networking events. Must be 16+, live within commuting distance of a site, and not a graduating senior.
Yale Young Global Scholars
Two-week residential academic session on Yale's campus, with students from over 150 countries and all 50 states choosing one interdisciplinary track. Need-based financial aid is offered.
High School Entrepreneurship and AI Video Pitch Competition
Pitch a business idea in a short video. Entries are individual, the registration fee is $25, and prizes are $500, $250, and $100. Register by January 8, 2027 and submit the video by January 15.
F=ma Exam & USA Physics Olympiad
Take the F=ma exam at your school in February; top scorers advance to USAPhO and possibly the U.S. Physics Team camp. Your school registers, not you, and there's a school plus per-student fee.
Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research
Paid summer research internship in an NIH laboratory for students who are at least 17 years old, working alongside scientists on biomedical research in Bethesda or another NIH campus.
CTY Summer Programs
In-person and online summer academic courses for students who qualify through above-grade-level testing. Tuition-based, with financial aid available.
U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad
Tiered competition: a local-section exam in late winter, a national exam in April, and a June study camp for top finishers. Register through your local ACS section, which sets its own cutoff.
USA Astronomy & Astrophysics Olympiad
Three-round astronomy competition starting with a proctored first round in February and a national round in April. Registration is $30 per student, discounted for groups, with financial aid available.
USA/North America AI Olympiad
Multi-round AI competition with a February first round of non-coding and Colab coding tasks, an invitational second round, and a June camp that selects Team USA. Exams are proctored at your school or a test site.
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.
Summer High School Advanced Research Program (SHARP)
Summer research program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for high school sophomores and juniors. For U.S. citizens and permanent residents, with a 3.0 GPA, a completed science course, and two recommendation letters considered.
CMU CS Scholars
Fully funded four-week residential computer science program at Carnegie Mellon for 10th graders. Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and documentation of financial need is required to apply.
CMU AI Scholars
Fully funded four-week residential AI program at Carnegie Mellon for 11th graders, with research projects and faculty lectures. Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and documentation of financial need is required to apply.
Simons Summer Research Program
Seven-week research fellowship for juniors, working in an active Stony Brook lab in science, math, or engineering under a faculty mentor. Tuition-free, with a $1,000 stipend on completion; commuting avoids the optional housing cost.
COSMOS
Four-week residential program at a UC campus. Students join a research cluster — robotics, AI, marine science, and more — alongside university faculty.
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.
Clinical Summer Internship
Two-week program covering clinical medicine through lectures, simulation labs, and hands-on skills practice, on campus or virtual. This is simulation-based instruction, not patient shadowing; fee waivers exist for households under $80,000.
Davidson Fellows
Scholarship competition awarding $25,000 to $100,000 to students 18 or younger for a significant, original piece of work in science, technology, math, literature, music, or philosophy. No fee to apply.
SEES Summer High School Internship
NASA-funded research internship using real mission data in astronomy, planetary science, and remote sensing, with a two-week on-site stay in Austin plus virtual projects. For U.S. citizens in 10th or 11th grade who are 16 by the start. Selected students attend on scholarship or as fee-based participants, and travel scholarships may be available. The 2026 deadline was February 22 and the next cycle is not announced; the program says its future depends on funding.
MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge
Teams of three to five get a single 14-hour window to build and write up a mathematical model of a real-world problem, competing for over $100,000 in scholarships. Free, but a teacher must register the team.
Canada/USA Mathcamp
Five-week residential program teaching advanced, exploratory mathematics beyond the standard curriculum. Fully free for families earning under $100,000, with sliding-scale tuition above that.
PhysicsBowl
A 40-question, 45-minute multiple-choice physics exam given at participating schools each spring, split into first-year and second-year divisions and scored individually and by team. Enter through a teacher.
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.
PROMYS
Six-week residential program where students work through open-ended number theory problem sets alongside counselors and visiting mathematicians. Tuition is fully covered for families earning under $80,000.
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.
National Youth Science Camp
Three-week residential science camp in the Monongahela National Forest for graduating seniors, with two delegates selected per state. Lectures and field studies run alongside outdoor expeditions; phone service on site is limited.
Ross Mathematics Program
Six-week residential number theory intensive built around discovery — students prove their own theorems instead of memorizing someone else's.
Young Scholars Program
Six-week residential research program placing about 40 students in UC Davis labs to run original biological, agricultural, or environmental science projects.
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.
Northeastern Young Scholars Program (YSP)
Free six-week research placement in Northeastern labs in engineering, science, and health sciences for Massachusetts juniors. Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and live within commuting distance of Boston.
GENIUS Olympiad
International project competition on environmental topics, with tracks including AI, robotics, and science. Applications open in December 2026, cost $75 per project, and finalists present at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York in June 2027.
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.
Kode With Klossy Summer Camp
Free two-week coding camp for girls and gender-expansive teens, covering web development, machine learning, or mobile app design. No experience required.
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.
AwesomeMath Summer Program
Three-week live online intensive built around olympiad and contest problem-solving, taught by experienced competition coaches.
Beaver Works Summer Institute
Four-week project-based summer program at MIT in AI, autonomous racing, radar, and satellites. Admission requires finishing a free online prerequisite course that opens in winter; tuition is free under $200,000 family income.
Pathways
Free, self-paced seven-week virtual program for girls and non-binary students exploring AI, cybersecurity, data science, game design, or web development, with mentor check-ins along the way. Replaced the flagship Summer Immersion Program, which ended after its 2025 cohort.
Genes in Space
Design a DNA-based biotechnology experiment addressing a real challenge of space exploration — the winning proposal is actually run by astronauts aboard the ISS. Free, solo or in teams of up to five.
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair
The world's largest pre-college science fair. You qualify by winning at an affiliated regional or state fair, not by applying directly.
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.
Technovation Girls
Girls and gender-expansive students build a mobile app or AI project addressing a community problem with a volunteer mentor, then submit code, a demo, and a business pitch. Free, and you can register without a school program.
INSIGHT
All-expenses-paid, multi-day program at Jane Street's New York office introducing women, transgender, and gender-expansive juniors and seniors to quantitative trading and software engineering. No finance background required.
High School Terminal
Free, virtual, round-robin team coding competition where students build algorithms for finance and data-driven problems, with cash prizes and Citadel recruiting exposure.
Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program
Eight-week summer research internship placing students in a Mason faculty lab. Remote, hybrid and in-person wet-lab placements are offered; wet-lab placements require you to be 16 by the start date, the others 15.
Breakthrough Junior Challenge
Submit an original two-minute video explaining a concept in physics, life sciences, or math, competing for a $250,000 college scholarship. Finalists also peer-review at least five other entries.
√mathroots
Free residential summer math program at MIT for current high school students. There is no tuition or housing cost.
AEOP Internships and Fellowships
Paid research internships in Army research labs and partner university labs. Positions are competitive.
AI Foundations & CS Discoveries
Free, self-paced computer science and AI courses with no application or deadline. Code.org rebranded to CodeAI in 2026 as it shifted focus from coding toward AI literacy.
AI Scholars & AI Fellowship
Online AI courses over Zoom — a 25-hour group program in Python, neural networks, and AI ethics, or a mentored individual research fellowship. Both charge significant tuition, with need-based aid up to 100%.
AI Scholars Program
Ten-session live online AI course taught by graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and similar schools, ending in a social-impact project. Tuition is $1,400 with payment plans; admission is rolling year-round.
AI4ALL Open Learning
Free, self-paced online curriculum introducing artificial intelligence through projects on topics like computer vision and data bias. AI4ALL has paused all of its high school programming, so this is kept for reference only.
Amazon Future Engineer
Collection of free computer science courses, virtual field trips, and career-exploration content for students and teachers, including introductory coding and cloud computing material.
American Regions Mathematics League
Team mathematics competition where regional teams of fifteen compete across individual, relay, and team rounds. Students join through a regional or school team rather than registering alone.
American Rocketry Challenge
The world's largest student rocket contest: teams of three to twenty-five design, build, and launch a model rocket meeting a specific altitude and flight-time target for a chance to compete nationally.
Aspirations in Computing Award
Recognition program for students who are women, genderqueer, or non-binary with an interest in computing, awarded on the basis of technical projects, leadership, and community. Winners join a national community with internship and scholarship connections.
Beaver Works Summer Institute
Four-week, project-based STEM summer program at MIT. Students complete an online prerequisite course, then take on an intensive team project in autonomy, robotics, AI, or quantum computing. No tuition.
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.
Blue Planet Awareness Contest
Annual creative contest (formerly the Ocean Awareness Contest) asking students to explore an ocean and climate theme through visual art, writing, film, music, or interactive media. Free to enter, with cash awards across divisions.
Breakthrough Teaching Fellowship
Paid summer teaching internship where high school and college students teach middle school classes through a Breakthrough affiliate site, receiving training and classroom coaching.
Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program
Join a local Civil Air Patrol squadron to learn aviation and leadership. Annual dues are $25 to $50.
Clark Scholar Program
Seven-week summer research program pairing high school students with Texas Tech faculty for a mentored original project across the sciences, engineering, and mathematics. No tuition, and a stipend is provided for housing.
Code in Place
Free online course that teaches the first half of Stanford's intro Python class (CS106A) to beginners. Each group of 10 students gets a volunteer teacher. Sessions run in cohorts, so check the site for the next one.
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.
Cooper Union Summer STEM
Three- or six-week college-level engineering and computer science classes at Cooper Union in New York City. Financial aid is available, with priority for NYC residents. Applications for 2027 open December 11, 2026.
CS50x: Introduction to Computer Science
Harvard's free, self-paced introduction to computer science, covering abstraction, algorithms, data structures, and web development in C, Python, SQL, and JavaScript. No formal application and no cost for the online course.
CyberPatriot
National youth cyber defense competition where school and community teams work as IT professionals to secure simulated networks across online rounds. Teams register through an adult coach.
EarthEcho Youth Programs
Free environmental action programs and youth councils where students lead water-quality monitoring, coastal restoration, and advocacy projects in their own communities.
eCYBERMISSION
Free virtual STEM competition for teams in grades 6–9. Teams identify a problem in their own community, work through the scientific or engineering method, and compete for state, regional and national awards.
Elements of AI
Free online introduction to artificial intelligence that needs no coding experience. It covers what AI can and can't do and how to start building simple AI methods. Start any time.
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.
ExploraVision
Team competition in which students pick a current technology, research how it works, and project how it could look twenty years from now — submitting a written description and a set of web pages.
FIRST Robotics Competition
Teams get a common kit of parts and about six weeks to build an industrial-size robot for the season's game. You join through a school or community team rather than applying individually; the team pays the season fee.
FIRST Tech Challenge
Design, build, and program a smaller reusable robot for the annual game — the 2026-27 season game is BIOBUZZ. Join through a registered school or community team.
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.
Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science (GEMS)
Summer STEM camp at Army research sites. There is no fee, and students get a small stipend.
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.
Global Youth Institute
Students research a global food-security challenge and write a paper, then present at a multi-day institute alongside scientists and policymakers. Participation is usually through a state or regional youth program.
Hack Club
Free network of student-run coding clubs plus open online programs, workshops, and community events. Students can join an existing club or start their own with Hack Club's tools.
Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics (HCSSiM)
Intensive residential summer math program. The 2026 session cost $7,208.
Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament
Two competitions a year — one at Harvard in November and one at MIT in February — with individual and team rounds across algebra, geometry, and combinatorics.
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.
High School Research Academy
Five-week non-residential research experience embedded in a UT Austin lab, at roughly 15–25 hours a week. Open to Texas residents who will be rising sophomores, juniors or seniors, with preference for juniors and seniors. The 2027 program runs June 7 to July 14. Tuition is $4,500, and a limited number of need-based scholarships may be available. The 2027 application opens in mid-January, with a deadline in March.
IBM SkillsBuild for High School Students
Free self-paced online courses on AI literacy, ethics of generative AI, and other tech skills for students ages 13 to 18. Start any time.
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.
International Brain Bee
Neuroscience competition testing knowledge of the brain and nervous system, running from local and national chapters to a world championship. Study resources are published by the organization.
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.
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
Students present original scientific research — by poster or oral presentation — at regional symposia, with selected students advancing to a national symposium. Free to enter.
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.
Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Paid, fully online 1-on-1 research mentorship pairing a student with a PhD mentor over about 12 weeks to produce an independent research paper in a topic of their choosing. Need-based aid is available.
Magee-Womens HS Summer Research Internship
Six-week biomedical research internship in Pittsburgh where each student runs their own project with an investigator. Students must be over 16, and a $1,800 stipend is available to students from households that qualify. Applications for 2027 open in late fall 2026.
MathILy
Intensive residential summer math program for strong math students. Tuition is charged.
MITES Summer
Six-week residential academic enrichment program at MIT for rising seniors, with rigorous coursework in engineering, science, and humanities. Free of charge, including housing and meals.
Mu Alpha Theta Membership & Competitions
National high school and two-year-college mathematics honor society that hosts conventions and competitions and recognizes student research and community outreach in math.
NASA HUNCH
Classes at participating schools design and build real products for NASA. You take part through your school.
NASA Internships (STEM Gateway)
NASA's official internship portal lists paid and unpaid opportunities at NASA centers and in virtual projects, with high school eligibility varying by session. Students apply through the portal and must be U.S. citizens.
National Cyber League
Seasonal cybersecurity competition with individual and team games, plus a practice gym, where players solve challenges in open-source intelligence, cryptography, and network traffic analysis.
National Economics Challenge
Team economics competition testing students on economic reasoning, current events, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international economics.
National Ocean Sciences Bowl
Buzzer-style regional competition on marine biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and ocean policy, with winners advancing to national finals. A coach registers your school or organization team.
National Science Bowl
Fast-paced buzzer competition covering math and all sciences, run by the U.S. Department of Energy from regional events through a national finals in Washington, D.C. Teams register through their school.
NCF-Envirothon
Teams of five test hands-on field knowledge of soils, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and a rotating current issue, advancing from area to state to the North American finals. California entries go through California Envirothon.
Neuroscience High School Scholars Program
Free virtual summer neuroscience program from UCLA for rising juniors and seniors, with a focus on students at schools with limited access to neuroscience courses. Dates and the application deadline will be posted in December 2026.
Next Generation STEM Internship Program
Seven to ten weeks on site at Oak Ridge working alongside research and professional staff on a STEM project. Open to rising juniors and seniors and to recent graduates who have not yet enrolled in a degree programme.
NIST Summer High School Intern Program (SHIP)
Seven-week unpaid research internship with NIST scientists. You must be a U.S. citizen with at least a 3.0 unweighted GPA.
NYLF: Medicine & Health Care
Eight-day residential pre-college program on host campuses including UC Berkeley, with simulated trauma cases and suturing practice plus optional college credit. Open enrollment rather than competitive admission, and the clinical work is simulation.
Pathways Research Explorers (High School Explorers Program)
Two-week introduction to cancer research at Fred Hutch in Seattle, with hands-on lab activities. It costs nothing to attend, students who finish get a $500 award, and applicants must live in the Seattle area. Applications for 2027 open next January.
picoCTF
Free cybersecurity capture-the-flag competition and year-round practice platform built by Carnegie Mellon for middle and high school students, covering cryptography, forensics, and web exploitation.
Polygence Core Program
Paid, online 1-on-1 mentorship pairing a student with an expert to complete a self-chosen research project, paper, or app over roughly 10 sessions. Need-based aid is available.
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.
President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA)
National EPA award for a student-led environmental project you have already done in your community. Grades 6-12 compete in one category.
Princeton University Mathematics Competition (PUMaC)
Student-run math contest at Princeton. Teams come from high schools or well-defined regions.
Project Euler
Free archive of several hundred mathematics and programming problems of increasing difficulty, solved by writing code. Progress is tracked through a free account.
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.
Purple Comet! Math Meet
Free online team mathematics contest held each spring, with a high school division and problems designed for collaboration. An adult coach registers the team.
Red Cross Youth & Young Adult Programs
Volunteer opportunities through local Red Cross chapters, including blood drives, disaster preparedness education, and Red Cross Club leadership. Some roles carry age minimums.
Research in Science & Engineering (RISE)
Six-week summer research practicum placing students in Boston University labs to work on an independent project with a faculty mentor, ending in a research paper and symposium presentation.
Science Olympiad (Division C)
Teams of up to 15 prepare for 23 events spanning lab science, study topics, and build-and-test engineering, advancing from regionals to state to nationals. Participate through your school's team.
Science Research Mentoring Program
Multi-year mentored research program where New York City students work on museum research projects in biodiversity, astrophysics, or earth science and present results at a symposium.
Smithsonian Internships
Internship listings across Smithsonian museums, research centers, and the National Zoo, spanning collections, science, education, and communications. Each posting states its own grade and age requirements.
Solar Car Challenge
Teams of high school students learn to build a roadworthy solar car, then take part in the Challenge.
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.
Stockholm Junior Water Prize (U.S.)
Science fair-style contest for water research projects. State winners go on to the national competition.
Student Conservation Association Programs
Paid conservation crews and internships where students work on trail building, habitat restoration, and park service projects in national parks and public lands. Positions list their own age and session requirements.
Summer Academy for Math and Science
Residential summer academy at Carnegie Mellon for rising seniors from groups historically underrepresented in STEM, building calculus, physics, and programming foundations with college application support. No tuition.
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 Science Program
Five-week residential program where small teams carry out a genuine original research project in astrophysics, biochemistry, genomics, or synthetic chemistry. Need-based financial aid is available.
Summer Science Research Program
Six-week mentored laboratory research placement in biomedical science at Rockefeller University, with a stipend and a closing research symposium. Open to New York-area students.
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.
TAG-Ed High School Summer Internship
Eight-week summer STEM internship in Georgia where interns are matched with host companies and work in pairs on a defined project. Paid and unpaid placements exist, and students must be 17 by June 1 and able to work in the U.S.
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.
The Junior Academy
Free online program where you join an international team and work with STEM experts on real-world challenges.
The Stock Market Game
Ten-week online investing simulation where teams manage a virtual portfolio and compete against other schools. Participants learn research, diversification, and risk through a teacher-registered session.
UCSC Scholar Immersion Program (SIP)
Summer research with UC Santa Cruz mentors on open-ended projects. The SIP 2027 application fee is $68, and fee waivers are available.
USA Biology Olympiad
Tiered competition starting with an open online exam in February, then a semifinal exam, then a residential selection camp for the national team. Registration is through your school.
USA Computing Olympiad
Four free online programming contests per season, open to any pre-college student and split into four divisions from Bronze to Platinum. Registration is free and rolling.
USACO Guide
Free, community-maintained practice curriculum for competitive programming, organized by topic and difficulty with curated practice problems and an online judge for submitting and checking answers.
USC Unruh Institute High School Summer Internship
Online summer internship researching and writing a legislative policy memo on a climate or sustainability bill, with mentorship and guest-speaker sessions from USC's Center for the Political Future. Open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a 3.5+ unweighted GPA; graduating seniors not eligible. 2027 dates not yet announced — sign up for the program newsletter.
Van Andel Institute HS Graduate Research Program
Eight-week paid lab research program for graduating high school seniors, working full time with scientists on cell biology, genetics, neuroscience, and more. It pays $15 an hour and has 10 spots. U.S. citizens and permanent residents only. Applications run January to mid-March 2027.
VEX Robotics Competition
Season-long engineering competition where teams build and program a robot for a new game, advancing from local events to regional, national, and world championships.
VEX V5 Robotics Competition
Two-team alliances compete with V5 robots in the 2026-27 game Override, from local fall tournaments through the spring World Championship. You compete as part of a registered team.
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.
Wharton High School Data Science Competition
Free sports analytics contest from Wharton. You use real data to answer a sports question.
Wharton Moneyball Academy
Summer program at Wharton where rising juniors and seniors study sports analytics. Tuition is charged.
Women's Technology Program
Four-week summer program at MIT for rising 11th-grade students who are girls or gender-expansive, combining computer science, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering classes with hands-on labs. No tuition.
Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)
Paid summer job on a crew in a national park, doing needed work on public lands. Open to U.S. permanent residents ages 15 to 18.
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 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.