§ Collection

Summer programs for high school sophomores

Every program below explicitly lists 10th grade as eligible, so you can skip the guesswork of checking each one's grade requirement individually.

4304 programs currently listed · 2182 free or stipend-paying.

What to know

—Sophomore year is a good time to build the thing you will apply with as a junior: a project, a skill, a relationship with a teacher.
—A local, unglamorous opportunity you actually finish beats a prestigious one you never apply to.
—If nothing here fits, look at year-round competitions and local college outreach programs.

Programs in this collection

MIT PRIMES
√mathroots
A fully-funded 14-day summer math program at MIT for high-potential high school students from underrepresented or underserved backgrounds to explore creative topics in mathematics and problem solving.
📍 Cambridge, MA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Raleigh Film and Art Festival
1:11 High School Film Festival
The largest high school film festival in North Carolina, hosted on NC State's Centennial Campus, with competitive categories spanning a film festival, screenwriting contest, music contest, and photography contest.
📍 Raleigh, NC (NC State Centennial Campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
21st Century Leaders (Goizueta Business School, Emory University)
21st Century Leaders Summer Youth Leadership Institute (SYLI)
SYLI is a week-long residential business and leadership program at Emory's Goizueta Business School for Georgia rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors, featuring workshops, corporate tours, and roundtables with business leaders.
📍 Goizueta Business School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Indiana Commission for Higher Education / Learn More Indiana
21st Century Scholars
Indiana's early-commitment college promise scholarship covering up to 100% of tuition at eligible Indiana colleges for income-eligible students, with a required Scholar Success Program completed during high school.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The College of New Jersey
2D Animation Camp
Students create an animated short while learning professional animation techniques. 2026 cost: $800 commuter/$1,200 residential.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New York Film Academy
3-Week Summer Filmmaking Camp for Teens
An intensive teen filmmaking camp in which students aged 14-17 write, direct, shoot, and edit two short films while learning directing, cinematography, lighting, and post-production in Premiere or DaVinci Resolve.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NC State University Global Training Initiative
36 Hours to Save the World / Global Challenge Weekend
Students form remote teams and spend 36 hours developing solutions to global sustainability and policy challenges before presenting to judges.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Georgia
3D Animation
Students learn modeling and animation in Autodesk Maya and build original 3D assets while exploring applications in film, game development and design.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
McClure Center for Public Policy Research, University of Idaho
4-H Know Your Government Conference
Idaho high school students role-play the state legislature, state judicial courts, and press corps to learn by doing and interact directly with current public policymakers.
📍 Idaho (McClure Center, University of Idaho)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National 4-H Council
4-H Youth Development
Largest youth development organization in the US in agriculture, STEM, civic engagement.
📍 United States⏱ Year-long📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 3–12
Selective
Clinical & Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin / Medical College of Wisconsin
500 Stars Summer Internship (CTSI of Southeast Wisconsin)
Paid 8-week summer internship giving high school, undergraduate and graduate students hands-on career training in clinical and translational sciences in research, clinical and community settings.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
California Water Service
A Splash of Creativity
Students submit original artwork addressing water conservation and local California water issues for statewide recognition and awards.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center
A-HEC of a Summer
A free three-week hospital-based volunteer program for high school freshmen through juniors, offering roughly 105 volunteer hours across 12+ hospital rotations plus CPR certification and workshops.
📍 Central Louisiana📅 March🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Nickless Family Charitable Foundation
A.H. Nickless Innovation Award
Team STEM innovation competition for high school students in Bay, Midland, Saginaw and Tuscola counties (teams of 2-5 submit a project proposal; topics include alternative energy, healthcare, science, technology and life sciences). Up to 20 teams receive $1,000 Phase Two grants, with up to $42,500 in scholarships and $35,000 in school STEM grants; Phase One proposals are due October 9, 2026 and finalists present April 24, 2027 at SVSU.
📍 Saginaw, MI📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development
A+ Scholarship Program
Merit-based Missouri program helping eligible graduates of A+-designated high schools pay tuition at participating two-year colleges and technical schools. High-school participants must enter an agreement with their school before graduation.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
AAPT
AAPT PhysicsBowl
An annual competition for high school students that celebrates physics and recognizes outstanding physics students and teachers.
📍 Remote📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montclair State University
Abracadabra: The Magic of Creative Writing
Residential college-level creative-writing intensive.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Southern Oregon University
Academia Leadership
Nine-day advanced leadership/college-access experience for older students.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Youngstown State University
Academic Achievers
Warren-area students receive academic tutoring, ACT preparation, Saturday enrichment and a six-week residential summer experience; summer participants receive a stipend.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
Academic English & University Readiness Academy
Two-week residential academy at Penn for non-native English speakers. Students do university-style work: reading, lectures, discussions, research and group projects, ending in a final presentation. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 2 weeks (July 26 - August 8, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Boston University
Academic Immersion
Spend three weeks immersing yourself in the study of psychology, business, medicine, or creative writing.
📍 Boston, MA📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Taylor University
Academic Summer Camps
A one-week residential camp for rising sophomores through seniors to explore a passion in-depth, with tracks including Engineering, Forensic Science, Health Science, and Musical Theatre.
📍 Upland, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Indiana Association of School Principals
Academic Super Bowl
A statewide academic team competition, running since 1987, in which nine-student teams face off in twenty-question rounds across math, science, English, social studies, and fine arts.
📍 Statewide, Indiana (state finals at Purdue University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana Council on World Affairs
Academic WorldQuest
A free, game-style team quiz competition testing high schoolers' knowledge of world affairs, geography, global economics, history, and culture, with a chance to represent Indiana nationally.
📍 Indianapolis, IN (University of Indianapolis)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
World Affairs Council of Western Michigan
Academic WorldQuest
A global trivia team competition for local high school students testing knowledge of international affairs, geography, history, economics, and world cultures, part of a national network run by World Affairs Councils.
📍 Grand Rapids, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
World Affairs Council of Las Vegas / World Affairs Councils of America
Academic WorldQuest (Las Vegas)
A fast-paced team trivia competition testing high school students' knowledge of international politics, geography, global economics, history, and world cultures, with the Las Vegas-area winning team advancing to the national competition in Washington, D.C.
📍 Las Vegas, NV (World Affairs Council of Las Vegas local contest)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)
Academic Year Internships
Students contribute directly to TGen research in areas such as laboratory bioscience, computational biology, bioinformatics, statistics, communications, regulatory affairs, and research administration. High-school placements are explicitly possible but described by TGen as extremely rare because they require roughly 10–20 hours per week.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Columbia University
Academic Year Programs
Make the most of the school year with on-campus or online courses, including weekend options.
📍 New York, NY / Remote📅 Fall 2026 applications now open🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Stanford AIMI
Academic Year Research Internship
During the school year, students meet weekly in small groups with their student mentors to work on healthcare AI research projects under the guidance of Stanford researchers.
📍 Virtual🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Social Sciences
Academy for Hawaiʻi Intelligence Studies Summer Program
Students study international security and intelligence through a university course, simulations, games, field trips and meetings with Hawaiʻi and national intelligence professionals.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Friends of Acadia / Acadia National Park
Acadia Youth Conservation Corps
An 8-week, non-residential paid summer conservation program for youth ages 15-18, working alongside Acadia National Park's trail crew and resource-management divisions on trail maintenance, invasive-species removal, and water-quality monitoring.
📍 Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NMSU College of Business (with NABA Inc.)
ACAP High School Summer Camp
A summer camp hosted by NMSU's College of Business, in partnership with NABA Inc., that connects local high schoolers with accounting and finance career pathways through career exploration, mentorship, and personal-branding and college-transition workshops.
📍 Las Cruces, NM📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SC Governor's School for Science & Mathematics
Accelerate
Three-year live-virtual engineering dual-enrollment program with calculus, physics and engineering coursework plus hands-on summer experiences. Up to 33 college credits.
📍 SC🎓 Grades 9, 10, 12
Moderate
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Accelerated Environmental Scientist
Intensive field-based environmental-science experience covering ecosystems, water quality and related topics, with an optional university-credit component.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies Precollege
Accelerated Learning Program (Badger Precollege, UW-Madison)
Three-week non-credit college-level courses on the UW-Madison campus for high school students, including computer science and economics, with residential or commuter options.
📍 Madison, WI📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education
Access College Early (ACE) Scholarship
Pays tuition and mandatory fees for qualifying low-income Nebraska high-school students taking college courses through dual or early enrollment at participating Nebraska institutions.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arkansas Division of Higher Education
ACCESS to Acceleration Concurrent Courses
Arkansas high-school students can enroll in eligible concurrent college courses through participating institutions while receiving state assistance toward the course cost.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas Division of Higher Education
ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship
Helps Arkansas high-school students pay for eligible concurrent-credit coursework at $65 per semester credit hour, up to $2,000 annually.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NMSU College of Business / NABA
Accounting Career Awareness Program
Free week-long program introducing students to accounting, finance and business through professional development, networking and hands-on learning.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seton Hall University
Accounting for the Future: Unleashing Your Potential
Short high-school workshop exploring accounting careers, emerging technology and the influence of AI on the profession.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho Transportation Department Division of Aeronautics
ACE Academy
High-school students explore aviation careers through visits to air-traffic-control facilities, flight schools, aerospace businesses, military aviation operations and other aviation organizations.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
ACE Mentor
ACE Mentor Program
Free after-school mentorship in architecture, construction, and engineering for HS students.
📍 United States⏱ Year-long📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
ACE Mentor Program of America - Idaho Affiliate
ACE Mentor Program of Idaho
An after-school mentoring program pairing Treasure Valley high schoolers with architecture, construction, and engineering professionals to design a real-world project together over a 14-18 week season.
📍 Boise, Meridian, and Kuna, ID📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
ACE Mentor Program of Washington
ACE Mentor Program of Washington (Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma)
A free after-school program in which high school students are mentored by architecture, engineering and construction professionals, visit construction sites and complete a year-long team design project presented at a final presentation night.
📍 Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma, WA📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
ACE Mentor Program of America, Twin Cities Affiliate
ACE Mentor Program Twin Cities
A free, roughly 16-week after-school mentorship program (mid-October to mid-March) pairing high school student teams with volunteer architecture, engineering, and construction professionals to design a response to a real-world RFP challenge, culminating in a judged presentation at the University of Minnesota.
📍 University of Minnesota and partner firms, Twin Cities, MN📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wave Hill
ACES — Art, Community, Education and Science
Year-long paid youth program connecting arts education, environmental science, community engagement and informal teaching.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center / American Cancer Society
ACS Cancer Research High School Program
Two-week virtual experience for Virginia high school student leaders interested in STEM, with live cancer research lab instruction using at-home experiment kits and career exploration workshops and panels.
📍 Virginia (virtual)📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
American Chemical Society / Boise State University & Idaho State University
ACS Project SEED (Idaho)
A paid summer chemistry research internship for high school students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, placing them in university labs at Boise State and Idaho State University to conduct real research alongside faculty mentors.
📍 Boise & Pocatello, ID📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
American Chemical Society, Midland Local Section
ACS Project SEED (Midland Section)
Summer chemistry research placements in Midland-area labs for economically diverse high school students, working alongside professional chemists with stipends and mentorship; hosts 10-14 students each summer and has run since 1978. Contact the Project SEED coordinator for current-year eligibility and dates.
📍 Midland, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Indiana University Cinema Academy
Acting for the Camera
High-school students learn screen-acting techniques and work on camera in collaboration with the academy's filmmaking program.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Purchase College, SUNY
Acting Intensive
Conservatory-style acting training with scene work and performance development.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Purchase College, SUNY
Acting on Camera
Students learn screen acting, audition technique and on-camera performance.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Acting Techniques for High Schoolers
Students practice acting techniques in a high-school-focused course.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Susquehanna University
Actors Institute
Theater, acting pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Adam Smith Society
Adam Smith Society HS Essay
Essay contest exploring market economics and policy.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Emporia State University Honors College
Adaptive Leadership Summer Camp (Emporia State University)
A two-day residential leadership camp teaching high schoolers adaptive-leadership frameworks from Harvard and the Kansas Leadership Center, aiming to empower students to address challenges facing their communities.
📍 Emporia, KS (Emporia State University)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
The Adroit Journal
Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship
Online mentorship pairing teen writers with established poets and prose writers. Tuition is $575; fee remission and financial aid are available.
📍 Online⏱ 6 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
miRcore
Advanced Computational Biology Camp
Students use TCGA cancer data and machine-learning methods in R to identify cancer biomarkers and classify tumor samples.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Georgia
Advanced Engineering
Students design, fabricate and test engineering solutions using software, industrial robots and digital-twin technologies.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Indiana University Cinema Academy
Advanced Filmmakers Academy
Students work through pre-production, production, and post-production as a filmmaking cohort and collaborate on a short film using professional equipment.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership
Advanced Ocean Lab — Surrounded by Science
Students in grades 10–12 complete a longer advanced ocean-science residential experience emphasizing scientific practice and field-based learning.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Idaho Department of Education
Advanced Opportunities
Idaho public-school students receive state funding that can be used for dual-credit college courses, overload courses, exams and approved workforce-training opportunities while still in high school.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Advanced Robotics
Students design and build robotic systems while working with mechanical design, programming and CAD in teams.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Advanced Space Academy
A six-day, five-night immersive space-training program for teens featuring astronaut training, engineering design challenges and simulated space missions.
📍 Huntsville, AL📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
St. Paul's School
Advanced Studies Program
Five-week residential academic program restricted to current sophomores and juniors attending New Hampshire public or parochial schools. Students complete a collegiate-level major course plus an intensive writing workshop; recent subjects include engineering, law/governance, molecular biology, studio art and data science.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)
Advanced Technical Center (ATC)
A tuition-free, open-enrollment career and technical education hub where DCPS and public charter students in grades 9-11 take two-year dual-credit pathways in cybersecurity, general nursing, clinical medical assisting, or EMT while remaining enrolled at their home high school.
📍 Washington, DC (Ward 8 location launching 2025-26)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Wichita State University College of Engineering
Advanced VEX V5 Robotics
Students with prior VEX experience build and program a robot for the current VEX competition game, develop strategies, and finish with a scrimmage.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Oakland University
Advanced Virtual Reality World Builders
Students continue into more advanced virtual-reality development and world-building techniques.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Bowling Green State University
Adventures in Creative Writing
One-week interdisciplinary program in poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction incorporating experiences in science, theater and other campus disciplines.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP)
AEOP High School Apprenticeship Program
Students work alongside Army scientists and engineers on cutting-edge research projects in world-class laboratories.
📍 Nationwide⏱ 8 weeks📅 Early March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Museum of Flight with Puget Sound Skills Center
Aeronautical Explorations (Museum of Flight)
Three-week no-cost summer career and technical education course for rising 9th-12th graders exploring aviation careers such as air traffic control, dispatch, piloting and drones, with a flight simulator lab and airport design project.
📍 The Museum of Flight and Raisbeck Aviation High School, Seattle, Washington📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CU Science Discovery
Aerospace
Students explore aerospace engineering, satellite operations, space science and related technologies through hands-on activities and visits to CU facilities such as LASP and Fiske Planetarium.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Museum of Flight
Aerospace Camp Experience (ACE) Youth Volunteer
Youth volunteers aged 16-17 assist staff running the Museum of Flight's summer Aerospace Camp Experience for children ages 4 to 8, helping with projects, games and moving groups between locations.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
South Dakota Space Grant Consortium
Aerospace Career Education (ACE) Camp
A high-school-aged camp run by the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium giving students an early, first-hand look at aerospace, aviation, and related careers, part of the Consortium's broader slate of K-12 educational outreach based at South Dakota State University.
📍 Brookings, SD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Nevada, Reno College of Engineering
Aerospace Mini-Camp
High-school engineering camp focused on aerospace concepts and hands-on engineering activities. UNR has already confirmed the program in its Summer 2027 high-school camp lineup.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
ALA
African Leadership Academy Summer
Two-week entrepreneurial leadership summer program for youth from around the world.
📍 Johannesburg, South Africa⏱ 2 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
New Hampshire Academy of Science
After School Scientific Research Program
Students conduct authentic research under STEM professionals using laboratory tools and methods in areas such as molecular biology, analytical chemistry, bioinformatics, machine learning, water quality and optical engineering. The 2026–27 program is currently open.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Alcorn State University / USDA APHIS
AgDiscovery Summer Enrichment Program
Students ages 13–17 learn from university faculty and USDA experts in plant science, animal science, biotechnology, veterinary science, wildlife biology, and agricultural careers through laboratories and workshops.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Arkansas Game & Fish Commission
AGFC Youth Volunteer Program
Students volunteer at conservation events and other AGFC activities across Arkansas while earning documented community-service hours.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Texas A&M University Philosophy and Humanities
Aggie School of Athens Philosophy Camp
A week-long, non-residential philosophy summer camp at Texas A&M that gives teens early access to college-style humanistic inquiry through interactive discussion.
📍 College Station, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Texas A&M University College of Education and Human Development
Aggie STEM Overnight Camp
A 6-day, 6-night project-based STEM camp at Texas A&M for incoming 6th-12th graders, with engineering challenges, physics demonstrations and problem-solving activities.
📍 College Station, TX📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi State University
AgriSTEM Summer Camp
Students explore precision agriculture and emerging agricultural technologies through hands-on projects, field trips, agricultural and biological engineering, and plant and soil science. Lodging and meals are provided at no cost.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
LSU Health Shreveport, School of Health Professions & Sciences
AHEAD Program (Allied Health Education and Discovery)
A free 5-day, non-residential program for Louisiana high schoolers to explore allied health career programs through hands-on activities, field trips, and CPR certification.
📍 Shreveport, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MIT Jameel Clinic
AI & Health Summer High School Bootcamp
A one-week, in-person bootcamp on the MIT campus introducing grades 10-12 students to machine learning applications in medicine, covering clinical AI, biomedical data analysis, and drug discovery, with group projects and a final presentation.
📍 Cambridge, MA (MIT campus)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of South Florida
AI & Machine Learning Summer Intensive
Students learn Python, Pandas and machine-learning concepts, build predictive models and explore robotics and large-language-model applications.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Montclair State University
AI and Engineering Summer Lab
Hands-on introduction to artificial intelligence and engineering applications.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
iD Tech
AI and Machine Learning Camp at Vanderbilt University
A week-long day or overnight camp held on Vanderbilt's campus where teens build neural networks, train image recognition models, and integrate ChatGPT into Python programs to develop a machine learning portfolio.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
AI Explorers
A virtual high-school summer program introducing students to artificial intelligence and related computational concepts. The 2026 price was listed at $300.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Seattle University
AI for Equity (Pre-College Program)
A credit-bearing overnight summer program on how technology intersects with criminal justice, covering machine learning, AI in criminal justice, AI ethics and a group project, earning 2 college credits.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Massachusetts AI Hub (MassTech) with Work-Based Learning Alliance
AI for Massachusetts High Schools Internship Program
A paid, fully virtual internship program in which Massachusetts public high school students work in teams with industry mentors 2-3 hours per week to develop AI-enabled solutions for real business needs across sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and clean energy.
📍 Massachusetts (statewide, virtual)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC Summer Enrichment Academy
AI Innovations in Sales/Marketing
High-school course focused on AI-powered business, sales, and marketing strategies.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Central Arkansas
AI Innovators Lab: From Code to Intelligent Systems
Students learn programming and introductory AI through guided exercises, collaborative projects and development of simple intelligent systems.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMass Boston Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute (PEAAII)
AI Institute Summer Camp
A five-week, project-based hybrid summer camp (July 27-Aug 28, 2026) where high schoolers build skills in machine learning, computer vision, NLP, generative AI, and robotics, producing a research-style write-up mentored by UMass Boston CS faculty and PhD students.
📍 Boston, MA (UMass Boston campus + virtual)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
AI Leadership
A location-based program in San Francisco, CA, focused on AI leadership.
📍 San Francisco, CA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Central Arkansas
AI Robotics & Ethics Camp
Students program and train autonomous robot cars while learning machine learning, robotics, hardware, and the ethical implications of AI.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Oklahoma Gallogly College of Engineering
AI Summer Camp
A four-day summer camp introducing Oklahoma high schoolers to artificial intelligence, where student teams design AI solutions for real-world challenges in healthcare, sustainability, entertainment, and social issues while learning about bias, accessibility, and responsible AI development.
📍 Norman, OK📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Iowa College of Engineering
AI Youth Camp
Students explore machine learning, reinforcement learning, engineering ethics, open-source datasets, and practical AI applications during a free two-week Zoom camp.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
University of Central Florida
AI, Robotics and Entrepreneurship Summer Institute
Students combine introductory AI and robotics with entrepreneurial thinking, system design and development of a mock business plan.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
AI4ALL
AI4ALL Open Learning
Girls in grades 6-12 learn AI and Python through interactive virtual classes.
📍 Online⏱ 2 weeks📅 March 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mathematical Association of America
AIME
Invitational round for top AMC scorers. 15-question, 3-hour exam that gates the USAMO. No fee for invited students.
📍 School-administered⏱ 3 hours📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alabama Cooperative Extension System / Alabama 4-H
Alabama 4-H Midwinter Teen Leadership Retreat
A weekend leadership retreat at the Alabama 4-H Center for Senior 4-H members ages 14-18, themed 'Launching into Leadership' and including lodging, meals and leadership workshops.
📍 Columbiana, AL (Alabama 4-H Center)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
QuantHub
Alabama Data Scholars
Alabama high-school students complete data and AI training and work on a real employer project. The program allows on-site, hybrid, and fully virtual placements.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
DECA Inc., Alabama Chartered Association
Alabama DECA
Alabama's chartered DECA association preparing high school students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through classroom instruction, competitive events, and an annual Career Development Conference.
📍 Chapters statewide, AL; Association Career Development Conference in Montgomery, AL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Alabama Soil & Water Conservation Committee
Alabama Envirothon
A three-day environmental problem-solving and team-building competition for five-student high school teams, combining classroom training and outdoor field testing in aquatics, forestry, soils, and wildlife, plus a current-issue case study presented to judges.
📍 Regional sites statewide, AL, with the state competition advancing winners to NCF-Envirothon📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Alabama FBLA
Alabama FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
A statewide career and technical student organization preparing high schoolers for careers in business, entrepreneurship, IT, management, and finance through classroom curriculum, leadership development, and academic competitions at district, state, and national conferences.
📍 Chapters statewide, AL; State Leadership Conference in Montgomery, AL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FCCLA / Alabama CTSO
Alabama FCCLA
Alabama's chapter of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, a national Career and Technical Student Organization for students in family and consumer sciences education, offering competitive events, leadership development and career exploration.
📍 Statewide (Alabama)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Samford University
Alabama Governor's School
A three-week summer residential program for high-achieving high school students in Alabama.
📍 Birmingham, AL⏱ 3 weeks📅 April 1🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, hosted by UAH
Alabama High School Regional Science Bowl
A fast-paced, quiz-bowl-style academic competition testing high school teams' knowledge across biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, math, and energy topics, hosted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
📍 University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Alabama Humanities Alliance
Alabama History Day
The Alabama state contest of National History Day, engaging students in grades 9-12 (Senior Division) in year-long primary-source historical research presented as a paper, documentary, website, performance, or exhibit, with winners advancing to the national contest.
📍 Regional contests statewide, with the state contest at American Village, Montevallo, AL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alabama Academy of Science
Alabama Junior Academy of Science (AJAS) / Gorgas Scholarship Competition
A research-based scholarship competition and high school outreach program in which students in grades 9-12 present original research papers and defend them orally at regional and state symposia, with top competitors advancing to the national Junior Science and Humanities Symposium.
📍 Regional sites statewide (2027 regional conference at Alabama State University), AL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Alabama, Alabama International Relations Club (AIRC)
Alabama Model United Nations Conference (ALMUN)
An annual weekend-long Model UN conference at the University of Alabama simulating General Assembly, Specialized Assembly and Crisis committees for high school delegations from across the Southeast.
📍 Tuscaloosa, AL (University of Alabama)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Alabama Wildlife Federation / Alabama Nature Center
Alabama Nature Center Volunteer Program
Volunteers age 16+ can assist with animal ambassadors, citizen-science work, educational field trips, fishing programs, and other conservation activities.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Auburn University
Alabama Science and Engineering Fair — Senior Division
Students who advance through affiliated regional fairs present original science and engineering research for judging, awards, and advancement opportunities.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Auburn University COSAM Outreach / Science Olympiad
Alabama Science Olympiad (State Tournament, Division C)
A statewide STEM team competition where high school students (Division C) compete in up to 23 events spanning earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, math, and engineering, advancing from regional to state to national tournaments.
📍 University of Alabama (Division C state tournament), Tuscaloosa, AL📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Alabama Department of Education / SkillsUSA
Alabama SkillsUSA
A career and technical student organization preparing Alabama high schoolers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations through personal, workplace, and technical skills training, with chapter, district, and state competitions leading to a State Leadership and Skills Conference.
📍 Chapters statewide, AL📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Community Foundation of Northern Nevada
Alan Bain Initiative in Math or Science
Rewards Nevada-area students in grades 9–12 for achievement in mathematics or science based on a submitted project.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service
Alaska 4-H Youth Development Program
Alaska's statewide 4-H program offers teen members (ages 15-18) project-based clubs and leadership opportunities spanning STEM, agriculture, citizenship, and life skills, taught by certified volunteer leaders across the state.
📍 Statewide, AK📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SERRC – Alaska's Educational Resource Center
Alaska Academic Decathlon
High-school teams prepare across ten academic events and advance through optional online regional competition to Alaska's four-day state competition. The 2026–27 theme is "Journeys of Transformation: An Exploration of Travel and Transportation."
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Alaska Airmen's Association
Alaska Airmen's Association Aviation Scholarships
A set of named scholarships supporting Alaskans, including high schoolers, pursuing pilot training, aircraft maintenance, air traffic control, drone operations, and aerospace engineering careers.
📍 Anchorage, AK📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alaska FFA Association
Alaska FFA
A student-led agricultural and natural-resources leadership organization with chapters across Alaska's Interior, Southcentral, and Kenai Peninsula districts, offering Career and Leadership Development Events, hands-on agricultural experience, and scholarships.
📍 Statewide (19 chapters across Interior, Southcentral, and Kenai Peninsula districts)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Anchorage Bar Association
Alaska High School Mock Trial Competition
An annual statewide mock trial competition, sponsored by the Anchorage Bar Association, where high school teams argue a simulated court case in front of real attorneys and judges.
📍 Anchorage, AK📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alaska Historical Society (Alaska affiliate of National History Day)
Alaska History Day
Alaska's statewide affiliate of National History Day, where middle and high schoolers research a topic tied to an annual theme and present it as a documentary, exhibit, website, performance, or paper, with winners advancing to nationals.
📍 Statewide, AK (online judging, in-person national contest)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alaska Museum of Science and Nature
Alaska Museum of Science and Nature Volunteer Program
Volunteers assist with front desk operations, exhibit research and installation, education programming, and event outreach, typically committing to two 3-hour shifts per month.
📍 Anchorage📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alaska State Council on the Arts / Juneau Arts & Humanities Council
Alaska Poetry Out Loud
A statewide poetry recitation competition for grades 9-12 (with an exception for 8th graders enrolled in 9th-12th grade classes), progressing from classroom and school rounds to a state final in Juneau and National Finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide, state finals in Juneau📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UAA WWAMI School of Medical Education
Alaska PreMed Summit
Participants hear from physicians, advisors and health-profession students and learn about prerequisites, admissions processes, medical education and how to become a competitive applicant for health-profession programs.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium / University of Alaska Fairbanks
Alaska Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)
A statewide STEM research symposium where Alaska high schoolers present original research to a panel of scientists and researchers, competing for recognition and scholarships with a pathway to the national JSHS competition.
📍 Fairbanks, AK (UAF, regional symposium)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alaska Science & Engineering Fair
Alaska Science & Engineering Fair
Alaska students present original scientific or engineering projects, with high-school participants eligible to compete for Alaska's pathway to the International Science and Engineering Fair.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alaska SeaLife Center
Alaska SeaLife Center Teen Volunteer Program
A hands-on volunteer program at Alaska's public aquarium and marine research center, where teens support visitor interpretation, conservation, and rehabilitation work with Alaska's marine wildlife.
📍 Seward, AK📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Alaska Zoo
Alaska Zoo Volunteen Program
Teen volunteers age 16 and older assist with zoo operations, visitor education, and animal-care support after completing a background check and orientation.
📍 Anchorage📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Seattle University Albers School of Business and Economics
Albers Summer Business Institute
A credit-bearing summer business residency where students take college-level courses from Seattle University professors and explore business disciplines through hands-on learning.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
AAHSFF
All American High School Film Festival
Largest film festival exclusively for student filmmakers.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 4 days📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nebraska Writers Collective
All Writes Reserved Youth Spoken Word Festival
Nebraska and Iowa high-school teams receive free spoken-word instruction throughout the school year and then perform in a multi-round spring youth poetry-slam festival. The 2026 festival ran from preliminary bouts in March through finals on April 28.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Japan Cartoonists Association
All-Japan Manga Competition (Youth)
Youth-open division of the Japan Cartoonists Association's annual manga award.
📍 Japan (submissions welcome globally)📅 Autumn🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ohio State Fair
All-Ohio State Fair Band
Selected instrumentalists rehearse and perform dozens of concerts during the Ohio State Fair while living on-site with other student musicians.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Ohio State Fair
All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir
Selected Ohio singers complete intensive rehearsals and perform six to eight concerts daily during the State Fair.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana Music Educators Association (LMEA)
All-State High School Band
A two-round audition process (district then state) through which Louisiana high school band students compete for placement in LMEA's Symphonic Band or Concert Band, the state's top high school honor bands.
📍 Statewide, LA📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA)
All-Virginia Band and Orchestra Auditions
VBODA's All-Virginia honor band and orchestra ensembles are selected by audition from high school wind, percussion, string and piano players, with published audition requirements, etudes and prepared selections for each instrument.
📍 Virginia (statewide honor ensembles)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA)
All-Virginia Jazz Ensembles (AVJE) Auditions
VBODA's statewide honor jazz ensembles select high school wind and rhythm-section players by online audition (major scales, etude with improvisation, sight-reading), registered through the student's band or orchestra director.
📍 Virginia (online audition)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Altru Health System
Altru Junior Volunteer Program
High-school students volunteer in a hospital environment while gaining exposure to health-care careers and patient-support operations.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Mathematical Association of America
AMC 10/12
The entry-level American Mathematics Competition. Top scorers qualify for AIME and the path to the USAMO. Open to all US high schoolers; school registration required.
📍 Nationwide (school-administered)⏱ 75 minutes📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Maine Advanced Manufacturing Center
AMC B.O.T. Loft Robotics Summer Camp
Students work directly with industrial robotics, tour a manufacturing facility, and work toward a Universal Robots Educational Robotics Training credential during a residential camp.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
ACSL
American Computer Science League (ACSL)
A multi-division computer science competition covering both theory and programming.
📍 Nationwide⏱ School year📅 November 30🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The American Legion, Department of Arizona
American Legion Arizona Oratorical Contest
Constitution-focused public speaking contest for high school students under age 20, requiring an 8-10 minute prepared speech and a 3-5 minute extemporaneous speech, advancing from post to district, area, state, and national rounds with scholarship prizes.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Arkansas
American Legion Arkansas Oratorical Contest
A constitutional speaking competition for high school students under 20, requiring an 8-10 minute prepared oration on the U.S. Constitution plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, advancing from post-level contests to the state department finals.
📍 Local American Legion posts statewide, Arkansas📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Kansas
American Legion Boys State of Kansas
A week-long, learning-by-doing civic program where high school students simulate Kansas elections, political parties, and government at the state, county, and local levels to build leadership and citizenship skills.
📍 Manhattan, KS (Kansas State University)📅 April🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
American Legion Department of California
American Legion California Oratorical Contest
A constitutional speech contest in which high school students compete for college scholarships by delivering prepared and impromptu speeches on the U.S. Constitution, advancing from post to district to state level.
📍 California (Department Finals in Fresno, CA)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Delaware
American Legion Delaware Oratorical Contest
Annual constitutional oratory competition where Delaware high schoolers deliver a prepared speech and an impromptu response on U.S. citizenship, advancing from district to department to national rounds.
📍 Delaware📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Alabama
American Legion Department of Alabama Oratorical Contest
A constitutional speech competition for high school students that advances from post to state to national levels, developing knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and public-speaking skills.
📍 Statewide (Alabama); state final in Montgomery📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Georgia
American Legion Department of Georgia Oratorical Contest
High school students under 20 deliver a prepared 8-10 minute oration on the U.S. Constitution plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, advancing from local Posts through District, Area, and the state Department contest.
📍 Statewide; 2027 Department contest at Historic Mary Persons Auditorium, Forsyth, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Hawaii
American Legion Department of Hawaii High School Oratorical Contest
Constitutional speech contest for Hawaii high schoolers, with the state winner advancing to the national finals where scholarships up to $25,000 are awarded.
📍 Oʻahu Veterans Center, Honolulu📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Iowa
American Legion Department of Iowa High School Oratorical Contest
A constitutional-themed speech competition testing students' knowledge of the U.S. Constitution through a prepared oration and an assigned-topic discourse, advancing from local posts through district, area, and department finals.
📍 Local posts statewide, Iowa📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Kansas
American Legion Department of Kansas High School Oratorical Contest
A constitutional oratory contest for grades 9-12 that builds knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and public-speaking skill, progressing from district to a state (department) competition and on to nationals.
📍 Wichita, KS (Department finals); districts vary📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Maryland
American Legion Department of Maryland Oratorical Contest
A scholarship contest requiring an 8-10 minute memorized speech on the U.S. Constitution plus a shorter speech on an assigned topic, progressing from local American Legion Posts through County, District, and Department (state) levels.
📍 Maryland (statewide)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Montana
American Legion Department of Montana High School Oratorical Contest
A constitutional oratory competition for students under age 20 who deliver an 8-10 minute prepared speech plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, advancing from post to state to national competition.
📍 Statewide (post-level through Department of Montana finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Nebraska
American Legion Department of Nebraska High School Oratorical Contest
High school students (grades 9-12) deliver prepared and impromptu speeches on the U.S. Constitution, competing for Nebraska scholarships up to $1,500 with a chance to advance to national finals worth up to $25,000.
📍 Statewide Nebraska📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of New York
American Legion Department of New York Oratorical Contest
A public-speaking contest that challenges New York high school youth to improve their speaking skills and develop a deeper appreciation of the U.S. Constitution, with a rehearsed oration and an assigned-topic speech judged at post, county, district, and state levels. The 2026 state final was held March 7, 2026 in Albany, with the state champion advancing to the national contest at Hillsdale College.
📍 New York (statewide, local posts through state final in Albany)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of North Carolina
American Legion Department of North Carolina High School Oratorical Contest
A public-speaking contest for grades 9-12 on the U.S. Constitution, requiring an 8-10 minute prepared speech on citizenship plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, advancing from local to county, district, division, and national rounds.
📍 North Carolina (district and division contests statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Ohio
American Legion Department of Ohio Oratorical Contest
A constitutional speech contest for high schoolers combining a prepared oration on citizens' duties under the Constitution with an extemporaneous speech on an assigned topic, advancing from district to department level.
📍 District sites statewide; Department contest in Ohio📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Pennsylvania
American Legion Department of Pennsylvania High School Oratorical Contest
A public-speaking competition for students in grades 9-12 built around knowledge and appreciation of the U.S. Constitution, requiring an 8-10 minute prepared oration plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, advancing from the post level to district and state competition.
📍 Statewide, Pennsylvania (post/district/state rounds)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Tennessee
American Legion Department of Tennessee High School Oratorical Contest
A constitutional speech contest in which high school students deliver a prepared oration on the U.S. Constitution emphasizing citizens' duties, then compete on assigned constitutional passages, advancing through district, division, and state rounds.
📍 Statewide, TN📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Texas
American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program (Texas)
A constitutional speech contest for grades 9-12 in which students deliver prepared and assigned orations about the US Constitution. Students enter through their local American Legion post and advance through district and division levels to the Texas state finals.
📍 Texas (state finals in San Antonio)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Illinois
American Legion Illinois Oratorical Contest
Statewide public-speaking competition on the U.S. Constitution in which high schoolers deliver an 8-10 minute prepared oration plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, advancing from local posts through district and department contests toward national scholarships.
📍 Springfield, IL (Department finals)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Indiana
American Legion Indiana Oratorical Contest
A free constitutional-oratory competition for high schoolers under 20, who deliver an 8-10 minute prepared speech on the U.S. Constitution plus a 3-5 minute assigned-topic speech, advancing from post to district, zone, and state levels.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Kentucky
American Legion Kentucky High School Oratorical Contest
Kentucky's branch of The American Legion's national oratorical scholarship program, in which high school students deliver speeches on the U.S. Constitution at post, district, and state levels for a chance to compete nationally for scholarships up to $25,000.
📍 Regional and state contests across Kentucky📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Maine
American Legion Maine Oratorical Contest
A public-speaking competition on the U.S. Constitution for grades 9-12, combining a prepared 8-10 minute oration with an extemporaneous 3-5 minute response to an assigned constitutional topic, advancing from local posts to district and state finals.
📍 Waterville, ME (state finals, Thomas College)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Michigan
American Legion Michigan Oratorical Contest
A constitutional-themed public speaking contest in which high schoolers deliver prepared and assigned-topic orations on the U.S. Constitution, competing for scholarship money from the department level through the national finals.
📍 Lansing, MI (State Contest)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Minnesota
American Legion Minnesota High School Oratorical Contest
High school students research and deliver an 8-10 minute prepared speech on the U.S. Constitution plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned constitutional topic, competing for a state title and scholarship money that leads to a national contest awarding up to $25,000.
📍 Anoka Post 102, Anoka, MN📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Missouri
American Legion Missouri High School Oratorical Contest
A Constitutional speech contest challenging Missouri high school (and homeschool) students to explore the U.S. Constitution while competing for scholarship awards, now in its 93rd year in Missouri.
📍 Local, district, and state competitions across Missouri📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion
American Legion National Oratorical Contest (Colorado)
A Constitution-focused oratory competition for high schoolers, requiring an 8-10 minute prepared oration and a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, progressing from local posts through state and national finals.
📍 Entry through local American Legion posts in Colorado📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Nevada
American Legion Nevada Oratorical Contest
A public-speaking competition for high school students that requires an 8-10 minute prepared oration on the U.S. Constitution plus a 3-5 minute extemporaneous speech on an assigned amendment, progressing from post to district to state to national rounds.
📍 Statewide (posts/districts), final round in Carson City📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of New Hampshire
American Legion NH High School Oratorical Contest
A speech competition on the U.S. Constitution and citizens' duties to government, advancing from local Legion posts through district and state rounds toward the national contest.
📍 Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH (state finals)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Oregon
American Legion Oratorical Contest (Department of Oregon)
A three-tier (Post, District, Department) public speaking competition for grades 9-12 on the U.S. Constitution, combining a prepared 3-5 minute oration with an unrehearsed 3-5 minute response to an assigned constitutional topic.
📍 Statewide, OR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion Department of Utah
American Legion Oratorical Contest (Utah)
A constitutional speech competition for high school students under age 20, progressing from post to district to state finals. Utah winners receive up to $1,500 and can advance to national scholarships of up to $25,000.
📍 Historic Old Courthouse, Provo, UT (state finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Washington
American Legion Oratorical Contest (Washington)
Constitutional speech contest for high school students, advancing from post level to the Washington state contest, with the department winner certified to the national Oratorical Contest.
📍 Washington (local American Legion posts, state finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Wyoming
American Legion Oratorical Contest (Wyoming)
A scholarship speech contest on the U.S. Constitution for high school students, progressing from post to district to state level with the state winner advancing to nationals.
📍 Wyoming📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of New Mexico
American Legion Oratorical Scholarship Contest - New Mexico
High school students prepare an 8-10 minute oration on the U.S. Constitution plus a 3-5 minute discourse on an assigned constitutional topic, competing through post, district, and department levels. State winners advance to the national contest, where finalists compete for scholarships up to $25,000.
📍 New Mexico (local American Legion posts, with district/department finals)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of South Dakota
American Legion South Dakota High School Oratorical Contest
A scholarship speech competition on the U.S. Constitution for South Dakota high school (or junior high) students under 20, requiring an 8-10 minute prepared oration plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic delivered without notes; district and department winners advance toward the national contest and its scholarships.
📍 Statewide, SD📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Virginia
American Legion Virginia High School Oratorical Contest
A public-speaking scholarship contest in which students deliver speeches on the U.S. Constitution, advancing from post to district, region and Department (state) contests.
📍 Virginia (local American Legion posts)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of West Virginia
American Legion West Virginia High School Oratorical Contest
A constitutional speech contest for West Virginia high school students that runs from post and district rounds to a state final, with the state winner advancing to the national finals.
📍 District contests and state final at American Legion Post 31, Shinnston, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mathematical Association of America
American Mathematics Competitions (AMC 8/10/12)
Series of national math competitions leading to USAMO/USAJMO and IMO selection.
📍 United States⏱ 75 min📅 Fall🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
University of Pennsylvania
American Sign Language and Deaf Culture Online Seminar
Two-week online seminar (daily Zoom sessions) teaching basic ASL conversation and narrative skills in an immersion setting, plus Deaf community perspectives through vlogs, lectures and a panel of Deaf professionals. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
📍 Online⏱ 2 weeks (July 13 - 24, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps Summer of Service
Service opportunities for teens through select programs.
📍 Multiple states⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Michigan Council on Economic Education
Amerisure Michigan Economics Challenge
A team-based economics testing competition with Standard and Advanced (AP/IB) divisions, culminating in a three-round State Finals at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's Detroit Branch.
📍 Detroit, MI (State Finals)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Amgen Foundation
Amgen Scholars Future Track
Free online biotech simulations and pipeline programs preparing high schoolers for biomedical research.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering
AMIST 3D Camp
Students learn 3D scanning, CAD, engineering inspection, and additive-manufacturing techniques before manipulating and printing their own scanned designs. The 2026 fee was $200.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Amplify Utah (with The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah College Media Alliance and partners)
Amplify Utah High School Newsroom
A statewide initiative building a pipeline for high school journalism, publishing student commentary and stories through media partners including The Salt Lake Tribune. Students submit stories and images by email and are credited when partners republish them.
📍 Utah (statewide, submit online)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Advanced Materials Research Institute, LSU New Orleans
AMRI High School Summer Research Program
An 8-week, full-time paid research experience where high schoolers from the Greater New Orleans area work side-by-side with scientists in labs spanning chemistry, physics, materials science, engineering, psychology, and mathematics.
📍 New Orleans, LA📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
Analytics U
Free week-long summer program at the Carlson School for high school students from historically underrepresented backgrounds, introducing data science for real-world problems with college access and industry networking, including an immersive day at the Mall of America. Meals and parking covered; application includes a short essay.
📍 Minneapolis, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Colorado Anschutz
Anatomy & Medical Careers Camp
Students study university-level anatomy while exploring medical school, dentistry, physical therapy, scientific research and other health professions.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Life Sciences
Anatomy Academy Summer Camp
Students study physiology, histology and anatomy through organ and digital dissections, suturing, ECG activities and exposure to biomedical research and health careers.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Fox University
Anatomy for Pre-Health Professions (2027 Pre-College Summer Institute)
Anatomy/physiology through VR, dissection, models and cadaver study; part of GFU's 2027 Pre-College Summer Institute.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
University of South Florida
Anatomy of a Roller Coaster
Students study force, energy, momentum, friction, braking and structural design before analyzing real rides at Busch Gardens and designing their own coaster.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Anatomy, Physiology, & Disease
Two-week college-level program focused on human anatomy, physiology, and disease.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Indiana University Cinema Academy
Animation Academy
Students use professional software and equipment to explore digital animation techniques used in film, television, and games.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montclair State University
Animation and VFX
Pre-college intensive in animation and visual-effects production.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP)
ANSEP Acceleration Academy (Full-Time, Academic Year)
A full academic-year program letting rising 9th-12th graders take college coursework alongside high school, allowing students to earn three or more years of college credit before graduating.
📍 Anchorage, Mat-Su, Bethel, Nome, and Kotzebue, AK📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP) / University of Alaska Anchorage
ANSEP Acceleration Academy (Statewide Summer)
A 5-week residential summer program at UAA where high schoolers live on campus and take a college-level math, science, or Alaska Native studies course while earning transferable college credit.
📍 Anchorage, AK (UAA campus)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program
ANSEP Acceleration High School
Free year-round STEM acceleration for Alaska Native students.
📍 AK⏱ School year + summer📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho Commission on the Arts (Arts Idaho), administered via the Anthony Quinn Foundation
Anthony Quinn Scholarship
A scholarship for high school students accepted to a recognized pre-college or summer intensive arts program, covering literary arts, media arts (animation, film, video), performing arts, and visual arts.
📍 Idaho (national program, application online)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC at Shady Grove
AP Computer Science
Students explore material connected to AP-level computer science.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Apple Inc.
Apple Swift Student Challenge
Swift coding competition hosted by Apple to showcase creativity and app development skills.
📍 Global⏱ 1 month📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Johns Hopkins University
Applications of Chemistry in Medicine
College-level program examining applications of chemistry to medicine.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Applied Anatomy and Physiology
Two-week on-campus program focused on applied human anatomy and physiology.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
New Hampshire Academy of Science
Applied Scientific Research Summer Program
Three-week intensive in which students formulate a hypothesis and complete an original research project with PhD-level mentorship. The academy lists possible research papers, presentations and conference participation; registration for summer 2027 is already open.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Saturday Academy
Apprenticeships in Science & Engineering (ASE)
An eight-week, full-time paid summer internship pairing rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a professional scientist or engineer mentor across Oregon and SW Washington, including specialty tracks such as a Machine Learning internship through Portland State University.
📍 Portland Metro, Eugene, Corvallis, Bend, and Vancouver WA area📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of South Florida
Aqua Bulls Ocean Exploration
Students explore marine biology and oceanography through coastal fieldwork, research techniques and an at-sea research expedition collecting and analyzing data.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mystic Aquarium
Aquarium Marine Science Mentorship
A 12-week after-school mentorship for students in grades 10-12 that pairs job shadowing and independent research with hands-on work in animal behavior studies, enrichment design, and horseshoe crab conservation alongside aquarium professionals.
📍 Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, CT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Colorado Boulder
Aquetza Academic Summer Program
Residential academic enrichment combining history, literature, health science, writing, science, and civic/social issues while emphasizing leadership and community engagement.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Architectural Studies I (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
A multidisciplinary course introducing architectural design through design prompts, model making, drawing and visual presentation, ending with an exhibition for guests from the architectural design community.
📍 UW Seattle campus, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Architectural Studies II (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Builds on Architectural Studies I: students work with a hypothetical client, study the history and socioeconomic conditions of a chosen community, and present their work to professional designers.
📍 UW Seattle campus, Seattle, WA (spring session online)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Carnegie Mellon University
Architecture
Pre-College Architecture program at Carnegie Mellon University.
📍 PA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Lawrence Technological University
Architecture & Interior Design / Landscape Design Summer Programs
One-week, project-based summer studios for rising 10th-12th graders exploring architectural drawing, model-making, and digital visualization, or landscape design and placemaking with field trips to Detroit and Southfield public spaces.
📍 Southfield, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning
Architecture + Planning Camp @ CAP:Indy
Students explore architecture, planning, sustainability, site analysis, sketching, ecology, and 3D modeling through a week of design activities in Indianapolis.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
LSU College of Art & Design / School of Architecture
Architecture Camp
A one-week residential summer workshop for students entering grades 10-12 featuring hands-on building and model-making, studio critiques, campus and construction-site tours, and visits to local architecture firms with LSU faculty and students.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Kent State University College of Architecture & Environmental Design
Architecture Exploration Program (AEP)
An intensive two-week summer studio program introducing high schoolers to college-level design education through rigorous individual instruction, drawing and modeling projects, and field trips to Cleveland and Akron art museums and architecture firms.
📍 Kent, OH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of the District of Columbia
Architecture Summer Camp
Students sketch designs, build physical models and use AI, digital modeling, laser cutting and 3D printing to develop an original architectural project.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning
Architecture Summer Camp Academy
A mostly virtual week-long camp for students in grades 9-12 teaching the basics of architectural design, digital modeling tools, reading architectural drawings and documenting work, with one optional in-person day in Milwaukee.
📍 Online with optional in-person day in Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Michigan Taubman College
ArcStart
Students spend three residential weeks learning architectural drawing, drafting, modeling, history, studio design, and portfolio development. The 2026 fee was $6,250.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC at Shady Grove
Arduino Robotics
Students learn robotics and programming using Arduino hardware.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension / Arizona 4-H
Arizona 4-H Teen Leadership Programs
Leadership pathways for high schoolers including Healthy Living Ambassadors, STEM and Ag Ambassadors, and Camp G.R.I.T. counselor roles, plus 4-H Foundation scholarships for graduating seniors.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 September🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona Academic Decathlon Association
Arizona Academic Decathlon
High-school teams compete across ten academic events spanning subjects such as literature, economics, mathematics, science, social science, art, and music.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arizona DECA
Arizona DECA High School Chapters
Career and technical student organization preparing high schoolers for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through competitive events and leadership conferences held across seven Arizona districts.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona Envirothon
Arizona Envirothon
Environmental science competition where 5-member high school teams rotate through field stations on aquatic ecology, forestry, soils, wildlife, and a current environmental issue, then deliver an oral presentation; winners represent Arizona at the national NCF Envirothon.
📍 Statewide, AZ (rotating site)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arizona FCCLA
Arizona FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
Career and technical student organization built into Family and Consumer Sciences education, offering 35+ competitive events in culinary arts, fashion/interior design, and early childhood education, plus scholarships at the State Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona FFA / National FFA Organization
Arizona FFA Association
Statewide agricultural education and leadership organization with FFA chapters in over 84 Arizona high schools, offering supervised agricultural experience projects, leadership conferences, and career development events.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) / PlayVS
Arizona High School Esports League
Officially sanctioned interscholastic esports leagues for Arizona high schools competing in titles like League of Legends, Rocket League, Marvel Rivals, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with varsity and JV divisions culminating in a state championship.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education / State Bar of Arizona
Arizona High School Mock Trial Program
Simulated trial competition for students in grades 9-12, pairing teams with practicing attorney coaches, with regional tournaments in March feeding into a state tournament in Phoenix and the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
📍 Phoenix, AZ (state tournament)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona HOSA
Arizona HOSA — Future Health Professionals
Career and technical student organization for students interested in healthcare careers, offering competitive events and leadership development through chapters based in Arizona high schools.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona Interscholastic Press Association
Arizona Interscholastic Press Association (AIPA)
Statewide association supporting middle and high school journalism programs (newspaper, yearbook, web, broadcast, literary magazine) with a fall contest, Student Journalist of the Year award, and adviser resources.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona Model United Nations (University of Arizona)
Arizona Model United Nations (AZMUN)
One of the nation's few binational, bilingual high school Model UN conferences, hosted at the University of Arizona, drawing students from the Southwestern U.S. and Sonora, Mexico to debate and draft resolutions in committee.
📍 Tucson, AZ (University of Arizona)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Arizona Commission on the Arts / University of Arizona Poetry Center
Arizona Poetry Out Loud
Statewide poetry recitation contest for high school students that advances champions from the classroom through school, regional, state, and national competition, with free curriculum materials provided to participating teachers.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona Restaurant Association
Arizona ProStart Invitational
Two-year high school culinary arts and restaurant management program culminating in a state invitational competition, with winners earning institutional scholarships and advancing to the National ProStart Invitational.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona Science Center
Arizona Science and Engineering Fair (AzSEF)
Students advancing from qualifying fairs present original science or engineering research at Arizona's statewide fair. Senior Division Grand Award winners advance to Regeneron ISEF.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona Science Center
Arizona Science Center Teen Volunteer Program
Teens support exhibitions, STEM demonstrations, guests, and educational programming while earning community-service or service-learning hours.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
US Chess Federation / Phoenix Chess Academy
Arizona State Grades Chess Championship
US Chess-rated statewide scholastic tournament with a dedicated high school (grades 9-12) section, run as a 5-round Swiss tournament in one day at a Phoenix-area school.
📍 Phoenix, AZ📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Phoenix Film Foundation
Arizona Student Film Festival
Statewide short-film competition, running since 2007, for grade school and high school filmmakers whose selected films screen during the Phoenix Film Festival; the Best High School Film wins a $1,000 scholarship.
📍 Phoenix, AZ📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Arkansas 4-H
Arkansas 4-H State O-Rama
The culminating statewide event for Arkansas 4-H members, featuring roughly 40 competitive events across subjects from animal science to performing arts, with district-qualifying and state-only contests plus workshops and tours.
📍 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Central Arkansas
Arkansas and the World: International Affairs Summer Camp
Fifty Arkansas students study international relations, diplomacy, the UN and Model UN before representing countries in General Assembly simulations and crisis exercises.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Arkansas Children's
Arkansas Children's Hospital Junior Volunteer Program
High school students volunteer in hospital settings at Arkansas Children's, committing to weekly shifts for a minimum of six months (or a condensed summer track), after references, an interview, and required immunizations.
📍 Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR / Arkansas Children's Northwest, Springdale, AR📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arkansas DECA
Arkansas DECA Career Development Conference
Arkansas DECA prepares high school students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management through competitive events and an annual Career Development Conference.
📍 Hot Springs, AR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts
Arkansas Envirothon
Five-student high school teams compete in a hands-on environmental problem-solving competition covering soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, and current environmental issues, with an oral team presentation on a real-world resource problem.
📍 University of Arkansas Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Fayetteville, AR📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Arkansas FBLA State Leadership Conference
Arkansas high school FBLA chapters compete in business-related competitive events at the annual State Leadership Conference, with top finishers qualifying for the FBLA National Leadership Conference.
📍 Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock, AR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas FFA Association
Arkansas FFA Convention & Expo
Arkansas's state FFA association serves over 18,000 agricultural education members in 217 chapters, culminating each spring in a statewide convention with career and leadership development contests, an expo, and a career show.
📍 Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs, AR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts
Arkansas Goes Global: World Languages & Cultures
Residential students explore Spanish, French, Japanese and German while examining how global languages and cultures connect to Arkansas history, industry and communities.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Arkansas Activities Association / High School Esports League
Arkansas High School Esports League
Arkansas high schoolers compete on official school esports teams sanctioned by the AAA in titles including Valorant, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Apex Legends, and Counter-Strike 2, with fall and spring seasons and standard academic-eligibility rules.
📍 Statewide, Arkansas (online competition through school teams)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arkansas Bar Association
Arkansas High School Mock Trial Competition
High school teams from across Arkansas simulate a full criminal or civil trial using a case packet of witness statements, exhibits, and jury instructions, competing before real judges and attorneys with the winner advancing to nationals.
📍 Little Rock / statewide rotating site, Arkansas📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National History Day Arkansas (affiliate)
Arkansas History Day
A year-long historical research program in which students create papers, exhibits, performances, documentaries, or websites on an annual theme, advancing from regional contests to the state contest and potentially the national competition.
📍 University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR (state contest)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arkansas HOSA - Future Health Professionals
Arkansas HOSA State Leadership Conference
Arkansas HOSA supports students pursuing health science education and healthcare career pathways through competitive events, leadership training, and service projects culminating in a State Leadership Conference.
📍 Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs, AR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas Chess Association (US Chess sanctioned)
Arkansas Individual Scholastic Chess Championship
A statewide scholastic chess tournament with sections for elementary, middle, and high school divisions plus a girls-only category, open to K-12 students, with a rated USCF section for all skill levels.
📍 Eureka Springs High School, Eureka Springs, AR📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Central Arkansas, Department of Political Science
Arkansas Model United Nations (AMUN)
Hundreds of high school delegates from Arkansas and neighboring states simulate UN bodies like the General Assembly, Security Council, and International Court of Justice at this two-day conference hosted by UCA each November.
📍 University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas PBS / Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Arkansas PBS Emerging Filmmakers Program
A statewide student filmmaking showcase accepting narrative, documentary, music video, PSA, and animated shorts from grades 5-12, including an Arkansas Historic Places Student Film Prize specifically for high schoolers, with screenings and workshops at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.
📍 Hot Springs, AR (festival); submissions via FilmFreeway📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arkansas Arts Council / National Endowment for the Arts / Poetry Foundation
Arkansas Poetry Out Loud
A free program for grades 9-12 (including homeschoolers) that builds public-speaking skill and confidence through memorization and recitation of poetry, culminating in a statewide championship.
📍 Little Rock, AR (state finals)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arkansas Hospitality Association
Arkansas ProStart Invitational
A two-year high school program combining classroom instruction with mentored industry hours in culinary arts and restaurant management, culminating in a statewide competition with separate culinary and management tracks.
📍 National Park College, Hot Springs, AR📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas Scholastic Press Association
Arkansas Scholastic Press Association Spring Convention
A statewide convention for student journalists offering on-site and mail-in contests across yearbook, newspaper, broadcast and social media production, plus workshops, keynote speakers, and General Excellence and All-Arkansas awards.
📍 Fayetteville, AR📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Arkansas
Arkansas SkillsUSA Championships
SkillsUSA Arkansas empowers high school, middle school and college students preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations through leadership conferences and skill competitions, with state winners advancing to nationals.
📍 Hot Springs, AR (state conference); UA Pulaski Technical College (fall conference)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas Department of Education
Arkansas State Coding Competition
School teams of up to three students solve programming challenges in Arkansas's statewide coding competition. Awards are deposited into Brighterfuture 529 accounts.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Carnegie Mellon University
Art
Pre-College Art program at Carnegie Mellon University.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Ohio University
Art + Design Summer Studios
Two-week intensive studio program where students work in university art facilities across multiple media.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Mississippi State University Extension Service
Art Doing Its Part
Mississippi high-school students create artwork, slogans, and short reflections explaining connections between litter and waterway pollution. The statewide contest highlights regional environmental challenges and uses winning work in public-awareness campaigns.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Art in the Outdoors Camp
Students use painting, photography and multimedia art while drawing inspiration from outdoor and natural environments.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina Association for Scholastic Activities
Art Showcase
Students create work in painting, drawing, collage, photography and other media; top entries advance from school-level competition to statewide judging.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Nicolaysen Art Museum (The NIC)
Art Studio at The NIC (Nicolaysen Art Museum)
A monthly Saturday art class for students in grades 6-10 at the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper where students experiment with different art media, develop their skills and explore their own ideas.
📍 Casper, WY📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
University of Alaska Anchorage College of Engineering
Artificial Intelligence — Summer Engineering Academy
Students use hands-on experiments, collaborative projects and challenges to learn foundational AI concepts and explore machine-learning applications to real-world problems.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wake Forest University Pre-College Programs
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute
An overnight pre-college institute where current 9th-12th graders get hands-on experience with machine learning, AI ethics, and robotics through projects, ethics simulations, and talks from industry and academic guest speakers.
📍 Winston-Salem, NC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey
Artificial Intelligence & Wireless Communications Camp
Residential engineering camp covering neural networks, computer vision, TensorFlow/PyTorch, microcontrollers, wireless sensing and electronics. 2026 cost was $2,200.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Georgetown University
Artificial Intelligence Academy
One-week Georgetown academy introducing high-school students to artificial intelligence through academic instruction and applied activities.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Rhode Island
Artificial Intelligence Camp
A week-long hands-on camp at URI's Kingston campus where high schoolers work on robotics, circuits, programming, 3D modeling and printing, and machine learning projects.
📍 Kingston, RI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Tech Center for Future Work Places and Practices
Artificial Intelligence for Beginners
Three-week online synchronous summer course introducing high school students to machine learning, AI and generative AI, ending with a capstone project and showcase.
📍 Online (Virginia Tech)📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Artificial Intelligence in Modern Society
Examines AI technologies and their role in contemporary society.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
George Mason University College of Education and Human Development
Artificial Intelligence Summer Camp (ACCESS Academy)
Free one-week day camp where students learn machine learning basics through problem-based projects with beginner-friendly tools and prototype and present their own ideas.
📍 Arlington, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Quinnipiac University
Artificial Intelligence: Visual Imagery and Product Design
Students explore generative AI and its use in visual imagery, design and product development through hands-on projects.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Ohio State University
Arts and Sciences Summer Exploration Program
One-week intensive academic courses taught by OSU faculty, staff and graduate students across arts-and-sciences subjects.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Cosmosphere
Arts and SpaceCrafts
Students combine astronomy, engineering, science, and visual creativity through a residential series of space-inspired art and STEAM projects.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
ArtWorks for Milwaukee
ArtWorks for Milwaukee High School Internship
Five-month paid internships for Milwaukee-area high school students who build career skills through public arts projects, in seasonal areas such as Environmental Arts and Community Arts plus Mental Health Advocacy.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Milwaukee Art Museum
ArtXpress Summer Internship (Milwaukee Art Museum)
A four-week paid summer internship where Milwaukee-area teens ages 16-18 work with local artists to design a mural about a city issue, mentor MPS elementary students as museum docents, and see the mural displayed on a Milwaukee County bus.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program
ASDRP (RISE)
Free year-round Bay Area lab research. Open application.
📍 CA⏱ Year-round📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ashoka
Ashoka Young Changemakers
Global community of young people (10–20) already leading social innovation projects; selected changemakers receive mentorship, storytelling support, and network access.
📍 Remote (Global)⏱ Ongoing fellowship📅 Rolling · by country🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund
Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund
The nation’s largest non-profit organization devoted to providing college scholarships for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
AAJA
Asian American Journalists Association JCamp
Free six-day multicultural journalism program for high school students.
📍 Rotating (US)⏱ 6 days📅 Winter🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
APhO
Asian Physics Olympiad
Asia-Pacific regional physics olympiad; selection through each country's national physics olympiad.
📍 Asia-Pacific (rotating)📅 Varies by country🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
News Literacy Project
ASNE High School Journalism Institute
Free media-literacy and journalism resources and student programs.
📍 Online📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Aspen Institute
Aspen Challenge
City-based design challenge for high school teams to solve community problems.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Academic year📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Aspen Music Festival
Aspen Music Festival and School
Eight-week summer classical music festival and school accepting advanced young musicians.
📍 Aspen, CO⏱ 8 weeks📅 Winter🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive
The world's premier summer performance program for contemporary music, including jazz, rock, and pop.
📍 Boston, MA⏱ 5 weeks📅 March 1🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
George Mason University (GMU)
Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
A summer internship program that provides high school students with the opportunity to conduct research, develop new ideas, and invent new technologies.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Arizona Sky School
Astrobiology Summer Camp
Students spend five days at Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter studying extreme-life environments, planetary habitability, exoplanets, the search for extraterrestrial life, and ethical questions surrounding deep-space exploration with university scientists.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Pennsylvania
Astronomical Techniques Research Academy
Two-week residential academy at Penn. Students learn observational astronomy and data analysis, build simple cameras and spectrometers, observe the Sun and stars, and analyze data with Python. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 2 weeks (July 11 - 25, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Rutgers University Pre-College Summer Programs
Astronomy & Astrophysics Summer Academy
A residential, in-person academy at Rutgers-New Brunswick where rising sophomores/juniors (ages 16-18) spend one or two weeks studying planetary science, stellar evolution, exoplanets, and cosmology through lectures, observation, and field trips.
📍 New Brunswick, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
UW-Stevens Point Continuing Education and Outreach
Astronomy Camp (UW-Stevens Point)
Four-day camp with hands-on observation, remote observatory use, stargazing and lessons from working astronomers on topics such as dark matter and the Sun.
📍 Stevens Point, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Moderate
Arizona State University
ASU Popular Music High School Summer Camp
Teens write, perform, record, produce, and engineer music in professional studios while learning music entrepreneurship and preparing for college-level music study.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arizona State University
ASU SCENE
Free science club + research opportunities for AZ high schoolers, with focus on first-gen students.
📍 AZ⏱ Year-round📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
The Westminster Schools (StudioW)
Atlanta High School Film Festival
Founded in 2018 by Westminster's StudioW program, this student-run festival showcases short films from high school and middle school filmmakers across the southern United States, free to submit and attend.
📍 The Westminster Schools, Atlanta, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Atmospheric Science Lab: Build, Test, and Deploy a Handheld Air Quality Sensor
Students explore atmospheric science through construction and deployment of an air-quality sensor.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Truman State University & A.T. Still University
ATSU-Truman Healthcare Academy
One-week residential academy where students explore healthcare professions through hands-on activities, discussions and campus experiences. 2026 tuition was $1,050, with need-based aid available.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
American University
AU High School Summer Scholars
Students complete a four-week asynchronous college course in areas such as international diplomacy, law, psychology or neuroscience and receive an official AU transcript.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Auburn University College of Engineering
Auburn Engineering Summer Camps (HS Track)
One-week intensive workshops in robotics, aerospace, and medical engineering for Alabama high school students.
📍 Auburn, AL⏱ 1 week📅 February 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Auburn University
Auburn Summer Science Institute
Hands-on STEM research at Auburn — Alabama residents prioritized; in-state tuition aid available.
📍 AL⏱ 1 week (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Clemson University
Audio Engineering & Music Production
Clemson Summer Scholars one-week residential pre-college track.
📍 SC🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Audubon Nature Institute
Audubon Nature Institute Teen Volunteers
Teen volunteers support Audubon's wildlife, conservation, education, and guest-engagement mission across its New Orleans nature attractions while working alongside staff and gaining practical experience.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National Audubon Society
Audubon Youth Leaders
Stipended conservation-leadership cohorts for teens nationwide.
📍 Multiple📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival Young Filmmakers Competition
A free-to-enter competition for filmmakers ages 13-18 whose selected animated, documentary, and narrative shorts screen at the Young Filmmakers Showcase. Part of a broader program that also includes summer film camps and festival scholarships for Texas students.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
EcoRise
Austin Youth Climate Council
A year-long program where Austin-area high school students partner with local community organizations on real-world climate and environmental projects. The 2025-26 cohort had 39 students from 17 schools and awarded $17,000 in total stipends.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Austin Youth River Watch
Austin Youth River Watch
A service-learning program for Austin-area high school students with weekly after-school and intensive summer sessions on water quality testing, macroinvertebrate sampling, and habitat restoration. Students earn $20/hour with transportation and meals provided, and there is no GPA requirement or application.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Automotive Technology
High-school summer camp, automotive engineering/repair.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
University of Delaware
Autonomous Driving Academy
Students build and program autonomous robotic vehicles using Python, C++, ROS, sensors, perception and control systems inside UD's CAR Lab.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
North Dakota State University
Avenues of Scientific Discovery
Students choose from hands-on STEM sessions and interact with university faculty during a one-day science-discovery conference.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Aviation
High-school summer camp, aircraft and aviation careers.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
NCWIT
Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC)
Award for girls and non-binary students in computing, providing recognition and a cash prize.
📍 Nationwide⏱ One-time📅 April 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
AwesomeMath
AwesomeMath Summer Program
Three-week summer math program for talented middle and high school students.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ 3 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 7–12
Moderate
Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL)
AWSL High School Fall Conference
One-day statewide student leadership conference where high school teams and advisors attend workshops and leadership sessions with lunch provided.
📍 Tahoma High School, Maple Valley, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Aspiring Youth Academy / ASU Edson E+I
AYA Innovation Hub (Powered by ASU)
Entrepreneurship and financial-literacy program connecting teens with mentors through monthly events and a free hands-on Spring Break Innovation Camp, deliverable as a class, elective, or after-school club.
📍 Tempe/Scottsdale, AZ (ASU)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Northern Kentucky University CINSAM
B.R.A.I.N. — Best Research Academy in Neuroscience
Students conduct EEG experiments, dissect animal brains, and study neurochemistry, neuroanatomy, and neurobehavior using NKU neuroscience laboratories. Academy tuition for community participants was $200 in 2026, with need-based scholarships.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UW-Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences
Badger Dairy Camp
A four-day residential camp for students ages 12 to 17 with hands-on workshops, tours and college-preparation sessions on land and water resources, animal health, human nutrition and farm business.
📍 Madison, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 7–12
Moderate
Wisconsin Science Education Foundation (WiSEF)
Badger State Science and Engineering Fair (BSSEF)
Wisconsin's ISEF-affiliated state science and engineering fair where students present original research projects in a Senior High division; winners can advance to the International Science and Engineering Fair.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Madison Badger Precollege
Badger Summer Scholars
A two-week residential or commuter college-preparatory program on the UW-Madison campus where high school students take courses taught by UW-Madison staff and Badger Precollege instructors and prepare for the college application process.
📍 Madison, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Badgerdog Creative Writing Program / Austin Public Library Foundation
Badgerdog Creative Writing Summer Camps
Summer camps and workshops for high school students entering grades 9-12 using a read-write-share model across poetry, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, and screenwriting with professional Austin writers. Camps are capped at 16 students.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Montana School of Music
Band Camp
Residential or commuter camp featuring concert band, chamber music, masterclasses and exploratory music experiences.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vanderbilt University Programs for Talented Youth
Banners in the Mud: War, Chivalry, and Myth in the Hundred Years' War
A one-week Vanderbilt Summer Academy course for rising 9th-10th graders examining political intrigue, battlefield realities, and mythmaking of the Hundred Years' War through historical documents and strategic simulation.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
AAPT
Barbara Lotze Scholarship for Future Teachers
Scholarships for high school students who plan to pursue a career in physics teaching.
📍 Multiple📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bard College at Simon's Rock
Bard College at Simon's Rock Young Writers Workshop
A 3-week residential program where students engage in creative and analytical thinking through literature and history.
📍 Annandale-on-Hudson, NY⏱ 3 weeks📅 April 1🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Baruch College / CUNY
Baruch College Now STEM Research Academy
Spring research preparation followed by a five-to-six-week faculty-mentored summer project. Recent research includes genetics, biology and environmental science; participants receive a $1,000 stipend.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Base Pair Biomedical Research Mentorship
High-school students, primarily from Murrah High School and the Jackson Public School District, complete rigorous biomedical-research preparation and then work in UMMC laboratories with faculty mentors. Students can earn high-school credit and have historically co-authored scientific presentations and publications.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Berklee College of Music
Bass Workshop
Students age 15+ receive intensive bass instruction and performance training with Berklee faculty and professional musicians.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Bay Area Urban Debate League
Bay Area Urban Debate League (BAUDL)
A nonprofit that makes competitive policy debate accessible to every Bay Area public middle and high school student through tournaments, practices, and college debate mentorship.
📍 Oakland, CA / Bay Area📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Chesapeake Bay Foundation / Washington College
Bay Science and Solutions at Washington College
Rising grades 10–12 collect environmental data by kayak and research vessel and work in Washington College science laboratories while studying ecosystem restoration and community solutions.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Baylor University
Baylor Accelerate Pre-College Program
A pre-college program letting high school students take college courses at Baylor in summer sessions to get a jump start on college-level rigor, with an Early Admission Track for rising juniors and seniors. Summer course offerings have included history, political science, and film and digital media.
📍 Waco, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Baylor University
Baylor TIP (Talent Identification Program)
A talent-identification program for grades 8-12 offering college-level content, residential summer programs, Baylor TIP Academy summer courses, and personalized talent advising. Its mission is to identify exceptional talent in STEM and the humanities.
📍 Waco, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
BBC
BBC Young Musician
UK-wide music competition for musicians up to age 18; broadcast internationally.
📍 United Kingdom📅 Autumn🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Burlington City Arts with Juniper Creative
BCA Youth Artist Apprenticeship Program
A paid four-week public art residency where Burlington-based youth work with professional artists to design and paint a mural, from concept development through installation.
📍 BCA Center, 135 Church Street, Burlington, VT📅 June🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Valparaiso University College of Engineering
Beacon Engineering Academy
A weeklong summer engineering experience for high schoolers featuring hands-on projects in sustainable engineering, water filtration, 3D printing, materials science, and solar energy alongside Valpo faculty and student mentors.
📍 Valparaiso, IN📅 May🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
UNLV College of Sciences
Beal Bank USA Southern Nevada Regional Science & Engineering Fair
ISEF-affiliated regional fair for Nevada high-school research in chemistry, engineering/computing, environmental science, medicine, molecular biology, behavioral science, physics and astronomy. Cash prizes are offered and the overall winner may advance to ISEF.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rowan University
BEAM — BioEngineering And Me
Free virtual biomedical-engineering experience featuring faculty presentations, demonstrations, workshops and collaborative activities.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CERN
Beamline for Schools
CERN physics competition where student teams worldwide propose and run an experiment at a real particle accelerator.
📍 Geneva, Switzerland + Remote proposals📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UT Health San Antonio Office of Recruitment and Science Outreach
BEAT Academy (UT Health San Antonio)
A one-week in-person academy for up to 20 high school students exploring medical and biomedical research, with anatomy lab visits, simulated patient interactions, biomolecular experiments, and college preparation sessions. Topics include anatomy, physiology, molecular biology, aging, and neurodegeneration.
📍 San Antonio, TX (UT Health Lozano Long Campus)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
ELASH / Bebras US
Bebras Computing Challenge (US)
An international computational thinking and informatics competition. Students can take the test remotely or through a local school coordinator.
📍 Online⏱ 45 minutes📅 Early February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Become a 10x App Developer: AI-Assisted App Development
Students learn application development using AI-assisted development tools.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Utah John R. Park Debate Society
Beehive Bonanza High School Debate Tournament
An annual high school tournament on the University of Utah campus featuring Student Congress, policy, Lincoln-Douglas and public forum debate, and eight individual speech events.
📍 University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
BeHERE Nevada / UNLV / UNR
BeHERE, BeWELL Behavioral Health Camp
Overnight camp introducing counseling, social work, psychology, psychiatry and other behavioral-health careers through workshops, tours and a student project showcase.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bennington Museum
Bennington Museum Curatorial Internship (High School)
A paid summer curatorial internship for high school students at the Bennington Museum, working mainly with the Collections Manager while also gaining experience in marketing, education and visitor services.
📍 Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Bennington College
Bennington Young Artists Awards
A free competition for high school artists submitting two-dimensional work (paintings, drawings, photographs), three-dimensional work (sculpture, ceramics) or digital media (video, audio, animation up to 2 minutes), with cash prizes and scholarships for winners who enroll at Bennington.
📍 Online submission (Bennington College, Bennington, VT)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bennington College
Bennington Young Innovators Awards (AI)
A free competition for high school students with three AI-focused submission tracks: creating an original artistic work using AI with a reflective essay, writing a critical essay on AI's ethical, social or cultural impact, or building an AI solution to a real-world problem with a short video demonstration.
📍 Online submission (Bennington College, Bennington, VT)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bennington College
Bennington Young Musicians Awards
A free competition for high school musicians submitting one original composition of up to five minutes in any form (electronic, song or instrumental), with cash prizes and scholarships for winners who enroll at Bennington.
📍 Online submission (Bennington College, Bennington, VT)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bennington College
Bennington Young Scientists Awards
A free competition for high school students in the Natural Sciences category, submitting visual work such as field guides, scientific drawings, research posters or process diagrams that show their understanding of the natural world.
📍 Online submission (Bennington College, Bennington, VT)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bennington College
Bennington Young Writers Awards
A prestigious creative writing competition for students to win cash prizes and publication.
📍 Online📅 January 12🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bennington College
Bennington Young Writers Workshop
One-week residential writing workshop with Bennington faculty.
📍 Bennington, VT⏱ 1 week📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Berkeley Model United Nations
Berkeley Model United Nations (BMUN)
The world's first Model UN simulation, founded in 1952, now draws over 2,000 high school delegates to UC Berkeley each March for a three-day conference on international diplomacy.
📍 UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Berklee
Berklee Aspire
Five-week music performance intensive in Boston for musicians ages 15 and up.
📍 Boston, MA⏱ 1 week📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance
Five-week immersive music performance program.
📍 Boston, MA⏱ 5 weeks📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Berklee College of Music
Berklee Online Summer Courses
Students age 14+ can take twelve-week accredited online Berklee courses in songwriting, music production, theory, music business, and related areas, with college-credit options.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Best Buddies
Best Buddies International
Friendship and inclusion program pairing students with peers with intellectual disabilities.
📍 Global⏱ Year-long📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Best Buddies
Best Buddies Youth Leadership
Build friendships with people with IDD; chapter and leadership opportunities.
📍 Multiple schools⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Mississippi Scholastic Press Association / University of Mississippi
Best of Mississippi Student Media Competition
Students at MSPA-member publications compete for individual and publication awards in newspaper/magazine/site, yearbook, broadcast, and literary-magazine categories. All MSPA contests are free to enter.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
BETA Camp
BETA Camp
Eight-week virtual entrepreneurship program for teens 14-18 to build and launch a startup.
📍 Online⏱ 8 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Carleton College Summer Liberal Arts Institute
Between Worlds: Home, Borders, and Belonging
Students study home, borders, and belonging through Latin American studies, English, art, and photography in an interdisciplinary college-level setting.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Ohio State University, Department of Mathematics
Beyond the Classroom Summer Camp
A free in-person summer camp inviting middle and high schoolers to explore recreational mathematics, puzzles, and programming through nontraditional, staff-led activities that build confidence and culminate in a final project.
📍 Columbus, OH (Ohio State University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mountain Lake PBS
Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival
A student filmmaking festival for ages 14-18 in New York, Vermont and Quebec, with documentary, narrative, thriller, open and 60-second categories and a Red Carpet Showcase each June.
📍 Online submission via Launchpad; showcase in Plattsburgh, NY📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Alaska Anchorage College of Engineering
BIG Bridge Builders
High-school students study structural engineering, model bridges in 3D, construct small basswood structures, and then build and destructively test a roughly 16-foot bridge in UAA's structures laboratory.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Boston Leadership Institute
Big Data
A one-week summer program for teens interested in business, math, and computer science, part of Boston Leadership Institute's STEM research offerings held at Greater Boston-area college campuses.
📍 Wellesley / Waltham / Boston, MA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Big Data and Advertising
Students explore connections among large datasets, advertising, and modern business practices.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
College Board
BigFuture
A free, comprehensive set of digital resources that helps all students take a productive first step after high school. Includes information on planning for college and scholarships.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
BigFuture
BigFuture Scholarships (The College Board)
Guides juniors and seniors through the college planning process and offers the chance to earn scholarships, from $500 to $40,000, for every action that students complete.
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute MyImpact Challenge
Civic engagement competition awarding scholarships for student-led community impact projects.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Summer🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership
Bio Blitz — Understanding Biodiversity
Students investigate biodiversity across intertidal, forest, shoreline, freshwater, and marine ecosystems while developing scientific-research and environmental-leadership skills.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Bio Space Academy
Combines biological experimentation, rocket/space systems and laboratory activities around the challenges of life and research in space.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
BioBus
BioBus Junior Scientist Internship
Twelve-month paid science-research experience combining summer laboratory research with academic-year independent projects and science teaching.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering
Bioengineering Camp
Students explore biomedical technologies through bioprinting, cell-culture techniques, and PCR-based genetic analysis. The 2026 three-day program cost $125.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Biogen
Biogen Community Lab
Free hands-on biotech labs and high school research opportunities at Biogen sites.
📍 Cambridge, MA + RTP, NC⏱ Day to weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Washington Bothell Center for Biotechnology Innovation & Training
BioImpact Summer Camps (UW Bothell)
Five-day and two-day immersive camps at UW Bothell for rising 10th-12th graders covering anatomy and biomedical devices, immunology and vaccine innovation, and biotech entrepreneurship with AI and data science, with labs and company visits.
📍 Bothell, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Idaho State University, Department of Biological Sciences
Biological Sciences Summer Research Program
A four-week summer lab internship where high school students work alongside faculty and graduate student mentors on live research, such as studying bluebanded goby fish behavior, and present their findings at academic conferences.
📍 Pocatello, ID (ISU campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Stevens Institute of Technology
Biology: Genetics & Medicine
Genetics and biomedical-science intensive.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Bioscience Association of Maine (BioME)
BioME Student Showcase
A life-science research poster competition for Maine students in grades 9-12, focused on projects in healthcare, agriculture, or industrial/environmental biotechnology, judged by Maine scientists and entrepreneurs.
📍 University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri University of Science and Technology
BioMed IQ Camp
Health-focused program using hands-on activities and case studies to introduce biomedical and healthcare careers. 2026 fee was $850.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Drexel University
BIOMED Summer Academy
Biomedical engineering, medicine and laboratory activities.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Wichita State University College of Engineering
Biomedical Engineering Camp
Students explore biomedical imaging, medical devices, bioinstrumentation, CT/MRI reconstruction software, and ultrasound through hands-on work.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
Biomedical Engineering: Drug Delivery Innovations
Students explore biomedical engineering through the design and science of drug-delivery technologies. The 2026 residential program was listed at $3,000.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Biomedical Engineering: Where Medicine Meets Innovation
Biomedical engineering and medical innovation.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Outset (hosted at UNC-Chapel Hill)
Biomedical Research & Synthetic Biology at UNC-Chapel Hill
A one-week pre-med summer program at UNC-Chapel Hill where high schoolers explore synthetic biology in a course led by UNC Biomedical Science students, with university housing and instruction from physicians and medical faculty.
📍 Chapel Hill, NC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Johns Hopkins University
Biophysics Research for Baltimore Teens (BRBT)
Rising sophomores through seniors spend five weeks conducting hands-on biophysics and biomedical research while studying scientific writing, mathematics, data analysis, and bioethics. The program is a paid internship; Hopkins materials list a $5,500 stipend.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Genspace
BioRocket Internship
Six-month biotechnology internship combining spring training with summer research in molecular/synthetic biology. Participants receive a $2,000 stipend.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
BioTech Leader Simulation Program
Students participate in a biotechnology-focused leadership simulation.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Clemson University
Biotechnology & Public Health
Clemson Summer Scholars one-week residential pre-college track.
📍 SC🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Georgetown University
Biotechnology for Science & Health Academy
Two-week academy focused on biotechnology and its applications in health and biological science through intensive Georgetown programming.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
miRcore
Biotechnology Sequencing Camp
Students analyze real human sequencing data to identify infections and potentially viral variants while learning biomedical-data analysis.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah State University Center for Integrated Biosystems
Biotechnology Summer Academy
An intensive five-day internship in which high school students complete a biotechnology-related project with USU faculty mentors, lab training, workshops, and field trips. Topics range from plant and soil sciences to genomics and cloning.
📍 Logan, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NDSU Department of Computer Science
Bison Cyber Day Camp (GenCyber)
A free NSA/NSF-funded GenCyber camp for high schoolers covering programming, cybersecurity, robotics, and artificial intelligence, with day and overnight options and meals provided.
📍 Fargo, ND (NDSU campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brown University Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, with Tomaquag Museum
Black and Indigenous Histories Summer Institute (BIHSI)
A free, week-long in-person institute for high schoolers exploring Black and Indigenous histories of New England through classes, museum visits, guest speakers, and reflective discussion, held at Brown University.
📍 Providence, RI (Brown University)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Black Girls CODE
Black Girls CODE Workshops
Program that provides coding workshops and tech exposure to young girls of color.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary
Blue Crab Bowl (Virginia Regional National Ocean Sciences Bowl)
Virginia's regional National Ocean Sciences Bowl, in which up to 16 teams of five high school students answer questions on ocean science topics including biology, chemistry, physics, geology, maritime history and marine policy.
📍 Gloucester Point, VA (VIMS)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Blue Marble Review
Blue Marble Review
Online literary journal of writing and art by teens worldwide.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Blue Ocean Strategy / various
Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneurship Competition
Free global pitch competition with cash prizes. Teams pitch a novel business idea via video; finalists present live.
📍 Online⏱ 3 months📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MIT
Blueprint by HackMIT
Annual learnathon and hackathon for HS students at MIT.
📍 Cambridge, MA⏱ 2 days📅 Winter🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
Bob Tyler Fish Hatchery Youth Art Contest
Mississippi students depict native fish or wildlife species through original artwork. Winners receive gift cards, publication in Mississippi Outdoors, and display on MDWFP platforms.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Texas State University Division of Theatre
Bobcat Theatre Camp
A one-week day camp at Texas State in San Marcos with acting and technical theatre workshops, faculty masterclasses, a College Crash Course for the high school session and a devised production on the final day.
📍 San Marcos, TX📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maine Music Educators Association (MMEA)
BOC and Jazz All-State Festival
Audition-based statewide Band/Orchestra/Choir and Jazz festivals for Maine high school musicians, culminating in All-State ensemble performances after a competitive audition process run through students' music teachers.
📍 Auburn, ME (MMEA; festival venue varies)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Boise State University Department of Mathematics
Boise Math Circle
Free recurring math enrichment sessions for upper-middle and early-high-school students exploring topics with deep mathematical roots that aren't typically covered in standard coursework, led by Boise State faculty.
📍 Boise, ID (Boise State University Math Building & Riverglen Jr. High)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 8–10
Selective
Boise State University School of the Arts
Boise State Low Brass Camp
Trombone, euphonium and tuba players receive chamber coaching, private instruction, jazz improvisation and ensemble performance opportunities.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Boise State University
Boise State Wind Band Summer Camp
Wind and percussion students rehearse in large ensembles, receive sectionals and private instruction and perform in a final concert.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Boston Public Health Commission
Boston Area Health Education Center Summer Enrichment Program
A paid six-week summer program for Boston high schoolers interested in health careers, including interactive workshops, networking with health professionals, field placements at community health organizations, and weekly field trips.
📍 Boston, MA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Boston
Boston Mayor's Youth Council
Boston high-school students represent youth in city government, collaborate with officials, and develop projects addressing community and civic issues.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Boston
Boston SuccessLink
Free paid summer employment program for Boston youth ages 14-18.
📍 Boston, MA⏱ 6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest
Annual creative contest for teens combining art, writing, film, and music with environmental advocacy.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Spring🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Cornell University
Boyce Thompson Institute Plant Genome Research
Paid 7-week plant-genomics research; housing provided.
📍 Ithaca, NY📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Colorado Anschutz
Brain Camp
Four-day program examining nervous-system structure and function underlying thinking, feeling, movement and learning through university-level anatomical education.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Columbia University Zuckerman Institute
Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia (BRAINYAC)
An eight-month neuroscience apprenticeship for NYC 10th/11th graders combining weekend coursework in neuroscience, programming, and lab techniques with a seven-week full-time summer research placement in a Columbia neuroscience lab.
📍 New York, NY (Columbia University)📅 Fall🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
International Brain Bee
BrainBee Neuroscience Competition
International neuroscience competition for high schoolers with local, national, and global rounds.
📍 Global⏱ 1 day📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Columbia University Zuckerman Institute
BRAINYAC
January–August neuroscience pathway culminating in seven weeks of mentored laboratory research. Participants receive a $3,500 stipend.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Brandywine Zoo
Brandywine Zoo VolunTEEN Program
Summer volunteer program for teens 14 and older to lead conservation education activities for guests, assist in the barnyard, and support summer camp at the Brandywine Zoo.
📍 Brandywine Zoo, Wilmington, DE📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Berklee College of Music
Brass Workshop
Students age 15+ study brass performance with Berklee faculty through intensive instruction and ensemble work.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Rhode Island
Break Into Engineering
Students work inside URI engineering laboratories on robotics, biomedical devices, clean energy, ocean engineering and other real projects.
📍 RI🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Break It to Make It
Engineering camp centered on reverse engineering—taking products or systems apart, understanding their design and applying those ideas to build or improve things.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Breakthrough
Breakthrough Collaborative
Free summer and school-year academic program for first-generation, low-income middle schoolers; high schoolers can serve as teaching fellows.
📍 30+ US cities⏱ Multi-year📅 Spring🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
Breakthrough Prize Foundation
Breakthrough Junior Challenge
Create a short video explaining a big idea in science or math. Global competition for ages 13–18 with a $250K college scholarship.
📍 Global📅 June🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Brevard Music Center
Brevard Music Center High School Institute
Six-week classical music intensive in North Carolina mountains.
📍 Brevard, NC⏱ 6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Brevard Music Center
Brevard Music Center Summer Institute
A 7-week festival and school for advanced classical music students held in the mountains of North Carolina.
📍 Brevard, NC⏱ 7 weeks📅 January 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Georgetown University
Bridges to Social Justice Academy
Three-week academy combining seminars, workshops, dialogue, site visits and project design around social justice, civic engagement and community change.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Health Careers Opportunity Program
BRIGHT-UP (Biomedical Research Internship for Growth of High school Trainees from Underrepresented Populations)
A paid summer internship giving high school students hands-on biomedical research experience in UW labs: one week of orientation and training, then a six-week lab placement, weekly career development meetings and a closing symposium.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brilliant.org
Brilliant.org High School Problem Solving Track
While the physical show has locations, the virtual 'Think Tank' and 'Daily Challenge' offer online logic and math problems for students nationwide.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling (Weekly)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UKMT
British Informatics Olympiad (Open to Int'l)
Solve complex math and computer science problems created by the UK Mathematical Trust.
📍 Global⏱ 1 day📅 November 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Oxford
British Physics Olympiad
A tiered set of national physics competitions (Junior, Senior, Round 1/2) open to UK secondary students, with international variants schools worldwide can register for.
📍 United Kingdom⏱ Exam📅 Nov (senior) · Mar (junior)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Southern Mississippi School of Media and Communication
Broadcast Boot Camp
A free five-day summer program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from underserved Mississippi communities, offering hands-on experience creating digital and television news with professional equipment, run with the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters and Mississippi Scholastic Press Association.
📍 Hattiesburg, MS📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Penn State Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications
Broadcast Journalism Camp
A weeklong residential camp where high schoolers (ages 14-18) get full access to state-of-the-art TV studios to produce their own news or sports video story from start to finish, including shooting, interviewing, writing, and editing.
📍 University Park, PA (Penn State)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Sheridan College
Broadway Musical Theater Intensive
A two-week intensive where participants train with Broadway professionals in voice, acting and dance (or technical theater) and perform in a full musical.
📍 Sheridan, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Brookfield Zoo Chicago
Brookfield Zoo King Conservation Science Scholars
Year-round college and career readiness program for students in grades 9-12 combining STEAM coursework, guest-facing interpretation work, and conservation science activities, requiring at least 80 engagement hours annually.
📍 Brookfield Zoo Chicago, Brookfield, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brooklyn College / CUNY College Now
Brooklyn College STEM Research Academy
Spring research preparation followed by summer research in fields such as ecology, environmental science and biology.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Louisville Brown Cancer Center
Brown Cancer Center High School Summer Research Program
Students complete two weeks of intensive wet-lab and drug-discovery work followed by seven weeks of mentored cancer research, then present their results at a poster showcase and research retreat. Participants receive $3,500.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Brown University Pre-College Programs
Brown Environmental Leadership Lab: Rhode Island (BELL RI)
A 12-day residential program for students completing grades 10-12 that pairs environmental science coursework with leadership development, field trips across Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, and a community environmental action plan.
📍 Providence, RI plus field sites across RI and southern MA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Brown Pre-College
Brown Environmental Leadership Labs (BELL)
N/A
📍 Off Campus or On Campus🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brown Pre-College
Brown Experiential Education (BEE)
N/A
📍 Off Campus🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brown University
Brown Leadership Institute
Pre-college leadership program at Brown. Need-based scholarships.
📍 RI⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Brown University
Brown Pre-College
On-campus and online courses across the liberal arts.
📍 Providence, RI⏱ 1-7 weeks📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Brown Pre-College
Brown Pre-College Online
Experience Brown Pre-College wherever you are.
📍 Online📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brown University (student-run)
Brown University Simulation of the United Nations (BUSUN)
An annual Model UN conference hosted on Brown's campus since 1996, bringing over 900 high school delegates and 100 advisors together across more than 40 committees spanning General Assemblies, Specialized Agencies, and Crisis Committees.
📍 Providence, RI (Brown University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering
Brown-Forman INSPIRE
Students spend a residential week exploring engineering, college preparation, and career pathways through faculty workshops, industry field trips, mentorship, and a team design challenge culminating in a presentation.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Schubert Club
Bruce P. Carlson Student Scholarship Competition
An annual classical music competition for young musicians across Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Iowa, with video preliminaries followed by in-person finals at Macalester College and over $70,000 in scholarships awarded across about fifteen instrument and voice categories.
📍 Macalester College, St. Paul, MN📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
BS Biology Club, BS Neuro Club & Medspire
BS Neuroscience Research Initiative (NRI)
A student-led program for high school students interested in neuroscience, biology, medicine and research. Phase 1 is a series of neuroscience education sessions taught by experienced students and Brain Bee competitors. Phase 2 is mentored systematic-review research: choosing a research question, searching the literature, screening and analyzing studies, and learning scientific writing.
📍 Online⏱ Phase 1: Oct 17 to Nov 17, 2026; Phase 2 dates to be announced📅 October 15, 2026🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (Promega campus)
BTC Institute Summer Camps (Camp Biotech I and II, Clinical Laboratory Science)
One-week hands-on biotechnology camps for high schoolers at the BTC Institute: The Wonders of DNA, The Wonders of Protein (DNA extraction, PCR, restriction enzymes) and Exploring Clinical Laboratory Science.
📍 Fitchburg, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Ohio State University at Marion
Buckeye Engineering Institute
Students build/program robots, explore electrical engineering, CAD, structural/mechanical design, materials science and 3-D printing, plus an industry visit.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio Academy of Science
Buckeye Science & Engineering Fair
Independent statewide ISEF-affiliated research fair. Ohio students present original STEM research; six projects advanced directly to Regeneron ISEF in 2026.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Bucknell University
Bucknell Academy Summer Experience — BASE
Interdisciplinary one-week residential pre-college experience.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Mississippi State University
Bug & Plant Camp
Students ages 12–17 collect, identify, and preserve insects while learning entomology, botany, biodiversity, and field-collection techniques.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UMBC
Build a VEX Robot!
Students design, build, and program controlled and autonomous VEX robots for an engineering challenge. The 2026 fee was $374.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Build Big Dreams Youth STEM Conference
More than 800 students attended the 2026 conference for hands-on STEM activities, demonstrations, panels and direct interaction with scientists and engineers. Grades 9–10 fall within its 7–10 eligibility range.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
North Dakota NASA Space Grant Consortium
Build the Moon Challenge
Teams design lunar-regolith concrete mixtures while applying aerospace engineering, materials science, prototyping and experimental design.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Build Your Own AI-Powered Virtual Assistant
Students build an artificial-intelligence-powered virtual assistant.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
Build Your Own Robot
Students gain hands-on robotics and engineering experience by designing and building a robot. The 2026 daytime program was listed at $650.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Georgia
Building Engineering Pathways
Students use engineering laboratories and fabrication spaces to tackle design projects, team challenges and real-world engineering problems.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Penn State Department of Architectural Engineering
Building Our Future Summer Camp (Architectural Engineering)
A five-day overnight residential camp for high schoolers (ages 15+) covering structural, construction, mechanical, and lighting design, with hands-on workshops, a historical architecture visit to Bellefonte, and a concrete demolition exercise.
📍 University Park, PA (Penn State)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Built By Girls
Built By Girls Wave Program
A peer-mentorship program connecting high school girls with women in tech.
📍 Online⏱ Ongoing📅 November 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
BullD.O.G.S. in Healthcare
Students explore pharmacy, nursing, occupational therapy, and other healthcare professions through laboratory activities, educational sessions, a field trip, and interaction with Drake faculty and students. The residential program costs $200, with financial assistance available.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Samford University, McWhorter School of Pharmacy
Bulldog Pharmacy Camp
A weeklong overnight camp introducing high school sophomores, juniors and seniors to the pharmacy profession through compounding labs, simulation experiences and tours of local healthcare facilities.
📍 Birmingham, AL (Samford University)📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Mississippi State University
Bulldogs in Industrial Technology & Entrepreneurship
Students explore manufacturing careers and industrial technology through welding, CNC programming, coatings, and related hands-on technical activities.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Bullock Texas State History Museum
Bullock Museum Teen Volunteer Program
Volunteers age 16 and up serve as gallery roamers, podium attendants, and program and event helpers at the state history museum. Applicants complete an online application and interview and commit to at least six hours per month.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Adelphi University
Business & Leadership Academy
Students conduct market research, build a startup concept, develop branding/product strategy and pitch an entrepreneurial idea. The 2026 fee was $1,000.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montclair State University
Business Entrepreneurship Week
Intensive exploring entrepreneurship, business development and innovation.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Business Explorations Day Camp
Rising sophomores through seniors complete hands-on business projects, hear from industry guests, and explore leadership and business disciplines.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Business Explorer
Explores business disciplines, decision-making and entrepreneurship.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation
Business Horizons
Iowa students form teams, create an original product or service, develop a business, and pitch it to industry professionals while participating in leadership activities and company visits. The residential 2026 program cost $650, with aid available.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Notre Dame
Business: What Is It Good For?
A course offered as part of the Notre Dame Leadership Seminars program.
📍 Notre Dame, IN📅 Annual — 2027 dates not yet announced🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
BYU Youth Programs
BYU Cyber Camp
Week-long cybersecurity camp for ages 13-18 covering AI, machine learning, game design, ethical hacking and capture-the-flag challenges, with no prior computing experience required. The 2026 session ran July 6-10 on the BYU campus.
📍 Brigham Young University, Provo, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Moderate
BYU David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies
BYU Model United Nations (BYUMUN) High School Conference
A high school Model United Nations learning conference at BYU focused on developing writing, research and interpersonal skills. Country assignments are given on a first-come, first-served basis and new schools and delegates are welcome.
📍 Brigham Young University, Provo, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
BYU Continuing Education
BYU Musicians' SummerFestival
A six-day summer camp on BYU's Provo campus for ages 14-18, with instruction on over 20 instruments plus voice and genres from classical to jazz to blues. Participants work with BYU School of Music faculty at intermediate and advanced levels.
📍 Brigham Young University, Provo, UT📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
BYU Youth Programs / Plant and Wildlife Sciences
BYU Range & Wildlife Camp
Five-day residential camp for teens exploring natural resource management, wildlife habitat restoration, livestock management and fire ecology, with a look at conservation careers. The 2026 session ran July 13-18 at Camp Maple Dell in Payson Canyon.
📍 Camp Maple Dell, Payson Canyon, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Moderate
Brigham Young University Youth Programs
BYU STEM Camp
A five-day immersive camp where students work with BYU professors and STEM students in industry-grade facilities, with workshops in areas such as engineering and biology and a closing competition called STEM Wars.
📍 Provo, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
BYU Continuing Education
BYU Young Authors Academy
An immersive residential summer writing camp for ages 14-18 with small-group writing courses and time with local and nationally recognized authors. Participants stay in on-campus housing.
📍 Brigham Young University, Provo, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
C-SPAN
C-SPAN StudentCam
Annual student documentary competition on public policy.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 January🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Café Coordinators
High-school students organize monthly Teen Science Cafés, select topics, recruit speakers, market events and lead public science programming.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
HOSA Future Health Professionals - California
Cal-HOSA
California's chapter of HOSA, the largest healthcare student organization in the country, where members compete in over 45 health-science events and attend an annual State Leadership Conference.
📍 California (State Leadership Conference location varies)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
California Academic Decathlon
California Academic Decathlon
High-school teams compete in ten academic disciplines through exams, essay, speech, interview and Super Quiz, with state champions advancing to nationals.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
California DECA
California DECA
California's chapter of DECA, a marketing, finance, hospitality, and management-focused student organization whose State Career Development Conference draws roughly 2,200 students competing to advance to internationals.
📍 California (State Career Development Conference location varies annually)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
California Envirothon
California Envirothon
A team-based natural resources competition for high school students covering soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatics, and a current environmental issue, culminating in an oral presentation.
📍 California (state event location varies annually)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Future Business Leaders of America - California
California FBLA
California's chapter of the nation's largest student business organization, offering competitive events, leadership conferences, and networking for high school students preparing for business careers.
📍 California (six regional sections statewide; state conference location varies)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America - California
California FCCLA
California's chapter of the only national CTSO centered on family and consumer sciences, where students compete in STAR Events spanning child development, culinary, fashion, and entrepreneurship.
📍 California; State Leadership Conference in Riverside, CA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
California FFA and Agricultural Education
California FFA State Leadership Conference
California FFA's flagship annual leadership conference draws over 7,000 FFA members and guests for recognition, competitions, and leadership development, alongside dedicated Made For Excellence and Advanced Leadership Academy conferences for members at different experience levels.
📍 California (conference location varies annually)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Forestry Challenge
California Forestry Challenge
California's premier natural resource competition for high school students, similar to Envirothon.
📍 CA⏱ 1 week📅 April 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National History Day California (NHD-CA)
California History Day
A year-long research program in which students create documentaries, exhibits, papers, websites, or performances on a historical topic, competing from county contests up through state finals.
📍 California statewide (county contests); state finals in Sacramento📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Teach Democracy (formerly Constitutional Rights Foundation)
California Mock Trial
Student teams of prosecution and defense attorneys, witnesses, and court staff argue a hypothetical criminal case in real courtrooms, guided by volunteer attorney coaches, across 37 California counties.
📍 California courthouses statewide; high school state finals in Oakland📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
California Restaurant Foundation
California ProStart Cup
The state's premier culinary arts and restaurant management competition for high school ProStart students, featuring a live Culinary Cup (60-minute three-course meal) and a Management Cup (restaurant concept pitch).
📍 California (2027 event held March 1-2)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
California Science & Engineering Fair
California Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF)
Students qualifying through affiliated county or regional science fairs present original science and engineering projects at California's statewide competition.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
CSSSA Foundation
California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA)
Multi-disciplinary arts sessions for young artists to collaborate and learn from professionals.
📍 Valencia, CA⏱ 4 weeks📅 March 15🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Immerse Education
Cambridge Immerse Education
Two-week pre-college summer programs at Cambridge, Oxford, and beyond.
📍 Cambridge, UK⏱ 2 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
CAMH Teen Council Open Call: Utopias
An open call for teen artists aged 13-19 from the Greater Houston area to submit work in any media (2D, 3D, new media, installation, performance) exploring utopian themes for a museum exhibition. Selected artists receive a modest honorarium.
📍 Houston, TX📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Alabama, College of Communication & Information Sciences
CAMP (Communication and Media Preview)
A six-day, five-night immersive experience for high schoolers to build skills in broadcasting, journalism, media production, writing and public speaking while living on the UA campus and working with current technology alongside faculty.
📍 University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Texas A&M University College of Architecture
Camp ARCH
A week-long residential camp where students choose a focus in architecture, construction science, landscape architecture, or urban planning and work in design studios. Admission is based on a personal statement, recommendation, transcript, and a two-minute video essay.
📍 College Station, TX📅 March🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Northeastern State University
Camp Biomed: A Glowing Overview
Biomedical/molecular-science activities emphasizing biology and health science.
📍 OK🎓 Grade 10
Selective
Ohio State Center for Automotive Research
Camp CAR
Week-long automotive-engineering camp covering simulation, manufacturing, machining, mobility research and industry/research-facility visits.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
North Carolina Zoo
Camp Crew
Teen volunteers assist zoo educators with wildlife camps, crafts, games and educational activities.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
LSU AgCenter
Camp CRISP
A summer internship immersing high school students and teachers in agricultural research on climate-resilient rice production, covering breeding, genomics, pathology, entomology, AI, and precision agriculture.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Camp Cronkite
Students learn interviewing, news and feature writing, visual storytelling, videography, podcasting, producing, weather reporting, social media, and personal branding.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Montana Learning Center
Camp Explore the Universe
Five-day overnight astronomy program using advanced telescopes and cameras to observe planets, galaxies, nebulae and the Sun and to process astronomical images.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey School of Science
Camp Innovate and Investigate
Rising sophomores through seniors conduct hands-on work across biology, chemistry, physics, computer science and mathematics, including sustainability-focused investigations. The 2026 fee was $500.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Gettysburg College
Camp Psych
Residential psychology institute involving experiments, research and college-level psychology.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Lincoln Park Zoo
Camp Teen Volunteer Program
Teens entering grades 9–12 complete a five-week service-learning placement supporting the zoo's conservation-focused summer camp. The position is volunteer rather than paid employment.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bellarmine University
Camp Valor High School Valor Academies
Bellarmine University's Camp Valor offers 13 High School Valor Academies across a range of subjects each summer, with tuition covering all materials and Camp Valor swag.
📍 Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Zon Lab, Boston Children's Hospital / Harvard Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Camp Zon Virtual Summer Research Experience
A paid two-week virtual research experience where Massachusetts high schoolers become part of the Zon Lab team, using zebrafish to study anemia and blood development, designing experiments, generating a hypothesis, and analyzing data alongside top researchers.
📍 Boston, MA (Boston Children's Hospital / Harvard-affiliated Zon Lab)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Campersand
Campersand (C&!) Math Camp
A residential summer camp at UNM for mathematically-inclined students ages 9-18, bringing together curious students to explore advanced math and computer science foundations with faculty who support deep, open-ended inquiry; scholarships are offered to winners of the UNM-PNM Statewide Math Competition.
📍 Albuquerque, NM📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Central Michigan University College of Medicine
CampMed (CMU College of Medicine)
Two-day intensive summer program for high school students interested in medicine and health fields: medical case studies, casting and suture clinics, and time with current medical students. Listed as free (scholarship-based); the 2026 cycle is closed and the next application cycle opens April 2027.
📍 Mount Pleasant, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Black Hills State University
Campus and Career Discovery Camp
A four-day, three-night residential camp for incoming 9th-11th graders from West River South Dakota school districts to explore college life, academic programs, and career paths, including a field trip to the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead.
📍 Spearfish, SD📅 May🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Mathcamp
Canada/USA Mathcamp
Five-week summer program for mathematically talented teens at rotating universities.
📍 Rotating⏱ 5 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Waterloo (CEMC)
Canadian Computing Competition (CCC)
Free competitive programming contest run by Waterloo's CEMC; open worldwide and used as a qualifier for the Canadian Computing Olympiad.
📍 Remote (Global)⏱ 3 hours📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah
Cancer Research High School Program
A two-week virtual experience with live online laboratory instruction using an at-home lab kit, followed by career-exploration workshops and panels with research and medical professionals. Sponsored by the American Cancer Society.
📍 Remote (Utah, NV, MT, ID, WY residents)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
European Space Agency
CanSat Competition (ESA)
Build a satellite the size of a soda can. National rounds in ESA member states; European final each spring.
📍 Various📅 National rounds fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Capitol Debate (hosted at Villanova University)
Capitol Debate at Villanova University
Two-week summer debate and public speaking program on Villanova's campus, June 27 to July 8, 2027, for ages 10 to 17. Includes 60+ hours of live instruction covering voice, body language, speech structure, cross-examination and refutation, plus electives in STEM communication, business, legal communication and competitive debate. Residential and commuter options; early bird pricing ends August 21.
📍 Villanova, PA📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
ThreeSixty Journalism, University of St. Thomas
Capitol Reporting Workshop
Free winter workshop for Twin Cities high school students on legislative reporting: youth-led news teams work with local journalists to produce 700-800 word stories and multimedia content, culminating in Youth Day at the Capitol. 18 competitive spots; $200 stipend on completion.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State Archives, State Historical Society of North Dakota
Capturing Oral Histories Workshop
A free workshop teaching participants the fundamentals of recording and preserving oral histories, including practical interviewing techniques and tips for documenting personal stories.
📍 Bismarck, ND📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina Community College System / NC DPI
Career and College Promise
North Carolina high-school students take tuition-free college courses through community-college and cooperative pathways and can earn transferable college credit before graduation.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Notre Dame School of Architecture
Career Discovery
Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors spend 12 residential days in design studios and architecture seminars while exploring preservation, accessibility, infrastructure, and the built environment.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science
Career Immersion Program (Minnesota)
A free, scholarship-funded, week-long residential program in Rochester for Minnesota high school sophomores and juniors to explore in-demand allied health careers such as sonography, phlebotomy, respiratory care, and paramedic work through hands-on classroom and lab experiences with Mayo Clinic faculty and students.
📍 Rochester, MN📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Seattle Public Schools Career and Technical Education
Career Quest Summer Internships (Seattle Public Schools)
Paid summer internships that pair high school students with local businesses and SPS departments in fields such as architecture and design, business and marketing, construction management, finance, education, IT and skilled trades, with a weekly launch day and CTE credit.
📍 Seattle, WA (Franklin High School and internship sites)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Adelphi University
Careers in Healthcare Academy
Students explore healthcare professions and receive hands-on preparation such as CPR, Narcan and Stop the Bleed training.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
California Academy of Sciences
Careers in Science Intern Program
Multi-year, year-round paid internship involving hands-on science, field research, STEM education, professional development and public engagement at the Academy.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
CEI
Caretakers of the Environment International
Annual international youth conference on environmental research and projects.
📍 Varies (International)⏱ 1 week📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Purdue University College of Agriculture
Cargill-Purdue Agriculture & STEM Academy (C-PASA) High School Camp
A one-week residential camp for rising 9th-12th graders exploring Purdue's College of Agriculture through tours of companies like Cargill, Corteva, Syngenta, and BASF plus hands-on lab and research-facility work.
📍 West Lafayette, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall NYO-USA
Free national youth orchestra summer training and tour for ages 16-19.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 1 month📅 Winter🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Carnegie Mellon
Carnegie Mellon AI Scholars
Free three-week residential AI program for underrepresented students.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA⏱ 3 weeks📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of South Carolina Continuing Education
Carolina Master Scholars Adventure Series
Week-long academic summer 'adventures' at USC Columbia for academically talented rising 6th-12th graders, covering topics from sports marketing to pharmacy and nursing, with residential or commuter options.
📍 Columbia, SC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Ulakaia Center (formerly The Aleut Foundation / Aleut Corporation)
Cash for Good Grades
An academic-incentive program from the Aleut Corporation's education arm that pays cash rewards to grades 7-12 students who are Aleut Corporation shareholders or descendants for good grades and attendance.
📍 Statewide (Aleut Region)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NC State University
Catalyst: Creating Opportunities in STEM for Students with Disabilities
Year-long STEM and college/career-readiness cohort with workshops, field experiences, certifications and access to paid STEM internships.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Catapult
Catapult High School Writing Workshop
Multi-genre writing workshops for high school students in the creative hub of NYC.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 2 weeks📅 April 1🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Jackson State University Margaret Walker Center
Catherine Coleman Literary Arts, Food, and Social Justice Summer Program
Mississippi high-school writers spend a residential week studying poetry, fiction, screenwriting, Southern foodways, and social-justice history with professional writers. Students completing the program receive a $300 stipend.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut Bar Association
CBA Law Camp
A free week-long day camp at UConn School of Law for high schoolers who have overcome adversity or would be first in their family to enter the legal profession, featuring mock trial prep, court observation, and mentorship from attorneys and judges.
📍 UConn School of Law, Hartford, CT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Columbus College of Art & Design
CCAD College Preview
A two-week pre-college program on CCAD's downtown Columbus campus where rising sophomores through seniors choose a major such as animation, illustration, game art and design, fashion design, or interior architecture, take college-level courses for credit, and build a portfolio.
📍 Columbus, OH📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Ball State University College of Communication, Information, and Media
CCIM+ Summer Workshops
High-school students choose specialized workshops such as student-media leadership, post-production and visual effects, esports, or speech and communication.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Colorado Christian University
CCU Academy
Online concurrent-enrollment college courses taught with a Christian worldview, open to high school students (age 15+) and recent graduates who haven't yet started college.
📍 Online (Colorado Christian University)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Coastal Carolina University INBRE / SCoRE Program
CCU HCHEC Sponsored Research (SCoRE High School Track)
A paid summer research program placing Horry County high school students in Coastal Carolina University labs, where each student works alongside a faculty mentor and an undergraduate researcher; past participants have published work and presented at conferences.
📍 Conway, SC (Coastal Carolina University)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering and Applied Science
CEAS Summer Engineering Camps
Week-long, 9am-4pm summer engineering camps on UC's Clifton campus organized by age and interest level, with need-based scholarships available for students requiring financial assistance.
📍 Cincinnati, OH (University of Cincinnati)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Cedar Rapids Independent Filmmakers
Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival (CRIFF) Student Categories
A regional film festival with dedicated student divisions (freestyle, narrative short and long form, documentary) plus a $1,000 Collins Road Theatres scholarship and a Student Audience Choice award at a discounted-ticket Student Cinema Sunday screening.
📍 Cedar Rapids, IA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Western Governors' Foundation
Celebrate the West — Idaho
High-school students create artwork inspired by their western state and compete first for state recognition and then regional awards.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Duke University Department of Cell Biology
Cell Biology Academy (CeBA)
Six-week paid laboratory research academy for Triangle-area high-school students, with close mentoring in contemporary cell and molecular biology.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Waterloo (CEMC)
CEMC Math Contests
Suite of free math contests (Pascal, Cayley, Fermat, Euclid, CSMC) written by Waterloo; open internationally through registered schools.
📍 School-administered (Global)⏱ 60–150 min📅 School registration by contest🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (CES)
A Farmington, Maine nonprofit where youth ages 10-24 launch and run real businesses out of a retail store, makerspace, and 'Changemaker Campus,' guided by workshops from engineers and working professionals.
📍 Farmington, ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMass Chan Medical School, Department of Neurobiology
Central Massachusetts Brain Bee
A free regional neuroscience competition at UMass Chan for Central Massachusetts high schoolers in grades 9-12, featuring a written exam and oral elimination rounds on neuroanatomy, nervous system function, and neurological disease, with the winner advancing to the USA National Brain Bee.
📍 Worcester, MA📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Evansville
Ceramics Camp — Grades 9–12
High-school students explore ceramics through hand-building, wheel throwing, glazing, and studio practice.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Fox University
Ceramics Institute (2027 Pre-College Summer Institute)
Studio ceramics, design, creativity and problem-solving; part of GFU's 2027 Pre-College Summer Institute.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
University of South Alabama, School of Computing (Center for Forensics, Information Technology, and Security)
CFITS Cyber Camp
A two-day, non-residential introduction to cybersecurity topics including cryptography, steganography, digital logic, password safety, phishing awareness and cyber ethics for highly motivated incoming 9th-12th graders.
📍 Mobile, AL (Shelby Hall, University of South Alabama)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts
Chamber Music Camp
Student musicians participate in masterclasses, music theory and history instruction, small ensembles and large-ensemble performance.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
University of Houston Moores School of Music
Chamber Music Institute
A one-week mentorship program for high school and university string players and pianists with guided rehearsals, intensive faculty coaching, audition-prep studio classes and a final concert.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Chaminade University of Honolulu (GEAR UP)
Chaminade University Summer Institutes
Free 10-day courses for rising Hawaii public high school juniors and seniors, funded by a federal GEAR UP grant, covering subjects from marine science to entrepreneurship to spoken word poetry.
📍 Honolulu, Oʻahu (Chaminade University campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Rowan University
CHAMP/GEAR UP Summer Academy
College-readiness summer program for students from participating Camden-area schools with instruction in math, science, writing, computer science, financial literacy and public speaking.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Champlain College
Champlain College Animation Academy
Two-week residential pre-college program creating 2-D animations in Toon Boom Harmony and working with Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop and After Effects, from character design to stop-motion.
📍 Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Champlain College (Senator Patrick Leahy Center for Digital Forensics & Cybersecurity)
Champlain College Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics Academy
A two-week residential academy where students learn to construct and safeguard networks and investigate digital crimes in the Leahy Center, finishing with a team-solved forensic case.
📍 Champlain College, Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Champlain College
Champlain College Filmmaking & Media Production Exploration Academy
Two-week residential pre-college academy covering screenwriting, directing, producing, editing and cinematography with Champlain faculty and film industry professionals.
📍 Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Champlain College
Champlain Game Academy
A two-week residential game development program covering game art, design, programming in C# and Unity, production and sound, ending with a playable prototype.
📍 Champlain College, Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Regional Campuses
CHAMPS (Community Health Applied in Medical Public Service)
A UAMS outreach program that lets junior high and high school students explore health professions through hands-on activities and presentations by healthcare professionals across UAMS's regional campus network.
📍 UAMS Regional Campuses, statewide Arkansas📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Stevens Institute of Technology
Changemaking Through Data: The Science of Human Behavior
Uses data analysis to study human behavior and societal problems.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Chapman University
Chapman University Holocaust Art & Writing Contest
A writing contest for high schoolers exploring the impact of the Holocaust through various creative prompts.
📍 Online📅 March 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Kentucky STEM Experiences
Chem Camp for High School Students
Students complete investigative chemistry laboratory experiences that extend high-school chemistry and expose them to university laboratories and research environments. No prior chemistry experience is required.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Maryland Section of the American Chemical Society
Chemathon
An annual, free-to-enter chemistry competition for high school chemistry students from Maryland, Northern Virginia, and DC, organized by area teachers and chemists and hosted at the University of Maryland College Park chemistry department.
📍 College Park, MD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Kansas Wonderful Institute for Sustainable Engineering
Chemical Engineering Experience in Research (ChEER) for Youth Interns
Students ages 15–18 conduct non-hazardous chemical-engineering research under graduate or postdoctoral mentors, participate in research meetings, analyze data, and present results. The internship is unpaid and intended for students who can commute locally.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CU Science Discovery
Chemical Engineering for a Changing World
Students design experiments, analyze data, optimize systems and investigate how chemical engineers address energy, medicine, sustainability and technology challenges.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
American Chemical Society, Detroit Section
Chemistry Olympiad (Detroit Section, USNCO)
A local qualifying round of the United States National Chemistry Olympiad in which Southeast Michigan high school chemistry students take a free exam, with top scorers advancing toward the national exam and international team selection.
📍 Southeast Michigan (nine-county Detroit Section area)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
Chemistry Scholars
An intensive high-school chemistry summer program offered through Illinois Tech's Elevate College Prep portfolio. The listed 2026 program price was $4,500.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering
Chemistry Summer Camp
Students conduct experiments and laboratory activities involving real-world chemistry such as food and medicine while interacting with UofL faculty and students. The 2026 fee was $250.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Student Leadership Program
High-school students join a year-round leadership network, attend primarily virtual monthly meetings, participate in advocacy and conservation events, and design an evidence-based environmental action project.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chesapeake Connections & Actions
Students investigate environmental challenges in rivers, marshes, farmland, and Bay communities while developing advocacy and environmental-leadership skills.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Chess Academy
Students develop chess strategy and analytical problem-solving skills.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa State Chess Association / Chess in Iowa
Chess in Iowa Scholastic Tournaments
A statewide series of one-day scholastic chess tournaments including a high school division and state qualifiers for the national Barber, Denker, Rockefeller, and Ashley tournaments.
📍 Tournament sites statewide, Iowa📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Connecticut Office of the State Treasurer
CHET Dream Big! Competition
Connecticut students submit an essay, video or artwork addressing their aspirations or how they can help their community, competing for CHET college-savings awards.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Cheyenne
Cheyenne Mayor's Youth Council
A one-year council for high school students to learn how local government works and influence policies affecting young people, working with the mayor and city officials.
📍 Cheyenne, WY📅 August🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CHI Health
CHI Health Teen Volunteer Program
Teen volunteers age 14 and up serve after-school and weekend shifts at CHI Health hospital locations across Nebraska, completing training and a one-year minimum commitment (no hands-on patient care).
📍 CHI Health locations statewide, NE📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
Chicago EYES on Cancer
A two-year cancer-research program combining two full-time eight-week summer laboratory experiences with school-year virtual enrichment. High-school participants receive a $5,000 taxable stipend each year.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Field Museum / Youth Conservation Action partners
Chicago Green Ambassadors Program
Paid youth interns explore environmental issues affecting Chicago communities and connect residents with neighborhood green spaces through conservation and community-engagement work. It particularly serves youth from several South and West Side neighborhoods.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta VolunTEEN Program
The VolunTEEN Program lets high school students ages 15-18 support hospital staff and patients across an eight-week summer commitment, with at least one three-hour shift per week.
📍 Children's Healthcare of Atlanta hospital locations, Atlanta, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Children's Mercy Kansas City
Children's Mercy High School Student Volunteer Program
A summer hospital volunteer program for high schoolers at least 16 years old, supporting guest services, hospitality, and outpatient activities to make patients, families, and visitors feel welcome throughout the hospital.
📍 Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Children's Museum of New Hampshire
Children's Museum of New Hampshire Volunteer Program
Volunteers age 15+ can assist with museum programs, summer camps, student activities and drop-in STEAM experiences involving art, culture and science.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Freedom Forum
ChiPS Chips Quinn Scholars (pipeline)
Diversity journalism pipeline programs for students of color.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Jacksonville State University
Choral for Musical Theatre — Gamecock Arts & Sciences Program
Students practice ensemble singing alongside acting, blocking, choreography, and other musical-theatre performance skills.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Susquehanna University
Choral Institute
Vocal music pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Colorado High School Activities Association / PlayVS
CHSAA Esports (PlayVS Colorado)
Officially sanctioned interscholastic esports leagues for Colorado high schools competing in titles like Rocket League, Marvel Rivals, Splatoon, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with fall and spring state championships.
📍 Matches online; championships at Localhost, Lakewood, CO📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center
CI: Healthcare
A free, activity-filled day for 10th-12th graders exploring healthcare careers through hands-on sessions at a university campus.
📍 Central Louisiana📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Connecticut Association of Schools / Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference
CIAC Esports
Connecticut's CIAC-sanctioned varsity esports league, run with PlayVS, competes in titles like Rocket League, Super Smash Bros, and Mario Kart across fall/winter and spring seasons, culminating in state championship events.
📍 Member high schools statewide; 2026 championship at Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
CICER Summer High School Program in Business, Economics & Data Analytics
A two-week program on Cornell's Ithaca campus where high schoolers take foundation courses in behavioral and environmental economics or global strategy plus an elective in big data analytics or engineering economics, alongside two business competitions.
📍 Ithaca, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
CIEE
CIEE High School Summer Abroad
Summer abroad programs in 25+ countries with language and cultural focuses.
📍 Global⏱ 3-6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
California Interscholastic Federation / NASEF
CIF Esports Initiative
The official statewide scholastic esports league sanctioned by the CIF, with a nine-week regular season and in-person state finals across League of Legends, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Mario Kart 8.
📍 Online regular season; in-person State Finals in California📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Institute for Diplomacy Education and Advocacy
CIMUN (Chicago International Model United Nations)
Four-day advanced Model UN conference in downtown Chicago where high school delegates simulate international diplomacy through fully integrated crisis committees and a historical simulation set in 1989.
📍 Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, Chicago, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Atlanta Film Society
CineCamp ATL
CineCamp ATL is a two-week filmmaking intensive for rising 9th-12th graders that guides teams through script development, production, and editing to complete a short film screened publicly at the program's end.
📍 Atlanta Film Society offices, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Chicago International Film Festival / Cinema Chicago
CineYouth Film Festival
Annual festival showcasing films by filmmakers age 22 and under, featuring in-theater and online screenings, hands-on workshops, and live Q&As with industry professionals, with free public admission.
📍 FACETS, Chicago, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The CIRI Foundation
CIRI Foundation Raven Fund Jump Start Scholarship
Provides up to $2,000 per year to Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) shareholders and descendants who are concurrently enrolled in high school and college-level coursework, plus up to $500 annually for personal expenses.
📍 Statewide (CIRI Region, Southcentral Alaska)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Citadel
Citadel Cyber Summer Immersion Program (C2SI)
A summer cybersecurity immersion program for high school students at The Citadel in Charleston, introducing participants to cyber operations and security concepts through hands-on training.
📍 Charleston, SC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
Citizen Diplomat Academy
A free virtual exchange program for high schoolers ages 14-18 to meet peers from Philadelphia's Sister Cities (such as Tianjin, Frankfurt, and Kobe) and build cross-cultural understanding through live sessions and activities.
📍 Philadelphia, PA (virtual)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City College of New York / College Now
City College STEM Research Academy
Faculty-guided research pathway with projects that have included anthropology and stem-cell science.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
City of Milwaukee Common Council / City Clerk
City of Milwaukee Youth Council
A 17-member council of Milwaukee residents ages 14-18 that meets at City Hall on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, serves a one-year term and helps allocate Community Development Block Grant youth funding.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Wichita
City of Wichita Leadership Internship Program
High-school and college students can work with city departments on areas such as planning, courts, purchasing, administration, and other public-service functions. Positions may be paid or unpaid depending on placement.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Georgia
City Shapers: Architecture
Students tackle an architectural design challenge and create a final project while learning how professionals design buildings, interiors and human-scale spaces.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Georgia
City Shapers: Urban Design
Students investigate transportation, infrastructure, neighborhoods and planning policy before designing a solution to a real urban challenge.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NYC College of Technology / CUNY
City Tech STEM Research Academy
High-school students complete research preparation and summer projects in engineering technology, computer science, biology and chemical technology.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
City Year
City Year Young Heroes
Volunteer service-learning Saturdays for middle and high schoolers.
📍 Multiple📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
InsideOut Literary Arts
Citywide Poets (InsideOut Literary Arts)
Free weekly after-school creative writing workshop for Detroit-area high school students, held virtually and at eight school sites. Includes poetry slams, open mics, publication in an annual anthology, an audition-based Performance Troupe, a Youth Advisory Board, and a college scholarship for seniors.
📍 Detroit, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Northwestern CTD
Civic Leadership Institute
Service-learning summer program for civic-minded teens.
📍 Evanston, IL⏱ 3 weeks📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Civic Spirit
Civic Spirit Civics Day
National civics competition for middle and high school students from diverse religious schools.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 1 day📅 Spring🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
University of Nevada, Reno College of Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering Camp by J-U-B Engineers
Students work on civil and environmental engineering activities; UNR highlights hands-on work such as designing water filters to purify drinking water.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Civil Engineering Design
Introduces civil-engineering design and the built environment.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Westminster University Honors College
Civility Scholars High School Essay Contest
Non-partisan 600-word essay contest for Utah high school students on civil discourse in public life. The winner receives a $2,000 cash prize and finalists earn a $1,000 scholarship to Westminster University.
📍 Utah (statewide); Westminster University, Salt Lake City📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
The Trustees of Reservations
Claire Saltonstall Education Program (CSEP) Environmental Training Internship
A six-week, up to 20-hour-per-week internship on Martha's Vineyard rotating high school students through environmental education, stewardship management, shorebird monitoring, horticulture, and sustainable agriculture with Trustees conservation staff.
📍 Martha's Vineyard, MA📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Valley City State University
Clarinet Day
Clarinet students attend demonstrations, lessons, masterclasses, ensemble rehearsals and a university recital.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Clark Planetarium (Salt Lake County)
Clark Planetarium Youth Volunteer Program
Volunteer program for 16- and 17-year-olds who help with guest engagement, exhibit interpretation, STEAM demonstrations, public star parties and data collection. Requires a 4-hour-per-week commitment for a year, a 2-hour orientation and a $15 background check (fee waivers available).
📍 Clark Planetarium, Salt Lake City, UT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Clean Energy Internship Program — High School Vocational Track
Eligible Massachusetts vocational-technical high-school students can obtain paid internships with clean-energy and water-innovation employers during the academic year and summer.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
King County Wastewater Treatment Division and Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust
Clean Water Ambassadors High School Internship
A paid internship for a cohort of 12 high school students who learn about local environmental issues and clean water solutions, practice educating community members, take field trips and interview environmental professionals.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Clemson University
Clemson CAFLS Summer Program (SPECTRA)
A residential program for diverse students to explore agriculture and natural resource careers at Clemson.
📍 Clemson, SC⏱ 1 week📅 April 15🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Cleveland State University & Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Cleveland Tech Talent Pipeline
An NSF-funded initiative giving CMSD high schoolers computer science classes, after-school robotics clubs (FIRST FRC, VEX, LEGO), and paid summer IT/web-development internships at sites such as NASA Glenn Research Center and Cleveland Clinic.
📍 Cleveland, OH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Climate Resilience Camp
Students investigate climate change, resilience and environmental solutions through field and laboratory activities.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
California Coastal Commission
Climate Storytelling Contest
Middle- and high-school students communicate their experiences and feelings about climate change through a podcast, photo essay or personal narrative essay.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado Area Health Education Center / CU Anschutz
COAHEC HOPE Program
Colorado students participate in monthly statewide healthcare sessions on infectious disease, epidemiology, addiction medicine, behavioral health, nutrition and AI in healthcare. Completing three sessions can qualify students to apply for the HOPE Institute summer camp.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Louisiana State University
Coast and Environmental Sciences Camp
Students collect environmental samples in the field, analyze them in LSU laboratories, visit conservation/research sites, and examine issues including microplastics, pollution, hypoxia, and coastal ecosystems.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Auburn University
Coastal Fisheries Camp
Five-day marine-science program featuring field and laboratory work, water sampling, plankton studies, salt-marsh ecology, marine-species identification, and research-vessel experiences.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Georgia
Code and Cognition: The AI Lab
Students learn Python and machine-learning fundamentals and build a functioning AI project while examining ethical and social implications of AI.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Code Your Own Adventure
Students combine coding, digital design, game development and 3-D modeling in a weeklong technology camp.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Alaska Anchorage College of Engineering
Code, Create, and Computational Thinking
Students learn text-based JavaScript through p5.js while creating animations, digital art, interactive projects and simple games, with exposure to AI and computational thinking.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Code2College
Code2College Summer Program
Summer program for Texas students to gain technical skills and professional development.
📍 TX⏱ Various📅 February 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CodeDay
CodeDay Labs Fellowship
High school students are paired with industry mentors to build a real-world software project.
📍 Online⏱ 3 months📅 May 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Codeforces
Codeforces Educational Rounds
Free competitive programming platform with weekly contests for students worldwide.
📍 Online⏱ 2 hours📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
Code in the Schools
CodeWorks
A 5-week paid summer experience, run through Baltimore City's YouthWorks program, where city residents ages 14-21 explore game development, web development, Python, data science, cybersecurity, and digital forensics with no prior experience required.
📍 Baltimore, MD📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
Coding Bootcamp: Introduction to Python
High-school students learn introductory Python programming through a structured summer day program. The listed 2026 price was $550.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Coding with Emotions: The Science of Empathic AI
Students explore programming and artificial intelligence designed to recognize or interact with human emotions.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Coe College
Coe College Talented and Gifted (TAG) Summer Academy
Week-long advanced courses for motivated high school students taught by Coe College professors, combining classroom lectures with hands-on lab sessions and campus life in Cedar Rapids.
📍 Cedar Rapids, IA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Children's National Hospital
Colaco Scholar Program
One or two area high-school students spend about eight weeks in Children's National's clinical laboratory learning medical testing, shadowing pathologists/hematologists and participating in research projects.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washburn University Department of Music
Coleman Hawkins Summer Jazz Camp (Washburn University)
A week-long jazz camp for grades 7-12 emphasizing improvisation, small-group performance, and jazz theory, with master classes, faculty performances, and student jam sessions.
📍 Topeka, KS (Washburn University)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Meharry Medical College School of Applied Computational Sciences & Fisk University
Collaborative Interactive Data Science Academy
A free, NASA-funded residential week introducing high school students to robotics, data science, and immersive VR/AR/MR technologies, including programming a Sphero robot to simulate planetary orbits and building rubber-band-powered rovers.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Mississippi
College 101
Need-eligible students spend two residential weeks experiencing college classes and dorm life while exploring majors, financial aid, careers, ACT preparation, and college-application skills.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
QuestBridge
College Admissions Conferences (through College Prep Scholars Program)
Exclusive access to college admissions conferences as part of the College Prep Scholars Program.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
College Affordability Guide
College Affordability Guide
Provides clear, correct info and advice on the many options students have to reduce the cost of their degree, and to offer a fresh analysis of which colleges are doing the most to make high-quality education affordable.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
College Application Bootcamp
Students focus on the college-application process and preparation.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Salisbury University
College Career Readiness Academy
Students explore college pathways, careers, financial literacy, résumé development, interviews, and goal-setting during a week-long academy. The 2026 fee was $450.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Dakota University System
College Credit in High School — Early Entry & Dual Credit
North Dakota high-school students enroll in college courses through dual-credit or early-entry options, including online and classroom courses.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
ThreeSixty Journalism / University of St. Thomas
College Essay Workshop
Twin Cities students spend four days developing a polished college or scholarship essay through brainstorming, drafting, professional mentorship, and peer review. Tuition was fully covered in 2026 and completers received a stipend toward transportation and application fees.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Southern Nevada Writing Project (UNLV)
College Essay Writing Workshop
A one-day intensive workshop on the UNLV campus where students in grades 10-12 work through the full writing process -- generating ideas, drafting, receiving feedback, and revising -- to produce a polished college application essay.
📍 Las Vegas, NV (UNLV campus)📅 September🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
City University of New York / NYC Public Schools
College Now
Free dual-enrollment program allowing NYC high-school students to take CUNY courses and earn college credit before graduation.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Tufts University
College Prep 101
College Prep 101 helps high school students prepare for college.
📍 Tufts University📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
QuestBridge
College Prep Scholars Program
Get a head start to a top college as a high school junior with scholarships, awards, and resources designed to help you stand out in college admissions. Offers expert guidance, access to summer program scholarships, college admissions conferences, personalized support, and community.
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Delaware
College Readiness Scholars Institute (CRSI)
Multi-year college-access program beginning with an intensive summer session and continuing through the school year with academic seminars, admissions guidance and personal-development programming.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Colonial Williamsburg Public Archaeology Institute for High School Students
A week-long field program where rising 9th-12th graders work alongside Colonial Williamsburg archaeologists on excavation, site recording and interpretation, and finish by leading a site tour.
📍 Williamsburg, VA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado DECA
Colorado DECA
Career and technical student organization preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through chapter membership and competitive events.
📍 Chapters statewide; State Career Development Conference at The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Envirothon Colorado
Colorado Envirothon
A hands-on natural resource competition where high school teams test their knowledge in soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and a rotating current environmental issue.
📍 Colorado State University Spur Campus, Denver (state competition)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado FBLA
Colorado FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Career and technical student organization for business education, offering 76 competitive events, a Fall Leadership Conference, and a High School State Leadership Conference each April.
📍 Chapters statewide; 2027 HS State Leadership Conference in Aurora, CO📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Colorado FFA Association / National FFA Organization
Colorado FFA
Statewide agricultural education organization open to students with any interest area (not just farming), offering Career and Leadership Development Events, SAE projects, and a path to state officer positions.
📍 Chapters statewide; state officer team based at CSU Spur-Vida, Denver📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Colorado Bar Association
Colorado High School Mock Trial
Statewide mock trial program in which high school teams learn about the judicial system and argue an official case problem through regional and state tournaments, with attorneys, judges, and teachers volunteering as coaches and scorers.
📍 Regional sites and state tournament, Colorado📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Colorado HOSA
Colorado HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
Student-led career and technical student organization for future health professionals, offering competitive events, leadership conferences, Camp Ignite, and state officer positions.
📍 Chapters statewide; 2027 State Leadership Conference at Gaylord Rockies, Aurora📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Colorado Model United Nations
Colorado Model UN
A statewide consortium in which Colorado high schools host and attend Model UN conferences from September through April, with students serving as delegates, chairs, and background-guide writers.
📍 Host high school and university campuses statewide📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Colorado State Chess Association
Colorado Scholastic Chess League
A ten-week online scholastic chess league on Chess.com for Colorado K-12 students (including homeschoolers), with a separate high school (9-12) division and weekly Thursday matches.
📍 Online (Chess.com)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines REACH
Engineering immersion at Mines. Scholarships for Colorado students from underrepresented backgrounds.
📍 CO⏱ 1 week (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Colorado State University / Colorado State Science Fair
Colorado Science & Engineering Fair
Students qualifying through one of Colorado's regional fairs present original research at the statewide science and engineering fair in categories ranging from chemistry and biomedical science to physics, computer science, and engineering.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NASA Colorado Space Grant Consortium / CU Boulder College of Engineering
Colorado Space Grant Consortium - Academic Partner Programs
NASA-affiliated statewide consortium offering high schools free participation in programs like the Colorado Robotics Challenge, DemoSat, Wearables Quest, and CARMA Quest through Academic Partner status.
📍 University of Colorado Boulder (hub); 21 partner institutions statewide📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CO/WY Academic Decathlon
Colorado/Wyoming Academic Decathlon
High-school teams study and compete across multidisciplinary academic subjects in the Colorado Academic Decathlon pathway.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Columbia Climate School (hosted at Vermont State University Castleton)
Columbia Climate School in the Green Mountains
A two-week residential pre-college program in Vermont where students work with Columbia faculty and researchers on climate science and solutions and climate leadership projects.
📍 Castleton, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Columbia University
Columbia Junior Science Journal
Peer-reviewed high-school-authored science journal at Columbia.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Annual (opens July, closes October)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Columbia International Relations Council and Association (CIRCA)
Columbia Model United Nations Conference and Exposition (CMUNCE)
A crisis-focused Model UN conference on Columbia's Morningside Heights campus where roughly 900 high school delegates debate international affairs across general assembly, specialized, and crisis committees.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
CSPA
Columbia Scholastic Press Association Awards
Top awards recognizing student newspapers, magazines, and yearbooks.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Columbia University
Columbia Science Honors Program
Free Saturday science program for NYC-area HS students, taught by Columbia faculty.
📍 New York, NY⏱ Year-long📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Columbia University
Columbia Summer Immersion
Three-week pre-college sessions in NYC across 80+ subjects.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 3 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Arizona State University School of Art
Comics and Storyboards Camp
Students create original comics, anime, manga, characters, storyboards, figures, poses, and visual narratives while learning illustration techniques.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey
Comics Camp
Explores comics history and theory while students write, illustrate and develop original comics.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Cyber Range (Virginia Tech)
Commonwealth Cyber Cup (Virginia High School Capture the Flag Competition)
Virginia's statewide high school cybersecurity capture-the-flag competition in which teachers sign up student teams to compete in a practice round and an in-person final round to be named the best team in the state.
📍 Virginia (final round at Germanna Community College, Culpeper)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Marquette University Diederich College of Communication
Communicating the Story of You (Marquette Pre-College Workshop)
A two-day on-campus pre-college workshop where high school students use storytelling to explore communication careers, with multimedia storytelling, photovoice and daily trips to local newsrooms and agencies.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Duke Summer Session
Commuter Courses (High School)
High school students living in the local area can commute to Duke's campus to take courses for college credit during the summer.
📍 Durham, NC📅 June🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Compassionate Communities: Mental Health Training Program
High-school students receive mental-health awareness training and Teen Mental Health First Aid instruction designed to help them recognize and respond appropriately to signs of mental-health or substance-use challenges among peers.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI)
Composition Fundamentals & Electroacoustic Composition Workshops
Two-week intensive workshops for high school composers at the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home: Composition Fundamentals introduces Western musical notation and composition technique, while the Electroacoustic Composition Workshop teaches recording, synthesis, and DAW-based sound manipulation in surround-sound studios.
📍 Lenox, MA (Tanglewood)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Carnegie Mellon University
Computational Biology
Pre-College Computational Biology program at Carnegie Mellon University.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
miRcore
Computational Biology Research Camp
Students use real scientific data and professional research tools to explore disease-related computational biology questions in small research groups. In-person and virtual formats are available.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Computational Materials Chemistry
High-school students explore materials chemistry using computational approaches.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Kentucky STEM Experiences
Computer Science Camp for High School Students
Incoming grades 9–12 receive hands-on programming experience using sensors and conditional-loop sequences, with activities designed to be accessible without advanced programming experience.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NC State University (CEREAL Lab)
Computer Science High School Internship Program
A four-week, in-person paid internship in which high schoolers complete a computing boot-camp in block-based programming and generative AI, then help design CS-infused K-12 curricula and mentor middle school teachers.
📍 Raleigh, NC📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Central Florida
Computer Science Summer Institute
Three-week intensive covering Python, game development, object-oriented programming or competitive-programming fundamentals depending on student level.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Carleton College Summer Liberal Arts Institute
Computer Science: Computer Vision, Web Development, Computer Organization
Students explore computer vision, web development, and computer organization through rigorous collaborative coursework, research, and a final symposium.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Concordia College
Concordia Language Villages
Immersive summer language villages in 15+ world languages for ages 7-18.
📍 Bemidji, MN⏱ 1-4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 7–12
Highly Selective
George Mason University Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution Youth Summit
A four-day, overnight summit for rising 10th-12th graders to explore global conflicts, social justice and peacebuilding through simulations, workshops, facilitated discussion and a Washington, D.C. visit, with an optional college credit.
📍 Fairfax, VA (George Mason University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
US House of Representatives
Congressional App Challenge
District-level coding competition open to every US high schooler.
📍 All US districts⏱ Self-paced📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Office of Congressman Jared Golden
Congressional App Challenge - Maine's 2nd District
An annual nationwide coding competition, open to middle and high school students residing in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, who design an original app for desktop, web, mobile, or other devices in any programming language.
📍 Maine's 2nd Congressional District📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
US House
Congressional Art Competition
Nationwide art contest with winning art displayed in the US Capitol.
📍 Multiple states⏱ Annual📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Congressional Award Foundation
Congressional Award
Award for ages 14-23 earning bronze/silver/gold for service, fitness, expedition, and personal development.
📍 United States⏱ 6-24 months📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
U.S. House of Representatives Members
Congressional District Office Internship
High school students can intern in their local district offices to learn about constituent services and local policy.
📍 Local Districts⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Minnesota MnCAV Ecosystem
Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) Camp
Students explore self-driving vehicles, drones, teleoperations, programming, and transportation technology, including building and programming an automated electric skateboard. The camp is free and lunch is provided.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Connecticut Children's Medical Center
Connecticut Children's Teen Volunteer Program
A hospital volunteer program for teens 15 and older who commit to weekly shifts assisting with clerical work, hospitality, play activities, and pet therapy support, with a dedicated summer track running late June through August.
📍 Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut Debate Association (CDA)
Connecticut Debate Association
Connecticut's statewide high school debate league runs a season of monthly tournaments in college parliamentary format, culminating in State Finals open only to debaters who qualified through earlier league competition.
📍 Tournaments hosted at member high schools statewide📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
DECA Inc. / Connecticut DECA
Connecticut DECA
Connecticut's chartered DECA association serves 58 chapters and over 2,500 student and adviser members statewide, running state and regional conferences and competitive events in marketing, management, finance, and entrepreneurship that feed into the International Career Development Conference.
📍 Statewide (58 CT high school chapters)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut's Conservation Districts
Connecticut Envirothon
A team-based environmental science competition for Connecticut high schoolers covering soils, aquatics, wildlife, forestry, and a rotating current-issue scenario, with the state-winning team earning a paid trip to the national NCF-Envirothon.
📍 Statewide, with training workshops (e.g., at UConn) and a spring field-day competition📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CT FBLA
Connecticut FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Connecticut's chapter of the national business student organization, running a Fall Leadership Conference and a Spring Leadership Conference with competitive business events, officer elections, and networking workshops for local chapters statewide.
📍 Berlin, CT (state office); chapters and conferences statewide📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National FFA Organization / Connecticut Agricultural Science and Technology Education
Connecticut FFA
Connecticut's state FFA association pairs classroom agricultural science instruction with supervised agricultural experience and leadership development, offering Career Development Event and Leadership Development Event competitions plus an annual state convention.
📍 Statewide (chapters at CT agricultural science high school programs)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut Bar Association
Connecticut High School Mock Trial Competition
The CBA's statewide mock trial program runs regional trials in Connecticut courthouses each winter, advancing teams through a playoff tournament to a state championship round held before the Connecticut Supreme Court, with the winner representing the state at nationals.
📍 Courthouses statewide; state finals before the CT Supreme Court📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Connecticut Democracy Center / National History Day affiliate
Connecticut History Day
An affiliate of National History Day, Connecticut History Day engages thousands of middle and high school students in original historical research presented as exhibits, documentaries, websites, papers, or performances at regional and state contests, with top finishers advancing to the national contest.
📍 Regional contests in Fairfield, Storrs/Mansfield, New Haven, Norwich, and Torrington; state contest in Hartford📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CT HOSA
Connecticut HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
Connecticut's HOSA affiliate holds Fall and Spring State Leadership Conferences where high school health-science students compete in 25+ events such as Biomedical Debate, EMT, and Medical Innovation, with winners advancing toward the International Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide (health science program chapters); conferences held each March📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut Invention Convention / NextMinds
Connecticut Invention Convention
Students design inventions addressing real problems and advance through school, independent or community pathways to Connecticut's statewide invention competition.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut Restaurant & Hospitality Association / CT Hospitality Educational Foundation
Connecticut ProStart Invitational
Connecticut's statewide culinary and restaurant-management competition for ProStart high school students, who prepare a three-course meal in 60 minutes on two butane burners (Culinary track) or pitch a restaurant concept to industry judges (Management track), competing for college scholarships.
📍 Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut State Chess Association
Connecticut Scholastic Chess Championships
The state's annual scholastic chess championship includes a dedicated high school (grades 9-12) division playing a 4-round Swiss tournament, with the Connecticut champion and runner-up earning nominee/alternate status for the USCF National Invitationals.
📍 Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Connecticut STEM Foundation
Connecticut STEM Fair
Students submit completed scientific research or research proposals in health, physical, environmental and behavioral-science categories and defend their work live before judges.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Conrad Foundation
Conrad Challenge
International innovation and entrepreneurship competition addressing global grand challenges.
📍 USA finals + global teams📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Student Conservation Association
Conservation Corps
Conservation crews for youth and young adults.
📍 Various US locations📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
Conservation Discovery Corps
Year-long teen volunteer program combining field-conservation research, zoological career exploration and public conservation education.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Zoo
Conservation Youth Team (Virginia Zoo)
A high school volunteer and youth development program for teens ages 13-17 who interpret exhibits for guests or mentor Safari Camp campers after a training week, with about 150 summer hours and fall or spring weekend shifts.
📍 Norfolk, VA📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy, University of Missouri
Constitutional Democracy Academy
Rising juniors and seniors spend a week studying constitutional history, political thought, the Supreme Court, federalism and related topics through discussion seminars and field trips. Only a $100 deposit is charged; housing, meals and program expenses are otherwise covered.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Northern Kentucky University CINSAM
Cooking with Chemistry Jr. Academy
Students investigate the chemistry behind cooking and baking in a chemistry laboratory and then apply those concepts through hands-on food experiments. High-school eligibility extends through rising grade 10.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation
Coolidge Connecticut Open
High-school students compete in four rounds of structured debate, with undefeated varsity competitors earning invitations to the national Coolidge Cup.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation
Coolidge Scholarship
The Coolidge Scholarship is an annually awarded, full-ride, presidential scholarship that covers a student’s tuition, room, board, and expenses for four years of undergraduate study. This one-of-a-kind scholarship may be used at any accredited college or university in the U.S.
📍 Any accredited college or university in the U.S.📅 Not yet announced — officially listed as TBD on the Coolidge Scholars' own site🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Coolidge Scholars Foundation
Coolidge Senators Program
Fully-funded public policy program at the Coolidge Foundation in Vermont.
📍 VT (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 1 week (summer)📅 January🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Cornell University
Cornell School of Continuing Education Pre-College
Three or six-week pre-college programs in hundreds of subjects on campus or online.
📍 Ithaca, NY⏱ 3-6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Cornell University
Cornell Summer College Business
Three-week pre-college program in hotel admin, business, marketing.
📍 Ithaca, NY⏱ 3 weeks📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Cornell Tech
Cornell Tech Summer Innovation Intensives
A three-week, non-residential summer program on Cornell Tech's Roosevelt Island campus where high schoolers build an AI-powered product while learning ethical coding, data science, and product innovation from Cornell Tech faculty.
📍 New York, NY (Cornell Tech, Roosevelt Island)📅 Winter🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of California
COSMOS
UC residential STEM program. Need-based fee waivers cover full cost for qualifying families.
📍 CA⏱ 4 weeks (summer)📅 Early February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of California
COSMOS (California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science)
A four-week residential summer STEM program for high-achieving students completing grades 8-12, held across six UC campuses with hands-on faculty-led research clusters.
📍 Six UC campuses statewide: Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, San Diego, Santa Cruz📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Eastern Oregon University
Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute
A week-long residential field-studies program in the Wallowa Canyon region where students in grades 9-12 choose from five courses exploring locally significant cultural and natural resources alongside EOU faculty and regional professionals.
📍 Cove, OR (Eastern Oregon University's Cottonwood Crossing property)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Helena-West Helena School District
Cougar Next Level Scholars Institute
Advanced interdisciplinary program combining research, STEM, literature, leadership, civic innovation, seminars and innovation labs around real-world problems.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington State University School of Music
Cougar Summer Music Camp (WSU)
A one-week summer music camp at WSU for instrumental, voice and piano students with band, orchestra, choir, jazz and musical theater ensembles, private lessons, masterclasses and a final concert.
📍 Pullman, WA📅 June🎓 Grades 8–12
Moderate
Detroit Zoo
Counselor in Training — Safari Camp
Teens ages 15–17 mentor younger Safari Camp participants while developing leadership, education, and camp-counseling skills. Applications for summer 2027 open in March 2027.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brown Pre-College
Course-Based Research Experiences (CRE)
Propose, design, and conduct your own research project, working on topics and seeking answers to questions that are currently unknown to the specific discipline.
📍 On Campus or Online📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Court of Chancery
Court of Chancery Legal Art Contest
Students interpret a legal theme through an essay, poem, visual artwork or musical composition. The 2026 theme was "Equity: What Does it Mean to You?"
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oklahoma State University
Cowboy Music Camp — High School
Intensive band, strings and piano camp for school musicians.
📍 OK🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
University of Wyoming Department of Music
Cowboys, Sing On!
An annual UW choral festival open to students in grades 7-12 regardless of voice type or school, who sing with UW choirs and perform on stage.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Morehead State University
Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics
Kentucky sophomores apply to spend their final two high-school years living at Morehead State and taking university STEM coursework for dual credit. Tuition, housing, and the standard meal plan are provided at no cost, though students may have textbook and personal expenses.
📍 KY🎓 Grade 10
Highly Selective
Kean University Galleries
CREATE at the Galleries
Pre-college art program featuring studio work, gallery experiences, sustainable materials, sculpture/drawing and portfolio/exhibition development.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Create Your College Portfolio
Students work on materials and skills useful for building a college application portfolio.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Creating Dynamic Music Performances: Developing Your Unique Artist Identity
Students develop performance skills and their individual artistic identity.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Creation Crates
Students receive an at-home engineering kit and meet online with Rose-Hulman faculty to design, construct, test, and analyze experimental apparatus.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Jackson State University Margaret Walker Center
Creative Arts & Scholarly Engagement (CASE) Festival
High-school students submit and present essays, poetry, spoken word, fiction, performing arts, or visual art before audiences of students and professors during this annual interdisciplinary festival.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington University in St. Louis Pre-College Programs
Creative Immersion Institute
Two-week residential institute built around intensive creative, college-level work in small classes, combined with college-readiness and academic enrichment. The 2026 fee was $3,985 and need-based scholarships are available.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Temple University
Creative Scholars
Year-long full-scholarship Saturday art/design program for Philadelphia students with financial need.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Selective
Loyola University New Orleans College of Music and Media
Creative Summer Experience
High-school students choose intensive creative tracks while gaining hands-on experience in areas such as graphic design, motion design, photography, book arts, game design, film, theatre, and music. Need-based scholarships are available.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNT College of Visual Arts and Design
Creative U Pre-College Art & Design Summer Experience
Week-long pre-college sessions at the UNT Art Building covering graphic design, metalsmithing, printmaking, book arts, papermaking, illustration, interior design, sculpture and photography. No prior artmaking or design experience is required.
📍 Denton, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Creative Writing
Online college-level creative-writing program offered across all three 2026 sessions.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Jacksonville State University
Creative Writing — Gamecock Arts & Sciences Program
Participants work on creative-writing forms that include poetry, fiction, play or screen writing, and story development.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SC Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities
Creative Writing — Residential High School
Two-year residential arts high school, creative writing discipline.
📍 SC🎓 Grade 10
Selective
NYU School of Professional Studies
Creative Writing (High School Academy)
A one-week intensive course in which students who have completed grades 9-11 develop fiction-writing technique, covering story structure, character development, dialogue, and description, culminating in a peer-reviewed portfolio.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
University of Mississippi, Center for Writing and Rhetoric
Creative Writing (Pre-College Program)
A one-week residential or commuter workshop where rising 9th-12th graders read and write across genres -- short stories, travel blogs, literature reviews, autobiographies, and plays -- while exploring Mississippi's literary heritage and sharing work with peers daily.
📍 University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Georgia
Creative Writing 2: Topics in Creative Writing
Students submit fiction, poetry or other literary work and receive professional-author critique, peer workshops and revision time leading to a class anthology.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Dakota State University Department of English
Creative Writing Camp
Students develop fiction, poetry, nonfiction, screenwriting, songwriting and other creative work with university writers and instructors.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Auburn University
Creative Writing Studio
Students develop fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction through writing workshops, feedback, portfolio development, and exposure to literary publishing.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Interlochen Arts Camp
Creative Writing Summer Camp
A three-week intensive workshop for high schoolers in two chosen genres among fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, or poetry, including roundtable workshops, faculty readings, and a culminating print anthology and reading showcase.
📍 Interlochen, MI📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Smith College
Creative Writing Workshop
Students spend two weeks developing creative writing through an iterative workshop process across multiple forms and genres.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Columbia University Summer Immersion
Creative Writing: Introductory Workshop
A three-week workshop within Columbia's Summer Immersion program in which high schoolers write and revise free verse poetry, short prose, drama, fiction, and creative nonfiction into a final portfolio.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Georgia
Creative Writing: Plot and Structure
Students develop story ideas, scenes, dialogue and narrative structure through workshops, peer critique and dedicated writing time.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa State University College of Design
Creators of Tomorrow
Students interested in art, planning, and design complete a hands-on multidisciplinary project, interact with design professionals and current students, tour campus, and receive college and financial-aid guidance. The one-day program is free and offered in spring and fall.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Washington University in St. Louis Cancer Research Club
CRISPr — Cancer Research Inspiring Future Scientists Program
Nine-week cancer-research internship pairing high-school students with WashU biomedical research labs for roughly 40 hours/week, plus workshops and a final symposium. Participants receive a $4,800 stipend.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Crystal Bridges Teen Summer Volunteer Program
High school students in grades 9-12 can join one of three summer teen volunteer tracks - Grounds Crew, Youth & Family Art Crew, or the Junior Instructor Program - developing leadership and communication skills while earning service hours.
📍 Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Code.org
CS Principles from Code.org
High-quality AP Computer Science preparation and advanced CS courses.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Carnegie Mellon University
CS Scholars
Pre-College CS Scholars program at Carnegie Mellon University.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Colorado School of Mines
CS@Mines Cyber Camp — Exploring IoT: Data Security and Privacy
Two-day camp covering IoT security, privacy, networking, data analysis, cyberattacks and AI-based defensive techniques through hands-on activities.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado School of Mines Department of Computer Science
CS@Mines High School Research Internship
High-school students join Mines faculty research groups in areas such as AI, robotics, cybersecurity, and computing. Remote and in-person placements can be available.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Harvard University / edX
CS50: Introduction to Computer Science
Harvard's world-famous introduction to computer science. While self-paced on edX, it offers a certificate and a deep dive into programming.
📍 Online⏱ 12 weeks📅 Self-paced🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Harvard / edX
CS50: Introduction to Computer Science
Introduction to computer science from Harvard University available for high schoolers.
📍 Online⏱ 12 weeks📅 Self-paced — no fixed deadline🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Columbia Scholastic Press Association
CSPA Spring Convention
A three-day national scholastic journalism convention at Columbia University offering 250+ sessions on newspaper, yearbook, magazine, online media, and broadcast journalism for student editors and advisers, plus an on-site critique service and the Crown Awards.
📍 New York, NY📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience
CTAHR Summer Research Institute
Eight-week program where students conduct original faculty-mentored laboratory, field or library research addressing food systems, sustainability, community resilience and related problems, then present at a research symposium.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Northern Arizona University ¡MIRA!
Cultural and Academic Research Experience (CARE)
High-school students conduct hands-on STEMM research with mentors while receiving college-preparation training. In-person participants can receive housing, meals, and a stipend up to $4,500; a virtual research track is also offered.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
CURE (Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences) Summer Internship
A full-time, paid 7-11 week summer research internship for Massachusetts high school and undergraduate students, offering mentored cancer research projects in basic, nursing, clinical, and population science at DF/HCC institutions.
📍 Boston, MA📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Curieux
Curieux Academic Journal
Monthly student-run academic journal publishing research by high schoolers worldwide.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Summer Organ Intensive
A week-long intensive for exceptional high school organ students featuring daily instruction in repertoire, improvisation, harpsichord, and conducting with Curtis faculty, plus visits to Longwood Gardens and local organ sites.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Central Washington University High School Partnerships
CWU College in the High School
Students in grades 9-12 take CWU university courses taught by approved high school teachers on their own high school campus and earn transferable CWU credit on an official transcript.
📍 Partner high schools across Washington State📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Dakota State University
Cyber Camp for High Schoolers
A week-long residential cybersecurity camp for students entering grades 10-12, covering digital forensics, cryptography, programming in C and Python, privacy, and cyber awareness, taught by DSU faculty, alumni, students, and industry professionals with no prior experience required.
📍 Madison, SD📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
CyberWyoming Alliance / Wyoming State Library
Cyber-in-a-Box School Video Challenge
An annual school video challenge where teams of up to five students in grades 6-12 script, film and edit a short video; the 2026-2027 topic is Exploring AI and Data Privacy. Teams receive $50-$100 for equipment (or pizza) plus prizes.
📍 Wyoming (school-based teams)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Cyber.org
Cyber.org Range Competitions
Free cybersecurity courses, range exercises, and competitions for K-12.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
University of Mary
CyberConnect CTF
Four-person high-school teams solve cybersecurity challenges in a capture-the-flag competition for cash prizes.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho National Laboratory
CyberCore Camp
High-school students complete hands-on cybersecurity and computing activities connected to INL's national-security and cyber research. Free INL STEM Scholars camp for grades 9-12; the 2026 sessions (June 15-18 and June 22-25) have passed and registration is closed. Check INL's STEM Scholars page for 2027.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CyberPatriot
CyberPatriot
A cybersecurity competition for high school teams to learn and apply cybersecurity skills in a virtual environment. Teams compete to find and fix vulnerabilities in simulated operating systems.
📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Air & Space Forces Association
CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense
National youth cybersecurity competition with middle and high school divisions.
📍 United States⏱ Year-long📅 Fall🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
Louisiana State University Pre-College Programs
Cybersecurity
Students study phishing, networks, cryptography, cyber threats, and defensive cybersecurity during a two-week high-school program.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Cybersecurity — Advanced
Advanced cybersecurity track requiring prior AP computer-science-level preparation.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Cybersecurity — Beginner
Introductory cybersecurity experience for students without advanced prerequisites.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Cybersecurity Explorers Saturday Camp
Hands-on Saturday sessions cover phishing, passwords, coding, cryptography, Linux, digital forensics and cybersecurity problem solving, with no prior experience required. The current page lists October 10 and 17 sessions.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Gallatin College Montana State University
Cybersecurity Summer Initiative Camp
Free summer cybersecurity camp where students explore networks, files, cyber hygiene and security through hands-on activities and a concluding challenge. The program includes high-school students within its grades 6–12 range.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Cleveland Clinic
CYCE High School Summer Internship Program
Seven-week paid internship across clinical, nonclinical and advanced-technology tracks including medicine, laboratory science, pharmacy, AI, data science, IT, finance and healthcare administration.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Minot State University
Dakota Chamber Music — 7th–12th Grade Program
Young musicians receive intensive chamber-music coaching, rehearsals and performances in a residential summer program.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Dakota Zoo
Dakota Zoo Crew
Teen volunteers serve as camp mentors, conservation educators and junior zookeepers while completing structured zoo service.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Dallas Public Library
Dallas Youth Poet Laureate
A one-year laureate position for poets ages 15-20 who live in or attend school in Dallas, chosen through the Express Yourself! Youth Poetry Competition. The laureate receives a $1,000 scholarship and gives public readings.
📍 Dallas, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
SC Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities
Dance — Residential High School
Two-year residential arts high school, dance discipline.
📍 SC🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts Department of Dance
Dance Summer Intensive for Emerging Dancers
A four-day intensive for dancers ages 14 and up with four technique classes a day, college-audition preparation and mentorship from UWM dance faculty and MFA students, ending in a showcase.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maine Community Foundation
Daniel Cardillo Charitable Fund
Maine young people needing financial assistance can receive support to pursue meaningful artistic, academic, athletic, vocational, or experiential opportunities outside traditional school.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program
DAPCEP (Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program)
Detroit nonprofit offering Saturday classes during the school year and summer camps on college campuses across Southeastern Michigan for elementary through high school students, covering engineering, robotics, coding, AI, renewable energy and drone certification. Participation carries a fee, with a financial aid form available; register through the online portal.
📍 Detroit, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Jersey Department of Education
Dare to Dream Student Leadership Conferences
Seven regional conferences for middle- and high-school students with disabilities featuring student-led workshops on self-advocacy, leadership, IEP participation, college and workplace rights. Attendance is free.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth Precollege Leadership Institute
Intensive leadership program combining Dartmouth seminars on policy, institutions, social change and leadership with immersive outdoor leadership experiences in New Hampshire's White Mountains.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars
Students ages 15–18 take intensive college-level courses taught primarily by Dartmouth affiliates across business, engineering, medicine, humanities and sciences, with residential, commuter and hybrid options.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Delaware AeroSpace Education Foundation (DASEF)
DASEF Aerospace Academy
Hands-on STEM academies integrating aerospace, earth science, and space education for students in grades 2-10, offered as full-day and overnight summer sessions.
📍 The Outpost & Delaware Discovery Center, Delaware📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Data Analytics Workshop
Students explore data analysis and analytical methods in an online college-level program.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Lewis & Clark College
Data in Action: Sustainability, Science, and Storytelling
A six-day residential precollege program where high schoolers use environmental datasets to build interactive data stories, learning data wrangling and ethical data visualization to advocate for a sustainable future.
📍 Portland, OR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Data Science Academy
On-campus academy focused on data science principles and applications.
📍 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
Data Science Basics
Students receive an online introduction to core data-science concepts and methods. The 2026 virtual program was listed at $350.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Data Science Competition
A global competition for high school students centered around data science challenges.
📍 Remote📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Quinnipiac University
Data Sciences Lab
Students explore how data are collected, analyzed and interpreted through hands-on data-science activities and university-level applications.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of the District of Columbia
Data STEAAM Summer Camp
Six-week business-intelligence and research program where DC students use data analytics to study agriculture, energy, architecture and public-policy problems while working in university labs and research farms.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Davidson Institute
Davidson Fellows
Scholarships of USD 10K, 25K, and 50K for students under 18 with significant work in STEM, literature, music, or philosophy.
📍 Online application⏱ Project-based📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Davidson College
Davidson Summer Promise Program
Free residential college-access program that begins before ninth grade and brings participants back to Davidson for annual summer enrichment through high school.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Career and Technical Education DC / FBLA-PBL
DC FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
The high-school division of Future Business Leaders of America, giving DC students in business CTE programs access to leadership development, business competitions, and local-to-national networking and travel.
📍 Washington, DC (chapters at Friendship Collegiate PCS, Jackson-Reed HS, and other DC high schools)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Career and Technical Education DC / HOSA
DC HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
A CTSO for DC students in health science and biomedical programs, offering competitive events, health career exploration, and leadership conferences that build toward the international HOSA conference.
📍 Washington, DC (chapters at McKinley Technology, Coolidge, Jackson-Reed, and other DC high schools)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
DC DOES
DC Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment
Free paid summer jobs for DC youth 14-24. Wide range of placements.
📍 Washington, DC⏱ 6 weeks📅 Feb-Mar🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
DC Chess Association
DC Scholastic Chess Championship
The DC Chess Association's rated, US Chess-sanctioned state championship tournament for DC resident students in grades 6-12, with Barber and Denker national nominations awarded to top finishers.
📍 Washington, DC (DC Chess Association, 1100 13th Street NW)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Career and Technical Education DC / SkillsUSA
DC SkillsUSA
A partnership of DC students, CTE teachers, and industry professionals building workplace and technical skills through competitions in trades and technical occupations, from culinary arts to audio/radio production.
📍 Washington, DC (chapters at Roosevelt, Coolidge, Anacostia, Ballou, and other DC high schools)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
DC STEM Fair
DC students present original STEM research at the District's official science and engineering fair. High-school overall winners and runners-up can advance toward Regeneron ISEF.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Career and Technical Education DC / TSA
DC TSA (Technology Student Association)
A STEM-focused CTSO for DC students at chapters including Cardozo and H.D. Woodson high schools, running competitive events in areas like technical design, debating tech issues, and extemporaneous speech.
📍 Washington, DC (chapters at Cardozo and H.D. Woodson high schools)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Jersey Department of Children and Families
DCF Youth Council
Youth ages 15–23 with current or past DCF involvement serve two-year terms, helping redesign programs, influence policy and present recommendations directly to state leadership. Recruitment for the 2026–27 term is active.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
deadCenter Film / Oklahoma City Community College
deadCenter University + OCCC Youth Camp
A week-long hands-on filmmaking camp for Oklahoma high school students, taking on real film-crew roles (lighting, sound, cinematography, VFX) to produce a narrative short film from pre-production through post, which premieres at the deadCenter Film Festival.
📍 Oklahoma City, OK (OCCC)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wake Forest University Pre-College Programs
Debate and Public Advocacy Institute
A week-long residential institute for grades 9-12 covering argument fundamentals, rhetoric, and legal reasoning, with student-led debates and guest speakers from politics, business, and advertising.
📍 Winston-Salem, NC (Wake Forest Reynolda Campus)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Debate Mate
Debate Mate
After-school debate mentoring by university student coaches, delivered to state schools across the UK and now internationally; free for participating schools.
📍 UK + Global partner schools⏱ School-year program📅 School enrolment: fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
DECA Inc.
DECA Competitive Events (ICDC)
One of the world's largest business competitions for students to demonstrate their professionalism in multiple event categories.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Year-long📅 January 10🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
DECA
DECA International Career Development Conference
Largest international business competition for high school students in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.
📍 Rotating (US)⏱ 1 week📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Decision for Dentistry
Three-phase program for 45 NJ high-school students featuring dental impressions, clinical observation, mentorship and an admissions symposium. The 2026–27 program dates are already scheduled.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado School of Mines
DECTech Intern
High-school interns assist Mines outreach programs and help deliver computing and technology activities for younger K–8 students.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National High School Ethics Bowl (NHSEB) / Center for Practical Ethics, University of Mississippi
Deep South Regional High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl hosted at the University of Mississippi, where student teams analyze and defend positions on real-world ethical case studies without being assigned opposing sides.
📍 Oxford, MS📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, 4-H Youth Development
Delaware 4-H State Teen Council
Leadership program in which Delaware 4-H members age 13 and older serve as program ambassadors, plan community service and philanthropic activities, and lead the annual State Teen Conference.
📍 University of Delaware, Newark, DE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Department of Education
Delaware ArcGIS StoryMap Competition
Students use maps, data, images and narrative to investigate a real issue. The 2026 high-school theme focused on sustainability challenges in students' communities.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware DECA
Delaware DECA
State association of DECA preparing high school students in marketing, business, finance, and hospitality pathways for competitive events and leadership conferences.
📍 Statewide (Delaware)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Envirothon / New Castle Conservation District
Delaware Envirothon
Statewide environmental problem-solving competition for high school teams of five, testing knowledge of aquatic ecology, soils, forestry, wildlife, and current environmental issues through hands-on stations and an oral presentation.
📍 Delaware (rotating host site)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
Delaware FCCLA
State chapter of FCCLA offering leadership conferences and competitive events in family and consumer sciences for Delaware middle and high school students.
📍 Statewide (Delaware)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware FFA Association / Delaware Department of Education
Delaware FFA Association
Statewide agricultural education organization for middle and high school students, offering Career Development Events, leadership conferences, and participation at the Delaware State Fair.
📍 Statewide (Delaware)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State of Delaware / University of Delaware
Delaware Governor's School for Excellence
Highly selective residential program with academic and visual/performing-arts tracks. Students study subjects including humanities, government, science, economics and the arts with UD faculty.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Delaware Law Related Education Center / Delaware Judiciary
Delaware High School Mock Trial Competition
Statewide competition where student teams argue a case as attorneys and witnesses before real judges and scoring juries over two days at Wilmington's Leonard L. Williams Justice Center.
📍 Leonard L. Williams Justice Center, Wilmington, DE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Historical Society
Delaware History Day
Year-long historical research and creative expression program for students in grades 6-12, culminating in a statewide competition judged on research quality, theme connection, and presentation.
📍 Delaware Historical Society, Wilmington, DE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware HOSA
Delaware HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
State chapter of HOSA-Future Health Professionals, offering competitive events, community service, and leadership development for students pursuing healthcare careers.
📍 Statewide (Delaware)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Press Association
Delaware Press Association High School Communications Contest
Annual statewide journalism and communications contest for Delaware student writers, photographers, and media makers, with first-place winners advancing to a national competition.
📍 Delaware📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Restaurant Association / Delaware Restaurant Foundation
Delaware ProStart Invitational
The state's premier secondary school competition in culinary arts and restaurant management, where Delaware ProStart student teams compete for scholarships and a spot at the National ProStart Invitational.
📍 Delaware📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
PlayVS / Delaware Department of Education, in partnership with NFHS Network
Delaware Scholastic Esports League
Officially sanctioned high school esports league where Delaware teams compete in titles such as Rocket League, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart, Overwatch, and Valorant.
📍 Delaware (statewide, online competition)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SkillsUSA Delaware
Delaware SkillsUSA
State association of SkillsUSA, a career and technical student organization offering skills competitions and leadership conferences for students in trades, technical, and health science pathways.
📍 Statewide (Delaware)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Chess Association / US Chess Federation
Delaware State Scholastic Chess Championship
Annual K-12 state chess championship with a dedicated high school section for grades 9-12, featuring five rounds of rated play and team trophies for top schools.
📍 Bellevue Community Center, Wilmington, DE📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Delaware State University
Delaware State University Dual Enrollment / Early Bird Program
Program allowing Delaware high schoolers to earn college credit through Hornets Fast Track courses taught at their high school or DSU campus-based courses delivered via Zoom, alongside near-peer mentoring support.
📍 Delaware State University, Dover, DE📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Delaware Technical Community College
Delaware Tech Youth Summer Camps
Summer camps and pre-college activities at Delaware Tech's Dover, Georgetown, and Stanton/Wilmington campuses spanning academics, careers, sports, and the arts for area youth.
📍 Dover, Georgetown & Stanton/Wilmington, DE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Delaware Museum of Nature & Science
Delaware Teen Science Café
Free teen-only science events featuring local STEM experts, hands-on activities, collaborative discussion and topics ranging from astronomy to biology.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Museum of Nature & Science
Delaware Teen Science Café Leadership Team
Students choose Science Café themes, work with STEM speakers, market events and host programs for other Delaware teens while earning community-service hours.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
West Chester University of Pennsylvania (Philosophy Dept.)
Delaware Valley Regional High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl in which student teams analyze ethical dilemmas and are judged on reasoning quality and collaborative dialogue rather than adversarial debate.
📍 West Chester, PA📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Delaware Theatre Company
Delaware Young Playwrights Festival
Students develop original plays, receive professional critique and revise their work; finalists participate in workshops leading to a professional public performance.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Dell Scholars
Dell Scholars Program
Recognizes academic potential and determination in students that have a definite need for financial assistance.
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Salesianum School
DELMUN (Delaware Model United Nations Conference)
Student-run Model United Nations conference hosted by Salesianum School, welcoming high schoolers from across the mid-Atlantic to debate global issues such as healthcare, cybersecurity, and endangered species protection through committee simulations.
📍 Salesianum School, Wilmington, DE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Henry Ford Health
Department of Surgery High School Mentorship Program — Summer Internship
Detroit-area high-school students receive healthcare mentorship and hands-on exposure; selected participants complete a seven-week summer internship with a professional mentor and receive a $1,000 stipend.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Derivative of Thrills Summer Institute
Free selective program using roller-coaster design and related problems to explore mathematics and engineering concepts.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Desert Botanical Garden
Desert Botanical Garden Teen Volunteer Program
Volunteer program for teens ages 13-17 offering short-term, seasonal, or ongoing roles across garden departments, building leadership, communication, and teamwork skills alongside staff and adult volunteers.
📍 Phoenix, AZ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Carnegie Mellon University
Design
Pre-College Design program at Carnegie Mellon University.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Reach Higher Montana
Design a Sticker, Win a Scholarship
Montana students create an original sticker design intended to inspire other high-school students. Awards range from $500 to $1,500, with additional funding for the winning students' school or community art programs.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NC State College of Design
Design Connections Residential Experience
Free residential design program for North Carolina students with limited access to design education; participants complete an interdisciplinary studio project.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Mississippi State University School of Architecture
Design Discovery
Students experience the intensity of architecture school through drawing, modeling, full-scale construction, structural studies, product design, field sketching, and a residential-design project. Summer 2027 is confirmed to return.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering
Design Thinkers Camp: Innovate, Design & Optimize
Students tackle engineering-design problems involving human-AI teaming, virtual-reality driving technology, physiological sensors, 3D scanning, and human-centered systems.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Destination Band Camp / University of Central Arkansas
Destination Band Camp — Senior Camp
High-school musicians receive intensive ensemble instruction and performance experience during a weeklong residential or commuter band camp.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Detroit Writing Room / Wayne State University Journalism Institute for Media Diversity
Detroit Writing Room Summer Journalism Camp
A two-week day camp at Wayne State's Journalism Institute for Media Diversity where high school students learn reporting and writing skills from 30+ professional journalists and publish articles on environmental, health, or equity issues in Perspectives Magazine.
📍 Detroit, MI (Wayne State University)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Pennsylvania
Developing the Leader Within Online Seminar
Two-week online seminar (live Zoom, weekdays 9-11 a.m. ET) building leadership skills through interactive sessions, real-world case studies and hands-on challenges. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
📍 Online⏱ 2 weeks (July 13 - 24, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship
Diamond Challenge
Global high school entrepreneurship pitch competition with $100k+ in prizes.
📍 Newark, DE⏱ Academic year📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Diesel Truck & Heavy Equipment
High-school summer camp, diesel/heavy machinery.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Liberal Arts
Digging into the Past: UNLV Archaeology Summer Camp
Students act as archaeologists through excavation, artifact analysis, laboratory activities, cultural-heritage preservation and curation. The program returned as part of UNLV's 2026 summer series.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
James Madison University School of Professional & Continuing Education
DIGITAL (Dukes Inspiring Girls Into Technology Across Limits)
One-day technology workshop day for grades 9-12 with five tracks (App Development, Creative, Programming, New Ideas including AI ethics, CS Overview), a keynote talk and a student panel on college.
📍 Harrisonburg, VA📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona State University
Digital Culture Summer Institute
Project-based workshops combine digital media, arts, music, computing, engineering, technology, and design under ASU faculty and graduate-student instruction.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Digital Expressions Media Camp
Students use professional video and audio equipment to produce news programming, DJ on campus radio, learn videography/editing and visit broadcast organizations. The 2026 camp cost $200.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
Digital Illustration: Choose Your Own Adventure (Mason Community Arts Academy)
A guided art camp for ages 13-18 where students design a character, roll dice and draw their own adventure using drawing tablets and styluses provided in class.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Digital Photography: Camera, Composition & Beyond (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Covers camera settings and handling, composition and storytelling; students photograph around the UW Seattle campus and build a portfolio with feedback from instructors and visiting professionals.
📍 UW Seattle campus, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Digital Society: Big Data, Social Media, and Ethical Engagement
Students examine big data, social media, society, and ethical engagement.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UMBC
Digital Storytelling
Students explore digital techniques for creating and communicating stories.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of North Dakota Department of Communication
Digital Storytelling Summit
Students spend several days reporting, filming and producing multimedia stories while learning journalism and media production from UND faculty and professionals.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of New Hampshire
Dinah Whipple STEAM Academy
Free immersive academy combining science, engineering, arts and mathematics with study of the Black experience and New Hampshire history. Day and residential options were offered in 2026.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wyoming Dinosaur Center
Dinosaur Academy (Wyoming Dinosaur Center)
A 5-day course for high school students in grades 9-12 on vertebrate fossils of the Morrison Formation, combining classroom instruction with field exploration, excavation and fossil preparation lab techniques.
📍 Thermopolis, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montana Learning Center
Dinosaur Camp
Six-day residential paleontology experience where students work at active Hell Creek Formation fossil sites with professionals, learning excavation, documentation and fossil preservation.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business
Discover Actuarial Science
Free residential program introducing actuarial science through mathematical problem solving, industry visits and a team business challenge. Applicants should have completed Algebra II or provide a teacher recommendation.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Architecture
Discover Architecture
Rising sophomores through seniors explore architectural design through studio work and other hands-on activities. The next listed session is July 11–17, 2027, with the program fee listed as TBD.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Discover Biomedical Research Summer Program
A free two-week, in-person program where high schoolers in grades 10-12 work alongside Vanderbilt graduate students in a lab setting, learning pipetting, data collection, and experimental design while exploring neuroscience, genetics, and molecular biology.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Mayo Clinic
Discover Mayo Clinic (Career Exploration for High School Students)
Seven-week career exploration series for high school students in grades 10-12 interested in health-related careers, typically held on Monday nights in October and November, with hands-on in-person or virtual options. Apply via Airtable form.
📍 Rochester, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Providence College
Discover Providence Pre-College Program
A residential summer pre-college experience offering College Immersion, Business, and Nursing tracks for high schoolers, including college application support, simulation-lab learning, and campus life immersion.
📍 Providence, RI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
George Fox University
Discover Your Calling (2027 Pre-College Summer Institute)
Academic-major, career and college-transition exploration; part of GFU's 2027 Pre-College Summer Institute.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Discovering Chemistry
Laboratory-centered chemistry camp exploring molecules, reactions and experimental chemistry. The 2026 fee was $800.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kennesaw State University College of Professional Education
DiscoverU at KSU Summer Camps
DiscoverU offers week-long, career-themed summer camps for rising 9th-12th graders at Kennesaw State, spanning tracks like AutoCAD, culinary arts, medical skills, and aerospace engineering.
📍 Kennesaw State University (KSU Center and Marietta campuses), Kennesaw/Marietta, GA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Museum of Discovery
Discovery Camp Counselor
Teen volunteers assist museum educators with children's summer Discovery Camps and gain experience supporting informal STEM education.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UC Berkeley ATDP
Distinguished Scholars
Program recognizing accomplished ATDP students.
📍 Multiple🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delta State University Delta Music Institute
DMI Summer Camp
High-school students ages 14–18 choose audio engineering, performance, or singer-songwriter tracks and work in professional studios with faculty and music-industry professionals before a final recording session and showcase.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington DO-IT Center
DO-IT Scholars (University of Washington)
Prepares Washington high school sophomores and juniors with disabilities for college and careers through two consecutive Summer Study sessions on the UW campus, mentoring, and year-round contact with staff and peers.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 January🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Southwest Idaho Area Health Education Center
Doctor for a Day
A health-career exploration event for high school students, especially from rural or underrepresented backgrounds, featuring presentations from medical professionals and hands-on activities like using real medical equipment and practicing CPR.
📍 Southwest Idaho📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MSF USA
Doctors Without Borders Student Outreach
Student outreach, awareness campaigns, and clubs supporting MSF's humanitarian work.
📍 United States⏱ Year-long📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Google
Doodle for Google
Annual K-12 art contest with college scholarships.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 Spring🎓 Grades 1–12
Selective
DoSomething.org
DoSomething Campaigns
Volunteer campaigns with scholarship sweepstakes for participants.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Doyon Foundation
Doyon Foundation High School Award
A scholarship for high school students who are Doyon, Limited shareholders or their children, covering the actual cost of a college-credit course or program up to $1,000.
📍 Statewide (Doyon Region, Interior Alaska)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SC Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities
Drama — Residential High School
Two-year residential arts high school, drama discipline.
📍 SC🎓 Grade 10
Selective
Umpqua Community College SBDC
Dream It | Do It Summer Camp
A free three-day entrepreneurship day camp limited to 25 Douglas County high school students in grades 10-12, who work with business professionals to develop and pitch a business plan by the end of camp.
📍 Roseburg, OR (Umpqua Community College)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
DePaul University Driehaus College of Business
Driehaus Summer Business Institute
Students spend a week learning core business disciplines and work in teams on a business pitch while experiencing DePaul's downtown campus. The 2026 fee was $1,000.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Cosmosphere
Drone Camp
Students learn drone flight, explore 3D printing, solve team engineering challenges, and conclude the residential program with a drone race.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Drones: Design, Print, Take Flight
Students combine drone technology, design software and polymer 3D printing to design and work with flight systems.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Drums and Percussion Workshop
Students explore rhythm, technique, performance, and contemporary percussion with Berklee instructors.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development
Dual Credit / Dual Enrollment Scholarship
Covers tuition and fees for financially eligible Missouri high-school students taking approved dual-credit or dual-enrollment courses. The fall 2026/spring 2027 application is currently open.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bank of North Dakota
Dual Credit Assistance
Income-eligible North Dakota students can receive assistance covering dual-credit application fees, tuition, books and related course costs.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books
Duane Stein Short Story Contest (Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books)
A short story contest open to Wisconsin middle and high school students, who submit an original short story of up to 2,500 words for a panel of former students of educator Duane Stein.
📍 Wisconsin (email submission)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Duke University
Duke Marine Lab Community Science Program
A hands-on summer research program at the Duke University Marine Lab focusing on ocean science and environmental justice.
📍 Beaufort, NC⏱ 2 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Duke University
Duke Pre-College Programs
On-campus and online non-credit courses for students in grades 6-12 taught by Duke faculty and graduate students, with past offerings spanning psychology, political science, law, history, philosophy, literature, and creative writing.
📍 Durham, NC📅 April🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Duke Biomedical Engineering
Duke Research in Engineering Program (DukeREP)
Seven-week biomedical-engineering research placement where students work in Duke laboratories and participate in STEM seminars and research presentations.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Duke University
Duke Summer Academy
Pre-college academic programs at Duke. Need-based scholarships.
📍 NC⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Duke University Neuroscience Experience (DUNE)
Eight-week neuroscience research experience placing Durham-area students in Duke laboratories with research mentors, professional-development sessions and scientific presentations.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Dunwoody College of Technology
Dunwoody Design Camp
Students complete hands-on projects in architecture, interior design, and graphic design, interact with industry professionals, and visit local design firms. The 2026 fee was $350, including lunch, supplies, and a field trip.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
City of Durham
Durham YouthWorks
Paid career-development program connecting Durham youth with work experiences, professional training and employer projects in several career pathways.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
DVR Pre-Employment Transition Summer Work Programs
Eligible students with disabilities participate in workplace-readiness training and work-based learning; multiple 2026 providers offered four-week paid placements with Delaware employers.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
DVR Youth Summer Work Programs
Eligible students participate in paid 4–6 week work experiences through school districts, community agencies, parks, local businesses, and other employers while developing job-readiness skills. Many programs serve students with IEPs, 504 plans, disabilities, or potential DVR eligibility.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UT Austin McCombs School of Business
DYNAMC: Discover Yourself In Accounting Majors and Careers
A free McCombs summer program introducing Texas high school students to accounting degrees and careers on the UT Austin campus. Tuition, meals and housing are covered.
📍 Austin, TX📅 February🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Kapiʻolani Community College
Early Admit Program
Dual-credit program letting qualified Hawaii high schoolers take college courses that count toward both high school and college credit at no cost, provided they place into ENG 100 and MATH 82.
📍 Honolulu, Oʻahu (Kapiʻolani CC campus and online)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Community College System of New Hampshire
Early College at Your High School
College courses are taught inside participating New Hampshire high schools for both high-school and community-college credit. State funding currently makes up to two dual-credit courses per year tuition-free for eligible students in grades 10–12.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of New Hampshire / VLACS
Early College Online
New Hampshire high-school students take fully online UNH college courses and earn four transferable credits per course, with up to 28 credits possible. NH families currently pay $150 per four-credit course including instructional materials.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Early College Summer
A summer program for rising sophomores through seniors to earn 3-12 college credits (or take non-credit enrichment courses) in subjects spanning chemistry, cybersecurity, Python programming, neuroscience, graphic design, and more, in 3- or 6-week formats on FDU's Metropolitan or Florham campuses or online.
📍 Madison / Teaneck, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
City of Milwaukee and Employ Milwaukee
Earn & Learn Summer Youth Internship Program (Milwaukee)
Seven-week paid summer internship placing Milwaukee youth ages 14-24 with employers in fields including health care, culinary and city departments, with preparation sessions before placement.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Earth Science with Satellite Imagery
Students examine Earth-science questions using satellite imagery.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
EarthCorps
EarthCorps Youth Service Days
Free volunteer environmental-restoration days in the Pacific Northwest.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
EarthEcho International
EarthEcho Water Challenge
Global citizen-science program monitoring local water quality with thousands of student volunteers.
📍 Global⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
University of Pennsylvania (Penn Summer / Penn LPS)
East Asian History Academy
A two-week residential academy introducing students to the history, culture, economy, and society of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, led by Penn's Center for East Asian Studies faculty.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Eastern Oregon University
Eastern Oregon University Regional High School Mathematics Competition
A one-day math competition for grades 8-12 featuring a state-qualifying exam plus team events (Math Bee, Solve That Problem, Math Relay) across six subject categories from Pre-Algebra through Calculus, with category winners earning $1,000 EOU scholarships.
📍 La Grande, OR (EOU campus)📅 March🎓 Grades 8–12
Highly Selective
ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain
ECHO E-Team (High School Leadership Program)
A year-long paid internship for Vermont students in grades 9-12 who engage museum visitors with science and engineering activities and exhibit interpretation at ECHO in Burlington, with weekly shifts and Wednesday meetings.
📍 ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Maritime Aquarium
ECHO Teen Volunteer Program
Teens participate in conservation education, touch-tank interpretation, mobile exhibitions, community science and career shadowing through a tiered school-year volunteer program.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean & Environment
ECO Camp — Marine Science
Residential program exploring Delaware coastal ecosystems through field sampling, laboratory work, underwater robotics, microscopy and marine research techniques.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean & Environment
ECO Camp — Technology to Measure Our Changing Environment
Students build and fly drones, map environmental resources, evaluate freshwater ecosystems and study climate change, sustainability and environmental degradation.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania (Penn Summer / Penn LPS)
Economics Academy
A three-week residential academy introducing core economic concepts -- scarcity, markets, market failures and structures -- with a global-context capstone poster project analyzing a real-world economic challenge facing a country.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Georgetown University
Economics Policy Academy
Three-week academy examining economic policy and how economic analysis informs major domestic and global decisions.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Minnesota The Raptor Center
Ecosystems of STEM Careers High School Internship
Minneapolis and Saint Paul public-school students complete a four-week paid STEM internship with conservation-focused projects and field trips. The 2026 program paid $18 per hour.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
EDU Film Festival (formerly hosted by IFP Minnesota/FilmNorth)
EDU Film Festival
Minnesota's only school-sponsored, statewide high school film festival, screening 60-120 student-made short films (documentaries, dramas, comedies, animations) at a two-day event with industry roundtables, equipment demos, and meet-and-greets with college film programs.
📍 Main Cinema, Minneapolis, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National Park Service
Education & Service: Kids & Teens Learn & Serve Activities
Activities for kids and teens to learn and serve within the National Park Service.
📍 National Parks across the US🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
Education Outreach Day (Regeneron ISEF)
Education Outreach Day brings local middle and high school students to ISEF to meet the ISEF Finalists, participate in STEM activities, and create their own scientific questions.
📍 Phoenix, AZ (2026)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle Public Schools Career and Technical Education
Education Quest (Seattle Public Schools)
Paid summer internship in which high school students support and supervise younger students in Seattle elementary summer school, helping with basic academic skills and working alongside teachers and instructional assistants.
📍 Seattle elementary schools (North, Southeast and Southwest regions), WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Temple University
Education Scholars
Multi-year education-career and college-credit pathway.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority
Education Student Accounts (ESA+)
State scholarship program helps eligible K–12 students with qualifying disabilities pay for educational services and approved expenses. Note: new applications are closed for 2026-27.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
EducationQuest Foundation
EducationQuest Scavenger Hunt Scholarship
Nebraska students complete an online EducationQuest scavenger hunt after creating a ScholarshipQuest profile. Two students receive $500 contributions to a 529 college-savings plan.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CTLP New Mexico
Educators Rising New Mexico (EdRising)
New Mexico's chapter network of Educators Rising, a career-technical student organization that gives high schoolers on the teaching career pathway hands-on classroom experience with mentor teachers, curriculum tied to CTE credit, and leadership competitions.
📍 Statewide, NM📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Educators Rising Oregon
Educators Rising Oregon
A statewide network guiding Oregon high schoolers considering teaching careers, offering a free virtual campus, performance-based micro-credentials, chapter competitions, and access to the Educators Rising National Conference.
📍 Statewide, OR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) / PennWest University
Educators Rising PA Regional Conference
A one-day conference for high school students exploring careers in education, featuring hands-on learning sessions, leadership development, and conversations with current and aspiring educators, hosted across PennWest's Clarion, California, and Edinboro campuses.
📍 Clarion / California / Edinboro, PA (PennWest University campuses)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Educators Rising Utah (Utah CTSO)
Educators Rising Utah State Conference
Annual state competition where Utah high school students in the K-12 Teaching as a Profession pathway compete in about 20 scenario-based events such as lesson planning and delivery, children's literature and job interview. Top performers can advance to the national conference.
📍 Utah (2026 held at Weber State University, Ogden)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Educators Rising Vermont (Vermont CTSO for future educators)
Educators Rising Vermont
Vermont's state affiliate of Educators Rising, a career and technical student organization for high school students interested in becoming teachers, with chapter curriculum, competitions and an annual Education Pathways Conference for students interested in education careers.
📍 Vermont (chapters in high schools and career centers)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Educators Rising Wisconsin (WEAC) and UW-Stevens Point
Educators Rising Wisconsin State Conference
An annual state conference for Wisconsin high school students interested in teaching, with keynotes, breakout sessions by educators, optional competitive events and a recruitment fair of colleges and professional organizations.
📍 Stevens Point, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
EGLE Environmental Service Award — High School Division
Michigan high-school students, groups, or classes are recognized for environmental projects that produce tangible benefits such as habitat restoration, pollution reduction, energy conservation, or Great Lakes protection.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Eastern Illinois University
EIU Summer Art Camp
High-school artists participate in a residential university art camp with studio instruction and creative work. The 2026 program fee was $600.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Eastern Kentucky University
EKU Upward Bound
A free federal TRiO college-prep program for first-generation and income-eligible 9th-11th graders from seven Eastern Kentucky counties, offering tutoring, ACT prep, college visits, cultural trips, and a residential summer program called Summer Chautauqua that pays weekly stipends.
📍 Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY (serving Casey, Estill, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Powell, and Wolfe counties)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Wichita State University College of Engineering
Electrical Circuits Camp
Students investigate electricity, resistance, circuit components, batteries, energy transfer, and series circuits through hands-on experiments.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Northern Kentucky University CINSAM
Electrical, Electronics, & Mechanical Engineering Academy
Students design circuits, program microcontrollers, work with embedded systems, and explore manufacturing methods such as laser cutting in hands-on engineering projects.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Electronic Music Production
Technology-based electronic music creation and production.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Electronic Music Production and Sound Design Workshop
Students explore electronic music, synthesis, sound design, production, and laptop performance.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle Summer Programs (Prescott Campus)
Residential summer camps at Embry-Riddle's Prescott campus for youth ages 7-18, including Forensic Science, Rocket Propulsion Engineering, and Astronomy camps that place high schoolers in college-level labs and simulations.
📍 Prescott, AZ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
OSU Institute of Technology
Emerging & Converging Technologies Summer Academy
Emerging-technology and applied-engineering experiences.
📍 OK🎓 Grade 10
Selective
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Glassell School of Art)
Emerging Artists: Early College Program
A studio art program for high school artists ages 15-18 with courses in painting, printmaking, jewelry, photography, fashion, ceramics and digital media, portfolio building, free museum access and optional dual credit through the University of St. Thomas.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of Mary
Emerging Engineers
Students design and build an engineering project, then compete with other teams while interacting with university engineering faculty and students.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
Emerging Leaders of Color (ELOC)
Free eight-month pathway program of monthly Saturday sessions (September to April) for underrepresented high school students, covering entrepreneurship, marketing, accounting, finance, HR, supply chain and MIS with faculty, networking, mentorship from Carlson students and college prep. Meals and parking covered.
📍 Minneapolis, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Emory University
Emory Pipeline Collaborative
Free pipeline program for Atlanta-area students interested in health professions.
📍 GA⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York State Council on the Arts / NYS
Empire State Arts Scholarship
Need-based funding helps New York students participate in approved arts education programs. Grades 9–12 are within the eligible grade range. Note: waitlist-only for summer 2026.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Utah Valley University
Empowered Professionals of Tomorrow
A tuition-free seven-week early-college program with tracks for Scientists (biotechnology, geology), Engineers & Technologists (3D modeling, intro to engineering), Educators, and Business Leaders (business, entrepreneurial thinking). Includes mentorship and career exploration.
📍 Orem, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
University of Washington Bothell Collaborative for Socio-Ecological Engagement (CoSEE)
EnCAP High School Scholars Program (UW Bothell CoSEE)
A five-week, field-based, credit-bearing summer program for rising 10th-12th graders exploring green career pathways in Washington State through the Environmental Careers Preparedness Program.
📍 Bothell, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Louisiana State University Pre-College Programs
Energy AI — In-Person
Students investigate applications of artificial intelligence across oil and gas, renewable energy, nuclear power, and other energy systems through projects, field trips, and interactions with professionals.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNC Institute for the Environment / UNC Physics Department
Energy LEAP (Literacy, Engagement and Action Program)
A free week-long summer program at UNC-Chapel Hill's Phillips Hall where high schoolers from Orange, Durham, Chatham, and Alamance counties build hydropower devices, test solar panels, design wind turbines, and tour energy facilities to examine current and future energy use.
📍 Chapel Hill, NC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Maryland Clark School / USMSM
Engineer Your Career: Robotics STEM Summer Camp
Southern Maryland high-school students design, build, and program robots while exploring 3D printing, coding, microprocessors, and human-machine interaction. The camp is free.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National Academy of Engineering
EngineerGirl Writing Contest
Annual essay contest with cash prizes for K–12 students.
📍 Online📅 Not yet announced — next contest not yet posted🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Boise State University College of Engineering
Engineering & Science Festival
Students explore robotics, circuitry, chemistry, engineering, 3D printing and other STEM fields through demonstrations, hands-on activities and presentations from university and industry participants.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Nevada, Reno College of Engineering
Engineering Adventures Camp
Hands-on exploration of engineering design and university engineering disciplines for students ages 14–17.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UNM Engineering Student Success Center
Engineering and Computing Summer Academy
A no-cost UNM program introducing high schoolers to engineering and computer science through hands-on activities, with a non-residential option in June and a residential Transportation Institute in June/July; students meet engineering faculty and industry professionals.
📍 Albuquerque, NM📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Stevens Institute of Technology
Engineering Bootcamp
Broad, project-based introduction to engineering.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Colorado School of Mines
Engineering Design Summer Camp
Five-day program introducing high-school students to authentic engineering-design methods, CAD modeling and creation of components and assemblies using SolidWorks.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Wichita State University College of Engineering
Engineering Design: Residential Solar Management
Students explore electrical engineering, photovoltaic technology, household energy use, and engineering approaches to residential solar-system design.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey
Engineering in Health and Medicine Camp
Biomedical-engineering camp covering medical imaging, drug delivery, medical-device design and neural engineering.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering
Engineering Innovation Research Program
Sophomores and juniors spend six weeks contributing to ongoing engineering research with Hopkins doctoral and postdoctoral mentors, including experimental or computational work, data analysis, scientific literature, and research presentations. Students earn three college credits.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Engineering Innovation–Johns Hopkins Summer Jobs Program
Baltimore City and County students take an Engineering Innovation course and receive an additional Whiting School job placement. Participants are paid $15 per hour for up to 25 hours per week.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minnesota State University, Mankato (Engineering Center of Excellence)
Engineering Machine Design Contest (EMDC)
Teams of 3-12 students in the Senior Division (grades 9-12) design and build a complex machine from everyday objects to complete a themed, multi-step task, judged on a team journal, presentation, and machine performance at regional contests leading to a state Championship hosted by MNSU Mankato.
📍 Mankato, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seton Hall University
Engineering Pathways: Robotics, Electronics & Green Technologies
Hands-on work across robotics, electronics, green technology and scientific research.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UA Little Rock
Engineering Scholars Program
One-week residential experience featuring engineering projects, laboratory sessions, robotics, industry exposure, facility tours, and college-preparation advising.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Arkansas
Engineering Summer Academy
Residential academy where students choose an engineering track and complete lab experiments, design challenges, and faculty-guided projects. Tracks include chemical engineering, technology systems, and structural/mechanical design.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Mississippi
Engineering Summer Academy
Rising sophomores through seniors complete engineering demonstrations, design challenges, laboratory activities, and industry tours while exploring engineering majors and careers.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
Engineering Summer Academy at Penn — ESAP
Three-week college-level engineering courses and residential campus experience.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Kansas State University College of Engineering
Engineering Summer Camp
High-school students spend a week exploring K-State engineering facilities, meeting faculty, collaborating with peers, and completing engineering-oriented activities and challenges.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Alabama in Huntsville, College of Engineering
Engineering Summer Camps: Innovation & Ascend
Full-day engineering camps for rising high schoolers — Innovation for rising 9th-10th graders and Ascend for rising 11th-12th graders — combining hands-on design projects with college-preparation activities.
📍 Huntsville, AL (UAH campus)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Stony Brook University
Engineering Summer Program
Hands-on engineering program using electronics, Arduino systems and design challenges. The 2026 session charged approximately $800.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Engineering the Blue: Naval & Ocean Engineering and the Blue Economy
Explores naval/ocean engineering alongside economic and environmental uses of marine systems.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Tufts University Pre-College Programs
Engineering with Artificial Intelligence
A two-week pre-college program at Tufts covering machine learning fundamentals and a group engineering-design project, requiring prior programming experience and open to students entering grades 10-12.
📍 Medford/Somerville, MA (Tufts University)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Engineering with Biology
Hands-on laboratory camp centered on using biology and engineering concepts, including synthetic-biology-style challenges.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Fox University
Engineering: Designing and Making (2027 Pre-College Summer Institute)
CAD, 3-D printing, laser fabrication, Arduino/circuits and mechanical design; part of GFU's 2027 Pre-College Summer Institute.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Entertainment Engineering and Design Summer Intensive
Seven-day residential program combining design, fabrication, 3D printing, animatronics and entertainment technology with exposure to industry professionals.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina A&T State University
Entrepreneurs & Innovators NexGen Residential Summer Camp
Residential entrepreneurship camp where high-school students develop ideas, learn innovation and business skills and explore startup pathways.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Entrepreneurs Club
Entrepreneurs Club Venture Challenge (ECVC)
A high school startup competition where student teams build real companies and pitch on stage at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium for a share of $10,000 in cash awards.
📍 Sacramento, CA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Tufts University
Entrepreneurship & Innovation Bootcamp
Students develop a business concept, build a business case and go-to-market strategy, pitch an original idea.
📍 Medford / Somerville, MA📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Quinnipiac University
Entrepreneurship Academy: From Classroom to Corner Office
Students develop a business concept, learn startup planning and product development, and work toward pitching an entrepreneurial idea.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Susquehanna University
Entrepreneurship Institute
Entrepreneurship/business pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
UMBC
Entrepreneurship: Financial Literacy
Students explore entrepreneurship through financial-literacy concepts.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Discovery Center (Audubon Mid-Atlantic & Philadelphia Outward Bound School)
Environmental & Outdoor Leadership Program
A paid 10-week internship for Philadelphia 9th-11th graders (preference to North Philadelphia residents) combining environmental education, Outward Bound team-building, field trips to partner organizations, and community service work.
📍 Philadelphia, PA (The Discovery Center, Fairmount Park)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Maine Audubon
Environmental Education Assistant
Teens age 15+ assist Maine Audubon educators with summer camps, help implement lessons and outdoor activities, serve as role models for younger campers, and build environmental-education and leadership skills.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montana Tech
Environmental Engineering Summer Camp
Fully funded residential camp with field and laboratory work involving water, environmental restoration, drones, wastewater and environmental-engineering design. Montana Tech has stated plans to bring the camp back for another summer.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Raritan Headwaters Association
Environmental Leaders Academy (ELA)
A free, fully scholarship-funded week-long residential program at The Pingry School for rising 10th-12th graders, combining guest speakers, hands-on conservation fieldwork, and evening leadership activities focused on watershed stewardship.
📍 Pottersville, NJ (The Pingry School)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Pennsylvania (Penn Summer / Penn LPS)
Environmental Policy Academy
A two-week residential academy fusing environmental science with social/policy theory, examining issues like lead-contaminated drinking water and air pollution in overburdened communities, taught by Penn faculty with guest speakers and field trips.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts
Environmental Science and Biotechnology
Campers conduct ecological field surveys, visit a quartz mine and use laboratory techniques connecting molecular biology with ecology and environmental science.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Northern Michigan University, Seaborg Mathematics and Science Center
Environmental Science Camp
A week-long residential camp in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors hike geological landmarks, study the Lake Superior watershed, and learn sustainable community development from NMU faculty.
📍 Marquette, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR)
Environmental Stewardship Institute
A paid environmental leadership fellowship for Minnesota high schoolers combining a two-month summer intensive learning from environmental experts and visiting ecologically important Mississippi River sites with a school-year Youth Council for continued leadership and independent capstone projects addressing community environmental concerns.
📍 Twin Cities, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rockaway Waterfront Alliance / CUNY partners
Environmentor
Paid January–August environmental-research program focused on marine ecology and the Rockaway Peninsula.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
NCF-Envirothon
Envirothon
North America's largest high school environmental education competition.
📍 North America⏱ 1 week📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maryland Humanities / MD Two Fifty
Envision Maryland: A Statewide High School Essay Competition
Maryland students submit a maximum-300-word vision of what Maryland should look like 50 years from now. County/grade winners earn $75, with statewide awards of $300, $200, and $100.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Weber State University Center for Technology Outreach
Envisioneering Summer Bridge
A seven-week college experience providing two free engineering and technology college classes, hands-on activities, tutoring, mentoring, and industry field trips for high school students.
📍 Ogden, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
US EPA
EPA Citizen Science Programs
Hands-on environmental citizen science projects for students.
📍 Multiple states⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
EPIC — Engineering Possibilities in College
Residential engineering camp where students rotate through engineering laboratories, learn from professors and industry professionals, and design, build and test a team engineering project.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
EPIC — Environmental Pathways to Informed Careers
Paid spring internship specifically for Trenton Central High School students, exposing interns to DEP careers while developing technical, professional, and networking skills. Applications open in the fall.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Johns Hopkins University
Epidemics, Pandemics, and Outbreaks
Students investigate infectious-disease outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
European Space Agency
ESA Education for Schools
Free space-science education projects, CanSat, Astro Pi for European school students.
📍 Europe⏱ Year-long📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Essentials of Entrepreneurship
A program exploring key principles of entrepreneurship.
📍 University of Pennsylvania📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Essentials of Finance
A program focusing on fundamental finance concepts.
📍 University of Pennsylvania📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Essentials of Leadership
An online program focusing on foundational leadership skills.
📍 remote📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wichita State University College of Engineering
Ethical Hacking and Capture the Flag
Students complete a cybersecurity boot camp and team-based Capture the Flag exercise focused on ethical hacking in a controlled environment.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Ethics Bowl
Students analyze and discuss ethical questions in an Ethics Bowl–style course.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UT Tyler ETX Launchpad
ETX High School Idea Challenge
An entrepreneurship pitch competition open to high school students (grades 9-12) in 40 East Texas counties. Round 1 is a 60-90 second video pitch, and selected teams present a Lean Canvas business model on the UT Tyler campus for scholarship prizes ($5,000 first place).
📍 Tyler, TX (East Texas)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Eunoia Review
Eunoia Review
Open submissions literary journal accepting student poetry and prose.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Girls Inc. at YWCA Minneapolis (with UMN College of Science and Engineering)
Eureka! Girls STEM Program
A five-year STEM pipeline program for girls in grades 8-12 combining summer weekday sessions at UMN's College of Science and Engineering with school-year enrichment at YWCA Midtown, including mentorship from STEM professionals, career exploration, and completion stipends.
📍 Minneapolis, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Selective
EGOI, USACO (US Team Selection)
European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI)
A competition of similar prestige to IOI, for high-school female students. The top four female high-school students from the USA are selected to compete.
📍 International📅 N/A (by selection)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
EUCYS
European Union Contest for Young Scientists
Annual EU-hosted contest showcasing top research projects from young scientists across dozens of countries.
📍 European Union (rotating)📅 National selection Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Tennessee, Knoxville - Tickle College of Engineering
eVOL10 (Engineering VOLunteers for Tenth Graders)
A summer program for rising 10th graders at UT Knoxville's Tickle College of Engineering offering ACT Math seminars and career awareness experiences in engineering.
📍 Knoxville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grade 10
Selective
Yale Peabody Museum
EVOLUTIONS After School Program
Multi-year science and museum program featuring weekly classes, scientific exploration, exhibit creation, field trips, college preparation and pathways to paid Yale employment/internships.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
University of Georgia
ExCEL in Engineering
Students work in UGA engineering laboratories and design studios on hands-on engineering projects while developing teamwork and leadership skills.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kansas State University
EXCITE
Students in grades 9–12 participate in hands-on science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and agriculture activities through semester events and a three-day summer workshop.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth
Expand Your Mind (EYM)
Students entering grades 9–12 select an intensive two-week course from a large interdisciplinary catalog spanning STEM, humanities, arts, medicine, law, psychology, engineering, and writing. 2026 commuter tuition was $875 per session and residential tuition $2,200, with financial aid available.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Studio Museum in Harlem
Expanding the Walls
Free eight-month photography program combining art, history, community research, artist workshops and exhibition curation. Participants receive a $1,000 stipend and DSLR camera.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts
Experience NOCCA Workshop Series
Louisiana students participate in after-school conservatory-style workshops spanning NOCCA's artistic disciplines, including audition-preparation opportunities for students considering advanced arts training.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
University of New Mexico Department of Nuclear Engineering
Experience Nuclear Engineering
One-week residential, hands-on nuclear science and engineering program for approximately 20 students ages 15–18.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Experiences in Research (EinR)
Students spend six weeks working directly with Berkeley Lab professionals on projects in experimental research, data science, coding, science communication, and other STEM/STEM-adjacent areas.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Pittsburgh, Architectural Studies Program
Experiencing Architecture Program
A free summer studio for local high schoolers exploring careers in architecture, art, design, and urban studies through sketching, drawing, and model making, with office tours, construction site visits, and walking tours of Pittsburgh architecture.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
Experiment in Architecture
A residential summer experience introduces high-school students to architecture and design through Illinois Tech. The 2026 residential price was listed at $2,500.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
Experimental Design Academy
Two-week residential academy at Penn. Week one teaches how to design and analyze factorial experiments; week two, students run, analyze and present their own experiments in groups. Current 9th-11th graders who have completed one year of high school algebra; non-credit.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 2 weeks (July 11 - 25, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Michigan Science Center
Explainers Program
Detroit-area students in grades 10–12 work at the science center facilitating STEM programs, receive mentorship and leadership training, and earn about $13 per hour.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UC Berkeley ATDP
Explorations
For students completing grades K–11. Rigorous summer courses in an area of deep interest.
📍 Multiple📅 May🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Oakland University
Explorations in Health Careers
Grades 9–12 explore healthcare disciplines and careers through a university summer camp.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Southern Indiana
Explore Chemistry and Biochemistry at USI
High-school students conduct laboratory activities and explore chemistry, biochemistry, majors, and careers during a two-day university program.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
North Dakota State University College of Engineering
Explore Engineering High School Camp
Students explore multiple engineering disciplines through laboratories, design activities, university facilities and engineering-industry visits.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Central Oklahoma
Explore Engineering Summer Academy
Multi-disciplinary engineering exploration through design activities and projects.
📍 OK🎓 Grade 10
Selective
University of Southern Indiana
Explore Geology & Environmental Science at USI
Students examine rocks, minerals, fossils, environmental models, and stream environments while exploring geoscience careers.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Southern Indiana
Explore Kinesiology & Sport at USI
Students explore exercise science, human-performance measurements, sport management, and sport-related careers.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Southern Indiana
Explore Mathematical Sciences at USI
Students investigate mathematical ideas including geometry, optimization, voting systems, and mathematical games.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Southern Indiana
Explore Mechanical Engineering at USI
Students use CAD, 3D printing, materials testing, and engineering design activities to explore mechanical engineering.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Tech College of Science
Explore Science Residential Camp (Rising 9th-10th Grade)
Hands-on residential science camp led by Virginia Tech professors covering neuroscience, DNA, microbiology, paleontology, physics, nanoscience, crime scene investigation, creative coding and game theory.
📍 Blacksburg, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
University of Southern Indiana
Explore Statistics at USI
Students explore statistics and data science through coding, visualization, and analysis activities.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Mississippi Summer College for High School Students
Explore the Arts
A four-week residential dual-credit summer college program for aspiring artists choosing among art, theatre, music, and film emphases, earning six to seven transferable college credit hours.
📍 Oxford, MS📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
LSU College of Engineering
eXploreCS Senior High
Students learn Python, algorithms, AI, video games, robotics, digital music production, ethical hacking, electronics, and Arduino programming. Financial-need assistance is available.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
George Fox University
Exploring Biotechnology (2027 Pre-College Summer Institute)
Molecular biology, GMO testing and CRISPR modification of bacteria; part of GFU's 2027 Pre-College Summer Institute.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Exploring Career Options in Engineering & Science (ECOES)
Two-week exploration of multiple engineering and scientific disciplines.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of New Mexico Health Sciences / Project ECHO
Exploring Health Career Pathways in New Mexico ECHO
Free live online series where New Mexico high-school students meet health-professions students, learn career pathways and receive advice on applications, personal statements and paying for college.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Exploring Music Production: Mixing, Songwriting, & Arranging
Students explore mixing, songwriting, arranging, and music-production techniques.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Mary Washington College of Education
Exploring Teaching Courses (UMW Summer Enrichment Program)
Courses for rising 10th to 12th graders interested in teaching, offered inside UMW's week-long residential Summer Enrichment Program.
📍 Fredericksburg, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UMBC
Exploring the Career of Sonography
Students explore sonography and its role in healthcare and medical imaging.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Exploring the Human Brain with Virtual Reality
Introduces neuroscience using virtual-reality and technology-based exploration.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Exploring the Universe with Space Telescopes
Students explore astronomy and the universe through the science of space telescopes.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Sam Noble Museum / University of Oklahoma
ExplorOlogy Paleo Expedition
Competitive, week-long field research expedition led by OU scientists, including paleontology and geology fieldwork outside Oklahoma.
📍 OK🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Clemson University + technical-college/school partners
Expressway to Tiger Town
Teacher-preparation pathway beginning with high-school dual credit and leading toward a Clemson education degree. Students may begin as early as grade 10.
📍 SC🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
HCA Healthcare New Hampshire
Extended Learning Opportunities Healthcare Internship
Semester-long high-school internship in clinical or nonclinical hospital departments. Students perform department tasks, complete professional development and research and present a healthcare topic, with potential school credit.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montana Learning Center
Extreme Yellowstone Expedition
Six-day Yellowstone-area expedition combining field ecology, wildlife and habitat observation, hiking and outdoor exploration while camping near the national park.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
STEM Racing (formerly F1 in Schools)
F1 in Schools World Finals
International STEM competition where student teams design, build, and race miniature CO2-powered cars.
📍 International (rotating)📅 National rounds vary🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Oregon Journalism Education Association (OJEA)
Fall Media Day / Spring Media Day
Annual scholastic journalism and yearbook conferences co-hosted with the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication -- Fall Media Day in Eugene and Spring Media Day in Portland -- featuring keynote sessions and on-site writing, photography, and quiz-bowl contests.
📍 Eugene and Portland, OR📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Fargo Public Schools / City of Fargo partners
Fargo Youth Initiative
High-school students work with local government and community leaders on youth priorities, civic projects and public-policy discussions.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kansas State University School of Consumer Sciences
Farm to Fashion Camp
Students explore sheep and wool production along with spinning, dyeing, weaving, fiber arts, and fashion design during a four-day hands-on camp.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montclair State University
Fashion Design
Studio-based introduction to fashion design and the creative design process.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Montclair State University
Fashion Merchandising
Explores the commercial, marketing and merchandising side of fashion.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Museum of Science / The Possible Zone
FastForge Hackathon
High-school teams research a real-world problem, identify innovation opportunities, design a consumer-product concept, and pitch their work to judges. The 2026 event is scheduled for November 6.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI Albuquerque & Las Cruces Teen Academy
Free competitive summer academy for New Mexico high-school students featuring forensic science, federal law enforcement, intelligence, leadership and public-safety instruction. Applications open each April.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
FBLA
FBLA National Leadership Conference
National competition and conference in 70+ business and tech events.
📍 Rotating (US)⏱ 1 week📅 Summer🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
FBLA National Leadership Conference Competitions
Focuses on business knowledge, academic competition, and leadership development across multiple career clusters.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Year-long📅 January 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Blue Watermelon Project
Feeding the Future Culinary Contest
Culinary competition pairing teams of 2-4 students with professional chefs from August through December to design school meals that meet federal nutrition guidelines, judged live with scholarships for top high school teams.
📍 Phoenix, AZ (The Farm at South Mountain)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kansas State University College of Agriculture
Feeding Your Future Summer Camp
Students explore grain production, milling, baking, animal feed, agronomy research, and related careers through laboratories, farms, and industry interactions. The 2026 fee was $75 including housing and meals.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Field Herpetology
Field-based camp where students study reptiles and amphibians using biological survey and observation techniques.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON)
Field Marine Science Camp
High-school students design their own coastal or marine-science investigation, develop a question, collect and analyze data, draw conclusions, and work through the scientific process at LUMCON's marine center.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Field Museum
Field Museum Teen Volunteers
Current high-school students volunteer at least ten days during the summer, helping visitors engage with museum science through interpretive carts and the Crown Family PlayLab.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Field Museum
Field Museum Women in Science Internships
Paid high-school and undergraduate interns work full-time with Field Museum scientists on collections-based and other scientific research projects. Applicants may reside in Illinois or several neighboring states.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Sternberg Museum of Natural History / Fort Hays State University
Field Paleontology Kansas
Students prospect for and excavate fossils, collect professional field records, practice mapping and fossil identification, and return specimens to the museum's research collections.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Carleton College Summer Liberal Arts Institute
Field Science in Action: Geology, Ecology, & Ornithology
Students complete interdisciplinary field-science study spanning geology, ecology, and ornithology as part of Carleton's intensive residential college-credit program.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Jacksonville State University
Film — Gamecock Arts & Sciences Program
Students move from script development through filming and post-production while learning cameras, lighting, color, and editing.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SC Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities
Film — Residential High School
Two-year residential arts high school, film discipline.
📍 SC🎓 Grade 10
Selective
George Fox University
Film (2027 Pre-College Summer Institute)
Writing, producing, directing and editing a short film using professional equipment; part of GFU's 2027 Pre-College Summer Institute.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Montclair State University
Film and Television Production
College-style production experience in film and television.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Montclair State University
Film and Television Production Pre-College Program
A week-long residential pre-college program where high schoolers write and produce a script, shoot video and capture audio for narrative filmmaking, perform crew and cast roles, and edit a finished short film, meeting industry professionals from the New York area.
📍 Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio University
Film Lab
Two-week high-school film program offering intensive college-level filmmaking experience.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Film Prize Junior
Film Prize Junior New Mexico
Student filmmakers produce original films that screen publicly at a statewide festival and compete for awards. The 2026 festival ran March 20–22 in Albuquerque.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Anderson University
Filmmakers Camp
A week-long overnight camp for students ages 14-18 covering screenwriting, camera work, editing, lighting, and sound recording, taught by working film-industry professionals with no prior experience required.
📍 Anderson, IN📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Purchase College, SUNY
Filmmaking Institute
Students develop, shoot and edit original films while learning directing, cinematography and production. 2026 tuition was approximately $2,200.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
Filmmaking Workshop for High School (Mason Community Arts Academy)
A two-week workshop covering film pre-production, production and post-production, including directing, videography, location sound and editing with professional software; students shoot and edit short films that premiere on the last day.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FinAid
FinAid
Links to scholarships, grants, loans, and graduate aid.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Asset Builders
Finance & Investment Challenge Bowl
A season-long quiz-bowl competition for Wisconsin and northern Illinois high school teams testing knowledge of investing, credit and personal finance through regional tournaments leading to a state championship.
📍 Wisconsin (regional tournaments)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Seattle Public Schools Career and Technical Education with Amazon
Finance Quest - Amazon Periscope (Seattle Public Schools)
Two-week summer experience at Amazon's South Lake Union campus for 30 current 10th graders with Excel training, a day in the life of a financial analyst, personal finance workshops and a capstone case study, as part of a two-year finance and accounting pathway.
📍 Amazon campus, South Lake Union, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grade 10
Selective
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Financial Decision Making
An online program to teach students about making sound financial decisions.
📍 Remote📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Society for Science
Find a Fair (for ISEF participation)
Competing at Regeneron ISEF starts at a Society-affiliated fair. Use this tool to find a local, regional, state, or national science fair.
📍 Varies📅 Varies by fair🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Loft Literary Center
Finding Your Story Through Images: Writing with Visual Art
A single-session online workshop for teen writers ages 15-18 that pairs visual art with creative writing prompts, taught by a Loft instructor as part of the Loft's year-round Young Writers' Program for ages 6-18.
📍 Online (The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis, MN)📅 November🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Colorado State University College of Business
First Generation Business Summit
First-generation students live on campus, meet business leaders and CSU faculty, tour companies, receive mentoring and complete business-related activities and competitions.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
FIRST Global
FIRST Global Challenge
Annual olympics-style robotics event with one team per country tackling a global grand-challenge theme (energy, oceans, food).
📍 Rotates by host country⏱ 1 week (fall)📅 Team applications open winter🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Squam Lakes Natural Science Center
First Guides Teen Volunteer Program
A teen docent program where volunteers ages 14-17 complete summer training to become an informative, welcoming presence on the Science Center's exhibit trail, including live-animal demonstrations.
📍 Holderness, NH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
FIRST in Michigan / Saginaw Valley State University
FIRST in Michigan Robotics State Championship
The Michigan state championship of the FIRST Robotics Competition, hosted annually at SVSU since 2017, where the state's top-ranked high school robotics teams compete before advancing to the FIRST Championship.
📍 University Center, MI (SVSU)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
FIRST
FIRST Robotics Competition
Team-based robotics season culminating in regional and world championships. Team participation fees vary; financial aid available.
📍 Local team + regional events⏱ 6-week build📅 Jan kickoff🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST North Carolina
FIRST Robotics Competition - FIRST North Carolina
The official state Program Delivery Organization for the FIRST Robotics Competition, in which high school teams design, build, and program industrial-sized robots to compete in a new game each season, gaining mentorship and connections to scholarships and employers.
📍 Statewide, NC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NYC FIRST
FIRST Robotics Competition - NYC & Hudson Valley Regional
The premier high school robotics engineering competition, where student teams raise funds, design a robot, and compete in a new field game each year, with NYC FIRST providing STEM Centers with CNC routers, 3D printers, and laser cutters for team fabrication.
📍 New York, NY (The Armory Track & Field Center) and statewide regionals📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
FIRST in Oklahoma
FIRST Robotics Competition - Oklahoma
Oklahoma's chapter of the FIRST Robotics Competition, where teams of high schoolers ages 14-18 design, build, and program full-size robots to compete in an alliance-based game each spring, alongside community STEM outreach.
📍 Enid, OK (statewide teams)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST South Carolina
FIRST Robotics Competition - South Carolina
The South Carolina chapter of the FIRST Robotics Competition, where high school teams design, build, and program industrial-sized robots to compete in an alliance-based field game, guided by professional mentors.
📍 South Carolina (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST Robotics Competition (Idaho FRC)
FIRST Robotics Competition – Idaho Regional
Idaho's FIRST Robotics Competition regional event where high school teams build and program industrial-sized robots to compete in a season-specific game, with qualification matches, playoff matches, and awards over three days.
📍 Nampa, ID (Ford Idaho Center)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NE FIRST
FIRST Robotics Competition – Massachusetts (NE FIRST)
The Massachusetts branch of FIRST Robotics Competition, where roughly 700 grade 9-12 teams design, build, and program industrial-sized robots to compete in a new game released each January.
📍 Massachusetts (statewide; events at venues like Eastern States Exposition)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST Chesapeake
FIRST Robotics Competition (Chesapeake)
Teams of 10+ Maryland high schoolers build industrial-size robots with adult mentors to compete in an annually-changing field game, culminating in regional and world championship events.
📍 Maryland, DC, and Virginia region📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST Nevada
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) - Nevada
The premier high school robotics competition in Nevada, run by the statewide nonprofit FIRST Nevada, with teams across Las Vegas, Reno, Henderson, North Las Vegas and other Nevada cities building and programming competition robots each build season.
📍 Statewide (Las Vegas and Reno regionals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST Wisconsin
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Wisconsin
Team-based robotics program for grades 9-12 (ages 14-18) in which students design, build and compete with industrial-size robots; Wisconsin teams advance through regional events to a state championship.
📍 Wisconsin📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
ORTOP (FIRST Oregon)
FIRST Robotics Competition (Oregon / Pacific NW District)
Oregon's statewide hub for FIRST Robotics Competition, where high school teams build industrial-size robots to compete in an annual field game while also fundraising, branding, and doing community STEM outreach.
📍 Statewide, OR (Pacific Northwest District)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
TNFIRST, Inc.
FIRST Robotics Competition / FIRST Tech Challenge (TNFIRST)
Tennessee's statewide nonprofit partner connecting K-12 students to FIRST robotics programs, including FIRST Tech Challenge (grades 7-12) and FIRST Robotics Competition (grades 9-12), where teams design, build, and program robots to compete head-to-head, culminating in a state championship with a path to the world championship.
📍 Statewide, TN (championships at MTSU and Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST Chesapeake
FIRST Robotics Competition in Virginia (FIRST Chesapeake)
High school teams (grades 9-12) design, build and program a competition robot for the annual FIRST Robotics Competition, playing at district events in Virginia and Maryland before the regional championship.
📍 Virginia and the Chesapeake region (events in Glen Allen, Alexandria, Chesapeake, Blacksburg, Mechanicsville)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WV Robotics Alliance
FIRST Robotics Competition in West Virginia
High school teams build industrial-size robots to compete in an alliance field game, raise funds and promote STEM; WVRA supports WV teams with equipment and mentorship.
📍 West Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST in Upper Midwest
FIRST Robotics Competition Minnesota / MSHSL Championship
Minnesota's state robotics championship, where the top FRC high school teams from the state's eight MSHSL sections compete in qualification matches and playoff alliances for the state's highest robotics honor. The free, public event is held at Concordia University's Gangelhoff Center; Minnesota fields the nation's third-largest FRC contingent.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences / UVM Extension 4-H / FIRST in Vermont
FIRST Robotics in Vermont (FTC and FRC)
Vermont hosts FIRST Tech Challenge (grades 7-12) and FIRST Robotics Competition (ages 14-18) teams that design, build and program robots, with a state FTC championship and an FRC New England qualifying event at UVM.
📍 South Burlington and Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST
FIRST Tech Challenge
Smaller-scale FIRST robotics program. Team fee + parts; many teams sponsored by schools.
📍 Local team + regional events⏱ Multi-month📅 Sep-Apr season🎓 Grades 7–12
Moderate
FIRST South Carolina
FIRST Tech Challenge - South Carolina
A robotics competition for teams of up to 15 students in grades 7-12 who design, build, program, and operate robots in a head-to-head alliance format, with a lower cost of entry than the full-size FIRST Robotics Competition.
📍 South Carolina (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST Chesapeake
FIRST Tech Challenge (Chesapeake)
Teams of 2-15 students design, build, and program robots using Android-based reusable platforms to compete head-to-head in an alliance format running September through February.
📍 Maryland, DC, and Virginia region📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST Wisconsin
FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Wisconsin
Team robotics program for grades 7-12 (ages 12-18) in which students design, build and program a robot for a game released each September and compete at Wisconsin events.
📍 Wisconsin📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
ORTOP (FIRST Oregon)
FIRST Tech Challenge (Oregon Leagues)
Oregon's FIRST Tech Challenge program, organized into six regional leagues (Columbia Basin, Iron Mountain, Rose City, Silicon Forest, SOAR, Three Sisters) culminating in a state championship tournament each spring.
📍 Statewide, OR (six regional leagues)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 7–12
Moderate
FIRST Chesapeake (VirginiaFIRST)
FIRST Tech Challenge in Virginia (FIRST Chesapeake)
FIRST Tech Challenge robotics teams of 2 to 15 students ages 12-18 build a robot for the season challenge and compete at Virginia qualifiers in Powhatan, Manassas, Charlottesville and Martinsville.
📍 Virginia (qualifiers in Powhatan, Manassas, Charlottesville, Martinsville)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WV Robotics Alliance
FIRST Tech Challenge in West Virginia
Teams design, build and code robots to compete in alliance format; the WV Robotics Alliance supplies equipment, mentorship and support to teams statewide.
📍 West Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST Louisiana / FTC Louisiana
FIRST Tech Challenge Louisiana
The Louisiana region of the international FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition, where students in grades 7-12 design, build, and program robots and compete in an alliance format through regional qualifiers and a state championship.
📍 Statewide, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST Tech Challenge Wyoming Region
FIRST Tech Challenge Wyoming Championship
The state championship of the FIRST Tech Challenge robotics program in Wyoming, held in Casper; the top two teams advance to the FIRST Championship.
📍 Casper, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
FIRST Washington
FIRST Washington (FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition)
The state organization for FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition teams in Washington, running leagues, events and the Washington championship.
📍 Washington (events across the state; FTC championship in Seattle)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Western Kentucky University
First-Gen High School Summer Camp
First-generation students entering grades 10–12 live on campus for several days while participating in workshops on admissions, financial aid, academic success, college life, and personal strengths. Housing and meals are provided at no cost.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Auburn University
Fisheries and Aquaculture Camp
Students explore fisheries, aquaculture, and aquatic ecology through hands-on field activities at Auburn research facilities, including pond sampling and fish-management work.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Maine Early College
FITS: Fieldwork Innovations and Technology Using Sensors
Students complete three weeks of online learning followed by a residential week using sensors in fields such as engineering, ecology, health science, marine science, wildlife, computing, and design, earning three college credits and a micro-badge.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Florida 4-H (UF/IFAS Extension)
Florida 4-H Legislature
A 'learn by doing' mock-government program for teen 4-H members, who serve as Florida 4-H senators, representatives, lobbyists, media correspondents, or governor during a week of sessions at the State Capitol.
📍 Tallahassee, FL (Florida State Capitol / FSU dorms)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Florida Bar
Florida Bar High School Appellate Brief Writing & Moot Court Competition
Two-student teams write an appellate brief and argue a fictitious case before appellate judges, with finalists appearing before the Florida Supreme Court.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Florida DECA
Florida DECA Career Development Conference
Florida DECA's state-level conference brings high school students who qualified at the district level to compete in roleplay scenarios, exams, and presentations across marketing, finance, hospitality, and management, with top finishers advancing to DECA's International Career Development Conference.
📍 Orlando, FL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Florida DECA
Florida DECA Envision Conference
A statewide DECA leadership and networking conference for high school members held each fall, built around workshops and peer networking ahead of competition season.
📍 Embassy Suites, Tampa, FL📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Florida Envirothon (Florida Association of Conservation Districts)
Florida Envirothon
A hands-on environmental problem-solving competition for high school teams of 5-7 students, who are tested across five stations - aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife, and a current environmental issue - with winning teams advancing from regional to state and national competition.
📍 Florida (regional and statewide events)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Florida FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Florida FBLA State Fall Conference
An annual fall gathering for Florida FBLA middle and high school members featuring leadership workshops and networking ahead of the spring competitive-events season.
📍 Cape Canaveral, FL📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Florida FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Florida FBLA State Leadership Conference
Florida FBLA's State Leadership Conference brings middle and high school members together to compete in business-focused competitive events, with top finishers qualifying for the National Leadership Conference.
📍 Hilton Orlando, Orlando, FL📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Florida FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
Florida FCCLA Fall Leadership Conference
A 2-night, 3-day fall retreat for Florida FCCLA chapters featuring leadership training, team-building activities, and competitions at a Florida camp.
📍 Lake Swan Camp, FL📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Florida FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
Florida FCCLA State Leadership Conference
Florida FCCLA's State Leadership Conference brings together high school members statewide to compete in STAR Events and Florida's own Proficiency Events, with awards and scholarships presented for leadership and service.
📍 Florida (venue varies by year)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Florida FFA Association
Florida FFA Leadership Conferences
Florida FFA runs a series of statewide officer and leadership training conferences for chapter members, including the High School Leadership Conference and State Leadership Summit, covering chapter action planning, communication skills, and the state delegate process.
📍 Florida (venues vary by conference)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Museum of Florida History / Florida Department of State
Florida History Day
An annual statewide research competition in which students develop an original history project (documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website) around a national theme, advancing through school, county, and state contests toward National History Day.
📍 Tallahassee, FL (Museum of Florida History)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Florida HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
Florida HOSA State Leadership Conference
Florida HOSA's State Leadership Conference (SLC) is held every April, bringing together high school members who advanced from regional competition to compete in more than 55 health-science competitive events, with top finalists advancing to the International Leadership Conference.
📍 Florida (venue varies by year)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Florida Senate
Florida Senate Page Program
Students spend a week inside the Florida Senate distributing legislative materials, attending committee activity, drafting legislation and participating in a mock legislative session.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida Tech STEM Summer Academy
Students rotate through AI, aviation, drones, engineering design, marine science, meteorology, forensic psychology, medicine and animal cognition with faculty and field trips.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
BAE Systems
FOCUS STEM Program (Nashua)
An 11-week after-school program where NH high schoolers learn software, mechanical, and electrical engineering basics from BAE Systems engineers while designing, building, and coding a small-scale competition robot.
📍 Nashua, NH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montclair State University
Food for Thought: Understanding Nutrition
Explores nutrition, food and human health.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Roger Williams University
Food Science Camp
A 6-day overnight camp for students in grades 9-12 exploring the chemistry of fermentation, food waste reduction, and sustainable protein alternatives in a state-of-the-art food science lab, plus farm and oyster-farm visits.
📍 Bristol, RI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Adelphi University
For-Credit Pre-College Program
Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors earn three college credits through subject tracks including Coding & AI, Pre-Med, Pre-Law, Psychology, Quantum Engineering, Music Production, Writing and Art.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UMBC
Forensic DNA Analysis
Students explore forensic science through DNA analysis.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
Forensic Science Academy
Two-week residential academy at Penn on forensic investigation: lab work, mock crime scenes and case studies in areas such as DNA analysis and toxicology. Current 10th-11th graders; non-credit.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 2 weeks (July 11 - 25, 2026)🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Bowling Green State University
Forensic Science Camp
Virtual forensic-science camp featuring crime-scene work, fingerprinting, chromatography, blood identification, drug detection and DNA/trace-evidence topics.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ball State University
Forensic Science High School Summer Camp
Rising sophomores through seniors investigate fingerprints, blood-spatter evidence, digital evidence, and other forensic methods through laboratories and field experiences. Scholarships can cover up to the full program fee for eligible Indiana residents.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Arizona State University
Forensic Science Institute
Five-day program covering crime-scene investigation, forensic techniques, evidence analysis, case studies, communication, and interaction with industry professionals.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Delaware
Forensic Science Pre-College Summer Program
Students process mock crime scenes, perform toxicology, chemistry, DNA/PCR and other forensic laboratory work, visit forensic agencies and prepare a court-ready capstone report.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Roger Williams University
Forensic Science Summer Camp
A residential camp for students in grades 10-12 covering fingerprint analysis, footwear evidence, chemical substance identification, and virtual-reality crime scene and bloodstain pattern processing.
📍 Bristol, RI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Quinnipiac University
Forensic Sciences: Crime Scene Investigation
Students use forensic-science methods to investigate simulated crime scenes and explore connections among biology, chemistry, evidence analysis and criminal justice.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wave Hill
Forest Project
Paid summer internship in ecological restoration and woodland management, combined with environmental coursework and college/career development.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
ADA Forsyth Institute
Forsyth Student Scholars Summer Program
A six-week, full-time paid summer internship at ADA Forsyth's Somerville headquarters where high school sophomores and juniors from Eastern Massachusetts work alongside scientists on oral health, immunology, and microbiology research, ending in a poster presentation.
📍 Somerville, MA📅 April🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Sternberg Museum of Natural History / Fort Hays State University
Fossil Preparation Methods Kansas
Students work in the Sternberg fossil-preparation laboratory using professional tools to clean, stabilize, reconstruct, and preserve authentic fossil specimens.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Foundational Mathematics of Artificial Intelligence
Students study mathematical foundations underlying modern artificial intelligence.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Fourth Circuit Civics Contest
Students from North Carolina and other Fourth Circuit states create an original civics-themed graphic poster and written statement for cash prizes.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Poetry Society
Foyle Young Poets of the Year
International poetry award for ages 11-17; free to enter.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 Annual — 2027 dates not yet announced🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Poetry Society (UK)
Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award
International poetry prize for writers aged 11–17.
📍 Global📅 Annual — 2027 dates not yet announced🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium
Franklin's Guides Junior Docent Program
A six-week summer program where teens train as museum docents and work in the galleries, planetarium, Build It Lab and butterfly house, greeting visitors and assisting with programs.
📍 St. Johnsbury, VT📅 May🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Frank Church Institute, School of Public Service, Boise State University
FrankMUN (High School Model United Nations Conference)
One of the only multi-day Model UN conferences in the Pacific Northwest, where Idaho high school delegates research global issues, debate resolutions, and practice diplomacy at Boise State University.
📍 Boise State University, Boise, ID📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Various
Freedom Summer Collegiate
Free college-prep program in the Mississippi Delta taught by graduate students. Travel and housing covered.
📍 Mississippi⏱ 4 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
FRESH Outcomes
A weeklong, in-person summer internship for local high schoolers to explore how environmental factors impact human health, gaining hands-on experience in a research environment at the Gillings School of Global Public Health.
📍 Chapel Hill, NC📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW Oshkosh (Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin)
Freshwater High School Experience (UW Oshkosh)
Three-day camp where high school students do hands-on freshwater research, pilot water drones and explore waterways by pontoon boat while learning about freshwater majors and careers.
📍 Oshkosh, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Green Bay
Freshwater High School Summer Scholars (UW-Green Bay)
Paid summer research experience in which high school students are matched with a UW-Green Bay freshwater mentor for a project, field trips and a poster presentation.
📍 Green Bay, WI📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
California State University, Fresno - College of Science and Mathematics
Fresno State Summer Academy in STEM
A week-long summer workshop where secondary students dive into hands-on STEM projects, such as building wind-energy models, led by university faculty and experienced teachers.
📍 California State University, Fresno, CA📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
From Lab to Life: Chemistry Career Exploration
Students explore chemistry and how chemical science connects to real-world careers and applications. The daytime 2026 option was listed at $2,000.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
From the Top
From the Top
Public radio classical-music showcase with full scholarship awards for selected young musicians.
📍 Touring venues⏱ Performance📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
From the Top
From the Top's Scholarship & Radio Program
A national competition for classical music performers for a chance to perform on the radio.
📍 Online / Boston, MA📅 April 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Florida State University
FSU Upward Bound Summer Residential Program
Eligible students spend six weeks living on campus while studying math, English, science and language and participating in college preparation, creative writing and career exploration.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Murray State University
Fun with Economics Youth Camp
Students investigate how people, organizations, and countries allocate scarce resources while strengthening economic reasoning, analytical skills, problem solving, and business awareness. The 2026 fee was $35.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Alabama School of Fine Arts
Fundamentals of Algebra 1 Summer Intensive
A three-week summer intensive covering the major topics of a first-semester Algebra 1 course, including graphing-calculator activities, for students entering grades 7-12.
📍 Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham, AL📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana State University Pre-College Programs
Fundamentals of Anatomy
Students study major body systems, conduct preserved-specimen dissections, compare animal and human anatomy, tour the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, and explore health-related careers.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana State University Pre-College Programs
Fundamentals of Sound Engineering
Students study acoustics, microphone design, recording, synthesis, music software, Foley, sound design, music theory, and production while creating original recordings and sound effects.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Future Builders: Creating a Sustainable World
Students examine building and design through the lens of sustainability.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Illinois Chicago
Future Business, Tech and AI Leaders Conference for High School Students
A free day program for students entering grades 10–12 features hands-on sessions and speakers covering business technology, artificial intelligence, data, enterprise systems, and related careers. Breakfast and lunch were included for the 2026 event.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Future Deaf Scientist Program
A four-week paid research internship for students at the Indianapolis School for the Deaf, shadowing deaf physicians and scientists in clinical and lab settings.
📍 Indianapolis, IN📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona State University
Future Doctors Institute
Students explore biology, chemistry, healthcare innovation, persuasive communication, and medical careers through hands-on instruction.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
American Institute of Architects (AIA) East Tennessee
Future Faces of Design Scholarship
A scholarship covering full tuition, housing, and meals for the UTK Summer Design Camp, aimed at rising high school sophomores, juniors, seniors, or recent graduates from historically underrepresented demographics in architecture. No prior design experience is necessary.
📍 Knoxville, TN📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
National FFA
Future Farmers of America (FFA)
K-12 agricultural leadership organization with competitions, scholarships, and SAEs.
📍 United States⏱ Year-long📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
Lewis & Clark College
Future Health Leaders: Care Begins Here
A six-day precollege 'mini med-school' for rising 9th-12th graders interested in pre-med, pre-nursing, or public health, featuring lab research, BLS/CPR certification, and healthcare-focused creative writing.
📍 Portland, OR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Arizona State University
Future Lawyers Institute
Students explore legal concepts, public speaking, law-school pathways, mental health in the legal profession, and interact with practicing professionals and law students.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of New Hampshire
Future Leaders Institute
Selective residential philosophy program centered on politics, ethics and global justice. The 2026 theme was Governing AI, using debates, Ethics Bowl cases and discussion of AI governance; the subsidized fee was $200.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Delaware Department of State
Future Leaders Internship Initiative (FLii)
Delaware high-school students work inside state agencies, participate in professional-development workshops, meet government and private-sector leaders, and complete a case study.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
NYU Stern School of Business
Future Makers Institute
A five-day in-person business simulation experience at NYU Stern for high schoolers in grades 9-12, featuring faculty sessions, team activities, and near-peer mentoring.
📍 New York, NY (NYU Stern)📅 Summer🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey
Future Music Educators Institute
Week-long program for high-school musicians interested in becoming music educators or conductors, taught by TCNJ music faculty.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana State University Pre-College Programs
Future of Energy — Virtual
Students remotely explore the energy transition and the role of AI in renewable energy, electrical grids, sustainability engineering, climate technology, and related careers using mailed learning kits.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Future of the Business World
An online program exploring emerging trends and the future landscape of business.
📍 Remote📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Future Problem Solving Program International — New Jersey Affiliate
Future Problem Solving New Jersey
Students compete in global-issues problem solving, community projects, scenario writing and storytelling, culminating in New Jersey affiliate finals.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Michigan Michigan Engineering Zone
Future Ready Scholars
Southeast Michigan students complete a free two-week engineering-design and college-readiness experience followed by monthly Saturday sessions for continued mentorship and STEM career exploration.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Future Restaurateurs
High-school summer camp, culinary arts/hospitality.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Ohio State University at Marion
Future World Changers: Leaders of Tomorrow
Students explore leadership, advocacy and community impact through psychology, social work, education and environmental-stewardship activities.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Fox Valley Technical College
FVTC Summer Camps
Hands-on career-immersion summer camps at Fox Valley Technical College for middle and high school students, open to public, private and homeschool students.
📍 Appleton, WI📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Foundation for Water & Energy Education (FWEE) with Centralia College
FWEE Southwest Washington Hydropower & STEM Career Academy
A summer academy in Centralia where high school students explore the inside of a power-generating dam, learn how fish hatcheries work, build a hydropower model and hydrogen car, and learn about apprenticeship and college pathways.
📍 Centralia, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Foundation for Water & Energy Education (FWEE)
FWEE Tri-Cities STEM Career Academy
A week-long summer academy for Tri-Cities high school students to explore hydropower, build hydrogen and solar cars, fly a drone, take employer field trips and talk with engineers, trades workers and conservationists.
📍 Tri-Cities (Pasco), WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Foundation for Water & Energy Education (FWEE) with Chelan County PUD
FWEE Wenatchee Hydropower & STEM Career Academy
A week-long summer academy at the Rocky Reach Discovery Center where high school students tour Columbia River hydropower projects, build hydro models, fly a drone, race a solar car and climb a power pole with lineworkers.
📍 Wenatchee, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Michigan State University, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station
GALS: Girls on outdoor Adventure for Leadership & Science
A free two-week overnight camping and backpacking program for female-identifying and gender-nonconforming high school students from groups underrepresented in STEM, combining wilderness expeditions with hands-on ecology and earth science instruction from working scientists.
📍 Hickory Corners, MI (W.K. Kellogg Biological Station)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rider University
Game Design Academy
Students learn coding, art, audio and game design and conclude with a 48-hour Game Jam; completed games are published online.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey
Game Design Camp
Students learn game-design fundamentals, creative coding and iterative development while creating a playable game.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
Game Design from the Ground Up
High-school students explore the process of creating and designing games. The 2026 daytime program was listed at $650.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Quinnipiac University
Game Design Lab
Students learn the game-development process and create interactive game projects using design, technology and storytelling principles.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Jacksonville State University
Game Development — Gamecock Arts & Sciences Program
Participants build game prototypes while working with animation, sound, physics, controller input, and AI-related game-development concepts.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
DePaul University Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
Game, Cinema, & Animation Summer Academy
Students choose specialized tracks such as game development, animation, digital cinema, screenwriting, or sound design during an intensive five-day academy. The 2026 program cost $900.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Stony Brook University
Garcia Summer Scholars
Polymer research with university mentors; partial stipend.
📍 Stony Brook, NY📅 Not yet announced — 2027 cycle dates not yet posted🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
DePauw University
Gateway to Gold: A DePauw Summer Experience
A four-night residential precollege camp for rising sophomores through seniors, with tracks in business, STEAM, the arts, and social change, taught by DePauw faculty with student mentors.
📍 Greencastle, IN📅 June🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Florida
Gator Artificial Intelligence Camp
Students learn introductory Python and AI, analyze datasets, create digital projects and tour facilities including UF's HiPerGator supercomputer.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Grand Canyon University
GCU STEM Summer Camps
Four-day, three-night residential STEM camps on GCU's Phoenix campus, such as a computer science/robotics camp and an electric-guitar engineering camp, combining hands-on projects with evening campus activities.
📍 Phoenix, AZ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vermont Historical Society
Geiger Fellowship at the Vermont Historical Society
Paid summer fellowships in collections, library, museum and education work at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier and the Vermont History Center in Barre.
📍 Montpelier and Barre, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Idaho State Historical Society / Idaho State Museum
GEM High School Internship
A hands-on internship where high school students research the stories of Idaho, help with exhibit design, and facilitate youth and family programs at the Idaho State Museum, networking with archivists, curators, and designers along the way.
📍 Boise, ID📅 September🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oakland University School of Engineering and Computer Science
GenCyber Camp
Detroit Metro students study cybersecurity ethics, online safety, cryptography, cyber threats, cybercrime, cyber law, Python, and Java. No previous cybersecurity knowledge is required and participation is free.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Boise State University Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity
GenCyber Cybersecurity Summer Camp
A free, full-day, one-week cybersecurity camp for Idaho high school students covering applied cryptography, Raspberry Pi setup, network traffic analysis, and penetration testing, historically run with both girls-only and mixed-gender sessions.
📍 Boise, ID (Clearwater Building, City Center Plaza)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Center for Civic Values / NMAA
Gene Franchini New Mexico High School Mock Trial
Students serve as attorneys and witnesses, prepare cases with attorney coaches and compete through qualifiers and state finals. Separate courtroom journalism and courtroom art divisions also exist.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Generation Citizen
Generation Citizen Student Leadership Board
Action civics program enabling students to lead community campaigns on local policy issues.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Year-long📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Generation Citizen
Generation Citizen Youth Council
National civic action council for high schoolers.
📍 Online⏱ Academic year📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Genes in Space
Genes in Space
Design a DNA experiment to be performed on the International Space Station. Annual competition with no entry fee.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 April🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
University of Southern Mississippi
GenSea Blue Economy Pathways Internship
A paid summer internship placing Gulf Coast Mississippi high schoolers at USM labs and partner sites (Mississippi Aquarium, oyster companies, naval oceanography facilities) for hands-on work in aquaculture, marine geology, computer modeling, and coastal restoration research.
📍 Mississippi Gulf Coast (Hancock, Harrison, Jackson counties)📅 January🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
GenZ Girl Gang
GenZ Girl Gang Virtual Internship Program (Open to all GS)
A network for students to find virtual internships in tech, non-profits, and policy. Focuses on social impact projects led by youth.
📍 Online⏱ 8-12 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
George Mason University Debate
George Mason Debate Institute (GMDI) Summer Debate Camp
A six-day summer debate camp on George Mason's Fairfax campus with instruction in Lincoln-Douglas, Policy and Public Forum debate, billed as the largest debate camp in Virginia.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Georgetown University
Georgetown Summer College
Earn college credit in IR, politics, business, and more.
📍 Washington, DC⏱ 3-5 weeks📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Georgetown University
Georgetown University Summer Law Institute for HS Students
Exploration of legal concepts, criminal justice, and the judicial system in a university setting.
📍 Washington, D.C. / Online⏱ 1 week📅 March 15🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Georgia 4-H / UGA Cooperative Extension
Georgia 4-H State Congress
State Congress is Georgia 4-H's premier annual event for high-school-age members, held since 1942, featuring the Project Achievement and Leadership in Action competitions plus scholarship recognition.
📍 Atlanta, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia Chess Association
Georgia Chess Association Scholastic Program
The Georgia Chess Association runs rated and unrated scholastic tournaments statewide, letting high school students progress from school chess clubs to team and individual state championships, including qualifiers for national high school events.
📍 Tournament sites statewide📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Georgia DECA / DECA Inc.
Georgia DECA
Georgia DECA prepares high school students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through a Fall Rally, leadership conferences, and competitive events leading to the State Career Development Conference.
📍 Statewide; Fall Rally at Six Flags Over Georgia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia Student Finance Commission
Georgia Dual Enrollment
Georgia high-school students take approved college courses and earn both secondary-school and postsecondary credit, with state funding covering standard tuition, mandatory fees and required books up to program limits.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Georgia Envirothon (Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission affiliate)
Georgia Envirothon
Georgia Envirothon challenges high school teams of 4-6 students in an outdoor competition covering wildlife, forestry, aquatic ecology, soils/land use, and a current environmental issue, with the top regional teams advancing to state.
📍 Regional sites statewide; spring one-day competitions📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Georgia FBLA High School Competitive Events
Georgia FBLA members compete in nearly 100 business-related competitive events -- objective tests, technical skills assessments, interviews, and performances -- advancing from chapter to region to state competition.
📍 Statewide; State Leadership Conference in Atlanta📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
Georgia FCCLA STAR Events
STAR Events (Students Taking Action with Recognition) let Georgia FCCLA members compete in over 30 categories -- including culinary arts and fashion design -- at regional, state, and national levels.
📍 Statewide; State Leadership Conference📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia FFA Association
Georgia FFA
Georgia FFA is the state association of the national FFA organization, serving over 35,000 members through agricultural education classes, supervised agricultural experience projects, and Career/Leadership Development Events (CDEs/LDEs).
📍 Statewide (chapters at ~290 Georgia high schools)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Georgia / GOSA
Georgia GHP - Agriscience Research
A residential summer academy for Georgia students focusing on agricultural and environmental sciences through hands-on research.
📍 Athens, GA⏱ 2 weeks📅 May 1🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Georgia Office of Education and Workforce Strategy
Georgia Governor's Honors Program
GHP is a free residential summer program for talented high school sophomores and juniors, held mid-June to mid-July on a college campus with academic, cultural, and social enrichment beyond typical classroom instruction.
📍 Residential college campus, Georgia (site varies by year)📅 November🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Georgia HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
Georgia HOSA
Georgia HOSA serves over 19,000 members preparing for healthcare careers through leadership development, community volunteering, and a competitive events program covering more than 75 health-science events.
📍 Statewide; Fall Leadership Rallies at Six Flags Over Georgia and the Georgia National Fairgrounds📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia Council for the Arts
Georgia Poet Laureate's Prize
Georgia high-school students submit an original poem for recognition by the Georgia Poet Laureate and statewide publication/recognition.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia Scholastic Press Association / UGA Grady College
Georgia Scholastic Press Association Summer Media Academy
GSPA's Summer Media Academy offers week-long courses in advertising/PR, broadcast journalism, entertainment/media studies, and multimedia journalism for students ages 14-17 on UGA's Athens campus.
📍 University of Georgia, Athens, GA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Georgia
Georgia Science & Engineering Fair
Georgia students advance through school and regional fairs and present original STEM research at the statewide ISEF-affiliated competition.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Georgia Space Grant Consortium (Georgia Tech)
Georgia Space Grant Consortium Student Programs
The Georgia Space Grant Consortium, managed by Georgia Tech since 1989, connects K-12 students to internships, hands-on STEM activities, facility tours, and mentoring through its statewide network of affiliate institutions.
📍 Statewide (Georgia Tech and affiliate campuses)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia Forensic Coaches Association
Georgia Speech & Debate (Georgia Forensic Coaches Association)
The GFCA, founded in 1982, governs high school speech and debate in Georgia, running First & Second Year and Varsity State Championships open to any member school's students statewide.
📍 Statewide; State Championship tournaments📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Georgia Tech CEISMC
Georgia Tech CEISMC Summer PEAKS
Summer PEAKS offers one- to two-week immersive STEAM sessions on Georgia Tech's campus for rising 9th-12th graders, with hands-on, experiential projects across science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.
📍 Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Georgia Tech College of Computing
Georgia Tech College of Computing Summer Camps
These week-long high school camps cover creative and applied computing -- including AI training, wearable/maker fashion tech, sports-data devices, and smart-home automation -- taught on Georgia Tech's campus.
📍 Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Tech Sustainable Systems Camp
Multidisciplinary camp exploring sustainable energy, water resources, and climate resilience.
📍 Atlanta, GA⏱ 1 week📅 May 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Towson University, Department of Geography & Environmental Planning
Geospatial Technology Summer Camp
A four-day, three-night residential camp exclusively for Maryland high schoolers offering hands-on training in digital cartography, GPS, satellite remote sensing, aerial photography, drone operation, and open-source mapping, including a NASA field trip.
📍 Towson University, Towson, MD📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National Park Service
Get Paid and Gain Experience: Opportunities to work with us
Find opportunities to work with us, including paid internships.
📍 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
EducationQuest Foundation
Get Social Scholarship
Nebraska students in grades 9–12 can enter for $500 college-savings awards whenever EducationQuest reaches designated social-media follower milestones. Entry windows remain open for 72 hours after each award is announced.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia High School Association
GHSA Esports
GHSA Esports is the officially sanctioned varsity esports program for Georgia high schools, run through PlayVS with a preseason, regular season, and a State Championship at the Bartow County Schools Esports Arena.
📍 Bartow County Schools Esports Arena, Cartersville, GA (state championship)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Oklahoma, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture
Gibbs College of Architecture Design Camp
An annual week-long residential camp for 30 high school students from across Oklahoma, introducing them to architecture and interior design through a real studio project (recent years: designing a coffee-shop kiosk) using tools like SketchUp and a heliodon.
📍 Norman, OK (University of Oklahoma)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Gila River Indian Community Tribal Education Department
Gila River Indian Community Student Scholarships
Scholarships for Gila River Indian Community members including the El Paso Natural Gas Scholarship for high school students at private/preparatory schools and the Honeywell Scholarship for STEAM-focused high schoolers.
📍 Sacaton, AZ (Gila River Indian Community)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Museum of Flight with Women in Aviation International Washington State Chapter
Girls in Aviation Day (Museum of Flight)
A one-day aerospace career event for middle and high school learners that connects students with mentors and professionals working in aviation and space careers.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Museum of Discovery
Girls in STEM Leadership Institute
Older teens participate in a free STEM leadership program involving hands-on STEM exploration and interaction with women working in STEM fields.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi State University
Girls Leading in Industrial Technology, Teamwork, Entrepreneurship, & Robotics
Students explore industrial technology and manufacturing through welding, CNC programming, coatings, teamwork, and exposure to technical careers.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Maine / Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code Overnight Camp at UMaine
A free, five-day residential coding camp at UMaine Orono for middle and high school girls, non-binary students, and students of color (male allies welcome), covering hands-on coding projects and tech career exploration.
📍 University of Maine, Orono, ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code Summer Immersion
Free two-week virtual program teaching CS to high school girls and nonbinary students.
📍 Online⏱ 2 weeks📅 Winter🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code Virtual Summer Programs
Free online coding workshops for girls and non-binary students focusing on web development, game design, and AI.
📍 Online⏱ 2 weeks or 6 weeks📅 Spring/Summer cycles🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Girls' Angle
Girls' Angle Math Club
Math program in Cambridge MA mentoring girls in mathematics.
📍 Cambridge, MA⏱ Year-long📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 5–12
Selective
University of Michigan-Dearborn Department of Mathematics and Statistics
GirlsGetMath@Dearborn
Selective, 100% tuition-free one-week summer program for Metro Detroit students entering grades 10-12 (rising 9th graders considered case by case; all genders welcome) covering topics outside the standard curriculum such as cryptography, graph theory, voting systems and image processing, with daily computer labs and free lunch. 2026 session was June 22-26 with a May 31 deadline.
📍 Dearborn, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Governor's Institutes of Vermont
GIV One-Day Adventure: Education for a Thriving Future Summit
One-day summit on school advocacy, education careers and community change initiatives for Vermont middle and high school students.
📍 Rutland, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado State University College of Business
Global Business Academy
Ten-day residential program where students study global business and leadership, complete team challenges and experience college life at CSU.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania (Penn Summer / Penn LPS)
Global Culture and Media Academy
A three-week residential academy exploring the relationship between language, culture, media, and communication in a globalized world, building intercultural communication skills for 10th-11th graders.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Carnegie Mellon University
Global Cultures and Emerging Technology
Pre-College Global Cultures and Emerging Technology program at Carnegie Mellon University.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of South Florida / Global Virus Network
Global Guardians for Pandemic Preparedness
Students study virology, outbreak detection, pandemic response and public-health communication through experiments, simulations and tours of health facilities.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
World Affairs Council of Greater Houston
Global Houston Model UN Conference
A student-led Model UN conference where delegates represent countries and committees to negotiate and draft resolutions on global issues. Focuses on global diplomacy, research, and soft-skill development.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Notre Dame
Global Issues: Violence and Peace in the Modern Age
A course offered as part of the Notre Dame Leadership Seminars program.
📍 Notre Dame, IN📅 Annual — 2027 dates not yet announced🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Johns Hopkins University
Global Leadership for a Sustainable Future
Students examine leadership and global challenges through the lens of sustainability.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Pioneer Academics
Global Problem-Solving Institute
Tackle the world’s most complex challenges alongside high school students from around the globe in a 12-week virtual innovation lab. Guided by four university professors, you’ll apply design- and systems-thinking to real-world problems, collaborate in interdisciplinary teams, and earn college credits through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
📍 Online, Globally Accessible📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UC Berkeley ATDP
Global Program Brightwell
For students completing grades 8–11. Rigorous summer courses in an area of deep interest.
📍 Multiple🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
World Affairs Council of Greater Houston
Global Scholars Academy
A week-long immersive summer program preparing students for careers in international affairs, covering foreign policy, international law, global health, and environmental sustainability through interactive sessions and expert dialogues.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Berklee College of Music
Global String Program
Young string musicians study contemporary performance with leading players and educators in an intensive Berklee summer environment.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Envision
Global Young Leaders Conference
International youth leadership and diplomacy simulation in Washington DC and New York.
📍 Washington DC / New York, USA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Climate Reality Project
Global Youth Climate Network
International youth climate leadership and action network.
📍 Global📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NFTE
Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
International youth pitch competition and entrepreneurship curriculum.
📍 International📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
The World Food Prize Foundation
Global Youth Institute
An international organization that empowers students to research and propose solutions to the global food security crisis.
📍 Des Moines, IA/Global⏱ Year-long📅 January 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
United Nations / WHO
Global Youth Mobilization Fellowship
An online-based global youth leadership accelerator focused on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
📍 Online⏱ 3 months (Learning)📅 May (Annual)🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
NASA / University of Toledo
GLOBE Mission EARTH (GME)
A year-long club-based program where students engage in data-driven environmental justice projects and present to scientists.
📍 Online / Various⏱ Year-round📅 October 31🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Minnesota Department of Neuroscience
Go4Brains
Students facing barriers to science and medicine opportunities spend a week exploring neuroscience through lectures, demonstrations, hands-on experiments, research-lab visits, career workshops, and mentoring. The program is free and selected students receive a $400 stipend plus meals and travel support.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Brown University / ICERM
GoGetMath @ ICERM
Intensive mathematics enrichment emphasizing exploration, collaborative problem solving and mathematical discovery beyond standard high-school curricula.
📍 RI🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Colorado State University
GoGetMath@CSU
Five-day mathematics program exploring cryptography, data science, image processing, fractals and geometry through computer labs and hands-on activities.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Goizueta Foundation
Goizueta Legacy Scholarship
Provides scholarships for the children of Coca-Cola employees.
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Minnesota High School Press Association (MHSPA, a division of NSPA)
Gold Medallion Contest / Journalist of the Year
Minnesota's scholastic journalism association hosts an annual Fall Convention (2026: October 8 at the University of Minnesota) featuring the Gold Medallion Contest, which recognizes top student media work in seven categories (broadcast, newspaper/newsmagazine, yearbook, photojournalism, online, social media, and literary arts magazine), alongside a statewide Journalist of the Year award and Best of Show critiques.
📍 Minneapolis, MN📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Golden Gate STEM Fair (formerly SF Bay Area Science Fair)
Golden Gate STEM Fair
A free regional science and engineering fair for grades 6-12 students in San Mateo, San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties, offering over 25 special awards from sponsors like NASA and Chevron.
📍 Randall Museum, San Francisco, CA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga College in the High School
Gonzaga courses taught by approved high school teachers at partner Washington-area high schools, letting students earn Gonzaga college credit while still in high school.
📍 Spokane, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Saint Anselm College Center for Ethics in Society
Goodchild High School Ethics Bowl
High school teams from the Center's Ethics Circle partner schools compete in the National High School Ethics Bowl format, with kickoff and capstone events hosted on the Saint Anselm campus.
📍 Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Google
Google Code-in Archive Projects
Archive of the Google Code-in competition tasks for self-guided open source learning.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
Google Science Fair (Alumni Network + Regional Fairs)
Regional science fairs affiliated with ISEF that welcome international student researchers.
📍 Global (affiliated fairs)📅 Varies by fair🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SC Governor's School for Science & Mathematics
GoSciTech Residential
One-week STEM summer courses on the GSSM campus.
📍 SC🎓 Grade 10
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Gospel Performance Program
Vocalists and instrumentalists immerse themselves in gospel performance, ensemble playing, and the musical tradition's stylistic foundations.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia Department of Education
Governor's Computer Science Institute (GCSI)
A weeklong residential program with practical experience in computer science, coding and programming where students build programs and applications to solve real-world problems.
📍 Beckley, WV📅 April🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Governor's Institutes of Vermont
Governor's Institutes of Vermont: Arts Institute
Two-week residential arts institute where students choose two focus areas such as theater, music, writing, painting, film, dance and comics, with 108+ hours of arts training and an evening Artist Series.
📍 Castleton, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Governor's Institutes of Vermont (GIV)
Governor's Institutes of Vermont: Engineering Institute
A one-week residential institute where students tackle design challenges in energy, electrical and structural engineering with professional equipment and software, including energy and hydrology strands and field trips to engineering companies.
📍 Norwich University, Northfield, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Governor's Institutes of Vermont (GIV)
Governor's Institutes of Vermont: Entrepreneurship Institute
Students develop and market their own products and services under the mentorship of established entrepreneurs, build a team business plan and finish with an investor pitch.
📍 Champlain College, Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Governor's Institutes of Vermont (GIV)
Governor's Institutes of Vermont: Global Issues & Youth Action Institute
A 10-day residential institute exploring social, political and environmental issues through discussion and activism, with policy or skills strands, guest speakers including legislators, and mock Supreme Court and legislature simulations.
📍 Champlain College, Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Governor's Institutes of Vermont (GIV)
Governor's Institutes of Vermont: Health & Medicine Institute
Students explore health careers through hands-on medical training in patient assessment, surgical techniques and emergency response, and can earn VEFR, CPR/AED and Stop the Bleed certifications.
📍 University of Vermont, Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Governor's Institutes of Vermont (GIV)
Governor's Institutes of Vermont: Kenneth I. Gross and Anthony Trono Mathematical Sciences Institute
A one-week residential institute on statistics, programming, geometry and real-world applications of mathematics, with lectures, workshops, logic puzzles and an Amazing Race campus challenge.
📍 University of Vermont, Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Governor's Institutes of Vermont (GIV)
Governor's Institutes of Vermont: Technology & Design Institute
A 9-day residential institute with game design, information technology and digital media strands covering Python programming, microcontrollers, robotics, cybersecurity, animation, UI/UX design and virtual reality.
📍 Champlain College, Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Governor's Institutes of Vermont (GIV)
Governor's Institutes of Vermont: Weather & Climate Science Institute
Students forecast weather, explore climate change impacts on Vermont communities and practice science communication, with weather balloon launches, storm-chasing simulations and trips to the National Weather Service and the Fairbanks Museum.
📍 Vermont State University Lyndon, Lyndon, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Office of the Governor of North Carolina
Governor's Page Program
Students participate directly in state government while completing activities in history, civics, service and professional development.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Pittsburgh
Governor's School for Global & International Studies
Four-week residential study of global studies, argumentation and critical languages; 2026 participants earned six Pitt credits.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
West Virginia Department of Education / West Virginia Wesleyan College
Governor's School for the Arts
A free three-week summer arts program for West Virginia sophomores with auditioned tracks in creative writing, dance, digital art/media, instrumental music, studio art, theatre and vocal music.
📍 West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, WV📅 March🎓 Grade 10
Selective
West Virginia Department of Education / West Virginia University
Governor's School for Tourism
A free 10-day summer program for selected rising 9th and 10th graders that introduces West Virginia's tourism and hospitality industry through hands-on experiences and career exposure at state park lodges and landmarks.
📍 Travel destinations across West Virginia (hosted by WVU)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
West Virginia Department of Education
Governor's School of Entrepreneurship (GSE)
A 10-day residential program where students work on real-world problem-solving and startup challenges, learn from industry experts, and pitch ideas to investors.
📍 Huntington, WV📅 March🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Research & Development Council of New Jersey
Governor's STEM Scholars
Year-long statewide STEM cohort connecting high-achieving high-school and college students with NJ research institutions, companies, STEM leaders and research experiences. High-school sophomores through seniors are eligible.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Ohio Academy of Science / Ohio Department of Development
Governor's Thomas Edison Student Awards
State Science Day participants can win tuition scholarships for research in advanced materials, alternative energy, biotechnology/biomedical technologies and information science.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas Governor's Mansion Association
Governor's Young Artist Competition
Arkansas high-school artists submit drawings, paintings, illustrations, ceramics, or mixed-media work for a statewide juried exhibition at the Governor's Mansion.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Governor's Youth Advisory Council
Massachusetts young people advise the Governor and Lieutenant Governor on civic engagement, education, housing, environment, youth violence, and other statewide issues. Members are ages 16–21.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Governor's Youth Climate Council
Rising sophomores through seniors meet monthly during the school year and develop climate-policy recommendations for the Governor.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Volunteer Delaware
Governor's Youth Volunteer Service Awards
Delaware youth are nominated for statewide recognition based on sustained volunteering, leadership, community impact or environmental stewardship.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Adelphi University
Grace Pilcer Pre-College Scholars
Need-based awards of up to full tuition for Adelphi's for-credit pre-college program, prioritizing students facing financial/access barriers.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Grambling State University
Grambling State High School Cybersecurity Camp
High-school students study cybersecurity fundamentals, Linux, network discovery, cyber defense, ethical hacking concepts, digital safety, and technology career pathways in intensive week-long sessions.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
GRAMMY Museum / Belmont University
GRAMMY Camp (Belmont University)
A nationally recognized weeklong intensive for grades 9-12 held on Belmont's campus, where students choose a career track such as songwriting, audio engineering, music business, vocal performance, video production, music production, or music journalism and work with industry professionals and GRAMMY-nominated artists.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Grand Teton National Park / Grand Teton National Park Foundation
Grand Teton National Park Youth Conservation Program
Ten weeks of paid summer work for local teenagers on trail maintenance, historic site preservation and fire management in Grand Teton National Park, with an online application and a letter of reference.
📍 Moose, WY📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
National FFA Organization
Granite State Association of FFA
New Hampshire's state FFA association delivers agricultural education and leadership development to high school students through Career Development Events, Leadership Development Events, and industry tours.
📍 Concord, NH (statewide chapters)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Purchase College, SUNY
Graphic Design
Studio-based design intensive covering visual communication, typography and digital design.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Department of Art
Graphic Design Bootcamp
Twelve-day intensive covering image editing, vector illustration, typography and publication design with industry-standard software, culminating in a capstone project. The 2026 fee was $600.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey
Graphic Design Camp
Students use Adobe Creative Suite while studying typography, print/digital media and professional design careers.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Graphic Design Summer Studio
High-school summer camp, graphic design.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Grassroots Ecology
Grassroots Ecology Youth Internships
Paid summer employment for high schoolers working on habitat restoration in San Jose area parks.
📍 San Jose, CA/South Bay⏱ 6-8 weeks📅 March 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Great Basin College
Great Basin College High School Early Enrollment
Nevada sophomores, juniors and seniors can take GBC college courses during the academic year or summer, with some courses eligible for simultaneous high-school and college credit.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
WHRO Public Media / Consortium for Interactive Instruction / Old Dominion University
Great Computer Challenge (Senior Competition, Hampton Roads)
An annual team competition on computer applications and programming for Hampton Roads students; the senior competition includes Level 4 for grades 9-12 in areas such as web design, video editing, and visual programming.
📍 Norfolk, VA (ODU Webb Center)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Great Lakes Science Center & Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Great Lakes Science Center Robotics Initiative
A partnership giving Cleveland high schoolers curriculum, expert mentors, and shop access to build and program industrial robots for FIRST Robotics competitions, including a humanitarian project called Hands Across Borders.
📍 Cleveland, OH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Johns Hopkins University
Green Chemistry: The Science of Sustainability
Students explore chemistry approaches designed around sustainability and reduced environmental impact.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
Green Mountain Conservation Camps
Week-long residential camps for youth ages 12-16 on Lake Bomoseen and Buck Lake covering fish and wildlife, wetland ecology, forestry, first aid, fly-fishing, archery and hunter education, with Advanced weeks for past graduates.
📍 Woodbury and Castleton, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 7–11
Moderate
City of Boston
Greenovate Boston Youth Leaders
Students work on local environmental justice and climate resilience projects in the Boston area.
📍 Boston, MA⏱ 6 weeks📅 February 1🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Detroit Zoological Society
GreenPrize
Middle- and high-school Green Teams in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties design projects that make their school or community more sustainable, with funding awarded to implement the winning project.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Grinnell College
Grinnell College Advanced Scholars Program
A dual-enrollment program letting academically strong high school students near Grinnell take Grinnell College courses tuition-free during the school year, with credits transferable if they later enroll at Grinnell.
📍 Grinnell, IA (local-area students)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Michigan Intend to Attend
GROE with I2A
Current sophomores and juniors from selected Michigan regions complete virtual mini-courses, visit U-M, present at a showcase, and can continue with individualized college coaching. Transportation, food, and lodging are covered.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Kean University
Group Summer Scholars Research Program
Two- or four-week intensive research program with streams including cancer biology, developmental biology, scientific computing, machine learning, and modern drug discovery. The 2027 application is scheduled to open in January 2027.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Kentucky Governor's School for Entrepreneurs
GSE Summer Startup
Kentucky students participate in an intensive three-week entrepreneurship program developing ideas, testing business models, working in teams, and learning from entrepreneurs and mentors. Participation is free.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Garden State Scholastic Press Association (GSSPA)
GSSPA Student Journalism Programs
New Jersey's scholastic journalism association, running an annual contest (yearbook, print, broadcast, online categories), a Fall Student Press Day conference, an NJ All-Star Journalism Team recognition, and the Kilgore and Stevens scholarships for student journalists.
📍 Rutgers University and other NJ sites📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UNLV (NSF ITEST project)
GUIC Summer Camp (Engaging Girls in Ubiquitous Intelligence and Computing)
An NSF-funded five-week summer camp training CCSD students entering grades 7-12 in Arduino programming, Python, and VEX V5 robotics design, culminating in team projects addressing smart-city applications like intelligent transportation and energy planning.
📍 Las Vegas, NV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Guitar
Summer high-school course centered on guitar performance and musicianship.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Guitar Sessions
Students age 15+ receive five days of intensive guitar instruction, technical training, and ensemble performance with Berklee Guitar Department faculty.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Faith, Science, and Ethics Camp
Week-long summer camp at Gustavus Adolphus College where high school students explore a yearly theme through the lenses of faith, science and ethics with lectures, hands-on activities, mentor group discussions and recreation; the 2026 theme investigated the Mississippi River's ecosystems and history. Scholarships are available.
📍 St. Peter, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Guthrie Theater
Guthrie Theater Summer Camps
Week-long theater intensives for students entering grades 6-12 that pair participants with professional theater artists on acting, musical theater, costuming, and devising, culminating in showcases for family and friends; the grades 9-12 'Actor's Studio' track includes scene study and a mock audition with the Guthrie's artistic team.
📍 Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hawaii Chess Federation
Guy Ontai Hawaiʻi K-12 Scholastic Chess Championship
Annual statewide scholastic chess tournament with four grade-level divisions run in Swiss format with USCF-rated play; state champions can advance to the National Tournament of State Champions.
📍 Honolulu, Oʻahu📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Washington University
GW Summer Immersion
Two-week residential pre-college programs use DC as a classroom for subjects including law, foreign policy, psychology, data, global development and other academic areas.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
The American Legion, Department of South Carolina
H.W. Dare Maness High School Oratorical Program
A constitutional speech contest that develops high schoolers' knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and public-speaking skills, progressing from local posts through semi-final and department-final rounds toward national scholarships.
📍 Multiple sites statewide, with Department Finals in Columbia, SC📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
HAAEA Summer Internship Program
High-school and university students complete hands-on aerospace activities, develop research skills and build professional skills through UH's Hawaiʻi Aspiring Aerospace Engineers Academy.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity Youth
Year-round and summer build volunteer opportunities.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Hack Club
Hack Club
Free worldwide network of student-run high school coding clubs and hackathons. Travel grants for in-person events.
📍 Worldwide⏱ Flexible📅 Year-round🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hack Club
Hack Club Clubs
1,500+ in-person clubs. Find one near you, or start your own and we’ll help you get it off the ground.
📍 Various (global)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hack Club
Hack Club Outernet & Events
Network of student-run coding clubs and hackathons.
📍 Multiple states⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Junior Achievement of New Jersey
HackJA
A student-led, 24-hour hackathon for grades 7-12 where teams of beginner-to-advanced coders tackle computer-science challenges (IoT, cloud, social good) with mentorship from corporate and college professionals; no prior coding experience required.
📍 New Jersey📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MIT
HackMIT
Annual 24-hour student hackathon at MIT; many HS students attend HackMIT High School Hackathon (Blueprint).
📍 Cambridge, MA⏱ 2 days📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
TJHSST HackTJ / TJ Partnership Fund
HackTJ (Student-Run High School Hackathon)
A 24-hour student-run hackathon where high school students team up (2-4 per team) to build projects, with workshops, mentors and prizes in categories such as Best AI/ML Hack and Best Cyber Technology Hack.
📍 Tysons, VA (Cvent HQ)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Utah State University Huntsman School of Business
HackUSU
USU's flagship 24-hour innovation challenge and coding competition where teams build solutions with mentor support and workshops, regardless of prior experience. High school students are welcome.
📍 Logan, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
ACM at UT Dallas (HackUTD)
HackUTD 2026: Zero Day
A free in-person university hackathon at UT Dallas welcoming any enrolled student, including high schoolers aged 18+ or younger students attending with a guardian. No major or prior experience is required.
📍 Richardson, TX📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
LSU College of Engineering
Halliburton XCITE
Residential students explore engineering, computer science, and construction management through faculty sessions, facility tours, hands-on projects, and a major team design challenge.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hamline University Creative Writing Programs
Hamline Young Writers Workshop
A summer workshop for high school students ages 15-18 who work each day with a published author on poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or college essay writing, plus a 'Literary Twin Cities' field trip, on Hamline's Saint Paul campus.
📍 Hamline University, Saint Paul, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Hampshire College
Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics (HCSSiM)
Intensive six-week math program for talented high schoolers.
📍 Amherst, MA⏱ 6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Harding University College of Pharmacy
Harding University Pharmacy Camp
A residential summer camp introducing high school sophomores through seniors to the pharmacy profession through pharmaceutical compounding, blood pressure and glucose monitoring practice, patient case analysis, and talks with pre-pharmacy advisors.
📍 Harding University, Searcy, AR📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Harvard University
Harvard Debate Council Summer Workshops
Two-week residential debate training led by national champions.
📍 Cambridge, MA📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Harvard Debate Council
Harvard Debate Tournament
Premier college-run high school debate tournament held annually.
📍 Cambridge, MA⏱ 3 days📅 Winter🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Harvard International Review
Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest
A rigorous economics essay competition organized on a global scale.
📍 Online📅 October 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Harvard University
Harvard Model Congress
Premier high school simulation of the US federal government, run by Harvard students.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ 4 days📅 Winter🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Harvard University
Harvard Model UN
High school Model UN conference with delegates from around the world.
📍 Boston, MA⏱ 4 days📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Harvard International Relations Council
Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN)
Premier conferences hosted by Harvard students simulating international diplomacy and the United Nations.
📍 Boston, MA⏱ 4 days📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Harvard University
Harvard Pre-College (Need-Based Aid)
Pre-college courses with substantial need-based scholarships covering up to full tuition.
📍 MA (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 2-7 weeks (summer)📅 Early February🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Harvard University
Harvard Pre-College Program
Two-week residential program in 50+ disciplines.
📍 Cambridge, MA⏱ 2 weeks📅 January🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Harvard Student Agencies
Harvard Student Agencies Case Competition (HSACC)
An individual, two-round online business case competition run by Harvard Student Agencies in which high schoolers submit a written strategy deck and then a video pitch, competing for cash prizes and internship scholarships.
📍 Cambridge, MA (run by Harvard Student Agencies)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hastings College
Hastings College Open Space for Visual and Performing Arts
High school juniors and sophomores with strong artistic ability spend a week immersed in visual arts (up to 35 students) or performing arts (up to 35 students in music or theatre), with Jackson Dinsdale Endowment scholarships covering most of the cost.
📍 Hastings College, Hastings, NE📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Brigham Young University–Hawaii
Haumana Program (BYU–Hawaii)
One-day on-campus recruitment and college-exploration event for Hawaii high school students in grades 9-12, including a campus tour, Polynesian Cultural Center visit, and devotional.
📍 Laie, Oʻahu (BYU–Hawaii campus)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education / JABSOM / Anatomage
Hawaiʻi Anatomage Tournament
Teams use life-sized digital cadaver tables to compete on detailed human anatomy and physiology knowledge through elimination rounds.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaii State CTSO / DECA Inc.
Hawaiʻi DECA
Career and technical student organization for Hawaii high schoolers pursuing business, marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship careers, combining classroom instruction with competitive events and business partnerships.
📍 Statewide (school chapters)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaii State CTSO / FCCLA
Hawaiʻi FCCLA
Family and consumer sciences CTSO offering STAR Events competitions and leadership conferences for Hawaii high schoolers, with pathways to the National Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide (school chapters)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaiʻi FFA Association / Hawaii State CTSO
Hawaiʻi FFA Association
Statewide agricultural education organization with 21+ chapters across the islands offering leadership development, hands-on agricultural experience, and competitive career-development events for high school students.
📍 Statewide (21+ chapters across all islands)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaii State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
Hawaiʻi High School Mock Trial Program
Statewide mock trial competition in which student teams work with volunteer attorneys to prepare and argue a full case, culminating in a State Championship at the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court with advancement to nationals.
📍 Honolulu, Oʻahu (Hawaiʻi Supreme Court)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities
Hawaiʻi History Day
Year-long project-based history and civics program for grades 4-12, in which students research an annual theme and present at district, state, and national competitions.
📍 Statewide (district and state fairs)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaii State CTSO / HOSA
Hawaiʻi HOSA – Future Health Professionals
Student-led CTSO for middle and high schoolers interested in health careers, offering competitive events, leadership training, and an annual State Leadership Conference with health professionals.
📍 Statewide (school chapters)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaiʻi Pacific Health
Hawaiʻi Pacific Health Student Volunteer Program
Students volunteer in healthcare settings on a regular schedule and gain exposure to hospital environments and patient-support services.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kapiʻolani Community College
Hawaiʻi Physics Olympics
High-school teams solve hands-on physics and engineering challenges involving design, measurement and problem-solving.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaii Scholastic Journalism Association
Hawaiʻi Scholastic Journalism Association – Journalism Day & Awards
Statewide network supporting student journalists through the annual Journalism Day conference, the Hawaiʻi Journalist of the Year award, and the Hawaiʻi High School Journalism Awards competition.
📍 Statewide (recent events at UH Mānoa and McKinley High School)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaii State CTSO / SkillsUSA
Hawaiʻi SkillsUSA
CTSO for high schoolers pursuing trade, technical, and skilled service careers, offering 17 statewide contests and pathways to national championships.
📍 Statewide (school chapters)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UH Mānoa CTAHR Extension
Hawaiʻi State 4-H Program
Statewide youth development program for ages 5-19 offering clubs and projects in agriculture, environmental science, technology, and leadership, including teen-specific initiatives like the PONO disaster-preparedness training and the Read to Me community service program.
📍 Statewide (Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, East and West Hawaiʻi)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaiʻi State Legislature
Hawaiʻi State High School Legislative Intern Program
Public-high-school students work inside the Hawaiʻi House and Senate and gain firsthand exposure to legislative operations and policymaking.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaiʻi Academy of Science
Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair
Students advance through district fairs and present original science or engineering research at Hawaiʻi's statewide fair, with top projects advancing toward ISEF.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
State of Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services
Hawaiʻi State Youth Commission
Fifteen young people advise the Governor and Legislature on policies, programs, budgets and priorities affecting Hawaiʻi youth and participate directly in public-policy advocacy.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaiʻi Academy of Science
Hawaiʻi STEM Poster Contest
Students create original artwork interpreting an annual STEM theme; high-school entries are judged separately and top students receive cash prizes.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah
HCI-RISE Virtual Summer Research Experience
A virtual summer program introducing high school students from rural Mountain West communities to cancer research and healthcare careers through interactive workshops, career panels, and small-group activities.
📍 Remote (Utah, ID, MT, NV, WY residents)📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Hampshire College
HCSSiM
Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics; intense 6 weeks.
📍 Amherst, MA⏱ 6 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation
HDOT Student Internship Program
Students complete paid project-based work with HDOT, receive mentorship and skills workshops, interact with employers and present their work to stakeholders.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montana AHEC / Montana State University
Heads Up Behavioral Health Camp
Free residential program introducing Montana students to behavioral-health careers through hands-on activities, facility visits and professional presentations; the Helena session also included Teen Mental Health First Aid certification.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Ohio State School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Health & Rehabilitation Sciences Camp
Three-day healthcare camp with anatomy, immunology, neuroscience, intubation, surgical-skills, nutrition and rehabilitation activities.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Norfolk State University College of Science, Engineering, & Technology
Health & Science Summer Academy (Norfolk State University)
A four-week weekday summer program for rising 6th through 12th graders with hands-on learning, science exploration, field trips and enrichment to build STEM confidence and explore careers in health, science and technology.
📍 Norfolk, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Health Care Pathway Initiative (HCPI)
A four-week residential summer camp that introduces students to health care and STEM careers such as nursing, pharmacy, research, health informatics and biomedical engineering, with hands-on sessions, field trips, a career day and a College PREP workshop.
📍 Huntington, WV📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Southern New Hampshire Area Health Education Center (SNHAHEC)
Health Career Exploration Camps
Hands-on healthcare camps in Nashua, Manchester, and the Seacoast introducing middle and high schoolers to EMTs, nurses, and public health professionals through CPR certification, facility visits, and simulations.
📍 Nashua, Manchester, and Seacoast, NH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Chester University College of Health Sciences
Health Career Summer Academy
A summer academy, in collaboration with Main Line Health, for high school students interested in health science careers, especially those from under-served populations, including CPR/AED certification and hands-on learning with healthcare providers across nine health career fields.
📍 West Chester, PA (West Chester University)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Southwest Idaho Area Health Education Center (AHEC)
Health Careers Camp
A career-exploration camp for middle and high school students featuring presentations from medical, dental, and behavioral health professionals, Q&A sessions, and hands-on healthcare activities.
📍 Southwest Idaho📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Stevens Point Continuing Education and Outreach
Health Careers Camp (UW-Stevens Point)
Overnight camp where students meet professors in physical therapy, nursing, audiology and nutrition, do hands-on workshops and tour hospitals including Marshfield Clinic and Aspirus Stevens Point.
📍 Stevens Point, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Northwest Oklahoma Osteopathic Foundation
Health Careers Camp & Physician Shadowing Program
A free program for Northwest Oklahoma high school students offering a health careers camp, physician shadowing experiences, guest speaker events, and scholarship/mentoring support to encourage students toward medical careers.
📍 Enid, OK📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of New England / Maine AHEC Network
Health Careers Explorations Camp
A free camp for Maine students entering grades 10-12 who are interested in healthcare careers, offering hands-on activities in dental hygiene, medicine, nursing, therapy, pharmacy, and public health.
📍 University of New England, Biddeford, ME🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Susquehanna University
Health Careers Institute
Medicine/health science pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
University of Georgia / Foothills AHEC
Health Careers Youth Conference
Students explore healthcare careers through cellular-biology and cadaver laboratories, kinesiology facilities, veterinary-hospital tours, college preparation and hands-on medical activities.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Health Professions Enrichment Program (HPEP)
Outreach program for 9th and 10th graders interested in science and health careers with two Saturday sessions in Roanoke or Danville and a free four-day summer residential capstone at Virginia Tech for rising 10th graders.
📍 Roanoke and Danville, VA (summer capstone in Blacksburg)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Duke University School of Medicine
Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP)
Multi-session academic-year program exposing students to medicine and health careers through mentoring, workshops and college/pre-med preparation.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Regis University
Health Professions Summer Experience
Weeklong exploration of nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, exercise science, occupational therapy, counseling, speech pathology and related health fields through hands-on workshops.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Nebraska at Kearney / Central Nebraska AHEC
Health Science Explorers Summer Camps
Hands-on healthcare exploration through simulations, case studies and activities involving fields such as forensics, IV administration, ultrasound, physical therapy and other health professions. Multiple Nebraska locations are offered; recent camps ranged from free to $25.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WVU Health Sciences
Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA)
A mentoring program that helps West Virginia high school students enter and succeed in STEM+M degree programs; scholars attend summer campus academies and year-round clubs.
📍 Morgantown, WV and sites across West Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
George Mason University
Health Services Mentorship Program (HSMP)
A free, fully virtual program in which high school students design and carry out their own health services and clinical research studies under PhD-student guidance, meeting 2-3 times a month and presenting at the HSMP Colloquium.
📍 Virginia (virtual)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Marian University
Healthcare Camp
A one-week day camp for high school freshmen through seniors exploring nursing, medicine, research science, and sports science careers with hands-on simulation-lab practice and current health-professions students as mentors.
📍 Indianapolis, IN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Quinnipiac University
Healthcare Career Exploration Academy
Students explore multiple healthcare professions through practical experiences, simulations, laboratories and field activities on Quinnipiac's campus.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
OU Health
Healthcare Career Exploration Summit
A one-day, in-person summit at the OU Health campus where high school students from Oklahoma City-metro school systems attend interactive presentations and hands-on demonstrations led by OU Health professionals to explore healthcare careers.
📍 Oklahoma City, OK📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana University of Pennsylvania / Armstrong-Indiana Intermediate Unit / Indiana Regional Medical Center
Healthcare Education and Learning Pathways (HELP) Summer Experience
A hands-on two-day experience for area high schoolers exploring healthcare careers such as athletic training, nursing, emergency medicine, physical therapy, and medical imaging, through lab visits and demonstrations by healthcare professionals.
📍 Indiana, PA (Indiana University of Pennsylvania)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center
Healthcare Experience & Research in Oncology (HERO)
Kentucky sophomores, juniors, and seniors participate in virtual oncology research, laboratory-kit activities, career exploration, scientific-skills programming, and continuing school-year enrichment. Participants receive a $500 stipend.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center
Healthcare Heroes Expedition
A free one-day event for 10th-12th graders exploring multiple health fields at Louisiana Christian University.
📍 Pineville, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Belin-Blank Center, University of Iowa
Heartland Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)
Iowa and Nebraska's regional STEM research symposium where high schoolers submit original research papers and the top 15 present orally to judges for scholarships, with winners advancing to nationals.
📍 Regional symposium in Iowa/Nebraska📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Henry Vilas Zoo
Henry Vilas Zoo Teen Volunteer Roles
Volunteer roles at the Madison zoo including gate greeting, train and carousel crew, goat yard attendant, animal ambassador docent and gardening, with a minimum age of 14 for independent roles.
📍 Madison, WI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State Historical Society of North Dakota
Heritage Volunteer Program
Teens can assist at the Heritage Center and state historic sites in interpretation, museum operations, research and public programs.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota
HERO Cancer Research High School Program
Minnesota high-school students spend two weeks online learning directly from cancer researchers, completing experimental activities with supplied lab kits, receiving mentorship, and exploring cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and research careers. Successful participants receive a $500 stipend.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Northern Vermont Area Health Education Center / UVM Larner College of Medicine
HERO Mentoring Program (Northern Vermont AHEC)
A no-cost online one-to-one mentoring program that pairs high school students with trained UVM medical students for health career exploration, goal setting and human biology modules.
📍 Online (northern Vermont counties)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW Carbone Cancer Center and Medical College of Wisconsin (American Cancer Society funded)
HERO: Healthcare Experience and Research in Oncology (Virtual)
Two-week synchronous virtual program for Wisconsin high school students: at-home Drosophila lab work on nutrition and genetic cancers, faculty speakers, cancer career panels and a patient case study.
📍 Virtual (Wisconsin students)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Hawaii High School Athletic Association / PlayVS
HHSAA Esports State Championships
Sanctioned varsity esports competition for Hawaii high schools with spring and fall seasons in League of Legends and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, culminating in state championship banners.
📍 Statewide (online play via PlayVS)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy
HI STAR — Hawaiʻi Student/Teacher Astronomy Research
Maui students learn astronomy research methods using real astronomical datasets and receive mentorship in scientific investigation.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Utah Price College of Engineering
Hi-GEAR Camp
A four-day camp exposing students to biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, materials, and mechanical engineering and computer science through hands-on projects, lab tours, and guest speakers.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
HIDOE Student Internship Program
Public-high-school students work at schools, complex-area offices and state offices in fields including agriculture, education, business management and therapeutic services.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Hawaiʻi International Film Festival (HIFF)
HIFF ʻŌpio Fest
Annual spring festival showcasing short films by Hawaiʻi's young creatives, including a high school 'Next Gen' showcase alongside screenings, workshops, and industry guest sessions.
📍 Honolulu, Oʻahu📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Global Minnesota
High School Academic WorldQuest Competition
Annual statewide in-person competition where Minnesota high school teams of four test their knowledge of international affairs and global issues; each school can register up to two teams. The winning team earns sponsorship (hotel and airfare) to the national championship in Washington, D.C. Free for teachers and students.
📍 Bloomington, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Nebraska at Omaha CBA Prep Academy
High School Accounting Adventures Overnight Camp
Residential program showing how accountants use technology, solve business problems and support organizational decision-making while introducing students to accounting careers and college life.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
High School Apprenticeship Challenge
Underrepresented and low-income Massachusetts students receive paid life-sciences internships at research institutions and biotechnology companies. Host wages are subsidized at $17 per hour for up to six weeks full-time.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Idaho
High School Art & Design Exhibition
High-school artists submit original artwork for juried selection into the University of Idaho's annual exhibition, with approximately 30 pieces displayed and student awards presented.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership
High School Art & Marine Science
A one-week residential program on Hurricane Island for rising 9th-12th graders that pairs marine-science observation with art-making and ends with a public gallery exhibition.
📍 Hurricane Island, ME📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Evansville
High School Art Camp
High-school artists work in university studios on drawing, painting, perspective, figure drawing, and design while experiencing collegiate art instruction.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Zoological Society of Milwaukee
High School Assistant Teen Volunteer Program (Zoological Society of Milwaukee)
A teen volunteer program where high school students serve as High School Assistants during Zoo summer camps, gaining hands-on experience with science, animals and working with others.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Florida State University College of Music
High School Band Camp
High-school musicians receive intensive ensemble instruction and performance experience through FSU's long-running residential music-camp program.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Nebraska at Omaha CBA Prep Academy
High School Banking and Finance Overnight Camp
Residential camp exploring banking, finance, financial planning and related careers through hands-on learning and interaction with finance professionals.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Rowan University
High School Biomedical Scholars Program
Two-week biomedical program with laboratory techniques, gross anatomy and research-oriented activities. The 2026 tuition was $1,500.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
tecBRIDGE
High School Business Plan Competition
An annual STEAM-based business plan competition open to high school and homeschool students in Northeastern Pennsylvania counties (Berks, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Wayne, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna), requiring a written response and team pitch presentation.
📍 Northeastern Pennsylvania📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Berklee College of Music
High School Composition Intensive
Students ages 15–19 compose three original works, workshop them with faculty, and have their pieces performed and recorded by professional musicians.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Jersey State Bar Foundation
High School Courtroom Artist Competition
Students observe mock-trial proceedings and create courtroom sketches judged through county and state competition rounds. The 2026–27 cycle is currently active, with registration due October 28, 2026.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Black Rock & Sage (Idaho State University student journal)
High School Creative Writing Contest
A poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction contest run by ISU's student literary journal for high schoolers in southeastern Idaho, with the winner published and invited to read at the journal's launch party.
📍 Southeastern Idaho (submissions by email to Idaho State University)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Duke Summer Session
High School Credit Course Options
Duke Summer Session offers credit course options for high school students.
📍 Durham, NC and remote🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
AIA New Hampshire
High School Design Challenge
New Hampshire students respond to an annual architecture/design brief, developing drawings, graphics and a three-dimensional model. Top projects receive recognition and cash awards.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Idaho College of Art and Architecture
High School Design Day
Students rotate through architecture, art, interior architecture, landscape architecture, virtual-reality and portfolio-development activities with U of I faculty and students.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Nebraska at Omaha CBA Prep Academy
High School Digital and Social Media Marketing Overnight Camp
Students explore digital/social marketing strategy, creativity and careers while living on UNO's campus. The 2026–27 youth-program page confirms the camp will return; CBA Prep camps are free except for a waivable $20 registration deposit.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Michigan State University College of Engineering
High School Engineering Institute (HSEI) at MSU
Residential summer program for students entering grades 10-12 (GPA 3.0+) exploring engineering majors through daily faculty lectures, demonstrations, hands-on team problem solving and facility tours. Four sessions June 13 - July 15, 2027; fee $1,199.
📍 East Lansing, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UW-Superior
High School Esports Development Camp (UW-Superior)
A summer development camp for students in grades 9-12 to build competitive esports skills, offered by UW-Superior alongside a middle school esports camp.
📍 Superior, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tulane University, Center for Ethics / Murphy Institute
High School Ethics Bowl (Louisiana Regional)
A collaborative debate-style competition in which New Orleans-area high school teams analyze real-life ethical dilemmas and respond to a panel of judges, with Tulane undergraduates coaching participating schools through weekly club meetings ahead of two to three tournaments held each semester.
📍 New Orleans, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York Botanical Garden
High School Explainer Program
Competitive environmental-education program where students complete 125 volunteer hours, conduct citizen-science phenology research and teach visitors; successful interns can advance to paid tiers. Spring 2027 applications are open.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Nebraska at Omaha CBA Prep Academy
High School Exploring Economics Camp
Students examine real-world economic decision-making, prices, markets and how economic choices affect businesses, governments and communities. The camp is scheduled to return in the 2026–27 program cycle.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
High School Fed Challenge (Cleveland Fed region)
A team competition where high school students research an assigned economics theme and produce an analytical paper/podcast evaluated by Federal Reserve staff; the Cleveland Fed hosts the regional round for Ohio, western PA, eastern KY, and northern WV.
📍 Cleveland, OH📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Michigan Council on Economic Education
High School Fed Challenge (Michigan)
A research and writing competition for grades 9-12 in which student teams author an original economics research paper on an annual theme (2025-26: the economics of music), with selected entries published in the Journal of Future Economists.
📍 Michigan (statewide, virtual submission)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Forward Montana
High School Fellowship
Paid civic-engagement fellowship for Montana high-school students involving organizing, voter engagement, community events, leadership development and democracy education. The fall 2026 cohort runs into November and provides a $500 stipend.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Hampshire Writers' Project
High School Flash Fiction Competition
Students write an original flash-fiction piece of no more than 500 words and advance from school-level judging to statewide finals. State scholarship prizes include $1,500, $1,000 and $500.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Community Foundation of Northern Nevada
High School Giving Circle
Washoe County students meet weekly for ten weeks, study local needs, interview nonprofits and decide how to distribute $10,000 in real grant funding. Participation is free and earns service hours.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMass Chan Medical School
High School Health Careers Program (HSHCP)
A tuition-free, four-week residential precollege immersion at UMass Chan Medical School exposing Massachusetts high school sophomores and juniors from disadvantaged backgrounds to biomedical research and health careers, including a research project and mentorship.
📍 Worcester, MA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
University of St. Thomas, Schulze School of Entrepreneurship
High School Innovation Day
A one-day, hands-on design-thinking workshop on UST's St. Paul campus where sophomores through seniors (up to 10 students per school) collaborate with entrepreneurially-minded peers to create a prototype for a business concept, and observe St. Thomas students pitch business ideas at a live university competition.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 November🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
DC Department of Employment Services
High School Internship Program (HSIP)
District students work part-time during either the fall or spring semester while receiving workplace experience and career-readiness development.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Paul Revere House
High School Internship Summer Program
A free, five-day, non-residential program at Paul Revere's actual North End home where small groups of students work with museum staff, create content about real artifacts, and explore how historians and museum professionals investigate and present the past.
📍 Boston, MA (Paul Revere House, North End)📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Houston Moores School of Music
High School Jazz Institute
A one-week college-immersion jazz camp at the Moores School of Music with ensemble rehearsals, sectionals, improvisation classes, masterclasses and faculty performances.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Nationwide Children's Hospital
High School Job Shadowing / School-Directed Internships
Healthcare job-shadowing experiences for students 14+; high-school placements must be coordinated through the student's school and participating departments.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WHYY
High School Journalism Camp
A two-week, hands-on journalism program where high schoolers develop real-world reporting experience, finding stories on their own beat, interviewing sources, and writing and producing original news stories in WHYY's student newsroom.
📍 Philadelphia, PA (WHYY, 150 N. 6th Street)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Indiana University Bloomington
High School Journalism Institute
Students receive intensive journalism training in areas such as reporting, editing, documentary work, student media, and sports journalism while living and learning on IU's campus.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio University, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism
High School Journalism Workshop
A five-day residential workshop where students choose from eight tracks -- news reporting, broadcast, magazine, public relations, visual storytelling, sports writing, and podcasting -- with mentorship from professional journalists and OU faculty.
📍 Athens, OH (Ohio University)📅 June🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Columbia Law School
High School Law Institute (HSLI)
A free, yearlong Saturday program in which Columbia Law School students teach NYC high schoolers constitutional law, criminal law, and moot court through discussion-based seminars.
📍 New York, NY📅 September🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ohio University Scripps College of Communication, Media Arts Studies
High School Media Workshop
An overnight, on-campus workshop in Athens where high schoolers choose a track in video production, music production and technology, animation, or audio for cinema and create original projects in university studios and labs.
📍 Athens, OH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
High School Musical Theater Intensive (Mason Community Arts Academy)
A summer musical theater intensive for ages 14-18 run by George Mason's Mason Community Arts Academy.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Colorado Boulder, New Venture Challenge
High School New Venture Challenge (CU Boulder)
A free, multi-round entrepreneurial pitch competition open to any Colorado high schooler (public, private, or homeschooled), guided by an adult venture coach, culminating in an in-person final at CU Boulder.
📍 University of Colorado Boulder (finals)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership
High School Oceanography
A one-week residential program on Hurricane Island for rising 9th-12th graders focused on ocean science, including boat-based data collection on ocean circulation, stratification and climate-driven change.
📍 Hurricane Island, ME📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The American Legion, Department of Mississippi
High School Oratorical Contest
A statewide public-speaking competition on the U.S. Constitution that advances from local American Legion posts to the state level, developing students' constitutional knowledge, leadership, and oratory skills, with Mississippi finalists earning scholarships up to $3,000.
📍 Jackson, MS (state finals) with local post-level rounds statewide📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina Theatre Conference
High School Play Festival
School theatre companies perform productions at regional festivals, receive professional adjudication and may advance to the statewide festival.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Louisiana Monroe Kitty DeGree School of Nursing
High School Pre-Nursing Boot Camp
Students age 15+ spend several days learning about nursing specialties such as disaster and surgical nursing while practicing skills including blood-pressure measurement, CPR, and the Heimlich maneuver.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Montana Media Lab / University of Montana School of Journalism
High School Reporting Workshop
Annual journalism workshop for Montana high-school students featuring intensive reporting and audio-storytelling instruction with professional and university mentors. The 2026 workshop was offered free to participants.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Belin-Blank Center, University of Iowa
High School Research Symposium (HSRS)
Iowa and nearby high-school students submit original research papers for selection into oral or poster presentations at the University of Iowa. Winners receive UI scholarships of up to $4,000, and there is no attendance fee.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Field Museum
High School Science and Digital Learning Internship
Fifteen Chicagoland high-school students spend five weeks completing a research project with a museum expert while building digital-media, technology, and professional skills. The 2026 position paid $17.25 per hour.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Museum of Science
High School Science Series
High-school groups interact with scientists and researchers and complete science and engineering activities connected to STEM careers and current research.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rider University / Westminster
High School Solo Pianist Week
Residential intensive with private lessons, studio classes, performance coaching and college-audition preparation.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rider University / Westminster
High School Solo Vocal Artist
Two-week classical-vocal intensive with individual faculty instruction, acting, vocal literature and voice science.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Meinders School of Business, Oklahoma City University
High School Startup Sprint & Business Plan Pitch Competition
A one-day competition at OCU where teams of up to five high schoolers receive a fictional business scenario and develop a product concept, marketing plan, and financial forecast on the spot, then pitch to industry judges for cash prizes.
📍 Oklahoma City, OK📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho National Laboratory
High School STEM Ambassadors
High-school students receive training from INL and then lead STEM activities for elementary students, developing science-communication, leadership and teaching skills.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CU Science Discovery
High School STEM Crew
High-school volunteers assist instructors and younger students in CU Science Discovery summer STEM camps while developing classroom, communication, teamwork and professional skills.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School — Research Office
High School Student Interns Program
A self-arranged, unpaid research internship letting NJ high schoolers age 16+ work directly in a Rutgers NJMS faculty member's lab on real biomedical research, after submitting sponsorship, consent, and state working-papers forms.
📍 Newark, NJ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
New Hampshire Press Association
High School Student Journalism Awards
High-school journalists enter published reporting, features, graphics, multimedia and related work produced through New Hampshire student-media programs. The 2026 entry fee was $8 per submission.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
MIT Educational Studies Program
High School Studies Program (HSSP)
Hundreds of secondary students take multi-week courses taught largely by MIT students on subjects ranging from STEM to humanities and unconventional electives.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)
High School Summer 10-Day Courses
Ten-day summer precollege courses at FIT for students in grades 9-12 covering fashion, design, and related creative fields, with graded coursework and an official transcript.
📍 New York, NY📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
DePaul University
High School Summer Actuarial Institute
A free five-day program introduces high-school students to actuarial science, probability, financial modeling, risk management, and related careers. The 2026 session ran August 3–7.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Iowa State University Department of Computer Science
High School Summer AI Bootcamp
A free five-day online program introduces high-school students to artificial intelligence, machine learning, practical applications, and guided hands-on exercises. No prior AI or programming experience is required.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Purdue University Northwest, College of Engineering and Sciences
High School Summer Engineering Camp
A free, hands-on mechanical and civil engineering camp for students ages 14-17 covering 3D printing, renewable energy, bridge and road design, virtual reality, and electric vehicles at PNW's Hammond campus.
📍 Hammond, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MDI Biological Laboratory
High School Summer Fellowship
A 7-10 week research fellowship in Bar Harbor where high school students age 16+ work alongside MDI Biological Laboratory scientists on hands-on biomedical research projects, with free room and board for residents.
📍 Bar Harbor, ME🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Nevada, Reno Biotechnology Program
High School Summer Internship Program — Biotechnology
High-school interns are matched with faculty and research groups and spend the summer shadowing and interacting with professors and university researchers in areas including CRISPR, cancer, genomics, infectious disease and biomedical science.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Baltimore School of Law
High School Summer Pre-Law Academy
Baltimore City students participate in mock trial, college and career planning, and presentations from legal professionals and admissions representatives during a free five-day academy.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
NC State College of Natural Resources (with NC A&T)
High School Summer Research Program
A program where high school students learn the scientific process and conduct field and lab research in forestry and natural resources, culminating in a mini-symposium, with some students advancing to the statewide Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium.
📍 Raleigh, NC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School
High School Summer Research Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
A four-week program for rising juniors and seniors with hands-on lab work in biochemistry and molecular biology, faculty and graduate student mentorship, seminars and career guidance. Students work on discovery-driven medical science projects.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Eastern Michigan University STEM-Ed Institute
High School Summer Science Program
Students work in pairs with EMU faculty and undergraduate researchers for three weeks on an original biology, chemistry, or physics project, then present their results. Participation is free.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership
High School Sustainable Sea
A one-week residential program on Hurricane Island for rising 9th-12th graders on aquaculture and fisheries in the Gulf of Maine, including sea-farm work and a UMaine aquaculture microcredential.
📍 Hurricane Island, ME📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Waikīkī Aquarium / University of Hawaiʻi
High School Teen Educator Program
Teens learn about Hawaiian marine organisms and ecosystems and then communicate science to Aquarium visitors while developing public-speaking and leadership skills.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership
High School Terrestrial Ecology
A one-week residential program on Hurricane Island for rising 9th-12th graders researching the island's forests, meadows, ponds and soils.
📍 Hurricane Island, ME📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Greater Madison Writing Project (UW-Madison)
High School Writers Camp
A four-day camp where high school writers work through the writing process, meet guest writers and contribute to a group anthology, held at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison.
📍 Madison, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Meredith College
High School Writing Workshop
Small-group intensive in fiction, personal essay and poetry with peer critique and one-on-one feedback from Meredith creative-writing faculty.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pierce College Science Dome with Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium
High-Altitude Balloon Camp (Pierce College Science Dome)
Application-based summer camp for grades 10-12 where students experiment, code and launch a high-altitude balloon, including an overnight trip to Eastern Washington for the launch.
📍 Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, Lakewood, Washington📅 June🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Delaware CHARM MRSEC
HighRise — Materials Laboratory Experiences for High Schoolers
Students rotate through university soft- and hard-materials laboratories and explore polymers, semiconductors, nanomaterials and materials engineering with researchers.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
NJIT Hillier College of Architecture and Design
Hillier College Architecture Career Exploration Summer Program
A two-week Introduction to Architecture program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors covering design fundamentals, schematic drawing, and model construction in week one, then advanced techniques and portfolio-quality work in week two, mirroring a college design studio with field trips and professional critiques.
📍 NJIT, Newark, NJ📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
CUNY CREST Institute
HIRES — High School Initiative in Remote Sensing
Seven-week research program using GIS, remote sensing, satellite data and environmental monitoring.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
HSF
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Need- and merit-based scholarships for Hispanic American students. Awards from USD 500 to USD 5K annually.
📍 Online application⏱ Annual📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State Historical Society of Iowa
History Podcast Camp
Students research Iowa history, conduct interviews, write scripts, learn audio storytelling, and produce their own podcast segment with help from museum staff and media professionals. The three-day camp costs $200.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Harvard-MIT Math Tournament
HMMT
Twice-yearly team math tournament hosted by Harvard and MIT students. Free to attend; travel to Cambridge required.
📍 Cambridge, MA⏱ 1 day📅 Nov / Feb🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana University Bloomington, Department of Biology
Holland Summer Science Programs
A tiered set of summer science programs (SEP, SSRP, RISE) giving academically high-achieving high schoolers hands-on research experience and faculty mentorship in STEM fields.
📍 Bloomington, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hollins University
Hollins University Hollinsummer
Two-week creative writing program for high school women writers.
📍 Roanoke, VA⏱ 2 weeks📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Hollins University
Hollinsummer Writing Retreat (Reflect and Create)
A one-week summer writing retreat for rising 9th-12th grade women on Hollins' Roanoke campus, covering fiction, poetry and personal narrative with visiting authors.
📍 Roanoke, VA📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
MIT
Homeschool Internship Program for Science and Technology (HIP-SAT)
Homeschooled high-school students spend eight weeks conducting frontier research in MIT laboratories in areas such as chemical biology, chemistry, and engineering. Students are paid $15 per hour for about 20 hours per week.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maine State Senate
Honorary Page Program
Students from third grade through high school can serve as Honorary Pages on the Senate floor while it is in session, delivering messages and materials to senators under supervision of the Sergeant-at-Arms.
📍 Augusta, ME (Maine State House)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
College of Charleston Honors College
Honors Pre-College Summer Institute
A non-residential summer institute on the downtown Charleston campus offering rising sophomores through seniors college-level seminar courses such as 'Exploring Charleston's Ecosystems' and 'Savor the Story: Food, Culture & Charleston,' combining classroom instruction with local field research.
📍 Charleston, SC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Texas State University Mathworks
Honors Summer Math Camp (HSMC)
A six-week residential, full-time summer math camp for talented high school students that builds problem-solving and research skills, with returning students working with research mentors on original projects.
📍 San Marcos, TX📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Winona State University
HOPE Academic and Leadership Academy
Week-long summer residential program for high school sophomores and juniors with college-level courses on topics from leadership to financial and academic barriers, focused on academic and personal skill development.
📍 Winona, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Horizon
Horizon Academic Research Program
Individual research mentorship program producing a college-level paper; open worldwide.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 10 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ohio State University at Marion
Horizons of Science: From Microbes to Megastructures
A week-long day camp blending biochemistry, engineering, and environmental science through molecular gastronomy, blood-typing simulations, and crime-scene biochemistry challenges, building a take-home programmable robot, racing cardboard boats, and studying ecosystems in the campus prairie learning lab.
📍 Marion, OH (Ohio State University at Marion)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NC State University
Horticultural Science Summer Institute
Residential institute covering plant genetics, propagation, crop production and sustainable horticultural systems.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Summer Camp
A four-day residential camp for students aged 15-17 introducing plant science and landscape design through hands-on activities including plant identification, floral arrangement, landscape design projects, turfgrass management, and nursery production.
📍 Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
HOSA Future Health Professionals
HOSA Competitive Events
School-chapter health-science competitions across 60+ medical events. Local through international rounds.
📍 Chapter + state + intl⏱ School year📅 Fall-summer🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
HOSA Future Health Professionals
HOSA International Leadership Conference
International leadership conference and competition for future health professionals.
📍 Rotating (US)⏱ 5 days📅 Summer🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
HCA Healthcare New Hampshire
Hospital Student Volunteer Program
High-school students can volunteer at HCA New Hampshire hospitals to gain exposure to healthcare environments and support hospital operations.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hospitality
Hospitality Exploration Summer Camp
Five-day residential pre-college experience with faculty, industry speakers, field trips, campus life and hospitality-management exploration. The 2027 camp is already confirmed for June 21–25 and costs $850, with scholarships available.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina General Assembly
House Page Program
High-school students spend a legislative week assisting House operations, observing committees and learning firsthand how state government functions.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Rice Neuroscience Society (Rice University)
Houston Brain Bee
A free neuroscience competition for Houston-area high school students with a prep workshop, a written exam, and an oral round for the top 10 scorers, held at Rice University. Winners can advance toward national and international Brain Bee levels.
📍 Rice University, Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Rice University Department of Philosophy
Houston High School Ethics Bowl
A regional National High School Ethics Bowl competition where teams from Houston-area high schools analyze ethical case studies with an emphasis on dialogue and civility. The regional winner is eligible for the national competition.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaiʻi Pacific University
HPU 500 Summer Courses
Summer college courses open to current high school freshmen through seniors in Arts & Humanities, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Leadership, Math, and Science, earning transferable college credit.
📍 Honolulu, Oʻahu (on-campus and online)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Creighton University, Center for Promoting Health and Health Equity
HS-MACA/CPHHE Summer Research Institute
High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors conduct paid biomedical or community-based public health research under Creighton faculty mentors, culminating in a student presentation of their findings.
📍 Creighton University, Omaha, NE📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
HSCTF Association
HSCTF (High School Capture the Flag)
One of the largest student cybersecurity competitions, featuring crypto and web exploits.
📍 Online⏱ 2 weeks📅 November 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
ASU Hugh Downs School of Human Communication
Hugh Downs School Invitational (Speech & Debate)
Arizona's largest high school speech and debate tournament, drawing more than 1,600 National Speech & Debate Association students from over 125 schools across many states to ASU's Tempe campus each January.
📍 Tempe, AZ (ASU)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
HOBY
Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership
Free state leadership seminars for sophomores nominated by their schools.
📍 Multiple📅 Rolling, varies by state chapter — check official site🎓 Grade 10
Selective
Kean University Human Rights Institute
Human Rights in Action
High-school students study human-rights issues, advocacy and changemaking through an intensive multi-day summer program.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi State University, College of Arts and Sciences
Humanities Camp
A week-long residential camp at Mississippi State University where nominated scholars explore humanities disciplines such as African American Studies, Communication, History, Literature, and Philosophy through lectures and experiential learning.
📍 Starkville, MS📅 February🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Carleton College Summer Liberal Arts Institute
Humanities: The Arts of Power and Knowledge in the Renaissance
Students investigate Renaissance history, philosophy, art, art history, and mapmaking through an interdisciplinary college-level humanities course.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Ohio State University
HumCog — Humanities & Cognitive Sciences Summer Institute
Interdisciplinary lectures, lab demonstrations, workshops and discussions connecting cognitive science with the humanities and arts.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Michigan Technological University, College of Business
Husky Investment Tournament
A semester-long virtual stock portfolio competition where teams of three to four high school students manage $1,000,000 in simulated funds, building and defending an investment strategy over several weeks.
📍 Houghton, MI (virtual competition)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Fisheries Society
Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program
Paid mentorship for high school students interested in fisheries science.
📍 Multiple states⏱ 8 weeks📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
IBM
IBM BlueCamp (High School)
Students spend a week learning about technology careers and interacting with IBM engineers.
📍 Austin, TX⏱ 1 week📅 April 1🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Mississippi State University Center for Entrepreneurship & Outreach
iCREATE Summer Camp
A 7-day overnight camp where high school teens create and launch a real product-based business over one week, from consumer interviews and design through a live retail sales event, then split the net earnings.
📍 Starkville, MS📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The American Legion, Department of Idaho
Idaho American Legion Oratorical Contest
A constitutional-oratory competition where Idaho high schoolers under 20 deliver prepared and impromptu speeches on the U.S. Constitution, advancing from local posts to the state contest and on to nationals.
📍 Local American Legion posts statewide; Idaho state final📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho Transportation Department Division of Aeronautics
Idaho Aviation Art Contest
Students create aviation-themed artwork for statewide judging, with winners receiving prizes and aviation-related recognition.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho DECA
Idaho DECA
The Idaho chapter of DECA, preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through school-based chapters, culminating in the State Career Development Conference (SCDC) and advancement to ICDC.
📍 Statewide (Boise, ID office)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission / Idaho Association of Soil Conservation Districts
Idaho Envirothon
A hands-on natural-resources problem-solving competition for teams of Idaho high school students, testing knowledge across Soils & Land Use, Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Wildlife, and a rotating current issue topic, with the winning team advancing to the North American Envirothon.
📍 Challis, ID (Living Waters Ranch)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho FCCLA
Idaho FCCLA
Idaho's Family, Career and Community Leaders of America chapter, promoting personal growth and leadership through Family and Consumer Sciences Education, with Competitive Events, national programs, and community service culminating in a State Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide (Boise, ID office)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho FFA Association
Idaho FFA Association
The Idaho chapter of the National FFA Organization, equipping students for leadership and careers in agriculture and related sciences through Career and Leadership Development Events, an annual State Convention, and local chapter activities.
📍 Statewide📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho Law Foundation / Idaho State Bar
Idaho High School Mock Trial
Idaho high school teams try a hypothetical legal case from opening statement through closing argument in real courtrooms before real judges and attorneys, building critical-thinking, research, and presentation skills.
📍 Regional courthouses statewide; state competition March 9-11, 2027📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA)
Idaho High School Speech and Debate (Mountain Rivers District)
Idaho's IHSAA-sanctioned speech and debate circuit, offering LD, Policy, and Public Forum debate plus numerous individual speech events, culminating in a state tournament.
📍 Tournament sites statewide; Idaho state tournament📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho Department of Education
Idaho Holiday Card Contest
Idaho students submit original artwork for consideration as the Department of Education's official holiday card design. Grades 7–12 compete in the older-student division.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho HOSA
Idaho HOSA - Future Health Professionals
The Idaho chapter of Health Occupations Students of America, a career and technical student organization that develops future healthcare professionals through leadership programs and competitive events, culminating in an annual State Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide (State Leadership Conference hosted at Boise State University)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho Journalism Workshop
Idaho Journalism Workshop
An annual summer workshop for high school yearbook and journalism staffs covering theme development, photography, layout design, caption writing, and social media marketing, held at a Boise hotel each July.
📍 Boise, ID📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho Chess Association
Idaho Scholastic State Chess Championship
Idaho's statewide scholastic chess championship, run as a five-round Swiss tournament with a 9-12th grade section, where top finishers represent Idaho at the national Denker Tournament of Champions.
📍 Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho STEM Action Center
Idaho Science & Engineering Fairs (IDSEF)
Idaho students conduct original STEM research and compete through the Northern, Western or Eastern Idaho regional science and engineering fairs, with top high-school projects advancing toward Regeneron ISEF.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho Science Olympiad
Idaho Science Olympiad
The Division C (high school) branch of the national Science Olympiad competition, in which teams train and test across events spanning biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and engineering, with winners advancing toward nationals.
📍 Statewide (Boise State University-area host site)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Boise State Writing Project, Boise State University (regional affiliate of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers)
Idaho Writing Region - Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Idaho's regional affiliate of the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, through which Idaho students submit writing across genres for regional recognition with a path to national medals.
📍 Idaho (online submission via Boise State Writing Project)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
YMCA of Idaho (Treasure Valley Family YMCA)
Idaho YMCA Youth in Government
The second-longest-running Youth and Government conference in the U.S. (since 1936), where Idaho high schoolers from four regions run a model legislative session and Supreme Court after months of school or YMCA-branch meetings.
📍 Regional conferences statewide; state conference in Idaho📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
IDFY (Idaho Drug Free Youth)
Idaho Youth Summit
A four-day, three-night residential leadership retreat for Idaho students in grades 8-12 focused on resilience, community connection, and healthy living, combining workshops with challenge-course and team-building activities.
📍 Camp Lutherhaven, Coeur d'Alene, ID📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Troy University, IDEA Bank / Small Business Development Center
IDEA Bank Youth Entrepreneurship Academy
A summer entrepreneurship academy teaching business planning, financial literacy, marketing, brand development and pitching skills, culminating in a Pitch Competition awarding a $2,000 Troy University scholarship.
📍 Troy, AL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Idaho State University
Ignite Their Future STEM Summer Camps
In-person STEM summer camps at ISU's Pocatello campus letting students entering grades 9-12 choose hands-on tracks such as robotics, artificial intelligence, ethical hacking, drones, and 3D printing, taught by ISU subject-matter experts.
📍 Pocatello, ID (ISU ESTEC Building)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Intermountain Health
IHealth Summer Program
Interactive experiences that let high school students explore health care careers through hands-on learning and observation. Students are invited through their school counselor or CTE coordinator.
📍 Utah (Intermountain Health facilities)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Illinois High School Association / Illinois Journalism Education Association
IHSA Journalism Tournament
Statewide onsite journalism competition where students complete writing, editing, or design assignments under deadline pressure at seven sectional sites, with top finishers advancing to state finals.
📍 Illinois (seven sectional sites)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Illinois Extension, Illinois 4-H
Illinois 4-H Road Trip: College & Career Readiness Conference
One-day statewide conference for youth in grades 8-12 offering interactive workshops on college and career readiness, professional networking, and postsecondary pathway exploration, open to 4-H members and non-members alike.
📍 Illinois (venue varies)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Illinois Space Grant Consortium / Grainger College of Engineering, UIUC (WYSE)
Illinois Aerospace Institute Summer Camp
Week-long residential summer camp at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where students entering grades 9-12 explore aerospace engineering and aviation through hands-on projects and campus life.
📍 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Illinois Chess Association
Illinois Chess Association Denker/Youth Invitational Tournaments
State scholastic chess championships including the Denker Tournament of High School Champions (grades 9-12) and the Haring girls' invitational, with the top Illinois players earning a stipend to compete at nationals.
📍 Illinois (venue varies by year)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois DECA
Illinois DECA Career Development Conference
Statewide conference where DECA members demonstrate marketing, finance, hospitality, and management skills through written exams and role-play events judged by industry professionals, with top finishers advancing to the International Career Development Conference.
📍 Hyatt Regency O'Hare, Rosemont, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois Envirothon (Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts)
Illinois Envirothon
Annual environmental science competition where five-student high school teams are tested on aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and a current natural-resource issue, with top teams advancing to the national Envirothon.
📍 4-H Memorial Camp, Monticello, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Illinois FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Illinois FBLA State Leadership Conference
State chapter of the nation's largest business student organization, where Illinois high schoolers compete in business events and attend an annual State Leadership Conference (SLC) alongside chapter meetings and networking events.
📍 Springfield, IL (State Leadership Conference)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
Illinois FCCLA
Illinois chapter of the national Family and Consumer Sciences student organization, where members compete in child development, fashion, interior design, culinary, and entrepreneurship events at sectional, state, and national levels.
📍 Illinois (chapters statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois FFA / Illinois Agricultural Education
Illinois FFA State Convention
Annual statewide gathering of Illinois FFA members for leadership development, career and technical competitive events, and recognition ceremonies, drawing more than 5,000 members, advisors, and alumni to Springfield each June.
📍 Springfield, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois High School Esports Association
Illinois High School Esports Association (IHSEA)
Nonprofit league organizing interscholastic esports competition for Illinois high schools across titles including Valorant, Rocket League, Overwatch 2, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, plus a Unified Esports initiative run with Special Olympics.
📍 Illinois (matches online; state finals at NIU)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois HOSA
Illinois HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
Statewide health-science student organization offering more than 50 competitive events and a pipeline of Fall Leadership, State Leadership, and International Leadership conferences for students pursuing healthcare careers.
📍 Illinois (chapters statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois State University CeMaST
Illinois State University Research Experience (ISURE)
High-school students spend two weeks working in university research settings and developing research skills with Illinois State faculty. The 2026 program charged a $100 participation fee, with scholarships available.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Interscholastic League Press Conference (UIL)
ILPC Spring Convention
An annual spring convention at UT Austin with more than 100 instructional sessions on journalism skills, legal issues, and careers for student journalists and advisers. The event announces Star Awards and recognizes the Texas high school journalism educator of the year.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University Interscholastic League, Interscholastic League Press Conference
ILPC Summer Workshop
A three-day summer journalism workshop with tracks in UIL contest preparation, design and production, video storytelling and photojournalism, taught by experienced journalism instructors. Open to students and advisers at all levels.
📍 San Marcos, TX📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho Music Educators Association (IMEA)
IMEA All-State Honor Groups
Idaho's statewide honor ensembles (Concert Band, String Orchestra, Small Schools Wind Ensemble, Treble Choir, and Mixed Choir) selected through recorded auditions, open to grade 9-12 students in a school concert ensemble whose director is an IMEA/NAfME member.
📍 Statewide auditions; honor group performances at host high schools in Idaho📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Immerse Education
Immerse Education — Medicine Cambridge
Residential medicine track for teens at the University of Cambridge.
📍 Cambridge, United Kingdom⏱ 2 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Immerse Education
Immerse Education Essay Competition
Free international essay contest; winners receive 100% scholarships to Immerse summer residencies at Cambridge, Oxford, and elsewhere.
📍 Global📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
In-Sight Photography Project
In-Sight Photography Project Youth Classes
Photography classes for youth ages 11 to 18 in Brattleboro with all equipment provided; fall offerings include Photo Club, Digital Photography and Night Photography.
📍 183 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 6–12
Moderate
Uncharted Learning
INCubatoredu Student Pitch Competition
Year-long high school entrepreneurship course with pitch night.
📍 Multiple schools⏱ Academic year📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ball State University
Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities
A selective, tuition-free two-year public residential high school on the Ball State campus for high-ability juniors and seniors, offering college-level courses, AP classes, and Ball State dual-credit options.
📍 Muncie, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Indiana Department of Education
Indiana Career Scholarship Account
Eligible Indiana students in grades 10–12 can receive up to $5,000 annually for approved apprenticeships, internships, work-based learning, credential programs, and related career preparation.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Indiana DECA
Indiana DECA - High School
Indiana's DECA association for high school students in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management, serving 4,500+ members across 60+ chapters with roleplay and case-study competitive events.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
Indiana Envirothon
A five-student-team environmental science competition covering soils, aquatics, wildlife, forestry, and a current issue, combining classroom study with field-based testing.
📍 Statewide, Indiana (regional and state contests)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana FBLA-PBL
Indiana FBLA - High School Division
The high school division of Future Business Leaders of America in Indiana, preparing students for business careers through competitive events, leadership conferences, and workshops.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana FCCLA
Indiana FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
The Indiana affiliate of the national FCCLA career and technical student organization, where high school chapters compete in family/consumer science and leadership project categories at the annual State Leadership Conference.
📍 Muncie, IN (state conference site varies)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Indiana FFA Association
Indiana FFA - Secondary Programs
Indiana's agricultural education youth organization, with over 25,000 student members in grades 5-12 across more than 240 chapters, offering leadership development and career and technical education tied to school ag programs.
📍 Statewide, Indiana (Leadership Training Center in Trafalgar, IN)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana Bar Foundation
Indiana High School Mock Trial
A statewide competition teaching high schoolers the legal system by having them argue both sides of a criminal or civil case as attorneys and witnesses before judge panels.
📍 Statewide, Indiana (regionals in February; state in March)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Indiana HOSA
Indiana HOSA — Future Health Professionals
A statewide student organization for high schoolers interested in healthcare careers, offering over 80 competitive events at the annual state leadership conference in Indianapolis plus leadership and networking opportunities.
📍 Indianapolis, IN (statewide chapters)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service / Indiana (Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area)
Indiana Junior Duck Stamp Contest
A conservation-through-art contest where students draw a native duck, goose, or swan in its habitat; Indiana's Best of Show winner in the grades 10-12 category advances to the national competition.
📍 Submissions to Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area, Linton, IN📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana Bar Foundation
Indiana Legislative Youth Advisory Council (ILYAC)
A legislatively created council of up to 22 Indiana youth ages 16-22 who advise the Indiana General Assembly on youth issues like education, employment, foster care, and health, serving two-year terms and issuing annual policy reports.
📍 Indianapolis, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Indiana Odyssey of the Mind Association
Indiana Odyssey of the Mind
The Indiana affiliate of the international creative problem-solving competition, where high school (Division III) teams of 5-7 students spend months solving a long-term technical, vehicular, structural, classical, or theatrical challenge.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites
Indiana State Museum Volunteer Program
Volunteers, including teens, run public-program activity stations and support galleries at the central Indianapolis museum and 11 historic sites statewide, with hours documented for scholarship and service-hour needs.
📍 Indianapolis, IN, plus historic sites statewide📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana Thespians (Educational Theatre Association)
Indiana Thespians State Conference / All-State Thespians
A statewide theatre conference for inducted high school Thespians featuring workshops, competitions, and auditions, plus an annual All-State production bringing together Indiana's top student performers, technicians, and designers.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 August🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Indianapolis Zoo
Indianapolis Zoo Teen Program
Teens ages 13–17 can volunteer as naturalists, camp assistants, presentation assistants, and in other roles while developing conservation, communication, and leadership skills. Applications for new 2027 participants reopen October 1, 2026.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Minnesota College of Design
Indigenous Design Camp
A week-long architecture camp for Indigenous junior high and high school students that uses the 'At Home in the Homelands' curriculum to teach Indigenous spatial design principles, has students build scale models, and tours the College of Design's fabrication shops and School of Architecture.
📍 University of Minnesota College of Design, Minneapolis, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indigo Research
Indigo Research
One-on-one mentored research projects with university faculty.
📍 Online⏱ 3-6 months📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Student Conservation Association (SCA)
Individual Placements
Conservation opportunities for a variety of fields.
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Delaware
Individual University Credit Courses for High School Students
Qualified high-school students may enroll in regular University of Delaware credit courses as Continuing Education non-degree students, either on campus or online where offered.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Mississippi State University
INDT Robotics
Students learn coding, robot construction, engineering documentation, and 3D printing, tour industrial robotics facilities, and finish with a robotics showcase.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Notre Dame
Inequality in America: America's Social and Economic Inequities
A course offered as part of the Notre Dame Leadership Seminars program.
📍 Notre Dame, IN📅 Annual — 2027 dates not yet announced🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montclair State University
Influencing, Marketing, and Creative Strategy
Examines marketing, digital influence and creative communication strategy.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Maine Coast Waldorf School
Inkblot Writing Contest
A free fiction and poetry contest open to all Maine students in grades 4-12, judged within three grade divisions including 9-12, with cash prizes for winners and runners-up in each category.
📍 Freeport, ME (statewide submissions)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Whitworth University (U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl)
Inland Northwest High School Regional Science Bowl
Regional DOE Science Bowl for high schools in nine eastern Washington counties and ten north Idaho counties, hosted at Whitworth University with up to three teams per school.
📍 Whitworth University, Spokane, Washington📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Furman University
Innovation Academy
One-week entrepreneurship and innovation intensive for academically strong high-school sophomores/juniors.
📍 SC🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Innovation and Startup Culture
A location-based program in San Francisco, CA, delving into innovation and the startup ecosystem.
📍 San Francisco, CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Science of Smart Cities (ieSoSC)
A free five-week summer program for NYC 8th-10th graders combining coding, electronics, and entrepreneurship training as students prototype an IoT-based solution to an urban 'smart cities' challenge.
📍 Brooklyn, NY (NYU Tandon)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Jacobson Institute, University of Iowa
Innovator Competition
A pitch competition open to U.S. high school students in grades 9-12 with a business, product, or invention idea, no business coursework required, culminating in a Zoom pitch to a panel of entrepreneurs for seed capital.
📍 Remote (University of Iowa, Iowa City)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Cambridge / Innovators for Purpose
Innovators for Purpose Studio Internship
Cambridge teens use coding, web/app design, augmented reality, animation, design, and storytelling to build real projects addressing community and social challenges.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NMSU Arrowhead Center
Innoventure High School Challenge
Teams create prototypes, define markets/pricing/distribution and pitch business concepts through three competition rounds. The 2026–27 cycle is open now and participation is free.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vanderbilt University Programs for Talented Youth
Inside Clinical Psychology: Science, Practice, and Ethics
A one-week Vanderbilt Summer Academy course for rising 9th-10th graders exploring clinical psychology practice, assessment, and research methodology.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
MaineHealth / Maine Medical Center / Tufts University School of Medicine
Inside Medicine Summer Program
A free virtual statewide program where Maine high school students explore medical careers, hear from MaineHealth clinicians, learn healthcare terminology, and solve medical mystery cases guided by Tufts University medical students.
📍 Virtual (statewide), ME📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
INSPIRE
Free residential STEM research and leadership experience at NCSSM-Morganton for North Carolina high-school students.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Virginia Northern Virginia (Fairfax)
Inspire Summer (UVA Northern Virginia Pre-College Classes)
One- to two-week summer classes for rising 10th-12th graders to explore new interests, with in-person (9am-4pm, Monday-Friday, Friday excursions) and online options in topics such as business, engineering and creative writing.
📍 Fairfax, VA and online📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Inspirit AI
Inspirit AI Scholars
AI research mentorship by Stanford/MIT alumni for HS students.
📍 Online⏱ 10 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Moderate
Inspirit AI
Inspirit AI Scholars (Aid)
AI research projects mentored by Stanford/MIT grads. Need-based aid covers full tuition.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 10-25 hours📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
InstaMed
Free statewide virtual healthcare program using two-hour clinical scenarios and guided discussions to expose students to medical careers and develop clinical reasoning and critical-thinking skills.
📍 Statewide📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Valley City State University
INSTEM Academy
Native American students participate in residential STEM learning, college exposure and culturally responsive science and engineering activities.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Institute for Youth in Policy
Institute for Youth in Policy (Economics Dept)
A youth-led organization providing resources for high schoolers to conduct and publish research in economics.
📍 Online⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNC Wilmington
Interdisciplinary Health Professions Summer Summit (iHPSS)
Free health-care career program using interactive labs, case-based activities, teamwork and professional certification experiences.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
George Fox University
Interior Design Institute (2027 Pre-College Summer Institute)
Space planning, color theory, materials and design projects; part of GFU's 2027 Pre-College Summer Institute.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Interlochen
Interlochen Arts Camp
Renowned summer arts camp across music, theater, dance, visual arts, writing, film.
📍 Interlochen, MI⏱ 1-6 weeks📅 January🎓 Grades 3–12
Moderate
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Arts Camp: Creative Writing Programs (High School)
High school creative writing summer programs.
📍 Interlochen, Michigan📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Arts Camp: Dance Programs (High School)
High school dance summer programs.
📍 Interlochen, Michigan📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Arts Camp: Film & New Media Programs (High School)
High school film & new media summer programs.
📍 Interlochen, Michigan📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Arts Camp: Interdisciplinary Arts Programs (High School)
High school interdisciplinary arts summer programs.
📍 Interlochen, Michigan📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Arts Camp: Music Programs (High School)
High school music summer programs.
📍 Interlochen, Michigan📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Arts Camp: One-Week Intensives
One-week intensive arts programs for high school students in various disciplines.
📍 Interlochen, Michigan📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Arts Camp: Theatre Programs (High School)
High school theatre summer programs.
📍 Interlochen, Michigan📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Arts Camp: Three-Week Art Camps
Three-week arts programs for students in grades 6-12. Offers opportunities in various arts disciplines.
📍 Interlochen, Michigan📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Arts Camp: Visual Arts Programs (High School)
High school visual arts summer programs.
📍 Interlochen, Michigan📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Interlochen Arts Camp
Interlochen Filmmaking Summer Program (High School)
Three-week residential filmmaking program for grades 9-12 with workshops in production, editing, screenwriting and film history; students make original films in the DeRoy Center for Film Studies and screen them at the end. 2027 tuition $7,550.
📍 Interlochen, MI📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Interlochen Arts Camp
Interlochen Jazz Performance & Improvisation Summer Program
Three-week jazz program for grades 9-12 covering improvisation, theory and musicianship, with jazz orchestra and small combos, master classes and student jam sessions. 2027 tuition $7,550.
📍 Interlochen, MI📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Interlochen Arts Camp
Interlochen Music Composition Summer Program (High School)
Six-week program for grades 9-12 in rigorous compositional study: private lessons, group instruction, orchestration, notation software training, and performances of students' own compositions by advanced ensembles. 2027 tuition $10,500.
📍 Interlochen, MI📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Interlochen Arts Camp
Interlochen Piano Summer Program (High School)
Three-week intensive for high school pianists (grades 9-12): private lessons with faculty, master classes with guest artists, twice-weekly studio classes and performance seminars. 2027 tuition $7,550.
📍 Interlochen, MI📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Summer Arts Camp
Premier summer arts camp in music, theatre, dance, visual arts, creative writing, film, motion picture arts.
📍 Interlochen, MI⏱ 1-6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 3–12
Moderate
Interlochen Arts Camp
Interlochen Visual Arts Summer Program (High School)
Three-week residential summer program in northern Michigan for grades 9-12: Drawing and Painting plus one elective studio (digital media, film photography, printmaking, metals or ceramics) in the Dow Center for Visual Arts, ending with a student exhibition. 2027 tuition $7,550; financial aid and scholarships available.
📍 Interlochen, MI📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Interlochen Arts Camp
Interlochen Voice & Opera Summer Program (High School)
Three-week program for grades 9-12 in classical voice and opera: private lessons and coaching, theory, music history, movement and opera scene work, with chances to sing in the World Youth Honors Choir or Interlochen Singers. 2027 tuition $7,550.
📍 Interlochen, MI📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Interlochen Arts Camp
Interlochen Writers Retreat
Creative writing intensive at the storied Interlochen arts camp.
📍 Interlochen, MI⏱ 3-6 weeks📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Intermediate Computer Science
Two-week intermediate CS program requiring prior programming preparation.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Intermuse Performing Artists / Mount St. Mary's University
Intermuse International Music Institute & Festival (IIMIF)
A solo and chamber music program for gifted young violinists, violists, cellists, and pianists (ages 12-22) with chamber music experience, culminating in festival performances; capped at 25 students.
📍 Emmitsburg, MD📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
IOAA
International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad
International olympiad in astronomy and astrophysics with national selection rounds.
📍 Varies (International)⏱ 1 week📅 Summer🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
IBO
International Biology Olympiad (IBO)
International team competition for the four highest-scoring biology students from each participating country.
📍 Rotates by host country⏱ 2-day exam + travel📅 National selection: fall🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
American Chemical Society (ACS)
International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO)
The four top-performing students from the USNCO Study Camp represent the U.S. at the International Chemistry Olympiad, competing with students from around the world.
📍 International📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
IChO
International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO)
Annual competition for pre-university chemistry students; national teams are selected through country-level olympiads.
📍 Rotates by host country⏱ 2-day exam + travel📅 National selection: fall🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
IESO
International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO)
Team and individual tasks covering geology, meteorology, oceanography, astronomy. National selection required.
📍 Various📅 National selection spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oakland University
International Economics and China
Grades 10–12 examine international economics with a particular focus on China and global economic relationships.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
IEO
International Economics Olympiad
International economics olympiad for high school students with national selection rounds.
📍 Varies (International)⏱ 1 week📅 Summer🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
iGeo
International Geography Olympiad
International geography olympiad with written, multimedia, and fieldwork tests.
📍 Rotates by host country📅 National selection Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
IHO
International History Olympiad
Individual and team international history competition.
📍 Rotates by host country📅 National rounds Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Terra Science
International Journal of High School Research
Open-access peer-reviewed journal for HS research across disciplines.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
IJSO
International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO)
International science competition for students aged 15 and under, combining biology, chemistry, and physics in theory and experimental rounds.
📍 Rotates by host country⏱ 1 week (December)📅 National selection: spring🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
NACLO/UKLO/OzCLO
International Linguistics Olympiad — National Rounds
National linguistics olympiads (NACLO, UKLO, OzCLO, etc.) that select for the IOL — many are open worldwide via school registration.
📍 Global (national organizers)📅 January–February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
IOL
International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL)
Puzzle-based olympiad in theoretical, mathematical, and computational linguistics — no prior knowledge of the languages required.
📍 Rotates by host country⏱ Multi-day contest📅 National selection: winter/spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
IMMC
International Mathematical Modeling Challenge
International team-based math modeling competition for high schoolers.
📍 International📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
IMO Foundation
International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO)
The oldest and most prestigious pre-university math olympiad; students qualify through their national math olympiad and represent their country at the IMO.
📍 Rotates by host country⏱ 2-day exam + travel📅 National selection: fall🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
International Music Camp
International Music Camp - Creative Writing & Drama
A one-week residential session combining creative writing and drama instruction for students in grades 7-12 at the International Music Camp's summer fine arts program.
📍 Dunseith, ND (International Peace Garden)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
International Music Camp
International Music Camp - Music Composition & Songwriting
A residential summer session focused on music composition and songwriting for high school students, part of the International Music Camp's non-competitive fine arts program.
📍 Dunseith, ND (International Peace Garden)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
International Music Camp
International Music Camp - Visual Arts Sessions
A residential summer fine arts camp on the North Dakota/Manitoba border offering drawing, painting, sculpture, and cartooning sessions for middle and high school students.
📍 Dunseith, ND (International Peace Garden)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
IOI
International Olympiad in Informatics
Premier international algorithmic programming competition; qualify via national CS olympiad.
📍 Rotates by host country📅 National selection Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
International Philosophy Olympiad
International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO) - US Qualifiers
An annual philosophy essay competition for pre-university students globally.
📍 Online📅 January 31🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
IPhO
International Physics Olympiad (IPhO)
Annual international physics competition for secondary students; entry is through the national physics olympiad in your country.
📍 Rotates by host country⏱ 2-day exam + travel📅 National selection: fall🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Georgetown University
International Relations Academy
Students study foreign policy, international law, terrorism, nuclear weapons, global health and development and participate in an international crisis simulation.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
International Songwriting Competition
International Songwriting Competition (ISC)
A world-renowned songwriting competition that has launched the careers of many famous artists.
📍 Online📅 February 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Edu Mithra
International Space Olympiad
International olympiad on space science, astronomy, and rocketry with online prelims.
📍 India + Global📅 Autumn🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNT College of Music
International Summer Music Institute (ISMI)
A week-long summer institute at UNT for string and piano students with private lessons, chamber music, chamber orchestra, masterclasses, faculty concerts and an optional concerto competition. Participants submit placement videos and need about four years of playing experience.
📍 Denton, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Iowa
International Writing Program Between the Lines
Two-week international creative writing program pairing US and international teen writers.
📍 Iowa City, USA + International cohorts📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
IYPT
International Young Physicists' Tournament
International team competition where students research and defend solutions to open-ended physics problems.
📍 Rotates by host country📅 January (national selection)🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
IYPT US / USAYPT
International Young Physicists' Tournament (Online Regional)
Global physics competition for teams to solve 7 open-ended problems and present their results in online 'Physics Fights'.
📍 Online/Global⏱ Intermittent (matches)📅 February (Registration)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
IYRC
International Youth Research Conference & Mentorship
Student-run research group providing mentorship and resources for high schoolers to conduct and publish original research.
📍 Online⏱ Flexible📅 May (for summer/fall)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
IZhO
International Zhautykov Olympiad
International math, physics, and CS olympiad hosted in Kazakhstan; individual events.
📍 Almaty, Kazakhstan📅 January🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Irvine Nature Center
Internship Program
Internships for high school and college-age students in environmental education, animal care, naturalist work, or early-childhood nature programming at a nonprofit nature center in Owings Mills.
📍 Owings Mills, MD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati
INTERnships Program
A paid, full-time summer IT internship placing Greater Cincinnati high schoolers at major companies such as P&G and GE for real project work in software, data, cybersecurity, and IT operations.
📍 Cincinnati, OH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Intro to AI Pipelines
Students explore the components used to build and deploy AI projects and pipelines.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
Intro to Digital Photography (Mason Community Arts Academy)
A summer camp teaching digital photography fundamentals to students ages 13-18 at George Mason's Art and Design Building.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana State University Pre-College Programs
Intro to Engineering
Students investigate several engineering disciplines through hands-on projects and an intensive two-week introduction to engineering study and careers.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Indiana University Cinema Academy
Intro to Filmmaking Bootcamp
Students learn cinematography, lighting, sound, editing, and storytelling while producing their own film work.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana State University Pre-College Programs
Intro to Video Game Design
Students learn JavaScript while designing an original 2D video game, including controls, character interactions, scoring, and sound.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Cooper Union
Introduction to Architecture Online
A five-week online foundation studies and portfolio-development course in architectural thinking and design, with live synchronous sessions, instruction in Rhino and Adobe Creative Suite, and a final portfolio review.
📍 New York, NY (hosted by The Cooper Union, delivered online)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Seton Hall University
Introduction to Baseball Analytics
Uses statistics and data to analyze baseball strategy and performance.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Introduction to Experimental Design in Biology
Students learn principles of experimental design applied to biological questions.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Introduction to Game Design
Two-week introduction to game design and development.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Seton Hall University
Introduction to Health Sciences and Health Careers
Two-week exploration of skills and careers across the health professions.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Introduction to Laboratory Research
Students receive an on-campus introduction to laboratory research and scientific investigation.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Introduction to Programming
Beginner introduction to software development and programming.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Oakland University
Introduction to Quantum Physics and Research Opportunities
Students entering grades 10–12 study introductory quantum physics while learning about current physics research opportunities.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Introduction to Surgery
College-level introduction to surgical medicine, offered in both online and on-campus versions.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of Maryland Clark School / USMSM
Invent the Future: Applied Artificial Intelligence Summer Camp
Students build and deploy AI solutions while learning coding, CAD, 3D printing, electronics, and engineering-design skills. The month-long 2026 program was free.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seton Hall University
Investing 101: Managing a Live Financial Portfolio
Students learn investing fundamentals while managing a real-world-style financial portfolio.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa DECA (DECA Inc.)
Iowa DECA
The Iowa chartered association of DECA, preparing high school students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through a competitive events program and business partnerships.
📍 Chapters statewide, Iowa📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa Conservation Education Coalition
Iowa Envirothon
A team-based environmental problem-solving competition for grades 9-12 covering aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, soils, and current environmental issues, with the state winner advancing to the international NCF-Envirothon.
📍 Regional online exams statewide; state finals at Jester Park Nature Center, IA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Iowa FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Iowa FBLA High School Division
A statewide CTSO for business-minded students with over 200 chapters, offering competitive events, state officer leadership roles, and career exploration across business sectors.
📍 Chapters statewide, Iowa📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
Iowa FCCLA
Iowa's Family and Consumer Sciences CTSO, open to any student who has taken an FCS class, offering STAR Events competitions and community service projects.
📍 Chapters statewide, Iowa📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa FFA Association
Iowa FFA Leadership Conference (State Convention)
The state's largest CTSO gathering, drawing more than 7,000 FFA members and guests to Ames each spring for agriculture-career workshops, competitive events, and state officer elections.
📍 Ames, IA (Hilton Coliseum)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa State Bar Association
Iowa High School Mock Trial Program
An academic competition open to students in grades 9-12 that simulates a criminal trial, pairing roughly 90 high schools and 130 teams each year with practicing attorneys and judges.
📍 Regional sites statewide; state finals in Iowa📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Northern Iowa, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
Iowa High School Model United Nations (IHSMUN)
A spring Model UN conference at UNI where nearly 450 high school delegates from across Iowa debate international issues across committees like the Security Council, ICJ, and ECOSOC and negotiate resolutions.
📍 University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa High School Press Association (University of Iowa School of Journalism)
Iowa High School Press Association Fall Conference
An annual October conference for student journalists and advisers featuring skill-building workshops, plus nine year-round contests recognizing journalism excellence for IHSPA member schools.
📍 Iowa (hosted by University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa High School Speech Association
Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA) Speech & Debate
The statewide organization running competitive debate, individual speaking events, and large-group performance contests for Iowa high schools, following National Speech and Debate Association topics and rules.
📍 Districts statewide; state contests at member sites, Iowa📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America)
Iowa HOSA
A CTSO for students interested in healthcare careers, running a Fall Leadership Conference, Winter Leadership Summit, and State Leadership Conference with competitive events.
📍 Conferences statewide, Iowa📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa Academy of Science
Iowa Junior Academy of Science
A mentoring program connecting middle and high school students with Iowa scientists, supporting original research projects, proposal writing, and presentations at the Academy's annual spring meeting.
📍 Statewide, Iowa📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa Academy of Science
Iowa Junior Academy of Science Symposium
A statewide competition in Iowa where students present original STEM research to judges from industry and academia.
📍 Iowa City, IA⏱ 1 day📅 February 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Iowa / UI REACH
Iowa National Summer Transportation Institute
A free residential STEM camp introduces students to transportation careers, engineering, leadership, and college readiness through hands-on activities, university laboratory tours, and field trips.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Belin-Blank Center, University of Iowa
Iowa Online AP Academy (IOAPA)
Iowa students whose schools cannot offer particular advanced courses can receive free access to nearly 30 online advanced and AP courses. Fall 2026 enrollment closed August 17, with additional enrollment cycles offered for later semesters.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Iowa Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (IRAEF)
Iowa ProStart
A two-year culinary and restaurant-management curriculum for high school students that combines classroom instruction with mentored workplace hours, culminating in the ProStart Invitational culinary, management, and cake-decorating competitions.
📍 Participating high schools statewide, Iowa📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach 4-H Youth Development
Iowa State 4-H Council
A leadership role for about 30 high school juniors and seniors who serve as statewide 4-H ambassadors, plan the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference, and represent 4-H at the Iowa State Fair.
📍 Central Iowa (retreats) and statewide outreach📅 January🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Iowa State University College of Health and Human Sciences
Iowa State Fashion Camp
Students explore fashion design, sewing, illustration, styling, trend forecasting, visual merchandising, Photoshop, sustainable design, and garment creation during a week on campus. The 2026 fee ranged from $625 to $925 depending on commuter/residential and registration timing.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Iowa Summer Journalism Workshops
Students choose intensive tracks such as investigative reporting, broadcast journalism, personal writing, photojournalism, graphic design, social-media storytelling, sports storytelling, or publication leadership during a residential five-day workshop.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Iowa
Iowa Young Writers' Studio
Premier creative writing program from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Need-based aid available.
📍 IA (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Iowa State University Integrated Pest Management Program
Iowa Youth Crop Scouting Competition
Teams identify corn and soybean problems in the field and demonstrate crop-scouting and integrated-pest-management knowledge. Top teams earn cash prizes and advance to a regional competition; the 2026 team fee was $50 with financial assistance available.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Irene H. Bailey Cardiology Academy
High-school students study cardiovascular medicine, heart disease, health education, epidemiology, and community health advocacy.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Is Seeing Believing? Stalinism and the Manufacture of Truth
Students study Stalinism and questions surrounding propaganda, information, and manufactured truth.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Cambridge
Isaac Physics
Free platform of physics and math problem sets with online mentoring, mastery levels, and printable revision sheets used by GCSE, A-level, and international students worldwide.
📍 Remote (UK/Global)⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling · anytime🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Illinois State Bar Association
ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational
Annual mock trial competition, held since 1982, where Illinois high school teams argue a simulated case before real courts with practicing attorneys as judges, with the winning team advancing to the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
📍 Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
ISEF Awards
Regeneron ISEF finalists compete for over $7 million in awards, prizes, and scholarships.
📍 Phoenix, AZ (2026)📅 Varies (part of ISEF competition)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
ISEF Categories and Subcategories
Definitions and details of the categories of competition for Regeneron ISEF.
📍 Remote🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
ISEF Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to questions for students, parents, and teachers about the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
ISEF International Rules and Guidelines
Official rules and guidelines for competition at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
ISEF Project Database
Searchable database of abstracts from Regeneron ISEF projects from 2014 to 2026.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA)
ISSMA Solo & Ensemble and State Finals
Indiana's scholastic music association running senior-high solo/ensemble auditions, marching band festivals, and state finals for concert band, choir, orchestra, jazz, and show choir at member high schools statewide.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey
iSTEM Automation and Robotics Camp
Students build automated circuits and prototypes and program microcontrollers to control robots. The 2026 cost was $625.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey
iSTEM MakerCraft Camp
Students design wearable products using CAD, MATLAB/Simulink, electronics, 3D printing and laser cutting. The 2026 cost was $625.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
iSTEM: From Idea to Launch
Combines engineering design with product development and entrepreneurship.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Dual Credit / Indiana College Core
A free dual-credit program through 450+ partner Indiana high schools letting students earn college credit taught by credentialed high school teachers, either toward career certificates or the 30-credit-hour Indiana College Core.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado Student Media Association
J-Day (Colorado Student Media Association)
An annual day-long journalism conference at Colorado State University for middle and high school student journalists, featuring guest-led sessions and a Best of Show competition.
📍 Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Junior Achievement of Arizona
JA Be Entrepreneurial
Modular entrepreneurship program for grades 9-12 covering Lean Canvas business planning, design-thinking problem solving, and entrepreneurial mindset, deliverable in classroom, remote-live, or after-school formats, with a path to the JA Social Innovation Challenge.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Junior Achievement of Arkansas
JA Be Entrepreneurial (Think Like an Entrepreneur)
A three-module high school program using Design Thinking to help students generate a business idea and build a one-page business plan, delivered in classrooms, after-school clubs, or virtually.
📍 Delivered in partner schools statewide, Arkansas📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Junior Achievement of New York
JA Business Plan Competition (BPC)
An intensive entrepreneurship education experience where high school teams develop a viable business plan for a product or service over six 45-minute sessions, competing through online and live rounds for cash prizes.
📍 New York State (partner schools)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Junior Achievement of Hawaiʻi
JA Company Program
Experiential entrepreneurship program in which high schoolers identify a community need and build, capitalize, and manage a real student-run business venture.
📍 Statewide (school-based)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Junior Achievement of Greater Boston
JA Company Program
A semester- or year-long entrepreneurship program in which high school students conceive, launch, and manage their own business venture, learning business planning, financial management, marketing, and sales under the mentorship of business volunteers.
📍 Boston, MA (delivered in-school or after-school statewide)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Junior Achievement of Maine
JA Company Program
A hands-on entrepreneurship program in which Maine high school students conceptualize, fund, and manage their own student-led business venture with mentorship from community volunteers, with a path to the JA Company of the Year national competition.
📍 Statewide, ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Junior Achievement of Maine
JA Titan
A simulation-based program where Maine high school students compete as CEOs running a virtual phone company, making production, marketing, and R&D decisions over five mentored weeks before a statewide competition.
📍 Statewide, ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship
A national scholarship provider dedicated to advancing the education of promising students who have financial need. Open to high-achieving high school seniors who seek to attend and graduate from some of the nation's best four-year college and universities.
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Jackling Introduction to Engineering
Broad engineering exploration program with hands-on activities and exposure to multiple Missouri S&T engineering disciplines.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
MusicLand / Jackson Hole Youth Orchestra with Grand Teton Music Festival
Jackson Hole Youth Orchestra Summer Program
A summer orchestra program for intermediate to advanced players in grades 7-12 that includes work with Grand Teton Music Festival musicians, a Festival rehearsal field trip and a culminating concert.
📍 Jackson, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
DePaul University
Jarvis Game Development Summer Camp
Students use Unreal Editor for Fortnite and related tools to explore game design, level development, character art, and animation. The 2026 camp cost $450, with full scholarships available.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Kansas
Jayhawk Debate Institute
High-school debaters complete intensive two- or three-week policy-debate training involving argument construction, original research, practice debates, and a concluding tournament.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Jayhawk Media Workshop
High-school students spend four days producing journalism, video, photography, websites, yearbooks, and multimedia content with university and high-school journalism instructors. Scholarships are available.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Delaware Community Music School
Jazz Band Camp
High-school musicians receive ensemble instruction, improvisation training, ear training, sectional coaching and guest performances, culminating in a public concert.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Montana School of Music
Jazz Camp
Jazz intensive featuring big bands, small groups, improvisation, theory and masterclasses.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Florida State University College of Music
Jazz Ensemble Camp
Student musicians study jazz performance and ensemble playing in a weeklong intensive hosted by FSU's College of Music.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Colorado Mesa University
Jazztopia Jazz Workshop
High-school musicians develop improvisation, jazz history, instrumental technique and combo-performance skills, culminating in a public concert.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisers (VAJTA) / James Madison University
jCamp Scholastic Journalism Summer Workshop
A hands-on in-person journalism workshop at James Madison University where student journalists choose breakout sessions in photography, writing, design, law and ethics, and social media and report on the Harrisonburg community.
📍 Harrisonburg, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
William & Mary Center for Gifted Education / Jefferson Lab
Jefferson Lab Engineering Governor's School Mentorship
Four-week summer residential Governor's School mentorship in which engineering students join existing research teams at Jefferson Lab in Newport News and give a technical presentation at the end.
📍 Newport News, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab)
Jefferson Lab High School Summer Honors Program (HSSHP)
Paid summer internship at Jefferson Lab in which high school students work with mentors on scientific or technical projects. Requires a student application, two recommender forms, a parent acknowledgement and a transcript.
📍 Newport News, VA📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Indiana University Bloomington Department of Biology
Jim Holland Summer Enrichment Program in Biology (SEP)
Students explore genetics, evolution, molecular biology, environmental biology, and plant science through lectures and hands-on laboratory activities.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Indiana University Bloomington Department of Biology
Jim Holland Summer Science Research Program (SSRP)
Students spend a week embedded in an IU faculty research laboratory, complete a small scientific research project, and present their work in a poster session.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
James Madison University STEM Center
JMU Anatomy Expo and Anato-Bee
A no-cost Saturday for high school students with JMU anatomy students and professors, exploring models and specimens, with an optional Anato-Bee competition that is a run-off for the Regional Anato-Bee.
📍 Harrisonburg, VA (James Madison University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
James Madison University STEM Center / Department of Biology
JMU Brain Bee
A low-pressure neuroscience competition for students ages 13-19 with questions from the free book Brain Facts plus hands-on activities in JMU neuroscience labs; the winner advances to the national Brain Bee.
📍 Harrisonburg, VA (James Madison University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Job Shadow Program
High-school students complete a structured day shadowing professionals in aquarium operations, education, exhibits or animal husbandry.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Yale Peabody Museum
John and Dorothy Allen Summer Internship
Students in Yale's EVOLUTIONS pipeline can obtain paid summer positions working in Peabody collections and Yale science laboratories on authentic projects.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia
John Lewis Society (Junior Interpreter Volunteers)
A junior interpretive volunteer program for teens ages 13-16 with an interest in history who interpret on the museum's historic farms after a training session and one-on-one mentoring from museum staff.
📍 Staunton, VA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
John Locke Institute
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
Free essay competition in philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law. Open worldwide, ages up to 18.
📍 Global📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
JEI (Harvard)
Journal of Emerging Investigators
Free peer-reviewed publication venue for middle/high school STEM research. Real PhD reviewers.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
JHSS
Journal of High School Science
STEM and humanities journal for high school students.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
JRHS
Journal of Research High School
Multidisciplinary peer-reviewed HS journal.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
JSR
Journal of Student Research
Peer-reviewed academic journal for high-school and undergraduate researchers.
📍 Online📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
Journal of the Penn Manuscript Collective
Undergraduate humanities journal welcoming exceptional HS work.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Purchase College, SUNY
Journalism & Introduction to Multimedia Production
Students practice reporting, interviewing, writing and multimedia storytelling.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Michigan Electrical and Computer Engineering
Joy of Coding — Intro to Coding & Computational Thinking
Students complete a six-week self-paced online introduction to Python and computational thinking. No prior programming experience is required; the 2026 fee is $149 with need-based aid available.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Open
DoD / National Science Teaching Assoc
JSHS
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Regional and national competitions in original STEM research, with cash awards and DoD lab tours.
📍 Regional sites nationwide⏱ 2 days📅 Regional Jan-Mar🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South
JSU High School Band & Dance Camp
Students receive intensive instruction in marching band, instrumental ensembles, drum-major techniques, dance, musicianship, and performance while experiencing a residential college environment.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nebraska State Bar Foundation
Judge Lyle Strom High School Mock Trial Program
More than 1,000 Nebraska students and teachers participate annually in this mock trial program, preparing prosecution/plaintiff and defense cases from an original fictional case packet, competing regionally before advancing to the State Finals and potentially the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
📍 Statewide Nebraska; State Finals in Lincoln, NE📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Louisiana State Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division
Judge Richard N. Ware, IV Memorial High School Mock Trial Competition
A statewide mock trial competition in which Louisiana high school teams argue both sides of a case before real judges and local bar members at regional competitions, with regional winners advancing to a state championship and then the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
📍 Statewide, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Judicial Youth Corps
Students spend six weeks learning about the Massachusetts judiciary while working with judges, lawyers, clerks, and probation officers and participating in mock trials and court-related activities.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York State Unified Court System
Judiciary Civics Essay Contest
Statewide high-school essay competition addressing constitutional government, courts, law and civic participation. The 2026–27 submission window runs September–November.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Juilliard School
Juilliard Pre-College
Saturday conservatory training for talented young musicians.
📍 New York, NY⏱ Academic year📅 December🎓 Grades 5–12
Moderate
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
JumpstART 2D Advanced Summer Studio (Mason Community Arts Academy)
An advanced summer studio for ages 14-18 producing 2D artwork that can be included in a college portfolio, taught by George Mason School of Art faculty.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
JumpstART 3D Advanced Summer Studio (Mason Community Arts Academy)
An advanced summer studio for ages 14-18 producing 3D artwork for a portfolio, taught by George Mason School of Art faculty.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Oregon State University, SVPDA Academy
JumpstART Pre-College Art Program
A one-week pre-college intensive for grades 9-12 covering drawing, painting, sequential art/comics, graphic design, and photography, taught by professional artists and JumpstART alumni with both day and residential options.
📍 Corvallis, OR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
JA Worldwide
Junior Achievement Company of the Year
International youth business venture competition run in 100+ countries.
📍 International (national organizations)📅 Varies by country🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
JA USA
Junior Achievement Company Program
After-school program where high schoolers create and operate a real business venture.
📍 United States⏱ Year-long📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Science Center of Iowa
Junior Camp Counselor
Teens ages 14–18 assist with children's science activities while developing communication, leadership, and teamwork skills. A two-week weekday commitment is required; summer 2027 applications open in February 2027.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Stennis Institute of Government, Mississippi State University
Junior Civics Leadership Academy (JCLA)
A 7-day residential summer conference for Mississippi high schoolers covering governance, leadership, and community development through lectures, simulations, and field trips, earning three hours of MSU college credit.
📍 Starkville, MS📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NJCL
Junior Classical League National Convention
Week-long convention with academic, creative, and athletic contests in Latin, Greek, and classical studies.
📍 Rotating (US)⏱ 1 week📅 Summer🎓 Grades 7–12
Moderate
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Junior Curators
School-year teen program involving live-animal care, field biology, conservation, research exposure and museum service.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science
Junior Docents
Teens spend the summer as museum educators, working in exhibit halls with scientists, curators and visitors while developing science communication and optional art/technology/writing projects.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Jr. Iditarod, Inc.
Junior Iditarod Sled Dog Race
A qualifying sled dog race for teen mushers ages 14-17, run the weekend before the Iditarod, from Knik Lake to Yentna Station Roadhouse and back with a mandatory rest stop.
📍 Knik Lake / Wasilla, AK📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Junior Interpreters
Summer volunteers learn scientific interpretation and use museum specimens to engage and educate visitors.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks
Junior Naturalist Program
A self-paced, tiered outdoor-education and volunteer program at South Dakota's state parks and recreation areas for youth ages 7-18, combining naturalist-led programs, recreational activities, and conservation volunteer work.
📍 State parks statewide, SD📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium / University of Indianapolis
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) — Indiana Region
A Department of Defense-sponsored regional research symposium where Indiana high schoolers present original STEM research and compete for undergraduate tuition scholarships, hosted at the University of Indianapolis.
📍 Indianapolis, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Frisbie Memorial Hospital (HCA Healthcare)
Junior Volunteer Program
Hospital volunteer program for students 14 and older, offering roles such as patient visits, therapy-dog visits, delivering books and magazines, and clerical support in non-clinical areas.
📍 Rochester, NH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHKD)
Junior Volunteer Program (Summer) at CHKD
A summer junior volunteer program for high school students who turn 15 by June 1, with two-week morning or afternoon shifts, mostly office-based assignments and some patient-contact roles.
📍 Norfolk, VA📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UVA Health Prince William and Haymarket Medical Centers
Junior Volunteer Program at UVA Health Prince William and Haymarket Medical Centers
A year-round hospital volunteer program for high school students ages 16-18 that requires an application, two references, an interview and orientation before starting weekly shifts.
📍 Manassas and Haymarket, VA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
The Mariners' Museum and Park
Junior Volunteer Team at The Mariners' Museum and Park
Students ages 14-17 volunteer as gallery station hosts or lobby greeters, interacting with visitors after required orientation and training.
📍 Newport News, VA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MaineHealth Maine Medical Center
Junior Volunteers / Summer Volunteer Program
A hospital volunteer program at Maine Medical Center's Portland campus open to students age 14 and up, with a dedicated summer-only track for high school and college students to gain healthcare-setting experience.
📍 Portland, ME📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
St. Luke's Health System
Junior Volunteers at St. Luke's
A structured hospital volunteer program giving Boise-area teens sustained, in-person exposure to patient-care environments across departments like pediatrics, the emergency department, and surgery waiting/recovery areas.
📍 Boise, ID (St. Luke's Boise campus)📅 November🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Virginia Living Museum
Junior Volunteers at the Virginia Living Museum
Volunteers ages 11-17 interpret exhibits and wildlife for guests, with roles such as Touch Pool, Astronomy and Green Teens opening at age 15, and complete orientation and wear a museum uniform.
📍 Newport News, VA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina Zoo
Junior Wildlife Assistant
Teens work alongside wildlife-rehabilitation staff on animal care, diets, enclosures, feeding, records and rehabilitation activities.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History
Junior Zookeeper Program
A summer volunteer program for teens ages 13-18 giving hands-on career experience in zoology, including working directly with animals and zoo visitors under staff supervision.
📍 Sioux Falls, SD📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMass Amherst
Juniper Institute for Young Writers
Residential creative writing program for high schoolers run by UMass MFA faculty.
📍 Amherst, MA⏱ 10 days📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus
K-State Aviation Academy
Youth ages 15–17 participate in a residential aviation program geared toward students considering professional aviation and pilot careers.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
California Coastal Commission
K–12 Coastal Art & Poetry Contest
Students create original visual artwork or poetry inspired by California's coast and ocean, with selected pieces displayed publicly in a traveling exhibit.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Nebraska High School
K.O. Broady Scholarship
Need- and merit-informed scholarship providing full or partial payment of UNHS tuition and administrative fees for current or prospective University of Nebraska High School students. The Fall 2026 application is currently open.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Kentucky Association for Academic Competition
KAAC High School Camp
Students spend four days preparing for Governor's Cup and advanced classroom competition through instruction in academic subject areas and Strategic Problem Solving. The 2026 residential/commuter program was held at Berea College.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kaggle
Kaggle Competitions
Global data-science competition platform with beginner "Getting Started" tracks, community notebooks, and cash-prize challenges accessible from anywhere.
📍 Remote (Global)⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling · anytime🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kanawha County Public Library
Kanawha County Public Library VolunTEEN Program
Summer teen volunteers at Kanawha County Public Library branches help with special events, prepare displays and shelve materials, and can also help at the West Virginia Book Festival.
📍 Kanawha County Public Library branches, Charleston, WV📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Math Kangaroo International
Kangaroo Math Competition
Global multiple-choice math competition run in 90+ countries.
📍 Global (participating countries)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wichita State University College of Engineering / BEST Robotics
Kansas BEST Robotics Competition
Middle- and high-school teams receive materials and seven weeks to design, build, program, and test a remote-controlled robot before competing at WSU. Participation is fee-free.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium
Kansas City Zoo VolunTEEN Program
A year-round teen volunteer program in which students in grades 8-12 lead animal presentations, work alongside animal care specialists, and develop communication, technology, and leadership skills; high school seniors may also participate during summer only.
📍 Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium, Kansas City, MO📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kansas DECA
Kansas DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC)
Kansas DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management, culminating each year in the State Career Development Conference where members compete in business-focused events.
📍 Kansas (site varies by year)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas Association of Conservation Districts (KACD)
Kansas Envirothon
North America's largest high school environmental education competition, where 5-student teams test their knowledge of soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatic ecology, and rangeland management, plus an annually-changing current-issue topic.
📍 Kansas (regional sites; state contest in Salina, KS)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kansas Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
Kansas FBLA State Leadership Conference
Kansas FBLA's annual State Leadership Conference brings together hundreds of high school students for business-related competitive events, networking, and a path to the National Leadership Conference.
📍 Topeka, KS (Stormont Vail Events Center)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America), hosted by K-State College of Health and Human Sciences
Kansas FCCLA State Leadership Conference
The culminating event of the Kansas FCCLA year, recognizing chapter achievements, installing new officers, and hosting STAR Events competitions including culinary arts and baking & pastry.
📍 Wichita, KS📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas FFA Association
Kansas FFA Convention
The largest youth conference in Kansas, bringing over 2,700 FFA members to the K-State campus each year for Leadership Development Events, an Opportunity Fair, state band and chorus performances, and the State FFA Degree ceremony.
📍 Manhattan, KS (Kansas State University)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas Bar Foundation / Kansas Bar Association
Kansas High School Mock Trial Competition
Teams of at least six students act as attorneys and witnesses arguing both sides of a fictional case in front of real judges and legal professionals, advancing from regional tournaments to a state championship.
📍 Kansas (two regional sites, state tournament TBD)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas History Day (National History Day affiliate)
Kansas History Day
A year-long research program where students in grades 6-12 investigate a historical topic tied to an annual theme and present findings as a paper, exhibit, performance, documentary, or website, advancing from district to state to national competition.
📍 Kansas (district sites, state contest in Topeka)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kansas HOSA (Future Health Professionals), chartered by KU Medical Center AHEC
Kansas HOSA State Leadership Conference
Kansas HOSA's largest annual event brings hundreds of health-science students together for competitive events, a college and career expo, and hands-on learning like virtual anatomy technology and Stop the Bleed certification.
📍 Manhattan, KS (Kansas State University)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas Corporation Commission / K-State Engineering Extension
Kansas KidWind Challenge
Teams design and test wind turbines, complete a renewable-energy knowledge component, and present their design process. Regional winners advance to the Kansas state event and potentially the World KidWind Challenge.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Minnesota Morris (Kapemni Collaboration)
Kapemni Astrophysics Summer Camp
A fully NSF-funded, six-day residential astrophysics camp on the UMN Morris campus where high schoolers observe stars and deep-sky objects through telescopes, study relativity, gravitational waves, and the Big Bang, and learn Native American astronomy and mathematics from Indigenous astrophysicists. Participants earn one UMN Morris college credit for Phys 1007.
📍 Morris, MN📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Science Museum of Minnesota Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center
KAYSC High School Program
Students in grades 9–12 become paid museum employees while developing STEM expertise, leadership, professional skills, and community-focused projects in biology/public health, media/technology, environmental science, or engineering/design.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kean University
Kean STEAM Academy
High-school students take intensive courses spanning biology, chemistry, physics, calculus, computer science and AI, with college-credit options available.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission / Fort Smith International Film Festival / Arkansas Cinema Society
Keep Arkansas Beautiful Statewide High School Video Contest
Students in grades 9-12 create a 30-second-or-shorter video commercial promoting environmental responsibility, litter prevention, or recycling in Arkansas, submitted free through FilmFreeway.
📍 Statewide, Arkansas (submissions via FilmFreeway)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana University Kelley School of Business
Kelley Women's Leadership Institute
High-school students explore business and leadership with Kelley faculty through case-based activities, teamwork, and exposure to business majors and careers. Fall 2026 virtual sessions are available to current sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Kettle Moraine Press Association (UW-Whitewater)
KEMPA Fall Scholastic Journalism Conference
Kettle Moraine Press Association's fall scholastic journalism conference at UW-Whitewater for high school student journalists and advisers, alongside KEMPA's summer journalism camp and contests.
📍 Whitewater, WI📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kettle Moraine Press Association (KEMPA)
KEMPA Summer Journalism Camp (UW-Whitewater)
A four-day journalism camp at UW-Whitewater where students choose daily workshops in broadcasting, writing, sports media and photojournalism, hear from media professionals and compete in the KEMPA Cup, with overnight or commuter options.
📍 Whitewater, WI📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University High School Model United Nations Conference
KSU HSMUN, running since 1986, brings the best high school students from the Southeast to Kennesaw State for a two-day, 10-committee Model UN conference simulating international diplomacy.
📍 Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Joslyn Art Museum
Kent Bellows Mentoring Program
Year-round mentorship pairing high-school artists with professional artists. Students develop original work, technical skills and portfolios and participate in exhibitions; separate foundations and core tracks serve younger and older high-school students.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kentucky DECA (DECA Inc.)
Kentucky DECA
Kentucky DECA prepares high school members for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through competitive events, a State Career Development Conference, and five regional divisions across the state.
📍 Frankfort, KY (state office); regional and state conferences statewide📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority
Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES)
Kentucky high-school students accumulate college scholarship money based on their GPA each year, with additional awards possible for ACT/SAT and qualifying advanced-course examinations.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet / KY Conservation Districts
Kentucky Envirothon
Teams of five high school students (grades 9-12) test their knowledge of soils, forestry, wildlife, aquatics, and a current environmental issue at hands-on field stations, with regional winners advancing to the state contest and the international North American Envirothon.
📍 Kentucky FFA Leadership Training Center, Hardinsburg, KY (regional rounds held statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Kentucky FBLA
Kentucky FBLA prepares high school students for business leadership careers through 201 active chapters, regional and state leadership conferences, and competitive business events.
📍 Frankfort, KY (state office); regional conferences in March, state conference in April📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
Kentucky FCCLA
Kentucky FCCLA is the state's Family and Consumer Sciences career and technical student organization, offering 50+ competitive STAR Events and Skill Demonstrations across pathways in human services, hospitality, education, and visual arts.
📍 Frankfort, KY (state office); chapters statewide📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky FFA Association
Kentucky FFA High School Career & Leadership Development Events
Kentucky FFA members compete in more than 40 Career and Leadership Development Events covering fields like agronomy, veterinary science, welding, and parliamentary procedure, aligned with agricultural education coursework and governed by the Kentucky Association of Agricultural Educators.
📍 Regional sites statewide; State Convention at Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Kentucky Extension
Kentucky Forest Leadership Program
An outdoor learning experience focusing on forestry, wildlife, and natural resource management in Kentucky.
📍 Jackson, KY⏱ 1 week📅 May 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kentucky Association for Academic Competition
Kentucky Governor's Cup — High School Division
School teams compete through district, regional, and state rounds in Quick Recall, written assessments, composition, and Strategic Problem Solving. Kentucky public, private, and home schools can participate.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kentucky Performing Arts
Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts (GSA)
Kentucky sophomores and juniors compete for admission to an intensive three-week residential arts program in disciplines including architecture, writing, film, music, theatre, dance, graphic design, and visual art. The program is free for accepted students.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Kentucky High School Mock Trial Association (KHSMTA)
Kentucky High School Mock Trial Association
A nonprofit that runs Kentucky's statewide high school mock trial competition, where student teams argue both sides of a fictional legal case, competing through three regional tournaments that feed into a 'Sweet 16' state championship.
📍 Regional sites and state championship, Kentucky📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky High School Speech League, Inc.
Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL)
Kentucky's century-old home for scholastic speech and debate, running regional tournaments and a state championship meet across individual speech events and debate formats, with a handbook and judge resources for coaches and competitors.
📍 Tournament sites across Kentucky📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park Teen (Minor) Volunteer Program
Kentucky Horse Park's Minor Volunteer Program lets 16- and 17-year-olds (with a parent attending orientation) serve in roles like park ambassador, museum assistant, or stable helper after completing a background check and orientation.
📍 Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, KY📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Kentucky Chess Association
Kentucky Scholastic Chess Championships
Kentucky's scholastic chess season (grades K-12) runs September through April, culminating in State Grade Level, Individual, Blitz, and Team Championships, with 9-12 champions nominated to the national Denker tournament of state champions.
📍 Tournament sites across Kentucky📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kentucky Science Center
Kentucky Science Center Volunteer Program
Kentucky Science Center's teen volunteer program lets high schoolers staff exhibit halls, run science demonstrations, and assist with camps and special events, building presentation and leadership skills that carry toward paid positions at 18.
📍 Louisville, KY📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky Secretary of State
Kentucky Secretary of State Essay Contest
Kentucky high-school students submit an original essay of up to 1,000 words addressing an annual civics theme. Winners receive prizes and recognition at a public ceremony.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky YMCA Youth Association
Kentucky United Nations Assembly (KUNA)
A 3-day Model UN conference for grades 10-12 (with a middle school track for grades 7-8) simulating the UN General Assembly, Security Council, International Court of Justice, and Media Corps, held each winter at a Louisville hotel.
📍 Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Expo Center, Louisville, KY📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Kenyon Review
Kenyon Review Young Writers (Online Program & Publication)
The official high school literary magazine of the Kenyon Review, accepting poetry and prose globally. Virtual workshops also available.
📍 Online/Kenyon College⏱ Annual publication📅 May (Summer Review)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kenyon Review
Kenyon Review Young Writers Summer Online Workshops
Multi-genre workshops meet every day for one week in June.
📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kenyon Review
Kenyon Review Young Writers Summer Residential Workshops
Multi-genre workshops meet for two weeks on the picturesque Kenyon College campus.
📍 Kenyon College campus📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kenyon Review
Kenyon Review Young Writers Winter Online Workshops
Workshops focused on a specific genre, topic, or craft element meet online once a week for six weeks.
📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kenyon College
Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop
Intensive creative writing workshop with published authors. Need-based scholarships.
📍 OH (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Kiwanis
Key Club International
Largest international high school service organization with leadership conferences.
📍 Global⏱ Year-long📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minot State University
Keyboard Arts Festival Student Piano Competition
Young pianists compete in junior and senior divisions and participate in recitals, masterclasses and other keyboard events.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Khan Academy / Medline Plus
Khan Academy Health & Medicine Pathway
Learn the science behind medicine and the human body through interactive coursework developed by top universities. Ideal for medical-track HS students.
📍 Online⏱ Flexible (1-year access)📅 Self-paced🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Khanservatory / Khan Academy Affiliate
Khan Academy Student Ambassador Program
High school students from the US can serve as 'International Ambassadors' to help with online math tutoring and outreach.
📍 Online⏱ Ongoing📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky High School Athletic Association
KHSAA Esports (powered by PlayVS)
Kentucky's only officially sanctioned varsity high school esports league, played through PlayVS across titles like Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Street Fighter 6, with coach-led teams competing in fall and spring seasons that end in state championships.
📍 Online play statewide; season championships announced through KHSAA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Campbell County Health
Kick Start Health Careers Program (Campbell County Health)
Dual-enrollment style program in which high school students at five Northeast Wyoming high schools earn medical credentials while still in school through Certified Nursing Assistant, Emergency Medical Responder, Emergency Medical Technician and Phlebotomy tracks. Students apply through their guidance counselor.
📍 Gillette and Campbell County, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Flickers / Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF)
KidsEye Summer Filmmaking Camp
A five-day intensive summer filmmaking camp, now in its 28th year, covering screenwriting, camera work, storyboarding, acting, and directing, culminating in a Red Carpet Premiere screening at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
📍 Providence, RI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kimbell Art Museum
Kimbell Teen Council
Grade 9-12 members work with museum professionals to plan and run Kimbell teen programs such as Teen Hangouts, volunteer at education programs and events, and consult on museum projects. Members learn about the collection through behind-the-scenes experiences.
📍 Fort Worth, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kinhaven Music School
Kinhaven Music School Senior Session
Six-week residential chamber music program in Weston, Vermont for students in grades 8-12, with admission by audio sample and need-based financial aid.
📍 Weston, VT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kneisel Hall Chamber Music School and Festival
Kneisel Hall Program for Maine Students
A five-day chamber-music day camp for intermediate-to-advanced Maine high school musicians, offering mentored rehearsals, master classes, and a free final concert; grew out of Kneisel Hall's summer festival in Blue Hill.
📍 Blue Hill, ME📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
OHSU Knight Cardiovascular Institute
Knight Cardiovascular Internship
Oregon students explore cardiology through clinical exposure and research-oriented tracks; no prior cardiology experience required.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation High School Journalism
Various Knight-funded high school journalism programs and fellowships.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Knowledge Society
Knowledge Society (TKS) Innovate
Selective ten-month innovation program for teens 13-17 in emerging tech (AI, biotech, blockchain).
📍 Multiple cities⏱ 10 months📅 Spring🎓 Grades 8–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
Knowledge@Wharton Comment & Win
Monthly free contests where students comment on Knowledge@Wharton articles for cash prizes.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Monthly🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wharton/Penn
Knowledge@Wharton High School
Free online business journal and articles plus essay competitions for high schoolers.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wharton/UPenn
Knowledge@Wharton High School Comment & Win
Monthly essay/comment contest on business topics.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Monthly🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kode With Klossy
Kode With Klossy Applications
Kode With Klossy scholars are curious, community-minded, creative individuals who want to explore the possibilities of technology. We welcome all applicants who identify as young women and gender expansive, ages 13-18 — regardless of CS experience.
📍 Multiple🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kode With Klossy
Kode With Klossy Camp
Free two-week coding camps for girls and gender-expansive teens ages 13-18.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ 2 weeks📅 Winter🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Kode With Klossy
Kode With Klossy Summer Programs
Coding programs for young women and gender expansive youth, ages 13-18. No coding experience required. Programs are free.
📍 remote🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kaiser Permanente
KP LAUNCH High School Program
Seven-week full-time employment experience inside Kaiser Permanente hospitals, medical centers and business offices, plus weekly professional-development workshops, mentorship and networking.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design
KU Design Camp — Kansas City
Kansas City-area high-school students attend a lower-cost week-long day program at KU Edwards Campus with faculty-led design workshops such as footwear and product design.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design
KU Design Camp — Lawrence
Students spend a residential week completing architecture and design workshops taught by KU faculty while developing portfolio-ready projects. Topics include areas such as branding, animation, architecture, and visual communication.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Kansas Department of Mathematics
KU Mathematics and Statistics Competition — High School Division
High-school students take a 50-minute mathematics examination covering material through roughly 11th-grade mathematics. First through third places receive recognition and cash prizes.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Kansas School of Pharmacy
KU Pharmacy Summer Camp
High-school students explore pharmacy careers through hands-on activities, clinical and laboratory experiences, interaction with pharmacy students, and exposure to research and medication science.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
KUNR Public Radio / University of Nevada, Reno Reynolds School of Journalism / Washoe County School District
KUNR Youth Media Internship
Washoe County high-school students train as reporters and produce interviews, audio diaries, commentaries and news stories that are published or broadcast by KUNR.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
LA Zoo Teen Council for Conservation
A nine-month leadership program for about 30 LA high schoolers representing each City Council district, focused on conservation and environmental justice, culminating in a youth-led Conservation Symposium.
📍 Los Angeles Zoo, Los Angeles, CA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Stony Brook University
Lab Techniques in Biotechnology
Intensive laboratory experience covering contemporary biotechnology techniques. Students must have completed ninth grade; the 2026 fee was $700.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Princeton University
Laboratory Learning Program (LLP)
A free, full-time 5-6 week summer research placement for local New Jersey high schoolers inside an active Princeton lab, closely supervised by faculty and research staff across biophysics, engineering, psychology, and the natural sciences.
📍 Princeton, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
North Carolina Department of Administration
Lady Cardinal Mentorship Program
Four-week paid summer mentorship placing North Carolina high-school girls in state-government agencies for career exploration and professional development.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
LaGuardia Community College / CUNY
LaGuardia Community College STEM Research Academy
Research experience spanning biology, chemistry and computer science with CUNY faculty and laboratories.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
National Park Service, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
Lake Roosevelt NRA Youth Conservation Corps
Paid summer Youth Conservation Corps jobs for students ages 15 to under 19 at Spring Canyon, Fort Spokane and Kettle Falls, with up to nine enrollees recruited per season; no prior experience required.
📍 Lake Roosevelt NRA (Coulee Dam, Fort Spokane, Kettle Falls), WA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Nevada, Reno School of the Arts
Lake Tahoe Music Camp
A week-long residential camp on Lake Tahoe's private beach offering jazz and classical music instruction, ensembles, and one-on-one mentoring from UNR faculty and guest musicians for students completing grades 6-12.
📍 Lake Tahoe / Incline Village, NV (UNR)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Langston University
Langston High School Summer Programs
Federally supported summer enrichment opportunities for high-school students, including academic/career exploration.
📍 OK🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UW-Madison Language Institute
Languages of the World Day (UW-Madison)
A one-day event at Union South where Wisconsin high school students and teachers sample languages and cultures through breakout sessions on language, music, dance, film and the scientific study of language led by about 60 UW-Madison faculty, staff and students.
📍 Madison, WI📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Laramie
Laramie Youth Council
A youth advisory council of up to 15 members ages 14-19 who liaise between youth and city government and carry out community projects such as recycling and food insecurity initiatives.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Latinas in STEM
Latinas in STEM 101 Workshops
Events that bring Latinas into STEM through hands-on technology workshops and panels.
📍 Nationwide⏱ 1 day📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Launch Leadership, hosted at Doane University
Launch Leadership Summer Leadership Workshop
A five-day, four-night residential leadership experience running over 60 years, where high school students (grades 9-12) work in small cooperative groups on skill tracks like communication, group dynamics, and decision-making, with scholarships available to reduce cost.
📍 Doane University, Crete, NE📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
LaunchX
LaunchX
Summer entrepreneurship programs with seed funding.
📍 Multiple sites⏱ 4 weeks📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
LaunchX
LaunchX Entrepreneurship Summer Program
Four-week intensive where students launch a real startup; held at Northwestern, Michigan, or virtual.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ 4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
LaunchX
LaunchX Summer Program
A top-tier entrepreneurship program where students start a real company, develop a product, and pitch to judges.
📍 Multiple Locations⏱ 4 weeks📅 April 24🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National Student Leadership Conference, hosted at University of Michigan
Law & Advocacy Program
A 9-day residential program at the University of Michigan where students act as trial attorneys, analyzing evidence, questioning witnesses, and arguing a simulated trial through interactive workshops and mock proceedings.
📍 Ann Arbor, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Montclair State University
Law & Order: Understanding America's Criminal Justice System
Explores American law, criminal justice institutions and legal careers.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
New York State Unified Court System
Law Day High School Art Contest
Students create original visual art responding to the annual Law Day theme, with statewide recognition and cash prizes.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mecklenburg County Bar Association (DEI Committee) & Central Piedmont Community College
Law Launchpad: A Journey to Justice
A four-day law-career exploration camp for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, featuring 90-minute sessions with diverse legal professionals covering public speaking, group projects, and conflict resolution.
📍 Huntersville, NC (CPCC Merancas Campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
New York State Bar Association
Law, Youth and Citizenship Program (We the People NY)
NYSBA's civic education initiative, established in 1974, which administers New York's We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution competition alongside the state's high school Mock Trial program.
📍 New York (statewide)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Lawrence University Conservatory of Music
Lawrence Summer Music Institute (Piano & Strings)
A weeklong summer institute for pianists and string players in grades 8-12 with chamber rehearsals, private lessons, coaching, workshops and performance preparation on the Lawrence campus in Appleton.
📍 Appleton, WI📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Lawrence University Conservatory of Music
Lawrence Summer Music Institute: Classical Voice
A week-long residential institute for classical voice students in grades 8-12 led by Lawrence faculty and guest artists, with an audition, lessons, masterclasses and student concerts.
📍 Appleton, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Lawrence University Conservatory of Music
Lawrence Summer Music Institute: Percussion
A week-long residential institute for percussionists in grades 8-12 led by Lawrence faculty, with auditioned placement, lessons, ensemble work and a student concert.
📍 Appleton, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana Department of Education
LDOE High School Summer Internship Program
A paid summer internship placing a small cohort of Louisiana high schoolers in LDOE offices such as Career and College Readiness, Teaching and Learning, Governmental Affairs, and Public Affairs to do policy research, communications, and data analysis.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Carnegie Mellon University
Leadership Development
Pre-College Leadership Development program at Carnegie Mellon University.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Tufts University Pre-College Programs (Tisch College)
Leadership for Social Change
A two-week residential pre-college program where students analyze systemic social issues such as educational inequity and environmental justice, build civic-engagement skills, and develop action plans in partnership with local community organizations.
📍 Medford, MA (Tufts University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Leadership in the Business World
A program designed to develop leadership skills within a business context.
📍 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Brown University
Leadership Institute
A leadership development program where students explore social justice, identity, and leadership through workshops.
📍 Providence, RI⏱ 2 weeks📅 May 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Learn To Be Foundation
Learn To Be Tutor
A 1-on-1 online tutoring program for low-income K-12 students. High schoolers can apply to tutor and earn volunteer hours.
📍 Online⏱ Flexible📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maine Community Foundation
Lee Patterson Scholarship Fund for Classical Voice Training
Young musicians can receive financial assistance for classical voice training in opera, operetta, and art-song repertoire. Preference is given to students from Hancock and Washington counties.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
LeetCode
LeetCode Weekly Contest
Free weekly competitive programming contests.
📍 Online⏱ 90 min📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
Cleveland State University
Legacy ++ Program
A free, NSF-supported, week-long residential program at Cleveland State for Black young women in Ohio high schools preparing to take the AP Computer Science Principles exam, pairing them with mentors who are Black women in computer science.
📍 Cleveland, OH (Cleveland State University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Georgia School of Law
Legal Camp
Students explore legal careers, courtroom advocacy and policymaking through instruction from attorneys, professors and mock-trial competitors.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Lehigh University
Lehigh University High School Math Contest
An annual math competition for high schoolers held on Lehigh's campus, with archived problems and results dating back to 1981; the 45th annual contest in 2026 drew 116 student participants.
📍 Bethlehem, PA (Lehigh University)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Lehman College / CUNY
Lehman College STEM Research Academy
Students complete research preparation and a six-week summer laboratory experience in fields including biology, chemistry and psychology.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Let's Get Ready
Let's Get Ready College Access
Free SAT prep and college advising from near-peer mentors.
📍 Online📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Texas Center for the Book, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Letters About Literature (Texas)
A free reading-and-writing contest in which Texas students write a letter to an author explaining how the author's work changed their view of themselves or the world. The grade 9-12 category awards cash prizes of $100-$300 and a travel stipend to the Texas Library Association conference.
📍 Texas (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Atrium Health
Levine Children's Hospital Summer Teen Volunteer Program
Teen volunteers serve in a children's-hospital environment while participating in structured educational and service activities.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Lewis University
Lewis University Art Camp
Students in grades 9–12 explore drawing and painting, three-dimensional clay work, and digital-media design in a four-day day camp. The 2026 fee was $250.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Lexington High School (student-run, Hack Club)
LexHack
A free, in-person hackathon at Lexington Community Center where high school students form teams to build software projects around a yearly theme over two Saturdays and a remote build week.
📍 Lexington, MA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oklahoma City Community College
Lights, Camera, Action! Digital Cinema Production
Digital filmmaking and cinema-production academy.
📍 OK🎓 Grades 10, 12
Selective
Southeastern Louisiana University
Lion's Code CyberCamp
A free coding and cybersecurity camp for grades 8-12 requiring no prior experience, using NICERC curriculum with virtual capture-the-flag scenarios and lessons on encryption and cyber careers.
📍 Hammond, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Idaho
Lionel Hampton Music Camp
Student musicians receive intensive instruction from faculty, participate in ensembles and lessons and develop performance skills in a university music environment.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
NC State University
Livestock Science Camp
Students explore animal genetics, nutrition, biotechnology and livestock production through university laboratories and agricultural facilities.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
City Bureau
Local News for Teens Internships (CityBureau Documenters)
Paid civic journalism documenters program in select cities.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Loft Literary Center
Loft Youth Writing Intensive — Ages 14–18
Teens spend four intensive days studying fiction, poetry, memoir, and screenwriting with published writers, creating at least one new piece and receiving opportunities for public reading and anthology publication. The 2026 fee was $550.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Los Angeles County Science and Engineering Fair
Los Angeles County Science and Engineering Fair (LACSEF)
The largest science fair specifically for LA County students, where roughly 1,000 middle and high schoolers present research projects for medals, scholarships, and advancement to state and international fairs.
📍 Shrine Expo Hall, Los Angeles, CA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League
Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League (LAMDL)
A nonprofit policy debate league that brings competitive debate, tournaments, a debate school, and a summer camp to underserved Los Angeles-area high schools to close the opportunity gap.
📍 Los Angeles, CA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Trent Lott Leadership Institute, University of Mississippi
Lott Leadership Institute Summer Programs
A suite of leadership programs for Mississippi high schoolers organized by grade band, ranging from a civic-engagement week for rising ninth graders to a flagship residential program for rising seniors that earns college credit and includes a Washington, D.C. trip.
📍 Oxford, MS📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana Department of Education / Louisiana State University
Louisiana Aspiring Educator Summer Academy
Students enrolled in Louisiana pre-educator pathways participate in a free five-day leadership and professional-learning academy focused on teaching, communication, networking, and effective educational practice.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Louisiana DECA
Louisiana DECA State Career Development Conference
Louisiana's statewide DECA conference where high school chapters compete in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management events through role-plays, tests, and business plan presentations.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
Louisiana Envirothon
A team-based environmental problem-solving competition for grades 6-12 covering soils, aquatic resources, forestry, wildlife, and a current environmental issue, including an oral presentation component.
📍 Louisiana (site varies)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Future Business Leaders of America - Louisiana
Louisiana FBLA
The Louisiana chapter of FBLA, offering grades 9-12 students over 70 competitive business events at regional, state, and national conferences spanning accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship, and more.
📍 Statewide, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana FFA Association
Louisiana FFA State Convention & Expo
The state's largest annual celebration of agricultural education, drawing nearly 2,000 FFA members, advisors, and guests for competitive events, awards, workshops, an expo, and a day of service.
📍 Alexandria, LA📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The National WWII Museum (Louisiana affiliate of National History Day)
Louisiana History Day
A project-based history research competition for grades 6-12 (Senior Division is 9-12) where students create a paper, exhibit, website, performance, or documentary and advance through Regional, State, and National contests.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA (state contest at West Baton Rouge Museum)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Louisiana HOSA - Future Health Professionals
Louisiana HOSA State Leadership Conference
Louisiana's statewide HOSA conference where high school chapters compete in health-science events like Prepared Speaking, Health Career Display, Research Poster, Forensic Science, and Medical Spelling, with top finishers advancing to the International Leadership Conference.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana Mu Alpha Theta (LaMAΘ)
Louisiana Mu Alpha Theta State Convention
A three-day statewide high school math tournament modeled on the national Mu Alpha Theta convention, featuring area tests, individual tests, ciphering, and an interschool team exam grouped by course level.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana Chess Association (US Chess state affiliate)
Louisiana State Scholastic Chess Championship
A five-round Swiss-format statewide chess championship open to K-12 players with current US Chess membership, split into grade-band sections (including a K-12 high school section), that also serves as a qualifier for national scholastic events like the Denker Tournament of High School Champions.
📍 New Orleans, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisville Zoo
Louisville Zoo Teen Program
Students ages 13–18 volunteer in zoo-related roles and explore careers involving animal care, education, conservation, horticulture, and visitor engagement. Applications for the next teen cycle are expected to return in January 2027.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola Voice Summer Camp
High-school vocalists receive training in technique, breathing, repertoire, diction, interpretation, acting through song, audition preparation, stage presence, masterclasses, and performance.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
LSU Manship School of Mass Communication / Louisiana Scholastic Press Association
LSPA Conference
A statewide conference and media competition for Louisiana high school student journalists, featuring workshops on writing, digital storytelling, photography, and yearbook production, plus a student media contest across newspaper, broadcast, yearbook, radio, and social media categories.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
LSU Department of Bands
LSU Bands Summer Music Camp
An intensive winds-and-percussion music camp for students in grades 9-12 offering private lessons, concert and chamber ensemble participation, and workshops with LSU School of Music faculty and graduate students, culminating in student showcases.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine
LSU Health New Orleans Summer Research Internship Program — High School
High-school students complete an eight-week, full-time biomedical research internship with LSU Health mentors, attend scientific seminars, and present their findings at a poster symposium. The 2026 high-school stipend was $2,645.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana University Bloomington, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering
Luddy Cybersecurity Immersion Camp
A week-long, hands-on cybersecurity camp teaching students to use industry tools like Wireshark and Nmap, with a component on AI in security.
📍 Bloomington, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Indiana University Bloomington, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering
Luddy Precollege Summer STEM Camp
A residential summer camp where high schoolers explore computational tools for engineering, science, and society, with tracks in AI, cybersecurity, robotics, and 3D/virtual world design.
📍 Bloomington, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering — IU Indianapolis
Luddy Summer Camps (IU Indianapolis)
One-week day camps for students entering grades 9-12 covering video game development, digital biology, augmented reality, AI bots, web design, and animation, taught by Luddy faculty at the Indianapolis campus.
📍 Indianapolis, IN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
LUMCON Estuarine Awareness and Discovery (LEAD) Camp
High-school students spend a residential week investigating Louisiana coastal ecosystems through research cruises, marsh and beach surveys, laboratory work, microscopy, dissections, paddling, and interactions with marine scientists.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Lumiere Education
Lumiere Education Individual Research
One-on-one research mentorship with PhDs producing a publishable paper.
📍 Online⏱ 3-6 months📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Lumiere Education
Lumiere Research Scholar (Aid)
Independent research papers with PhD mentors. Need-based financial aid up to 100%.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 12 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Lumiere Education
Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Independent research program mentored by PhDs; open to high schoolers worldwide.
📍 Global📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Lurie Children's Hospital Summer Intensive Volunteer Program
Summer-only volunteer program for teens age 16 and up featuring patient-focused service projects, a healthcare career panel, and interactive trainings culminating in a completion certificate.
📍 Chicago, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
MultiCare Health System
M.A.S.H. Camp - Puget Sound (MultiCare)
A free one-week summer health care career camp for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors in Pierce, south King, Kitsap and north Thurston counties, with hands-on skill stations and exposure to nursing, therapy, pharmacy and other fields.
📍 Tacoma area, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
MultiCare Health System
M.A.S.H. Camp - Spokane (MultiCare)
A free four-day summer health care career camp in the Spokane region for high school students, run by MultiCare with hands-on clinical skill stations.
📍 Spokane, WA📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
MultiCare Health System
M.A.S.H. Camp - Yakima (MultiCare)
A free four-day summer health care career camp for Yakima County high school students, hosted by MultiCare at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.
📍 Yakima, WA📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Mathematical Association of America Wisconsin Section / UW-Whitewater
MAA Wisconsin Section High School Math Contest
Wisconsin Section math contest for high school students, a 75-minute exam hosted by UW-Whitewater with registration through a form for participating schools.
📍 Whitewater, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Northern Kentucky University CINSAM / Mazak
Machining Minds: A Mazak Technology Experience Program
Students explore modern machining, computer-aided design, manufacturing technology, and engineering challenges with Mazak professionals and NKU STEM mentors.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
MacPhail Center for Music
MacPhail Summer Camps for Youth
Week-long music camps for developing musicians ages 11-18 spanning classical, jazz, rock, and electronic music plus songwriting, including intensives like Jazz Camp and Rock Week that culminate in a live performance.
📍 MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Madison College Center for Entrepreneurship
Madison College Pitch
A business pitch competition for area high school students who submit a 2.5 to 3 minute video covering the problem, solution, target market and financials, with finalists presenting live to judges at the Madison College Truax campus.
📍 Madison, WI📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Madison College Professional and Continuing Education
Madison College Youth Camps
Day camps (9 AM to 3 PM) for students in grades 3-12 at Madison College campuses covering engineering, healthcare, culinary arts, welding and fabrication, diesel mechanics and other career exploration, with lunch provided.
📍 Madison, WI📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Madison Public Library
Madison Public Library Volunteer Program (Teens)
Volunteers 17 and under can apply through the library's volunteer form for tasks such as pulling holds, packing maker kits, seed library work and program setup, with teen roles such as the Pinney Library PlayLab associate.
📍 Madison, WI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Madison Poet Laureate Program
Madison Youth Poet Laureate
A one-year honor for a Madison poet ages 13 to 19 that includes three public readings with the Madison Poet Laureate and the chance to apply for the National Youth Poet Laureate role.
📍 Madison, WI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
CyberWyoming Alliance
MAGIC Capture the Flag Cybersecurity Puzzle Challenge
An entry-level, beginner-friendly cybersecurity puzzle challenge open to high school, college and nontraditional students, played virtually from school computer rooms.
📍 Wyoming (online)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
FIRST Louisiana-Mississippi
Magnolia Regional (FIRST Robotics Competition)
An annual FIRST Robotics Competition regional held in Laurel, Mississippi, bringing together roughly 40-50 high school robotics teams from Mississippi and surrounding states to compete with student-built robots.
📍 Laurel, MS📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
DECA Inc. - Maine Association
Maine DECA
Career and technical student organization for high school students in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management, with local chapters competing at an Association Career Development Conference.
📍 Statewide, Maine📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maine Department of Education
Maine DOE Student Cabinet
Students from across Maine advise the Department of Education about educational opportunities, improvements, and policy, with the state aiming for representation from every county.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maine Association of Conservation Districts
Maine Envirothon
North America's largest high school environmental science competition at the Maine level: teams of 3-5 students tackle hands-on stations in wildlife, water/aquatics, forestry, soils, and a current natural-resource issue at regional and state events.
📍 Statewide (regional field days + state competition), ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maine FFA / Maine Department of Education
Maine FFA Association
Statewide agricultural education organization for middle and high school students enrolled in aquaculture, agriscience, biotechnology, forestry, horticulture, or natural resource management courses, offering leadership development, competitive events, and travel opportunities.
📍 Statewide, Maine📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maine Forensic Association
Maine Forensic Association Speech & Debate
Maine's statewide speech and debate league, recognized by the National Speech and Debate Association, running a season of tournaments in Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Student Congress debate plus speech events like Oratory and Dramatic Interpretation.
📍 Statewide, ME📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
USM STEM Outreach / National Science Bowl
Maine High School Science Bowl
The Maine regional of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Science Bowl, where four-student high school teams face off in fast-paced question-and-answer rounds covering biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, energy, and math.
📍 USM Portland Campus, Portland, ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
HOSA - Future Health Professionals
Maine HOSA - Future Health Professionals
State chapter of the national career and technical student organization for high schoolers interested in health careers, offering State Conferences, competitive events, and pathways to the International Leadership Conference and Washington Leadership Academy.
📍 Statewide, Maine📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
Maine Literary Awards — Youth Awards
Maine middle- and high-school writers compete in a statewide literary competition. Youth submissions are free and are considered alongside Maine's broader annual literary awards.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maine Media Workshops + College
Maine Media Academy Summer Academy
Two- to four-week residential workshops for teens (14-18) in filmmaking, digital and alternative photography, and book arts & design, taught by working artists on Maine Media's Rockport campus, with portfolio-level output and optional high school credit.
📍 Rockport, ME📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NESCom, Husson University
Maine Media Camp
A week-long residential media and communications camp at Husson University for students entering sophomore through senior year, covering journalism, video production, photography, and audio engineering alongside NESCom faculty.
📍 Husson University, Bangor, ME🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of Southern Maine / Maine Model United Nations Program
Maine Model United Nations Conference (MeMUNC)
An annual three-day Model UN conference at USM's Gorham campus where Maine high schoolers simulate UN bodies and debate global issues like maternal health, environmental justice, and disinformation, developing research, negotiation, and public speaking skills.
📍 Gorham, ME (USM)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Maine / Margaret Chase Smith Library
Maine National History Day
A year-long research and project-based competition for grades 6-12 in which students create a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance, or website on a historical topic tied to an annual theme, advancing from classroom to state to national competition.
📍 Orono, ME (University of Maine)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maine Arts Commission / Maine Humanities Council
Maine Poetry Out Loud
A National Endowment for the Arts recitation program in which Maine high schoolers memorize and perform poetry, advancing from the classroom level through regional competition to the statewide finals.
📍 Statewide, ME📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D)
Maine Region Scholastic Art Awards
The Maine affiliate of the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, open to students in grades 7-12 to submit original artwork across eighteen categories including painting, photography, sculpture, and video game design for scholarships and national recognition.
📍 Portland, ME (MECA&D; digital submission)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maine Science Olympiad
Maine Science Olympiad
Maine's Division C state tournament of the nationwide Science Olympiad, where high school teams of up to 15 students compete across 23 events spanning biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, math, and engineering.
📍 Statewide (site varies), ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maine Venture Fund
Maine Startup Challenge — High School Tier
Maine high-school students turn an idea into a one-page business plan and compete before entrepreneurs and investors. The high-school tier awards $1,500 for first place and $500 for runner-up.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maine State Board of Education
Maine State Board of Education Student Member
One Maine sophomore from the designated congressional district is selected annually to begin a two-year term as a nonvoting State Board member, participate in education-policy discussions, and serve on Board committees.
📍 ME🎓 Grade 10
Selective
Future Business Leaders of America - Maine
Maine State FBLA
Statewide career and technical student organization for high school business students, offering competitive events, leadership development, and a State Conference with qualification to the National Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide, Maine📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maine Association of Math Leagues (MAML)
Maine State Math Meet
MAML runs five regular-season math league meets across six regional leagues plus an annual statewide championship, testing high school teams on arithmetic-through-precalculus problems without calculators, and selects Maine's ARML team.
📍 Augusta Civic Center (state meet), ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Jackson Laboratory & Maine Mathematics & Science Alliance
Maine State Science Fair
Maine's statewide science fair, open to students in grades 9-12 from any public, private, parochial, or home school, where participants present independent research projects to expert judges for cash prizes and college scholarships.
📍 Statewide (rotating host high school), ME📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Southern Maine STEM Outreach
Maine STEM Film Challenge
Students create an original short film explaining a STEM topic and submit it for professional judging. Grades 9–12 compete in their own division; teams may contain 1–10 members.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Waterville Creates (Maine Film Center)
Maine Student Film + Video Festival
A free, no-entry-fee film festival open to Maine residents 19 and under in grades K-12, judging student-made Narrative, Documentary, and Creative (animation/experimental) films of up to 10 minutes.
📍 Waterville, ME📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maine Secretary of State
Maine Voting and Democracy Essay Contest
Maine students in grades 9–12 submit essays of up to 1,500 words about voting and democracy. Winners receive recognition from the Secretary of State and have their work publicized.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MaineHealth / The Opportunity Alliance
Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN)
A statewide youth leadership network for ages 14-18 focused on community advocacy around substance use, mental health, and bullying prevention, including local Youth Policy Boards and an annual Youth Leadership Conference.
📍 South Portland, ME (statewide network)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State YMCA of Maine
Maine Youth and Government (Y&G)
A student-driven simulation of Maine state government in which high schoolers write and debate bills, run for executive office, or serve as lobbyists/media, culminating in a weekend conference in the actual Maine State House chambers in Augusta.
📍 Augusta, ME (statewide delegations)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maine Youth for Climate Justice (MYCJ)
Maine Youth for Climate Justice High School Cohort
Free, peer-led statewide cohort connecting Maine high school climate and environmental activists, offering mini-grants and outreach support for student-led school and community sustainability projects; no prior organizing experience required.
📍 Statewide, Maine📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MaineHealth Workforce Development
MaineHealth Career Compass
Maine students in grades 9–12 attend free statewide virtual panels introducing healthcare careers through interactive sessions with people working across the health system.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MLH
Major League Hacking (MLH) Digital Events
MLH partners with dozens of online student-led hackathons throughout the year accessible to any student with an internet connection.
📍 Online⏱ 24-48 hours📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MLH
Major League Hacking High School Hackathons
Calendar of student hackathons; many high school-friendly.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MLH
Major League Hacking Local Hack Day
Free worldwide student hackathons run by MLH. Beginner-friendly tracks.
📍 Worldwide⏱ 1-2 days📅 Year-round🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Lincoln Park Zoo
Malott Family Zoo Intern Program
Chicago teens serve as paid zoo interpreters while learning about animals, conservation, science communication, and zoo careers. The seven-week 2026 session ran June 22 through August 7.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Management & Technology Summer Institute
On-campus program at the intersection of management and technology.
📍 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music Pre-College
Saturday conservatory program for serious young musicians.
📍 New York, NY⏱ Academic year📅 December🎓 Grades 3–12
Moderate
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Manufacturing Workshop
Three-day workshop where students learn machining and manufacturing concepts, use computer design and 3D-printing techniques and explore skilled technical careers at LLNL.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Mapping the Cosmos: From Kilometer to Megaparsec
Students investigate astronomical scales and the structure of the universe.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Alabama
Marillyn A. Hewson Cybersecurity Summer Camp
High-school students learn cybersecurity through standard or advanced camps covering cybersecurity concepts and web/infrastructure topics.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Roger Williams University
Marine Biology Camp
A residential summer camp introducing high schoolers to coastal ecosystems, marine life, and oceanography through kayaking, snorkeling, boat-based sampling, and lab work at RWU's Bristol, RI campus.
📍 Bristol, RI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology
Marine Science Investigations
Weeklong immersion in marine-science research at Moku o Loʻe, giving students hands-on experience inside an active tropical marine-research environment.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
LUMCON Blue Works
Marine Science Semester
Homeschool students in grades 7–12 meet weekly for hands-on Louisiana coastal and marine-science investigations and complete independent research projects designed to build scientific and communication skills.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNC Wilmington
MarineQuest Ocean Robotics
Students design and operate underwater robotic systems while learning engineering principles and marine applications.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
UNC Wilmington
MarineQuest Ocean Solutions
Students investigate sea-level rise, coastal management and marine conservation through research-vessel, barrier-island and field activities.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
UNC Wilmington
MarineQuest Scientific Diver
Certified teen divers learn scientific-diving methods and marine biological identification through intensive field experience.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
UNC Wilmington
MarineQuest Surf-N-Service
Combines coastal recreation with environmental stewardship and organized marine-conservation service.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
DC Department of Employment Services
Marion Barry Youth Leadership Institute Summer Intensive
District youth participate in intensive leadership and self-development training built around hands-on experiences and civic/professional growth.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mark Cuban Foundation and Gearbox Labs
Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp (Milwaukee, Gearbox Labs)
Free three-Saturday AI bootcamp for underserved grade 9-12 students with 20+ hours on current AI tools, applied AI ethics and building an AI application for career exploration, with meals and technology provided.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Maine / Mark Cuban Foundation
Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp at UMaine
A free 20-hour AI bootcamp for Maine high schoolers in grades 9-12, held over three Saturdays at UMaine, covering generative AI, ethics, and real-world applications across healthcare, business, and the arts, ending in a mentored capstone project.
📍 University of Maine, Orono, ME📅 September🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Marquette University Opus College of Engineering
Marquette Summer Engineering Experiences
Non-residential half-day engineering programs for high schoolers on Marquette's campus, including automation, microcontrollers and AI, Code for Climate, a biomedical engineering bootcamp, biomechanics and an adaptive car build.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
LSU AgCenter 4-H
Marsh Dawgs Camp
An immersive four-day, three-night coastal environmental experience for high school 4-H members from St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, connecting students with southeast Louisiana's marsh ecosystems.
📍 St. Bernard / Plaquemines Parish, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Marshall University College of Science
Marshall High School Science Day
A campus day for high school students with hands-on science demonstrations, liquid nitrogen ice cream, a portable planetarium and a look at the College's Scanning Electron Microscope.
📍 Huntington, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Marshall University Department of Music
Marshall University High School Honor Band Festival
A three-day festival where director-nominated high school band students rehearse in honor bands with a guest clinician and perform a final concert at Marshall.
📍 Marshall University, Huntington, WV📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Marshall University
Marshall University NeuroCamp
A week-long summer camp with hands-on activities and presentations by faculty and graduate students on lab safety, neuroanatomy, addiction, stroke and behavioral models.
📍 Huntington, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Kentucky Martin Luther King Jr. State Commission
Martin Luther King Jr. Essay, Artwork and Poetry Contest
Kentucky students can submit an essay, poem, or visual artwork inspired by the annual theme surrounding Dr. King's legacy, diversity, unity, equality, and justice.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Duke Health / Durham YouthWorks
MaryAnn Black Summer Internship
Durham youth explore dozens of health professions through hands-on activities, mentoring and workplace exposure within Duke Health.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maryland AAPI Legislative Caucus (Maryland General Assembly)
Maryland AAPI Legislative Caucus Summer Internship Program
A structured civic education program engaging high school and college students through the legislative process, including policy research, bill drafting, mock committee hearings, floor debates, and a final mock legislative session at the Maryland State House.
📍 Annapolis, MD📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
DECA Inc., Maryland Association
Maryland DECA
A co-curricular CTSO integrated into marketing, finance, hospitality, and entrepreneurship courses, where students compete in roleplay and written events at regional, state, and international conferences.
📍 Maryland (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maryland Council on Economic Education (MCEE)
Maryland Economics Challenge
A one-day statewide academic competition where high school teams are tested on microeconomics, macroeconomics, and the global economy, with two divisions based on experience level, and the state champion advancing to the National Economics Challenge.
📍 Maryland (statewide)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maryland Envirothon (Soil Conservation Districts)
Maryland Envirothon
Teams of five students in grades 9-12 study Maryland's natural resources across aquatics, forestry, soils, and wildlife over the school year, competing first at the county level then at the statewide Maryland Envirothon.
📍 Maryland (county and statewide events)📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maryland FBLA
Maryland FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
A statewide CTSO with over 100 high school chapters preparing students for business careers through academic competitions, leadership conferences, and Business Achievement Awards at the district, state, and national level.
📍 Maryland (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maryland FFA / National FFA Organization
Maryland FFA Association
The state agricultural youth leadership organization serving nearly 3,000 members across 50 chapters, offering Career Development Events, regional conferences, a state convention, and agricultural scholarships.
📍 Maryland (statewide, chartered 1929)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Maryland
Maryland High School Business Plan Competition
A statewide competition open to Maryland high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who submit an executive summary of a new venture idea in teams of one to five for a chance at up to $10,000 in cash and prizes.
📍 College Park, MD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) Arts Program
Maryland High School Juried Art Exhibition
A statewide juried exhibition open to students in all Maryland high schools, showcasing artwork in all mediums with cash awards split between the student and their school's arts program.
📍 College Park, MD📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maryland Youth & the Law, Inc. (MYLaw) / Maryland State Bar Association
Maryland High School Mock Trial Competition
A statewide competition in which students act as attorneys and witnesses in civil or criminal cases, scored by judges and attorneys, progressing from eight judicial circuits through regional rounds to a State Championship held at Maryland's Supreme Court in Annapolis.
📍 Annapolis, MD (statewide circuits)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maryland Humanities
Maryland History Day
Maryland's affiliate of National History Day, inviting middle and high school students to create original documentaries, exhibits, performances, research papers, or websites on an annual historical theme, progressing through school, district, state, and national competitions.
📍 Maryland (statewide); state contest at UMBC📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maryland HOSA
Maryland HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
A student-led CTSO for future health professionals offering job shadowing, internships, field-based investigations, and competitive events, with a State Leadership Conference and International Leadership Conference each year.
📍 Maryland (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maryland Council on Economic Education (MCEE)
Maryland Personal Finance Challenge
A free two-stage competition where Maryland high school teams demonstrate personal finance knowledge through online testing, then compete at the Federal Reserve's Baltimore branch with a case-study presentation and Quiz Bowl round.
📍 Federal Reserve Bank of Baltimore, MD📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA)
Maryland Region Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
The Maryland regional affiliate of the nation's longest-running teen creative recognition program, judging student art and writing submissions across 28 categories, with Gold Key winners advancing to national judging.
📍 Baltimore, MD📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maryland Science Olympiad
Maryland Science Olympiad
The Maryland chapter of the national Science Olympiad competition, where high school teams (Division C) compete in 23 STEM events spanning earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering, advancing from regional to state tournaments.
📍 Maryland (regional sites; 2027 state tournament at UMBC)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SkillsUSA Maryland
Maryland SkillsUSA
A Career and Technical Student Organization with roughly 5,500 Maryland high school members across 21 school systems, developing workplace, leadership, and trade/technical skills through the SkillsUSA Framework and a State Championship.
📍 Maryland (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
US Chess Federation / MD Chess Association
Maryland State Scholastic Chess Championship
The official Maryland state scholastic chess championship, a US Chess-rated Swiss tournament with sections for grades 9-12 where the high school winner qualifies for the Denker National Tournament of High School State Champions.
📍 Maryland (venue varies by year)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maryland-DC Scholastic Press Association (MDCSPA)
Maryland-DC Scholastic Press Association
A nonprofit partnered with the Philip Merrill College of Journalism that offers free membership to high school journalism students and teachers, hosting J-Day, a Fall Workshop, and the Maryland Journalist of the Year contest.
📍 Maryland and DC region📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
George Mason University Virginia Serious Game Institute / Game & Technology Academy
Mason Game & Technology Academy (MGTA) Prep Program
Game design and programming classes taught by George Mason faculty and advanced students, including Game Design with Unity and an advanced Make-a-Game-with-Python course, offered in spring, summer and fall.
📍 Fairfax and Manassas, VA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University School of Music
Mason Jazz Camp
A five-day intensive jazz camp for instrumental and vocal musicians with basic proficiency, with classes in improvisation, jazz theory, ear training, big bands and combos, composition, arranging and jazz history.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
Mason String Intensive (Mason Community Arts Academy)
A summer program for intermediate and advanced violin, viola and cello players to build the skills of soloists and chamber musicians, with performances as soloists and in chamber groups at a George Mason venue.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
Mason Summer Band Camp
A week-long camp with a Senior High Band for rising grades 9-12, instrument breakouts, masterclasses and electives such as theory, conducting, composition and music technology, ending in a final concert.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Massachusetts DECA
Massachusetts DECA State Career Development Conference
The annual statewide DECA conference where top district-level competitors from Massachusetts' 8 DECA districts compete in over 50 categories of marketing, hospitality, finance, and entrepreneurship, with top finishers qualifying for the International DECA Career Development Conference.
📍 Boston, MA (The Westin Seaport)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Massachusetts Envirothon (affiliated with NCF-Envirothon)
Massachusetts Envirothon
A team-based environmental education competition where Massachusetts high school teams rotate through ecostations covering soils, forests, water, and wildlife, plus a Current Issue presentation, with the winning team advancing to the national NCF-Envirothon.
📍 Massachusetts (statewide competition)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Future Business Leaders of America - Massachusetts
Massachusetts FBLA
The Massachusetts high school division of FBLA, a career and technical student organization preparing students for business careers through local chapters, regional/state/national competitive events, and an annual State Leadership Conference.
📍 Massachusetts (State Leadership Conference held at Bentley University)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
Massachusetts FCCLA State Association
The Massachusetts state association of FCCLA, the national career and technical student organization centered on family and consumer sciences, through which students can compete in sectional and state events in areas like child development, culinary arts, and interior design.
📍 Massachusetts (chapter-based; coordinated regionally with New England FCCLA)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Massachusetts FFA Association
Massachusetts FFA
The Massachusetts chapter of the National FFA Organization, an intracurricular agricultural education association with more than 2,000 members across 17 chapters statewide, offering Career and Leadership Development Events (CDEs/LDEs) alongside coursework and supervised agricultural experience projects.
📍 Massachusetts (statewide, 17 chapters)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Boylston Chess Club / Massachusetts High School Chess League
Massachusetts High School Chess League (MHSCL)
A completely student-run, free chess league for Massachusetts high schoolers, hosting both virtual and in-person team tournaments at the Boylston Chess Club with the main event crowning a season-long league champion.
📍 Boston, MA (Boylston Chess Club)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Massachusetts Scholastic Press Association (MASPA)
Massachusetts High School Journalist of the Year
An annual statewide award honoring the top individual high school journalist in Massachusetts, with the winner advancing to the National High School Journalist of the Year competition.
📍 Massachusetts (statewide)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Massachusetts Historical Society (National History Day state affiliate)
Massachusetts History Day
A year-long historical research program in which students in grades 6-12 investigate a topic using primary and secondary sources and present their findings as a documentary, website, performance, paper, exhibit, or podcast at regional and state contests.
📍 Massachusetts (statewide, sponsored by the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Massachusetts HOSA, hosted by Worcester State University
Massachusetts HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
The Massachusetts chapter of HOSA-Future Health Professionals, a statewide health-science student organization that runs a State Leadership Conference with competitive events in medical terminology, clinical skills, and public health for CTE health-science students.
📍 Worcester, MA (State Leadership Conference)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Massachusetts
Massachusetts Oratorical Contest
A statewide public-speaking competition, progressing from local posts to the state final, that challenges high schoolers to demonstrate knowledge of the U.S. Constitution through prepared and extemporaneous speeches on constitutional themes.
📍 Massachusetts (statewide, post to state level)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SkillsUSA Massachusetts, Inc.
Massachusetts SkillsUSA
The Massachusetts chapter of SkillsUSA, preparing high school students in trade, technical, and service occupations through workforce-readiness curriculum and an annual State Leadership & Skills Conference where students compete in 111 skilled and leadership competitions.
📍 Marlborough and Upton, MA (State Leadership & Skills Conference)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Massachusetts Speech & Debate League
Massachusetts Speech & Debate League (MSDL)
A statewide interscholastic league for grades 9-12 running Saturday tournaments year-round in debate formats (including Public Forum and Congressional Debate), oratory, and interpretive/oral-reading speech events across member high schools in Massachusetts and affiliated New England schools.
📍 Massachusetts (member schools statewide)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Massachusetts Science & Engineering Fair, Inc.
Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair
A statewide science and engineering fair open to grades 9-12 that requires a research plan, project notebook, lab report, visual display, and oral presentation, with top projects advancing to the International Science and Engineering Fair.
📍 Massachusetts (statewide, regional fairs and state finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Science Olympiad (Massachusetts state chapter)
Massachusetts State Science Olympiad
A statewide Science Olympiad competition where Division C (high school) teams compete in 23 STEM events spanning earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering, advancing from regionals to the state tournament.
📍 Various Massachusetts campuses (Wentworth, WPI, Framingham State)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VEX Robotics / RECF
Massachusetts VEX V5 High School State Championship
The annual state championship for VEX V5 Robotics Competition, the high-school division of VEX Robotics, where qualifying teams compete in robotics challenges and submit engineering notebooks for judging.
📍 Framingham, MA (Walsh Middle School)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMass Amherst
Massenberg Summer STEM Institute
Rising tenth graders from underserved communities in Massachusetts and New Jersey attend a fully funded residential program featuring STEM projects, mathematics, writing, entrepreneurship, career exposure, and college guidance.
📍 MA🎓 Grade 10
Selective
The Arts Inc. of Southwest Wyoming
MAT Camp (Music, Arts & Theatre Camp)
A week-long summer arts enrichment camp in Evanston with classes in music, voice, theatre, dance, art and technology for children, youth and adults.
📍 Evanston, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Marine Advanced Technology Education
MATE ROV Competition
Underwater robotics competition with regional and international finals.
📍 Global⏱ Year-long📅 Fall🎓 Grades 7–12
Moderate
University of Tennessee, Knoxville - Tickle College of Engineering
Materials Camp
A free, week-long day program for high schoolers exploring materials science and engineering principles through applied math and science activities.
📍 Knoxville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
LSU Cain Center / Department of Mathematics
Math Circle Academy
A weekly in-person problem-solving and competition-preparation program for grades 6-12 that prepares students for the AMC, Kangaroo Math, and Purple Comet Math Meet.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
LSU Cain Center / Department of Mathematics
Math Circle Competition Team (MCCT)
A collaborative, informal math program for grades 8-12 that meets periodically to explore enjoyable math topics and prepares students for the AMC 10/12, AIME, and tournaments like Harvard-MIT Math Tournament.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Case Western Reserve University
Math Corps Super Saturdays — High School Teaching Assistants
Grades 10–12 participate as teaching assistants and mentors while helping younger students develop mathematics skills during a Saturday academic program.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
MAA / USA Math Team
Math Olympiad Summer Program (MOP)
Invitation-only intensive math camp preparing top USAMO/USAJMO scorers for IMO.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA⏱ 3 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Citadel, Department of Mathematics and Data Analytics
Math Research Experience for Lowcountry High School Students
A free, non-residential week-long camp where Lowcountry-area high school students and teachers work with Citadel faculty on open mathematical research problems drawn from MAA publications and The Fibonacci Quarterly.
📍 Charleston, SC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Pennsylvania
Mathematics Academy
Two-week residential academy at Penn where faculty and graduate TAs teach advanced topics such as non-Euclidean geometry, graph theory, game theory and mathematical logic, with a focus on writing proofs. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 2 weeks (July 11 - 25, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
MathILy
MathILy
Intensive five-week summer program in serious mathematics for high schoolers.
📍 Bryn Mawr, PA⏱ 5 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Alaska Business Week
MatSu Business Week
Students spend a week in a hands-on business boot camp running a simulated company, making decisions under time pressure, and interacting with Alaska business professionals.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Matter of Trust
Matter of Trust Citizen Science
Free citizen-science volunteer projects in oil-spill remediation and sustainability.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Flexible📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaiʻi Space Grant Consortium / Maunakea Observatories
Maunakea Scholars
Program pairing Hawaiʻi public high school students with professional astronomy mentors to write research proposals and compete for observing time on Maunakea's world-class telescopes.
📍 10 partner high schools across Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Hawaiʻi Island📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic CARES
Arizona students explore healthcare professions through simulations, hands-on activities, professional panels, clinical exposure, career development, and subsequent academic-year mentoring.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
City of New Orleans Office of Youth and Families
Mayor for a Day Essay Contest
New Orleans youth ages 11–18 submit essays explaining what they would do as mayor. Three winners are selected to be sworn in and shadow the mayor while learning about city government.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Cambridge
Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program
Cambridge teens age 14+ receive six-week paid placements across nonprofit and public-sector organizations in STEM, media, arts, youth work, landscaping, libraries, and other fields.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Jackson
Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program
Jackson youth ages 16–24 complete six to eight weeks of paid work-based learning in city agencies and private businesses while receiving mentoring, résumé support, financial education, and workforce-readiness training.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
City of New Orleans Office of Workforce Development
Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program — Traditional Track
New Orleans youth receive six weeks of paid employment with businesses, nonprofits, or public agencies while gaining workplace and career-development experience. The 2026 traditional track paid $15 per hour.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
City of Baton Rouge / Parish of East Baton Rouge
Mayor's Youth Advisory Council
East Baton Rouge Parish students in grades 9–12 advise local leaders on youth issues, participate in civic initiatives, interact with government officials, and develop advocacy and public-leadership skills.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Charlotte
Mayor's Youth Employment Program
Charlotte students receive paid placements with private, nonprofit and public-sector employers while developing workplace skills.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD)
MCAD Pre-College Summer Session
A two-and-a-half-week, 3-college-credit residential studio program for students who have completed sophomore, junior, or senior year, who choose a major such as animation, illustration, painting, or character design and concept art and spend full days in foundation and major-specific classes.
📍 Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UT Austin McCombs School of Business
McCombs Future Executive Academy (MFEA)
A free six-day residential summer program where Texas high school students explore finance, marketing and operations through workshops, mentoring and team case competitions. Tuition, meals and housing are covered.
📍 Austin, TX📅 February🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Arizona Eller College of Management
McGuire Summer Entrepreneurship Academy
Arizona high-school students spend a week developing entrepreneurial skills through immersive startup and business activities on the university campus.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Millsaps College
McMullan Writers Workshop (High School)
A weeklong residential creative-writing workshop at Millsaps College for rising 10th graders through college freshmen, featuring instruction in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry plus keynote talks from acclaimed authors.
📍 Jackson, MS📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
McNeese State University
McNeese Summer Engineering Research Academy
Students entering grades 9–12 use university equipment for research-oriented projects spanning robotics, chemical engineering, computer engineering, atmospheric data, clean water, energy, and other engineering areas.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics
MCTM High School Math Contest
Missouri high-school mathematics competition with qualifying events followed by a state contest. The 2026 state contest charged $10 per qualifying student.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio State College of Medicine
MD Camp
Intensive three-week medical-school experience with clinical and research shadowing at OSU Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
MDAH Youth Volunteers
Youth age 16+ can participate in service-learning volunteer placements within MDAH institutions, including the Museum of Mississippi History, Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Eudora Welty House & Garden, and state archives.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Maryland Blockchain Association (MDBA) & Blockchain Legal Institute
MDBA Youth Blockchain Hackathon
A fully virtual hackathon for grades 10-12 with an AI & Machine Learning track (building decentralized data meshes and AI verification protocols) alongside blockchain and legal-tech tracks, judged with bounty prizes up to $25,000.
📍 Virtual (Maryland-based organization)📅 November🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Mississippi
Me, Myself, and Art
Students explore identity and visual communication through portraits, collaborative painting, embroidery, collage, watercolor, and a culminating gallery exhibition.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Oakland University
Meadow Brook Writing Camp — High School Sessions
High-school writers participate in intensive summer writing activities designed to develop creativity and written expression. Multiple 2026 sessions were offered.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Mechanical Crash Course
Mechanical-engineering program involving product design and hands-on projects, including work related to autonomous vehicles.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Mechanics of Writing for High School (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Builds high school students' writing mechanics, including grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, and organization for narrative, expository and argumentative essays.
📍 UW Seattle campus, Seattle, WA (one session online via Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tufts University
Medford and Somerville High School Pre-College Scholarship Program
Partner high schools can nominate eligible local students for scholarships covering Tufts pre-college coursework during fall, spring, or summer.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Cambridge Office of Workforce Development
Media Arts Internship
Cambridge teens can participate in a paid school-year STEAM internship centered on media and creative production.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
GRTV (Grand Rapids Community Media Center)
Media Makers Summer Camp
Week-long, hands-on sessions where Grand Rapids-area high schoolers choose a track in TV production, filmmaking, or podcasting, training on professional equipment alongside local journalists and filmmakers to produce a final project, with a weekly stipend.
📍 Grand Rapids, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media
Media Mavericks
Students explore journalism, integrated marketing communications, ethical media, digital storytelling, and multimedia production while creating a final showcase project.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Media Now / Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Media Now
High-school journalists spend four residential days developing skills in reporting, photography, design, video, sports broadcasting, multimedia storytelling, and communication. The 2027 camp is scheduled for July 6–9 and regular registration costs $575.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Susquehanna University
MediaWorks Studio
Journalism/media pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Georgetown University
Medical Academy
Students explore anatomy, physiology, radiology, surgery, oncology and biomedical ethics and complete hands-on activities including suturing, casting and patient simulation.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine
Medical Diagnosis and Treatment
Students experience medical-school-style learning through anatomy demonstrations, clinical-skills laboratories, patient simulations, vital-sign measurement and diagnostic scenarios.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Utah Department of Pathology, Medical Laboratory Sciences
Medical Laboratory Science Summer Immersion Program
A one-week summer immersion for high school students ages 16-18 with hands-on lab work in hematology, microbiology, clinical chemistry, blood banking and parasitology, plus microscopy and pipetting training and a tour of ARUP Laboratories. The 2027 session runs June 28-July 2 at the Eccles Health Science Education Building.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Johns Hopkins University
Medical School Intensive
Intensive pre-college introduction to medicine offered through both online and campus-based sections.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Stevens Institute of Technology
Medicinal Chemistry: Discovering Molecules that Cure
Examines chemistry underlying pharmaceuticals and drug discovery.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center
MedQuest (Southern Vermont AHEC)
A three-day hands-on health careers day program in a real hospital setting with job shadows, clinical skills practice, career panels and mentoring from UVM Larner medical students.
📍 Bennington and Windsor, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Montana AHEC / Montana State University
MedStart Summer Camp
Residential healthcare-career program for Montana students featuring clinical activities, professional exposure, college preparation and one transferable Montana Tech credit. Multiple regional sessions are offered around the state.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF)
MELNHE High School Research Opportunity
A free, year-round hands-on lab research opportunity for high schoolers to join the Multiple Element Limitation in Northern Hardwood Ecosystems (MELNHE) project, processing soil and leaf-litter samples and earning optional college credit.
📍 Syracuse, NY (SUNY ESF)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mercer County Human Resources
Mercer County Student Internship Program
A paid internship placing Mercer County high school and college students (age 15+) inside county government departments such as the County Counsel's Office and the Office of the County Executive, combining real casework with professional-development training in public speaking, financial literacy, and resume writing.
📍 McDade Administration Building, Trenton, NJ📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mercer University College of Pharmacy
Mercer University Pharmacy Scholars Summer Program
This day program introduces Metro Atlanta high school students to pharmacy careers through hands-on activities, lectures, and a field trip on Mercer's Atlanta campus.
📍 Mercer University, Atlanta, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Mercy Hospital St. Louis
Mercy Hospital St. Louis TLC (Teens Learning in the Community)
A summer volunteer program for students ages 16-18 interested in a career in medicine, exposing 40 accepted participants to clinical and non-clinical hospital departments including nutrition, patient transport, and administration on a twice-weekly schedule.
📍 Mercy Hospital St. Louis, St. Louis, MO📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
MERIT Baltimore / CollegeBound Foundation
MERIT Health Leadership Academy
A multi-year, out-of-school academic and career mentorship program for underrepresented Baltimore high schoolers pursuing healthcare careers, combining Saturday college-prep classes, progressive summer internships (bioengineering/math, then clinical shadowing, then research), and longitudinal mentorship.
📍 Baltimore, MD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Methodist Health System (Nebraska Methodist Hospital)
Methodist Volunteen Program
Incoming and current Omaha-metro high school students volunteer at Methodist Hospital or Methodist Women's Hospital, committing to a minimum of one year of service; the program is popular enough to maintain waiting lists.
📍 Methodist Hospital & Methodist Women's Hospital, Omaha, NE📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Metropolitan Science & Engineering Fair, Inc.
Metropolitan Science & Engineering Fair
Greater Omaha students present individual or team research projects to professional scientists and engineers. The 2027 fair serves as the eastern Nebraska NJAS qualifier, offers awards and requires a $15 per-student registration fee.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (MYO)
A youth-and-family development program using orchestral training as a vehicle for life-skills building; students from beginner through advanced levels rehearse and perform together through high school graduation.
📍 Indianapolis, IN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Minnesota High School Press Association (a division of NSPA)
MHSPA Journalism Convention
A statewide convention for high school journalists and advisers featuring workshops on ethical reporting and journalism skills, alongside All State Awards, the Gold Medallion Contest, Best of Show Awards, and Journalist of the Year recognition across print, broadcast, online, photojournalism, and yearbook categories.
📍 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) Youth & Community Programs
MIAD Design Internship
A free year-long program for motivated high school students interested in design careers, including a 50-hour paid internship with a professional design partner, free tuition to MIAD Summer Pre-College and mentorship.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD)
MIAD Summer Pre-College Program
Two- and three-week studio programs for high school students taught by MIAD faculty in areas such as illustration, drawing, photography, graphic design and industrial design, with Advanced Studio Concepts earning 3 college credits.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County Department Volunteer Opportunities
Students can complete community-service or experiential-learning placements with county departments and gain exposure to public-service careers.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade Youth Commission
Students represent youth perspectives, identify community issues and advise the mayor and County Commission on matters affecting young people.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Maryland Institute College of Art
MICA Pre-College
Four-week residential art program in Baltimore.
📍 Baltimore, MD⏱ 4 weeks📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Michigan Department of State
Michigan "I Voted" Sticker Contest — High School Division
Michigan students in grades 9–12 submit original, nonpartisan "I Voted" sticker designs; finalists advance to public voting and winning designs are distributed during elections.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
DECA Inc., Michigan Association
Michigan DECA
Michigan's chartered DECA association, preparing high school students as emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through school-chapter competitive events and conferences.
📍 Statewide, MI (based at Eastern Michigan University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Michigan Association of Conservation Districts
Michigan Envirothon
A team-based environmental education competition, running since 1994, where Michigan high school teams test their knowledge of aquatic ecology, forestry, soils, and wildlife through field stations and a community outreach video project, with the winning team advancing to the international NCF-Envirothon.
📍 Statewide, MI (2026 finals held at Northern Michigan University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Michigan Health Council / University of Michigan
Michigan Health Sciences Pre-College Exposure Academy (SPEA)
A free, hybrid academic-enrichment program for 10th-11th graders interested in health equity, offering college-prep coursework in English, chemistry, biology, and math alongside workshops on health disparities and tours of UM Medical School and hospital facilities.
📍 Ann Arbor, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Michigan Chess Association
Michigan High School & Junior High Team Chess Championships
Annual state team chess championship for high school teams (grades 9-12) with Championship and Reserve sections, run as a 4-round Swiss. The 2026 edition cost $25 per player for early entry and required MCA and USCF memberships; held each winter.
📍 Rochester, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
A2Ethics, with University of Michigan Department of Philosophy Outreach Program
Michigan High School Ethics Bowl
A judged tournament in which student teams study, analyze, and publicly discuss challenging ethical case studies, coached in the fall by University of Michigan philosophy graduate students ahead of a February championship.
📍 Southeast Michigan (hosted at partner high schools)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Michigan Center for Civic Education
Michigan High School Mock Trial Tournament
Teams of 6-12 students argue both sides of a real case as attorneys and witnesses in actual courtrooms before real judges and lawyers, advancing through regional competitions to the State Finals in Lansing.
📍 Regional courtrooms statewide; State Finals in Lansing, MI📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Historical Society of Michigan
Michigan History Day
A yearlong, project-based research program in which students investigate a historical topic tied to an annual theme and present findings as a paper, exhibit, documentary, website, or performance, competing from school contests through district and state finals.
📍 Statewide, Michigan (State Finals typically at Wayne State or Central Michigan University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Michigan HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America)
Michigan HOSA State Leadership Conference
Michigan's state chapter of the national HOSA organization, where high school members compete in 50+ health-science, health-professions, and emergency-preparedness events at Regional and State Leadership Conferences.
📍 Statewide, MI (2027 SLC at Grand Traverse Resort, Acme, MI)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Michigan
Michigan Math & Science Scholars
Hands-on math/science programs at U-M. Need-based aid available.
📍 MI⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Michigan LSA
Michigan Math & Science Scholars (MMSS)
A two-week, faculty-taught summer program offering high school students focused courses across math, biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, astronomy, and environmental science, with residential or commuter options.
📍 Ann Arbor, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Michigan
Michigan MMSS / MMPS
University of Michigan math/physics summer programs for HS students.
📍 Ann Arbor, MI⏱ 2 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Michigan Science Olympiad
Michigan Science Olympiad (Division C)
Statewide team competition for high school (Division C) students: school teams compete in dozens of hands-on and written events at regional tournaments, with top teams advancing to the state tournament. Teams register through a head coach; 2026-27 team fees are $300 for a primary team (early bird to December 18, 2026) and $400 after.
📍 Michigan (regional and state tournaments)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Office of the Governor of Michigan
Michigan State of the State Art Contest
Michigan K–12 students create original artwork around the governor's annual State of the State theme, with winning work featured in the official program.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Office of the Governor of Michigan
Michigan State of the State Writing Contest
Students submit an original short story, essay, poem, or other written response to an annual Michigan-focused prompt, with winning work featured in State of the State materials.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
DAFT (Michigan Student Film Festival)
Michigan Student Film Festival
Annual festival for Michigan K-12 student filmmakers with a Senior division for grades 9-12; entries receive certificates and written judge feedback, with best-of-show awards and cash prizes. The 59th festival is April 24, 2027 at the Detroit Film Theatre (DIA), free to attend; entry fee is $15 per film via FilmFreeway, deadline March 26, 2027.
📍 Detroit, MI📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
Michigan Student Sustainability Summit
A one-day statewide summit where middle and high school students present youth-led sustainability projects in a poster session, attend interactive breakout sessions on environmental careers, and receive Michigan Green Schools recognition.
📍 East Lansing, MI (Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Indianapolis / Central Indiana Area Health Education Center
MICI-AHEC Summer Health Careers Camps
A set of one-to-three-week camps for grades 9-12 exploring nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other health professions through panel discussions, lab simulations, and hands-on activities at UIndy's School of Physical Therapy.
📍 Indianapolis, IN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Hamline University
Microscope Adventure Camp
A weeklong day camp on Hamline's Saint Paul campus where students entering grades 9-12 use light microscopes and a scanning electron microscope to explore the microscopic world, developing skills in photomicrography and scientific presentation across environmental science, forensics, and materials science.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mid-America Transportation Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Mid-America Transportation Center STEM Academy
Free multi-day residential STEM academy featuring university labs, engineering activities, career exploration and interaction with faculty and industry professionals.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Maine Media Workshops + College
Midcoast Maine Summer Arts Expedition: Book Arts & Design
A two-week residential program focused on book arts and design (hand-bound sketchbooks, letterpress, zines, gelli-printing) with field trips to Midcoast Maine museums and artist estates, on Maine Media's Rockport campus.
📍 Rockport, ME📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Middlebury College
Middlebury Monterey Language Academy
Four-week language immersion for grades 8-12 (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Spanish).
📍 Vermont/California⏱ 4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 8–12
Highly Selective
Indiana University Bloomington Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance
Midsummer Theatre Camp
High-school students receive intensive musical-theatre training in acting, singing, and dance while preparing performances and audition material with university faculty and professional artists.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Midwest Artist Academy (hosted at UW-Eau Claire)
Midwest Artist Academy
A one-week residential pre-college arts experience for ages 14-18 on the UW-Eau Claire campus with focuses in art, dance, music, theater and writing that blend toward a final showcase.
📍 Eau Claire, WI📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho Department of Education / Boise State University
Migrant Student Leadership Institute
Eligible Idaho migrant students spend a summer residential experience on a college campus developing leadership, college readiness, career awareness and relationships with mentors and peers.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation
Mike Yarrow Peace Fellowship
Year-long Seattle-based training in active nonviolence for high school and college-age youth ages 14-23, including an online intensive and a self-designed nonviolent social change project.
📍 Seattle, WA (online intensive training)📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Milwaukee County
Milwaukee County Youth Commission
Milwaukee County high school students ages 14-18 serve as paid youth commissioners, taking part in community service, civic engagement and policy and budget decisions, with monthly meetings.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Milwaukee Public Library
Milwaukee Public Library Teen Advisory Board
A group of City of Milwaukee teens ages 13-18 who meet monthly at the Mitchell Street Branch to plan and lead library programs, volunteer at library events and run signature teen events such as Teen Art Gallery Night and Teen Poetry Fest.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 August🎓 Grades 8–12
Selective
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Milwaukee Rep Teen Council
A free teen leadership program in which teens receive theater arts and administrative training and lead programs for other high school students, with no prior theater experience needed.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Woodland Pattern Book Center
Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate
An annual competition for Milwaukee County high school poets that selects a Youth Poet Laureate who performs, leads workshops for peers, and competes for regional and national youth poet titles.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 March🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra
Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO)
Audition-based after-school orchestra, wind ensemble and jazz programs for students in grades 3-12, including Metropolitan Symphony, Philharmonia and Senior Symphony.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
MUSC Institute for Neuroscience Discovery (MIND)
MIND Summer Experience Program
A summer program giving high school and college students hands-on experience in neuroscience research, faculty mentorship, and clinical shadowing at MUSC, intended to prepare the next generation of neuroscientists and healthcare professionals.
📍 Charleston, SC (Medical University of South Carolina)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UW-Madison Badger Precollege
Mini Band Clinic (Summer Music Clinic, UW-Madison)
A one-day in-person clinic for students in grades 9-12 where musicians learn in large and small groups from UW-Madison faculty and graduate students and perform in a final concert, often with a UW ensemble.
📍 Madison, WI📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tufts University
Mini Dental School
An intensive 'Mini Dental School' program.
📍 Boston Health Sciences Campus📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tufts University
Mini Med School
An intensive 'Mini Med School' program for high school students.
📍 Boston Health Sciences Campus📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Georgia / Augusta University Medical Partnership
Mini-Medical School Summer Academy 2
Students study body systems and disease through lectures, medical-school resources, organ dissections and hands-on clinical activities while learning about pre-med pathways.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Mining the Mind
Psychology camp exploring the brain, behavior, psychological research and how psychologists investigate human thought and action.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Minnesota ACE Camp (nonprofit)
Minnesota Aviation Career Education (ACE) Camp
A residential June camp connecting Minnesota high schoolers to aviation and aerospace careers through guided tours, guest speakers, hands-on demonstrations, and the chance to pilot aircraft with FAA-certified flight instructors. Volunteer-run since 1991, with over 2,000 student graduates.
📍 Minnesota (statewide sites)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
BestPrep
Minnesota Business Venture
Students spend a week on a college campus forming mock companies, developing products or services and business plans, meeting executives, practicing interviews, and presenting Shark Tank-style pitches. Financial assistance is available.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Minnesota State IT Center of Excellence
Minnesota Data Derby
An annual data analytics competition open to Minnesota high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, featuring a one-day 'Datagon' debate-format contest and a multi-week 'Datathon' where teams analyze a real dataset (e.g., education costs) and present solutions at Hennepin Technical College.
📍 Eden Prairie, MN📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Macalester College Forensics / Debate Matters
Minnesota Debate Initiative Competitive Debate Workshop
An intensive residential or commuter summer debate workshop for incoming 7th-12th graders covering Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum strategies, case writing, and tournament preparation, coached by Debate Matters instructors.
📍 Macalester College, St. Paul, MN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Minnesota DECA
Minnesota DECA State Career Development Conference
Annual state conference where DECA chapter members from Minnesota high schools compete in 70+ role-play and written events in marketing, finance, hospitality, entrepreneurship and business management; top placers advance to the DECA International Career Development Conference. Students register through their school DECA chapter.
📍 Minneapolis, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Minnesota Council on Economic Education (MCEE) / Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Minnesota Economics Challenge
A statewide quiz-bowl style competition where teams of high school students take online tests on economic fundamentals, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international economics, with top teams advancing to the state tournament and potentially the National Economics Challenge.
📍 Online qualifying rounds; in-person state tournament, Minnesota📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Minnesota Department of Philosophy
Minnesota High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl where student teams analyze real-world ethical case studies and compete in respectful, judged discussion rounds emphasizing clarity of reasoning and consideration of alternative viewpoints.
📍 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA)
Minnesota High School Mock Trial
Teams of 8-14 students argue both sides of a fictional legal case as attorneys and witnesses in a real courtroom setting, progressing through regional rounds to the state championship, with the winner advancing to the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
📍 Courtrooms statewide, Minnesota📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minnesota Council on Economic Education
Minnesota Personal Finance Challenge
Teams complete online tests in income, spending, saving, investing, credit, and risk management. Top schools advance to an in-person case-study and quiz-bowl state championship, with the winner advancing to nationals; there is no registration fee.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minnesota Academy of Science
Minnesota Science Bowl
A fast-paced team quiz-bowl competition covering biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and math. The 2027 High School Science Bowl will be held January 23 at Hamline University; winning teams receive full funding to represent Minnesota at the National Science Bowl.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Minnesota Science Olympiad (state affiliate of Science Olympiad, Inc.)
Minnesota Science Olympiad
Minnesota's Division C (high school) Science Olympiad tournament, with 750+ students across 76 teams from 46 schools competing in events spanning earth science through physics; Mounds View High School won the 2026 state championship.
📍 Minnesota (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minnesota Chess Association
Minnesota State Scholastic Chess Championship (High School Section)
Annual March state championship for K-12 students with a high school section: seven-round Swiss tournament in St. Paul. US Chess membership is required; only Minnesota residents may be declared state champion and qualify for national scholastic invitationals.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Minnesota Urban Debate League, Augsburg University
Minnesota Urban Debate League Summer Speech and Debate Camps
Summer policy, congressional debate and speech day and residential camps at Augsburg University for middle and high school students, from one-week beginner/advanced sessions to multi-week policy camps. Full tuition scholarships are available for qualifying students (free or reduced lunch with adequate GPA) at select July sessions.
📍 Minneapolis, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Minnesota Alliance With Youth / Minnesota Legislature
Minnesota Youth Council
Students are selected through an application and interview process to advise the Legislature and Governor on youth issues. Members can hold hearings on bills, recommend policies, and propose youth legislation during two-year terms.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
YMCA Center for Youth Voice (YMCA of the North)
Minnesota Youth in Government (Model Assembly)
Since 1946, students form school or community delegations and spend the fall preparing for a four-day January conference at the Minnesota State Capitol and a downtown Minneapolis hotel, serving as legislators, judges, attorneys, lobbyists, media or cabinet members in a model state government. Includes an October LAUNCH training day; financial aid is available through delegations.
📍 Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Minnesota CFANS (World Food Prize Foundation network)
Minnesota Youth Institute (MNYI)
Part of the World Food Prize Youth Institute network, MNYI has Minnesota high schoolers write a research paper on a global food security challenge connecting agriculture, nutrition, economics, and policy, then present it in small roundtable discussions with experts at a spring event hosted by the University of Minnesota. Top participants can advance to the Global Youth Institute in Des Moines and earn a $1,000 CFANS scholarship.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Minnesota Youth Symphonies
Minnesota Youth Symphonies
Audition-based youth orchestra program with five ensembles placing students by skill level, offering sectionals, full rehearsals, music classes, retreats and three major concerts a season. Students audition each summer (mid-season audition Nov 7 2026); need-based financial assistance means no student is turned away for inability to pay.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences)
MIPA Fall Conference & Contests
Michigan Interscholastic Press Association's annual Fall Conference at the Lansing Center plus statewide individual contests spanning newspaper, yearbook, broadcast and online media categories for middle and high school journalists.
📍 East Lansing / Lansing, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Michigan Interscholastic Press Association / MSU School of Journalism
MIPA Summer Journalism Workshop
A five-day residential workshop on MSU's campus, running since 1984, where students entering grades 7-12 develop print and digital journalism skills in classrooms and studios alongside professional instructors.
📍 East Lansing, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Cosmosphere
Mission: Astro Lab
Students work together on a simulated space-station mission and participate in SCUBA-related experimentation while exploring spaceflight and associated career fields.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Cosmosphere
Mission: Lunar Trek
Students undertake a simulated lunar-landing mission and gain exposure to flight, drone training, engineering, finance, transportation, and lunar exploration.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Cosmosphere
Mission: Martian Base
Students carry out a simulated Mars landing, design a settlement, explore manufacturing and space agriculture, practice medical skills, and train on astronaut simulators.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Keck Graduate Institute
Mission: STEM-Possible
One-week online tracks explore biological sciences, engineering, drug discovery, biotechnology careers, next-generation sequencing, healthcare and commercialization of scientific discoveries.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi Council on Economic Education (MCEE)
Mississippi Economics Challenge
A free team-based online economics quiz-bowl competition for Mississippi high schoolers in two divisions (advanced and introductory), with regional qualifying rounds and a state championship carrying college scholarship prizes.
📍 Statewide, Mississippi (State Championship in Jackson, MS)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts / Mississippi Soil & Water Conservation Commission
Mississippi Envirothon
A hands-on natural resource competition for teams of grades 9-12 students, testing knowledge in aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife, and current environmental issues at area and state-level competitions, with scholarship awards for top teams.
📍 Various sites across Mississippi📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi Department of Education
Mississippi FFA Association
A leadership and career development organization focused on agricultural education for students in Mississippi.
📍 Mississippi State, MS⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State of Mississippi / Mississippi University for Women
Mississippi Governor's School
Gifted Mississippi sophomores and juniors attend a free two-week residential honors program with challenging courses, leadership, service, team-building, and three hours of honors college credit. The 2027 program runs June 6–19.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
The Mississippi Bar, Young Lawyers Division
Mississippi High School Mock Trial Competition
A statewide courtroom-simulation competition running since 1983, in which high school teams argue both the prosecution/plaintiff and defense sides of a fictional case through regional, state, and national rounds.
📍 Regional sites statewide; state competition location varies📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi Department of Archives & History (MDAH) / National History Day
Mississippi History Day
Mississippi's National History Day affiliate, a cross-curricular research competition in which students create a Paper, Website, Performance, Exhibit, or Documentary based on an annual theme, with winners advancing to the national contest.
📍 Statewide, Mississippi📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi Access to Justice Commission
Mississippi Law Camps (Themis, Miss-Lou, Gargiulo, Golden Triangle, Rankin-Madison)
A series of free half-day summer law camps held at courthouses across Mississippi (Natchez, Gulfport, Tupelo, Starkville, and the Jackson area) giving high schoolers courtroom exposure through mock trials, negotiations, and conversations with judges and attorneys.
📍 Multiple Mississippi courthouses (Natchez, Gulfport, Tupelo, Starkville, Jackson area)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Mississippi State University
Mississippi Model Security Council (MMSC)
A UN Security Council simulation conference held annually since 1979 at Mississippi State University, exposing high schoolers to international politics through competitive debate on real-world security agenda items.
📍 Starkville, MS📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Mississippi Museum of Art
Mississippi Museum of Art Teen Council
Grades 9–12 work with museum staff throughout the academic year, advise how the museum engages young audiences, meet artists and cultural professionals, and design museum events for other teens.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Teen Volunteer Program
Teens age 13+ can assist with museum education, camps, exhibits, aquariums, conservation biology, trails, and other natural-science activities. During the school year, teen service opportunities are normally offered at least monthly.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi Council on Economic Education (MCEE)
Mississippi Personal Finance Challenge
A statewide quiz-bowl competition testing high school students' personal financial literacy knowledge, with top teams advancing to a televised state championship broadcast on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
📍 Jackson, MS (Mississippi Public Broadcasting)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi Center for the Book
Mississippi Poetry Project
A free statewide poetry-writing initiative for students in grades K-12 built around an annual prompt, with school-selected winners published in a contest anthology and honored at a public reading.
📍 Statewide, Mississippi📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Mississippi
Mississippi Science and Engineering Fair — Region VII Upper Fair
Students qualifying through participating schools present original projects in 13 science categories to professional judges. Grades 9–12 compete together in Class 5, and successful students may advance through the Mississippi fair system.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi State University / MDOT / FHWA
Mississippi Summer Transportation Institute
Mississippi students explore road, rail, air, water, and transmission systems through laboratories, bridge projects, flight simulation, field trips, and engineering activities. The residential program is free.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
VEX Robotics Competition / Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
Mississippi VEX Robotics State Championship
The statewide VEX V5 Robotics Competition championship for Mississippi middle and high school teams, held annually at the Jackson Convention Complex, where the top teams qualify to advance to the VEX Robotics World Championship.
📍 Jackson Convention Complex, Jackson, MS📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Missoula Art Museum
Missoula Art Museum Teen Art Project & Teen Open Studio
Free teen art programming where middle and high schoolers get hands-on instruction from professional artists in drawing, painting, ceramics, and more, plus a Summer Teen Art Project focused on community and leadership.
📍 Missoula Art Museum, Missoula, MT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Missouri Extension, Missouri 4-H
Missouri 4-H State Congress
A statewide leadership conference on the Mizzou campus for 4-H'ers entering grade 9 through those who just completed grade 12, featuring workshops, college department tours, keynote speakers, and election of the State 4-H Council.
📍 University of Missouri, Columbia, MO📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden Youth Fellowship Program
A fellowship immersing St. Louis-region high schoolers in plant science and conservation, working alongside Garden scientists and horticulturists on botanical research and ecological restoration projects, for students planning to pursue higher education in a related field.
📍 Missouri Botanical Garden / Shaw Nature Reserve, St. Louis region, MO📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Missouri DECA / Missouri Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education
Missouri DECA
Missouri DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through school-based chapters, competitive events, and advisor-mentored projects. The organization has 180 high school chapters with 7,708 members statewide.
📍 Local DECA chapters statewide, organized by district📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Lindenwood University Economic Education Center / Council for Economic Education
Missouri Economics Challenge
Teams of Missouri students complete an online competition covering microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international economics, with state champions advancing to national semifinals. Participation is free.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri Department of Natural Resources / Missouri Envirothon
Missouri Envirothon
A natural-resource problem-solving competition for 5-student high school teams, testing knowledge of aquatic ecology, soils/land use, forestry, and wildlife at outdoor field stations plus an oral presentation on a current environmental issue.
📍 Five regional sites statewide; state competition in central Missouri📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri FBLA
Missouri FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Missouri FBLA prepares high school students to become community-minded business leaders through career exploration, competitive events, and leadership conferences. It serves over 12,000 members across 450+ chapters, making it the second-largest state FBLA chapter in the nation.
📍 Local FBLA chapters statewide; State Leadership Conference location varies📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri FFA / Missouri Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education
Missouri FFA Association
Missouri FFA helps students in agricultural education develop leadership talents and explore agriculture career pathways through chapter activities, competitions, and state officer programs. The association has over 26,800 members across hundreds of chapters, ranking eighth nationally in membership.
📍 Local FFA chapters statewide (agricultural education classes)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri State University
Missouri Fine Arts Academy
Two-week residential academy offering intensive work in visual art, music, creative writing and other arts disciplines. Tuition for the 2026 academy was fully covered by state/private funding.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL)
Missouri High School Mock Trial Competition
Founded in 1979, this statewide competition has students argue simulated courtroom trials as lawyers and witnesses in front of practicing attorneys, advancing through Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield regionals to a state championship.
📍 Regional sites in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield; state championship in Missouri📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Missouri HOSA / Missouri Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education
Missouri HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
Missouri HOSA is a career and technical student organization for students interested in health science and biomedical careers, offering competitive events, leadership conferences, and service projects through school chapters statewide.
📍 Local HOSA chapters statewide (health science programs)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Missouri
Missouri Scholars Academy
Three-week residential academic academy for highly capable Missouri sophomores. The 2027 cohort carries a $600 scholar fee, with waivers available to qualifying students.
📍 MO🎓 Grade 10
Moderate
Missouri State University College of Education
Missouri State University #BearsTeach
A summer program recruiting Missouri high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors interested in the teaching profession, combining ACT prep, essay writing, college-readiness workshops, and classroom observations.
📍 Missouri State University, Springfield, MO📅 April🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Missouri State University, Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities
Missouri State University CSI Camp
A crime-scene-investigation day camp for incoming high school freshmen through seniors, teaching forensic techniques such as fingerprint analysis, blood spatter examination, and evidence collection.
📍 Missouri State University, Springfield, MO📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Missouri State University School of Health Sciences
Missouri State University DNA Camp
A hands-on biology day camp for high schoolers exploring how the human body works, taught by biomedical professionals through scientific puzzles and lab activities.
📍 Missouri State University, Springfield, MO📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
MIT Lincoln Lab
MIT BeaverWorks BWSI Hackathon
Free open hackathons run by MIT BeaverWorks alongside BWSI summer program.
📍 Cambridge, MA⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
MIT
MIT LaunchX
Entrepreneurship program; teams build startups with mentorship.
📍 Cambridge, MA📅 Not yet announced — 2027 program dates listed as "coming soon"🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
MIT Department of Mathematics
MIT PRIMES
A free year-long after-school research program for high school sophomores and juniors near Boston, pairing students with MIT mentors to work on original research in mathematics and bioinformatics, culminating in a conference presentation.
📍 Cambridge, MA📅 December🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
MIT
MIT THINK Scholars
Funded research mentorship; finalists travel to MIT for an all-expenses-paid weekend.
📍 Online📅 Not yet announced — 2026-27 cycle not yet posted🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MIT
MITES Saturdays
Free academic enrichment for 10th graders in Greater Boston from under-represented backgrounds.
📍 Cambridge, MA⏱ Year-long📅 Fall🎓 Grade 10
Highly Selective
University of Missouri
Mizzou High School Journalism Workshops
Summer journalism workshops at the nation's oldest J-school.
📍 Columbia, MO⏱ 1-2 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Marquette University Vieth Institute for Real Estate Leadership (MKE CRE)
MKE CRE Summer High School Immersion Program (Marquette)
A week-long in-person program introducing rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors from underrepresented backgrounds to commercial real estate, including development, construction, management and sales, with site visits and sessions with professionals.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Major League Hacking
MLH Member Hackathons
A season of student-run hackathons across the world where students build software/hardware.
📍 Global⏱ 24-48 hours📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Mock Trial
Students explore legal argumentation and courtroom procedure through mock trial.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Georgia
Mock Trial Academy
Students learn trial procedure, legal reasoning and advocacy from attorneys, law faculty and UGA Mock Trial members before competing in a simulated trial.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Model UN
Students explore diplomacy, global affairs, and international negotiation through a Model UN course.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Various universities
Model UN (BMUN / NHSMUN / MUNUC)
High school Model United Nations conferences held by universities. Registration fees; many offer financial aid.
📍 Berkeley / NYC / Chicago⏱ 3-4 days📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
The Volunteer Center
Model UN Essentials & Expanded Tracks
Summer Model UN training for rising 10th-12th graders: an introductory Essentials Track at UNC-Chapel Hill and an immersive Expanded Track at Duke Corporate Education, building debate, diplomacy, and public-speaking skills.
📍 Chapel Hill & Durham, NC📅 July🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Montclair State University
Model United Nations
Students engage with diplomacy, international affairs and simulated UN decision-making.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
THIMUN Foundation
Model United Nations International Conferences
The largest international high school MUN conference network; THIMUN Hague, Singapore, Qatar, and more.
📍 The Hague, Singapore, Doha, and more📅 Rolling (multiple conferences)🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Oklahoma College of International Studies / Precollegiate Programs
Model United Nations of the Southwest (MUNSW)
A one-day simulated Model UN General Assembly conference for grades 9-12 held on OU's Norman campus, giving students a hands-on experience with diplomacy, debate, and international negotiation.
📍 Norman, OK (Thurman J. White Forum Building, OU)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
International School of the Americas / Trinity University
Model United Nations San Antonio (MUNSA)
A two-day international relations and diplomacy conference where student delegates assume UN representative roles to address issues like human rights and climate change. Held on Trinity University's campus.
📍 San Antonio, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Actuarial Foundation
Modeling the Future Challenge
Free actuarial science / data analysis competition for HS students with cash scholarships.
📍 Online⏱ Year-long📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Quinnipiac University
Modern Storytelling: Movie-Making
Students develop filmmaking and visual-storytelling skills while creating media projects using university facilities and faculty guidance.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI)
MOHAI History Lab
Two-week summer intensive for high school students interested in local history and storytelling who conduct their own research and publish a work of historical interpretation on the Rainy Day History website.
📍 MOHAI, Seattle, Washington📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Indiana University School of Medicine
Molecular Medicine in Action (MMIA)
Indiana sophomores, juniors, and seniors spend two days performing hands-on molecular-medicine activities involving topics such as cancer, diabetes, cytogenetics, gene expression, and molecular biology.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Grand Valley State University Department of Chemistry
Molecular Minds
Students perform experiments involving chromatography, intermolecular forces, synthesis, enzymes, molecular separations, and drug discovery using advanced research instrumentation, then present results in a poster session. The program is free.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Museum of Modern Art
MoMA Teen Programs
Free teen programs at the Museum of Modern Art.
📍 New York, NY⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mon Health Medical Center (Vandalia Health)
Mon Health Medical Center Junior Volunteer Program
A junior volunteer program in Morgantown where students apply online, interview, and serve in areas such as the gift shop, reception desk, endoscopy and family birthing center.
📍 Mon Health Medical Center, Morgantown, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Moneyball Academy
A program applying data analytics to sports management.
📍 University of Pennsylvania📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Moneyball Experience
A location-based 'Moneyball' program in San Francisco, CA, focused on sports analytics.
📍 San Francisco, CA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Moneyball FLEX
A flexible online program for sports analytics, building on the Moneyball concept.
📍 Remote📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Moneyball: Training Camp
An online training camp focused on sports analytics, similar to the Moneyball Academy.
📍 Remote📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Monmouth University
Monmouth University Summer Music Camp
Five-day intensive for high-school instrumentalists and vocalists with lessons, ensembles, masterclasses, composition, theory and improvisation.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Montana State University Extension 4-H
Montana 4-H Congress
A four-day statewide 4-H event at MSU Bozeman featuring contests like Gavel Games, Livestock Judging, Horse Judging, and Hippology for members age 13 and older.
📍 Montana State University, Bozeman, MT📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montana Learning Center / Montana Space Grant Consortium
Montana Aerospace Scholars — Freshmen & Sophomore Program
Two-stage Montana-resident program beginning with online aerospace assignments; successful students qualify for a summer residency involving mission design, space exploration and STEM-career experiences.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Montana Historical Society / Montana 250 Commission / Montana OPI
Montana Challenge
Online 20-question challenge covering Montana history, geography and government. Students scoring at least 80% earn a certificate and enter a drawing for one of hundreds of $25 prizes; the remaining 2026 prize round occurs in December.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montana DECA / DECA Inc.
Montana DECA
Montana's chartered DECA association prepares students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through 15 local chapters and an annual State Career Development Conference.
📍 Statewide chapters; State Career Development Conference in Missoula, MT📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montana Digital Academy
Montana Digital Academy High School Courses
Montana's state-sponsored online school offers over 200 original-credit courses, including AP classes, taught by Montana-licensed teachers to high schoolers who remain enrolled at their local public school.
📍 Online, statewide📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montana Envirothon / Cascade Conservation District
Montana Envirothon
Teams of five high school students test their knowledge of range, soils, aquatics, wildlife, and forestry through a written exam and an oral presentation on a current environmental issue.
📍 Statewide (hosted by Cascade/High Plains Conservation District)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montana FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
Montana FCCLA
Montana FCCLA is a Career and Technical Student Organization centered on family and consumer sciences, offering STAR Events, skill demonstrations, and national online competitions for middle and high school students.
📍 Statewide chapters📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montana FFA / National FFA Organization
Montana FFA Association
Montana's chapter of the National FFA Organization serves 6,684 members across 109 chapters, offering agricultural education, leadership development, and Career & Leadership Development Events culminating in the State Convention.
📍 Statewide chapters; State Convention in Bozeman, MT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montana FIRST, Montana State University College of Engineering
Montana FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC)
Montana's chapter of the FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition, where teams of students in grades 7-12 design, build, and program robots to compete head-to-head, hosted through MSU's College of Engineering.
📍 Montana State University, Bozeman, MT (State Tournament)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
State Bar of Montana
Montana High School Mock Trial
Teams of high school students argue both sides of a simulated legal case as attorneys, witnesses, and courtroom artists, coached by practicing attorneys and judges, in a statewide competition run by the State Bar of Montana.
📍 Statewide📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montana HOBY (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership)
Montana HOBY State Leadership Seminar
A 3-4 day leadership seminar exclusively for high school sophomores nominated by their schools, built around HOBY's Social Change Model of personal, group, and societal leadership.
📍 Location announced annually, Montana📅 Varies🎓 Grade 10
Moderate
Montana HOSA
Montana HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
Montana HOSA prepares students for healthcare careers through competitive events, a Fall Leadership Conference, and a State Leadership Conference featuring partnerships with hospitals and health professionals.
📍 Statewide chapters📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Montana (Mansfield Center)
Montana Model United Nations Conference
A two-day Model UN conference hosted by the University of Montana that explicitly draws in high school delegations from Idaho as well as Montana, simulating UN committees including the General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, UNEA, and IAEA.
📍 University of Montana, Missoula, MT (open to Idaho schools)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Montana
Montana Model United Nations High School Conference
A two-day conference at the University of Montana where over 300 Montana and Idaho high school students represent countries in simulated UN committees, debating and negotiating resolutions on world issues.
📍 University of Montana, Missoula, MT📅 September🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
MSU Extension Forestry
Montana Natural Resources Youth Camp
Week-long outdoor natural-resources academy covering forests, streams, soils, geology, rangelands, wildlife and recreation through field instruction and land-management simulations. The next confirmed camp is July 18–23, 2027.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montana Arts Council / National Endowment for the Arts
Montana Poetry Out Loud
A National Endowment for the Arts recitation competition where Montana students in grades 9-12 memorize and perform poems, advancing from classroom to regional and state finals in Helena.
📍 Grandstreet Theatre, Helena, MT (State Finals)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Montana
Montana Science Fair
Montana's ISEF-affiliated statewide science and engineering fair, with high-school categories spanning biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, medicine, physics, astronomy, mathematics and computing. The next fair is scheduled for March 22, 2027.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montana SkillsUSA
Montana SkillsUSA
Montana SkillsUSA serves 525 career and technical education students who compete in 116 occupational and leadership skill areas at the State Leadership & Skills Conference.
📍 Statewide; State Leadership & Skills Conference in Great Falls, MT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montana Office of Public Instruction
Montana Student Art Gallery
Statewide juried student-art program. Selected pieces are displayed at OPI for approximately one year and students receive formal recognition; the 2026–27 theme is "Montana Through Your Eyes." There is no participation fee.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
ScienceMONTGOMERY
Montgomery County Science Fair
An in-person three-day regional science and engineering fair (ISEF-affiliated) open to public, private, and homeschool students in grades 6-12 in Montgomery County, judged across biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, math, and physics categories.
📍 Silver Spring, MD📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
James Madison's Montpelier
Montpelier High School Archaeology Excavation Expedition
A week-long hands-on archaeology program specifically for high school students, working side by side with Montpelier's professional archaeologists on excavation sites of the Madison-era property (2026 focus: an 18th-century blacksmith shop run by an enslaved blacksmith).
📍 Montpelier Station, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Morality in Media: Comic Books
Students examine moral questions through comic books and media.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Morehouse College
Morehouse Summer Pre-College Program
Morehouse's Summer Pre-College Program lets rising high school juniors and seniors with a 3.2+ GPA earn Morehouse College credit in hybrid online/synchronous courses taught by Morehouse faculty.
📍 Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA (hybrid online instruction)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Carleton College Summer Liberal Arts Institute
Movements That Matter: Activism from Theory to Action
Students study activism through global politics, Indigenous studies, political science, and related fields while connecting theoretical ideas to real movements for change.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Movie Makers Summer Camp
Filmmaking camp where students work with production equipment, scripts, camera techniques and short-film creation.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Michigan Public Health Institute
MPHI-PHIRE: Public Health Initiative for Resourceful Education
Six-week virtual summer program for incoming high school sophomores, juniors and seniors introducing public health careers and education, held weekly over Microsoft Teams. Free to students, who receive a $500 stipend, a certificate and a letter of recommendation on completion; requires a 2.75 GPA, service or leadership record and two recommendations. The 2026 cohort applied by May 29.
📍 Michigan (virtual)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
ThreeSixty Journalism / Minnesota Public Radio
MPR NEWS Radio Camp
High-school students learn interviewing, radio writing, field reporting, audio recording, and editing at MPR headquarters and produce original stories for Minnesota Public Radio platforms. Students receive a stipend after completing their work.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Michigan Ross School of Business
MREACH
Michigan high-school students participate from October through April in mostly virtual business projects, career exploration, SAT preparation, college-admissions programming, and interaction with U-M students. Participation is free.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi School of the Arts
MSA Summer Arts Camp
Students choose intensive study in creative writing, dance, theatre, visual art, filmmaking, or vocal music plus two additional enrichment arts classes, culminating in a family showcase.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Mississippi Scholastic Chess Association (US Chess affiliate)
MSCA Scholastic Chess Tournaments
A statewide series of scholastic chess tournaments including the Mississippi State Championship, K-12 Team Jamboree, and Individual State Championship, the last of which serves as a US Chess National Qualifying event for the Denker Tournament of High School Champions.
📍 Various sites (Canton, Ridgeland, Jackson, Morton, MS)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
MSMS Math Tournament (Mu Alpha Theta)
A long-running statewide math tournament open to Mississippi high schools (MSMS students excluded from competing), featuring ciphering competitions, written tests, a mini-interschool competition, and a potpourri round across Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry, and Calculus.
📍 Columbus, MS📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Milwaukee School of Engineering
MSOE Summer Programs for High School Students
Week-long residential academic summer camps at MSOE (Explore, Focus on a major, Focus on AI, Focus on Health Professions, Women in Technology) with labs, professors and hands-on projects in engineering, computing, business and health.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi Scholastic Press Association
MSPA Fall Convention (Best of MS Contests)
A statewide convention for high school student journalists, photographers, and yearbook/literary-magazine staff featuring competitions, keynote speakers, and workshops led by professional journalists; MSPA also gives student media advisers free JEA membership and curriculum resources.
📍 Oxford / Hattiesburg, MS (rotating convention sites)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Michigan State University
MSU ANR Technology & Science Program
Michigan State program focused on the intersection of agriculture, engineering, and technology.
📍 East Lansing, MI⏱ 1 week📅 April 30🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Montana State University School of Music
MSU Band Day
Montana high-school band members rehearse and perform with MSU's Spirit of the West marching band during a Bobcat football game. The 2026 event has no participation cost.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, Mississippi State University
MSU Language Expo
A one-day event bringing together more than 200 high school students and teachers for language and culture exploration through interactive activities, student poster sessions, and a table fair of academic and cultural programs.
📍 Starkville, MS📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Michigan State University
MSU School of Planning, Design & Construction Academy
High school program focusing on sustainable landscape design and urban ecology at Michigan State.
📍 East Lansing, MI⏱ 1 week📅 March 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi State University at MCITy
MSU@MCITy High School Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
A free six-week entrepreneurship bootcamp for Vicksburg-area high school students, run in partnership with Vicksburg Warren School District and Leadership Vicksburg, covering problem identification, customer validation, revenue models, and pitching, culminating in a mock pitch competition.
📍 Vicksburg, MS📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Music Teachers National Assoc
MTNA Student Competitions
National classical-music performance and composition competitions with state and national rounds.
📍 State + national⏱ Multi-round📅 Sept-March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
ThreeSixty Journalism / University of St. Thomas
Multimedia Storytelling Institute
Twin Cities high-school students spend three weeks reporting, interviewing, writing, filming, and editing professional-quality multimedia journalism with working journalists. Tuition was fully covered in 2026 and students received a stipend after completing their published work.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MUN Northwest
MUN Northwest Conferences (EDUMUN, SeattleMUN, KINGMUN, PACMUN)
Student-run Model UN conferences in the Seattle area: EDUMUN in early fall for new and returning delegates, SeattleMUN as a one-day downtown conference in late winter, and KINGMUN and PACMUN in spring.
📍 Seattle area, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Carolina International Relations Association, UNC-Chapel Hill
MUNCH (Model United Nations at Chapel Hill)
The largest Model United Nations conference in North Carolina, a three-day high school international-relations simulation hosted annually on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus with about 950 student attendees.
📍 Chapel Hill, NC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois Model United Nations, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
MUNI (Illinois Model United Nations)
One of the Midwest's leading Model UN conferences, hosting over 100 high school delegates each spring on the UIUC campus for two days of committee debate, now in its 29th year since founding in 1995.
📍 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Chicago
MUNUC (Model United Nations of the University of Chicago)
One of the world's largest high school Model UN conferences, held since 1988 with an emphasis on pedagogy and substantive debate, offering delegates over $40,000 in financial aid.
📍 Hilton Chicago, Chicago, IL📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Model United Nations at the University of Michigan
MUNUM (Model United Nations at the University of Michigan)
A four-day Model UN conference on the University of Michigan campus, founded in 1987, where high school delegates engage pressing international issues across committees ranging from modern UN bodies to historical and fictional crisis scenarios.
📍 Ann Arbor, MI📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Sternberg Museum of Natural History / Fort Hays State University
Museum Academy Kansas
Students use authentic fossils and scientific literature while learning museum research, collections care, scientific illustration, exhibit design, and public science communication.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Museum Apprentice Program
A year-long teen leadership and skill-building program of workshops, projects, and museum volunteering, running September through May for a cohort of 30 participants.
📍 Indianapolis, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Museum Leaders in Training (M.LiT) at VMFA
A free, 12-week career development and leadership training program in which teens go behind the scenes at VMFA, explore museum careers, advise on projects and events, and design an exhibition, earning 50+ community service hours.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 September🎓 Grades 8–12
Selective
Museum of Discovery and Science
Museum of Discovery and Science Youth Volunteer Program
Teen volunteers help support museum operations and STEM learning experiences while developing communication and community-service experience.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Yellowstone Art Museum
Museum Teen Council
Free teen council for ages 13–18 where members create art, collaborate on museum activities, meet arts professionals, volunteer and help shape teen programming. The fall 2026 cohort begins in October.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Carnegie Mellon University
Music
Pre-College Music program at Carnegie Mellon University.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
SC Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities
Music — Residential High School
Two-year residential arts high school, music discipline.
📍 SC🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
USC Center for Music, Brain and Society
Music and the Brain Summer Research Program
Students explore auditory neuroscience and music psychology through lectures, lab tours, EEG/MRI research demonstrations, data collection, research-method training and development of an original research proposal.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Music Business Program
Students learn artist development, rights, revenue, branding, marketing, social-media strategy, and entrepreneurship, then develop and pitch a rollout plan for an emerging artist.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
Music Composition for Film and Games (Mason Community Arts Academy)
A music camp of composition activities for students interested in scoring film, TV and games, with a teen section for ages 14-18 at George Mason's Fairfax campus.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Music Performance & Songwriting
Students develop music-performance and songwriting skills.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Susquehanna University
Music Production
Audio/music technology pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
UMBC
Music Production
Students study techniques and tools used to produce music.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
Music Production Camp (Mason Community Arts Academy)
A one-week camp teaching music production basics with digital audio workstations, drum machine and synthesizer programming and Logic Pro X, ending in a Production Showcase for families and peers.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Music Production Workshop
Students study recording, editing, mixing, and digital-audio-workstation techniques in an intensive Berklee program.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Oregon State University, SVPDA Academy
Music Technology and Production Camp
A one-week camp for ages 13-18 covering songwriting, audio production, beat-making, effects processing, and mixing/mastering, with students completing at least five audio projects and performing at a closing concert.
📍 Corvallis, OR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey
Music Technology Camp
Students compose, edit, make beats and produce original tracks using a Mac lab and professional recording studio.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Stevens Point Continuing Education
Musical Theatre Camp (UW-Stevens Point)
A week of daily classes in vocal technique, song performance, acting and dancing for students in grades 9-12, ending with a public final presentation.
📍 Stevens Point, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rider University
Musical Theatre Institute
Two-week intensive in acting, singing and musical-theatre performance with Rider performing-arts faculty.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas Game & Fish Commission / State of Arkansas
My Natural State Story Essay Contest
Arkansas students write up to 500 words about a real outdoor experience in the state. Sixteen students receive prizes, including outdoor gear and experiences.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine
MYHealth
Southeast Michigan high-school students participate in a nine-month virtual health-research program, learn research fundamentals, select youth-health questions, collect data through surveys or activities, and present their findings.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mystic Aquarium
Mystic Aquarium Blue Crew Teen Volunteer Program
A summer volunteer program for teens ages 15-18 to work as camp assistants, gardening assistants, or docents at Mystic Aquarium, gaining public-facing experience in environmental education and conservation.
📍 Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, CT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media / NC Scholastic Media Association
N.C. Scholastic Media Institute
A multi-day institute for high school journalism students (and their teachers) covering online news, yearbook, literary magazine, photojournalism, newspaper, design, and broadcast news.
📍 Chapel Hill, NC📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
N.C. State Fair Art & Photography Competition
North Carolina residents may submit original painting, drawing and photography to the annual State Fair competition.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
N.C. State Fair Essay Competition
North Carolina K–12 students submit original essays for State Fair judging, with a dedicated grades 9–12 division.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
WSU Spokane Native American Health Sciences
Na-ha-shnee STEAM Summer Institute
Three-day summer day camp at WSU Spokane where high school students explore health science careers through hands-on sessions with healthcare providers and faculty, including first aid and CPR, traditional medicine and Native elder teachings.
📍 WSU Spokane, Spokane, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Minnesota Institute of Linguistics
NACLO at the University of Minnesota
A local contest site for the North American Computational Linguistics Open, where high school students solve linguistic puzzle problems requiring no prior linguistics background, with top scorers advancing to an invitational second round.
📍 Jones Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UNT Department of Linguistics (North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition)
NACLO at the University of North Texas
A Texas host site for NACLO, a contest in which students solve linguistics puzzles. No prior linguistics knowledge is needed, and UNT offers on-campus practice sessions before the Open Round.
📍 Denton, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Washington Department of Linguistics
NACLO at the University of Washington
The Seattle-area site for the North American Computational Linguistics Open, where middle and high school students solve linguistics puzzles with no prior knowledge of linguistics or languages required.
📍 University of Washington, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Western Washington University Department of Linguistics
NACLO at Western Washington University
Local host site in Bellingham for the North American Computational Linguistics Open, a puzzle contest for middle and high school students that requires no prior linguistics knowledge.
📍 Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Utah Department of Linguistics
NACLO Open Round (University of Utah Site)
Free three-hour North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition in which high school students solve linguistics puzzles drawn from many languages, with no prior linguistics knowledge required. Top scorers advance to an invitational round that selects the U.S. team for the International Linguistics Olympiad.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT (University of Utah campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition
NACLO Open Round (Vermont high school site at U-32)
Linguistics olympiad in which students solve puzzle problems drawn from many languages using only logic and reasoning; Vermont's only listed site is U-32 Middle and High School.
📍 East Montpelier, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgetown International Relations Association
NAIMUN (North American Invitational Model United Nations)
The oldest and largest student-run Model UN conference for high schoolers, drawing over 3,300 delegates from school and independent delegations to simulate UN committees at the Washington Hilton.
📍 Washington, DC (Washington Hilton, Dupont Circle)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UT Austin Center for Space Research (NASA SEES)
NASA & UT Austin SEES High School Summer Intern Program
A competitive two-week on-site summer internship at UT Austin (plus virtual project work) where rising juniors and seniors work with NASA scientists on Earth and space science data. U.S. citizens who are 10th or 11th graders, 16 by early July.
📍 Austin, TX (University of Texas at Austin)📅 February🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
NASA
NASA App Development Challenge
Open team coding challenge from NASA. Teams build a visualization of mission data. No fee; finalists visit Johnson Space Center.
📍 Online⏱ 12 weeks📅 December🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
Louisiana State University Pre-College Programs / NASA Astro Camp
NASA Astro — Virtual
Students use mailed kits and virtual activities to build robots, plan a lunar colony, launch rockets, explore Mars, conduct experiments, and complete collaborative simulated space missions.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NASA
NASA Citizen Science
Dozens of free NASA citizen-science projects. Your contributions co-author published papers.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Anytime🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NASA
NASA Internships (HS / OSTEM)
Search portal for NASA STEM internships and challenges, including high school programs.
📍 United States⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium (Brown University)
NASA Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium: Lunar Challenges
A NASA-funded consortium led by Brown University that runs student-facing programs including the Build the Moon and Plant the Moon classroom challenges for middle and high schoolers, alongside teacher partnerships bringing NASA-focused research into Rhode Island classrooms.
📍 Providence, RI (Brown University; challenges run through RI schools statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
NASA / UT Austin
NASA SEES Internship
Earth and space science research mentored by NASA scientists.
📍 TX / Remote (nationwide eligibility)⏱ Virtual spring + 2-week onsite📅 February🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
NASA
NASA Space Apps Challenge (Student Track)
A data science competition where students use real NASA data to solve problems.
📍 Global⏱ 48 hours📅 April 30🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NASA / Future Engineers
NASA TechRise Student Challenge
Teams design space-bound experiments. Winners receive USD 1500 and their payload flies on a high-altitude balloon.
📍 Online⏱ School year📅 November🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
Nashville Film Festival
NashFilm Education Screening Program
A free in-school program bringing independent film screenings to Metro Nashville Public School high schoolers, each followed by an interactive Q&A with the film's director or producer, supported by study guides for historical and cultural context.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nashville Film Institute
Nashville Film Institute Summer Film Camp
A five-day, workshop-style intensive in which high school students create a short film from start to finish, covering screenwriting, casting, directing, lighting, and shooting, culminating in a premiere screening.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NAQT
National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT)
Major US quiz bowl organization running middle school, high school, and college tournaments.
📍 United States⏱ Year-long📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 6–12
Moderate
National Aquarium / Baltimore YouthWorks
National Aquarium YouthWorks
Baltimore City teens and young adults compete for paid summer placements at the National Aquarium, gaining workplace skills and experience in an aquarium and conservation organization. The 2027 interest form opens in January 2027.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NCL
National Cyber League
Twice-yearly cybersecurity capture-the-flag competition with high school division.
📍 Online⏱ 8 weeks📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Council for Economic Education
National Economics Challenge
Team economics competition with state and national rounds. Open to all US high schoolers; many states offer scholarships.
📍 State + national⏱ Multi-round📅 March-April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Council for Economic Education
National Economics Challenge - Tennessee
A statewide economics competition in which teams of three to four high school students take a 30-question rapid-fire exam testing micro/macroeconomics and the world economy, competing in the David Ricardo (first-time) or Adam Smith (AP/IB/honors) division. State winners advance to national semi-finals.
📍 Statewide (online exam)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NCF-Envirothon / Canon U.S.A.
National Envirothon (NFC-Envirothon)
A national environmental science competition where students study forestry, wildlife, and aquatic ecology on-site.
📍 Various Locations (Rotate Annually)⏱ 3 days📅 April 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NFFTY
National Film Festival for Talented Youth
Largest youth film festival in the world for filmmakers 24 and under.
📍 Seattle, WA⏱ 4 days📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National Geographic
National Geographic Slingshot Challenge
Annual video competition for ages 13-18 on environmental solutions with cash prizes.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Winter🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Carnegie Mellon University
National High School Game Academy
Pre-College National High School Game Academy program at Carnegie Mellon University.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
NHSJS
National High School Journal of Science
Free peer-reviewed online journal publishing high school students' STEM research.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National High School Mock Trial Organization
National High School Mock Trial Championship
A national mock trial case competition where students act as attorneys and witnesses in a simulated courtroom.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Year-long📅 March 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
IMUNA
National High School Model United Nations
World's largest model UN conference held at UN headquarters in New York.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 4 days📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The American Legion, Department of Louisiana
National High School Oratorical Contest -- Department of Louisiana
A Constitution-focused public-speaking competition for Louisiana high schoolers who deliver a prepared oration plus an unrehearsed response to an assigned topic, with department winners advancing toward the national contest, which awards up to $25,000 in scholarships.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National History Academy (Journey Through Hallowed Ground)
National History Academy
A four-week residential summer program on American history, law and government for rising 10th-12th graders, combining history cases, parliamentary debates, a speaker series and visits to historic sites across the Mid-Atlantic.
📍 Middleburg, VA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
International Academic Competitions
National History Bee and Bowl
National history quiz competitions for grades 4-12.
📍 United States⏱ Year-long📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 4–12
Moderate
National History Day
National History Day
Year-long historical research project competition culminating at the national contest.
📍 College Park, MD⏱ Academic year📅 Spring🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
Arizona Historical Society / National History Day
National History Day Arizona
Statewide academic history competition where students in grades 6-12 (with grades 4-5 at state level) research a historical topic and present it as a paper, exhibit, performance, website, or documentary, advancing from regional contests to state and national finals.
📍 South Mountain Community College, Phoenix, AZ (state contest)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia Humanities / LaGrange College
National History Day Georgia
National History Day Georgia encourages middle and high school students to research a topic tied to the year's theme and present it as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website, advancing from regional contests to the state contest at LaGrange College.
📍 Ten regional sites statewide; state contest at LaGrange College📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National History Day in Colorado / CU Denver College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
National History Day in Colorado (State Contest)
Students research and present historical projects (documentary, exhibit, performance, website, or paper) at one of thirteen regional contests, with top finishers advancing to the state contest at CU Denver.
📍 University of Colorado Denver (state contest)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
DC History Center (National History Day DC Affiliate)
National History Day in DC
The DC affiliate contest of the national History Day program, where students research a historical topic tied to the annual theme and present it as a paper, exhibit, performance, documentary, or website.
📍 Washington, DC (Howard University, Myrtilla Miner Building)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho State Historical Society (National History Day Idaho affiliate)
National History Day in Idaho
A year-long research program where students in grades 9-12 (Senior Division) create a historical paper, documentary, performance, exhibit, or website tied to an annual theme, competing through regional contests to the state contest and on to nationals.
📍 Regional sites statewide and virtual; state contest at The College of Idaho, Caldwell📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana Humanities
National History Day in Indiana
Indiana's affiliate of the national research competition, where students in grades 6-12 research a historical topic tied to an annual theme and present it as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance, or website through local, state, and national contest levels.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State Historical Society of Iowa
National History Day in Iowa
A year-long research and presentation program where students create documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances, or websites on a historical topic, advancing from district contests to the state contest in Ames and on to nationals.
📍 Statewide with state contest in Ames, IA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky Historical Society
National History Day in Kentucky (NHDKY)
An annual project-based history competition where students in grades 4-12 research a topic tied to the national theme and present it as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website, advancing from regional contests to the state contest and nationals.
📍 Regional sites statewide; State Contest at the Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, KY📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minnesota Historical Society
National History Day in Minnesota
A co-curricular historical research program for students in grades 6-12 who choose a topic tied to an annual theme and present original research as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance, or website, competing at school, regional, state, and national levels.
📍 Regional and state contests across Minnesota📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State Historical Society of Missouri
National History Day in Missouri
Missouri's affiliate of National History Day invites middle and high school students to research and present history projects as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website, advancing from local contests to the state contest at the University of Missouri.
📍 Regional contests statewide; state contest at University of Missouri, Columbia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Montana State University / Montana Historical Society
National History Day in Montana
An academic program where students research a historical topic tied to an annual theme and present it as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website, competing through Western/Eastern regional contests and a state contest.
📍 Montana State University, Bozeman, MT (state contest); regional contests statewide📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nevada Center for Civic Engagement
National History Day in Nevada
Nevada's affiliate of the National History Day competition, where students research an annual theme and present findings as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, website, or podcast, advancing through regional and state contests toward nationals.
📍 Nevada (regional contests statewide; state contest in Las Vegas/virtual)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National History Day / Plymouth State University
National History Day in New Hampshire
NH's affiliate of National History Day, where students research and present original historical analysis as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance, or website.
📍 Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State Historical Society of North Dakota
National History Day in North Dakota
A project-based history research competition in which students produce a documentary, paper, exhibit, performance, or website on an annual theme, advancing from regional contests to the state contest at the ND Heritage Center.
📍 Bismarck, ND (State Contest at the ND Heritage Center & State Museum)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Dakota State University, SD Agricultural Heritage Museum
National History Day in South Dakota
A yearlong research and creative-project competition for students in grades 6-12 who create a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website on an annual history theme, competing first at one of four regional contests, then at the state contest hosted at SDSU.
📍 Statewide, SD (state contest at SDSU, Brookings)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah Division of State History
National History Day in Utah
Students research a historical topic tied to an annual theme and present it as an exhibit, documentary, performance, paper or website at local tournaments and a state contest. Top projects advance to the national contest in Washington, D.C.
📍 Utah (regional tournaments and state contest)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Classical League
National Latin Exam
Annual exam recognizing Latin students K-12; widely used by classics teachers.
📍 United States⏱ 1 hour📅 Winter🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
Center for Ocean Leadership (UCAR)
National Ocean Sciences Bowl
Premier US high school ocean sciences quiz bowl.
📍 United States⏱ Year-long📅 Winter🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montana Conservation Corps
National Park Service Expeditions
Nine-day volunteer expeditions specifically for Montana teens ages 14–18 in Glacier or Yellowstone National Park. Participants complete hands-on conservation work, earn up to 64 service hours and receive a $100 service award.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
APHA
National Public Health Week Student Challenge
Annual student challenge for high schoolers to advocate for public health issues.
📍 Online⏱ 1 week📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
US Department of Energy
National Science Bowl
Premier US middle and high school science quiz competition.
📍 United States⏱ Year-long📅 Winter🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
NSDA
National Speech & Debate Tournament
Largest US high school speech and debate tournament with thousands of competitors.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Academic year📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NSLC
National Student Leadership Conference
Pre-college leadership programs across law, medicine, engineering, business and more.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ 9 days📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNLV Multicultural Program for STEM and Health Sciences
National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI) at UNLV
A free, federally funded two-week residential summer camp that immerses high-achieving Nevada high schoolers in transportation engineering, urban infrastructure planning, and pedestrian safety through field trips, guest lectures, and projects with partners like the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.
📍 Las Vegas, NV (on-campus housing at UNLV)📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
The Concord Review, Inc.
National Writing Board
The National Writing Board assesses academic expository writing against an independent standard endorsed by Harvard, Michigan, Princeton, Stanford, Virginia, Yale, and 33 other selective colleges and universities.
📅 rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
YoungArts
National YoungArts Foundation Competition
National arts competition for ages 15-18 across 10 disciplines; finalists receive cash and YoungArts Week.
📍 Miami, FL⏱ Self-paced📅 Fall🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
YoungArts
National YoungArts Photography
Photography track of the YoungArts national competition.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 October🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
YoungArts
National YoungArts Week
Week-long master classes and performances in Miami for YoungArts winners across 10 disciplines.
📍 Miami, FL⏱ 1 week📅 Fall🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
NFTE
National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
Pitch competition for student entrepreneurs from NFTE programs.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Academic year📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Carnegie Hall
National Youth Orchestra of the USA (NYO-USA)
An intensive ensemble experience for the finest young musicians in the United States, culminating in a tour with world-class conductors.
📍 New York, NY / Touring⏱ 3-4 weeks📅 January 26🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Turtle Mountain Community College
Native Youth Community Project
Native high-school students receive college and career preparation, dual-enrollment support, cultural enrichment, community projects and exposure to local employers.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Idaho Extension
Natural Resources Camp
Students spend a residential week studying wildlife, forestry, soils, rangelands and water through hands-on field activities with natural-resource professionals.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maryland Forestry Foundation / Maryland DNR Forest Service
Natural Resources Careers Camp (NRCC)
A weeklong residential summer camp for grades 9-12 interested in forestry, fisheries, wildlife, or parks management, held at the Hickory Environmental Education Center in Garrett County with hands-on training from natural-resource professionals.
📍 Accident, MD (Garrett County)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
South Dakota State University, Department of Natural Resource Management
Natural Resources High School Camp
A hands-on residential camp at SDSU's Oak Lake Field Station near Astoria, SD, for students entering grades 9-12 who want to explore natural resource ecology, wildlife, and land management with SDSU faculty and graduate students.
📍 Astoria, SD📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UVM Extension 4-H and Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
Natural Resources Management Academy (NRMA)
A weekend camp where students network with natural resource professionals through hands-on workshops on sustainable trails, watershed science, composting and owl observation, plus canoeing, fishing and hiking.
📍 Green Mountain Conservation Camp, Woodbury, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 7–11
Moderate
Lincoln Park Zoo
Nature Buds
Chicago high-school students age 16 or older support nature-play and early-childhood programming while developing education and guest-engagement skills. Participants are paid through After School Matters.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
ND EPSCoR / North Dakota State University & University of North Dakota
NATURE High School Summer Research Experience
A STEM outreach and research program for Indigenous North Dakota students that pairs middle school, high school, and tribal college students with university researchers at NDSU and UND through tribal college summer camps, Sunday Academy sessions, and university summer camps.
📍 Fargo & Grand Forks, ND (NDSU and UND campuses, plus ND tribal colleges)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Charlotte Chess Center / US Chess
NC K-12 Championship (Scholastic Chess)
North Carolina's official state scholastic chess championship, open to K-12 players who live or attend school in North Carolina, with sections spanning K-1 through the K-12 Championship division.
📍 Charlotte, NC (Hilton Charlotte University Place)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina Council on Economic Education
NC Personal Finance Challenge
High-school teams begin with a statewide online personal-finance examination; top teams advance to an in-person state championship and potentially nationals.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NC State College of Design
NC State Design Camp
Day and residential summer programs introducing high schoolers to architecture, graphic and experience design, industrial design, and media arts through studio project rotations with the College of Design.
📍 Raleigh, NC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NC State University
NC-MSEN Pre-College Program
Academic enrichment program providing STEM instruction, competitions, tutoring and college preparation during the school year and summer.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Northern Crops Institute
NCI Summer Ag Academy
Students explore food science, animal science, agricultural technology, international trade and agriculture careers through campus and industry experiences.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
North Carolina Museum of Art
NCMA Student Short-Film Festival
The museum's first-ever student short-film festival, giving aspiring young filmmakers and artists a venue to screen and grow their work.
📍 Raleigh, NC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina Museum of Art
NCMA Teen Workshops
Workshops for ages 13-18 led by professional artists, writers, and filmmakers, plus a Teen Arts Council that advises teen exhibitions and plans museum takeovers.
📍 Raleigh, NC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina Music Educators Association
NCMEA High School Honors Chorus
An audition-based statewide honors chorus recognizing outstanding high school singers, who rehearse and perform under a nationally recognized guest clinician.
📍 North Carolina (venue sponsored by Wingate University for 2026)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nebraska Center for Materials & Nanoscience, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
NCMN STEM High School Internship
Lincoln-area high-school students conduct real research in UNL physics, engineering or chemistry laboratories for about eight weeks. Interns work roughly 20 hours/week, earn $15/hour and complete a final research poster; no prior research experience is required.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
North Carolina Theatre Conference
NCTC College Day
High-school students meet college theatre programs, participate in auditions or portfolio reviews and explore postsecondary performing-arts options.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NCW Libraries and Write On The River
NCW Libraries Teen Short Fiction Competition
An annual spring short fiction contest for 9th-12th grade students in Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, Grant and Ferry counties, with cash prizes; entries are original, unpublished work of up to 2,000 words.
📍 North Central Washington📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National Center for Women & Information Technology
NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Award & Community
While many awards are in-person, NCWIT provides a massive online community, virtual mentorship, and networking for girls in tech nationwide.
📍 Online/Nationwide⏱ Lifetime membership📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Dakota Council on the Arts
ND Poetry Out Loud State Competition
A statewide poetry recitation competition in which classroom and school champions advance to perform memorized poems before judges at the state finals in Bismarck.
📍 Bismarck, ND (ND Heritage Center & State Museum)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Dakota Association of Student Councils / NDCEL
NDASC State Student Council Conference
Student council members from across North Dakota meet for leadership development, networking, workshops and student-government programming.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Dakota High School Activities Association
NDHSAA Debate
Students compete through their schools in structured policy and/or public-forum style debate under NDHSAA rules.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Dakota High School Activities Association
NDHSAA Speech
Students compete in interpretive, public-speaking and related speech events through regional and state tournaments.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Dakota High School Activities Association
NDHSAA Student Congress
Students compete in a mock-legislative format by introducing, debating and acting on proposed legislation using parliamentary procedure.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Dakota State University Challey School of Music
NDSU High School Choral Festival
High-school singers rehearse and perform in grade-level honor choirs under university and guest conductors.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
North Dakota State University Challey School of Music
NDSU Music Academy
Students take non-degree private music lessons from academy instructors in instruments including flute, clarinet and others.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Dakota State University
NDSU TRIO Upward Bound
Students receive year-round tutoring, advising, college preparation, summer coursework and a bridge experience before college.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
North Dakota State University Challey School of Music
NDSU Woodwind Day
Woodwind musicians join ensemble rehearsals, clinics, masterclasses and performances with NDSU music faculty.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nebraska 4-H (University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension)
Nebraska 4-H National Congress Delegate Program
4-H members ages 15-19 submit a county-level Achievement Application and, if selected, compete at the state level to become one of Nebraska's delegates receiving a partial scholarship to attend National 4-H Congress in Atlanta.
📍 Nebraska (state selection process); National Congress held in Atlanta, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Nebraska DECA (chartered association of DECA Inc.)
Nebraska DECA
Nebraska DECA prepares emerging leaders in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through 31 chapters and 1,727 members statewide, culminating in an Association Career Development Conference with qualifiers advancing to the international conference.
📍 Statewide Nebraska; Career Development Conference in Lincoln, NE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nebraska's Natural Resources Districts (NRDs)
Nebraska Envirothon
Five-member high school teams test their knowledge of soil, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, and range management plus a current environmental issue, advancing from regional field days to the state competition and potentially the international NCF-Envirothon.
📍 Regional field days statewide; 2027 State Competition in Burwell, NE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nebraska FBLA
Nebraska FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Nebraska FBLA serves over 5,800 middle and high school students across 150+ schools with business-focused leadership development, competitive events, and conferences including the Fall Leadership Conference and State Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide Nebraska; State Leadership Conference in Kearney, NE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nebraska FFA Association / Nebraska Department of Education Agricultural Education
Nebraska FFA Association
Nebraska's FFA chapters give agricultural education students leadership and career development events, degree and award programs, and an annual State Convention that draws over 7,000 members and guests in Lincoln.
📍 Statewide Nebraska; State Convention in Lincoln, NE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nebraska HOSA
Nebraska HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
Nebraska HOSA connects secondary and postsecondary students interested in health careers through leadership development, Health Science Experiences like Discovery Days, and an annual State Leadership Conference with competitive events.
📍 Statewide Nebraska; State Leadership Conference in Omaha, NE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences
Nebraska Junior Academy of Sciences State Science & Engineering Competition
Students develop original science, engineering or agriculture research and advance through one of six Nebraska regional competitions to the statewide event at UNL. Top senior projects can advance to the American Junior Academy of Science. Regional entry fees vary; recent Nebraska regions charged roughly $6.50–$15 per student.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nebraska Medicine
Nebraska Medicine Volunteer Services
Volunteers age 16 and up support patients, families, and staff across hospital departments, requiring a six-month minimum commitment of 2-4 hours weekly after completing orientation, a health screening, and a background check.
📍 Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, NE📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
National History Day, Nebraska affiliate (hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan University, sponsored by Humanities Nebraska)
Nebraska National History Day
Middle and high school students conduct original historical research and present it as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance, or website, advancing from seven regional district contests to the Nebraska state contest at Nebraska Wesleyan University.
📍 Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, NE (with district contests statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Nebraska SkillsUSA
Nebraska SkillsUSA
Nebraska SkillsUSA partners students, teachers, and industry to build a skilled workforce, with members competing in over 140 hands-on skill and leadership contests at the annual State Leadership and Skills Championships.
📍 Statewide Nebraska; State Championships at Heartland Events Center/Fonner Park, Grand Island, NE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nebraska Writers Collective
Nebraska Youth Poet Laureate
Nebraska poets ages 13–19 compete through a poetry portfolio, résumé and civic-engagement essay. The laureate receives mentorship, public-reading opportunities, chapbook publication, regional/national competition eligibility and $1,000–$2,000 toward a community project.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New England Scholastic Press Association (Boston University College of Communication)
NESPA Spring Conference
An annual scholastic journalism conference at Boston University where high school student journalists and advisers from across New England attend panels, workshops, and awards ceremonies covering newspapers, yearbooks, broadcast, and photojournalism.
📍 Boston, MA (Boston University College of Communication)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
NFTE
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Summer
Free summer entrepreneurship programs for underserved students.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ 6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Johns Hopkins University
Neurobiology: Cellular and Systems
Students study cellular and systems-level neurobiology in an online college-level program.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Neurology High School Scholars
Five-week paid internship including neuroscience research, physician exposure and a final poster.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Utah NeuroRobotics Lab
NeuroRobotics Summer Enrichment Program
A custom two-month summer research experience where high school students train alongside biomedical engineers, computer scientists, and neuroscientists. Past trainees have built exoskeletons and VR systems and presented at international conferences.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Neuroscience and Human Behavior
Students explore connections between neuroscience and human behavior.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Case Western Reserve University
Neuroscience Pre-College Program
An online course exploring the anatomy of the nervous system and how the brain communicates with the spinal cord, designed by CWRU faculty for students considering neuroscience, medicine, or psychology.
📍 Online (Case Western Reserve University)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Delaware
Neuroscience Pre-College Summer Program
Students explore brain function, psychology and research methods through laboratory experiments, neuroimaging facilities and a team research capstone presented to neuroscience experts.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Nevada SkillsUSA
Nevada Association of SkillsUSA
Nevada's chapter of SkillsUSA, representing more than 2,000 career and technical education students across the state's high schools in hands-on skilled-trades training spanning more than 100 occupational areas, from 3D animation to welding.
📍 Statewide Nevada📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nevada FBLA
Nevada FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
Nevada's chapter of the world's largest student business organization, an integral part of Nevada's CTE business-education programs, with more than 700 students competing annually in roughly 85 business-industry events at the Nevada State Business Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide Nevada📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nevada FCCLA
Nevada FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
Nevada's chapter of the only CTSO centered on the family, empowering Family and Consumer Sciences students through competitive events, leadership development, and community-service initiatives at state and national leadership conferences.
📍 Statewide Nevada📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nevada FFA Association / Nevada Agricultural Education
Nevada FFA
The Nevada state chapter of the National FFA Organization, serving over 3,000 high school students across roughly 30 chapters through agricultural-education coursework, leadership development, and Career and Leadership Development Events such as Environmental and Natural Resources, Agricultural Mechanics, and Veterinary Science.
📍 Statewide Nevada📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State Bar of Nevada
Nevada High School Mock Trial Competition
Nevada teams compete at northern or southern regional rounds before a state championship, with the winning team advancing to the National High School Mock Trial Championship. The 2027 regional and state dates are already posted.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nevada HOSA
Nevada HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
Nevada's chapter of HOSA Future Health Professionals, with nearly 1,000 members across 20 schools competing in more than 60 healthcare-related events at the State Leadership Conference, preparing students for careers across the health care industry.
📍 Statewide Nevada📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nevada Math
Nevada Math Competition Team (NNVMath / ARML)
A year-long regional competition-math program that prepares Reno/Sparks-area students, including high schoolers, for the American Regions Mathematics League (ARML) competition through weekly Sunday practice sessions and homework.
📍 Reno, NV📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nevada Arts Council
Nevada Poetry Out Loud State Finals
A statewide recitation competition in which high school students memorize and perform classic and contemporary poems, advancing from school to district to the Nevada State Finals and potentially the National Finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Reno, NV (state finals at University of Nevada, Reno; district contests statewide)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nevada Chess, Inc. (Silver State Chess Association)
Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship
A US Chess-rated scholastic chess tournament series for K-12 students, run as regional Northern and Southern Nevada qualifying championships that feed into the statewide Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship, with state winners advancing to national scholastic tournaments.
📍 Las Vegas and Incline Village, NV (regional sites)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Barbara Schick Center for Economic Education / Nevada Council on Economic Education (UNLV)
Nevada Stock Market Game
A statewide simulation in which teams of Nevada students invest a hypothetical $100,000 portfolio over a 10-week session, learning economics, investing, and personal finance.
📍 Nevada (classroom-based, statewide)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nevada Legislature
Nevada Youth Legislature
Twenty-one students serve two-year terms representing Nevada Senate districts, study state issues and collectively develop a bill for consideration by the Nevada Legislature. Applicants must be in grades 9–11 when beginning the term.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
New England Aquarium
New England Aquarium Summer Teen Internship
Teens age 14+ complete one training week followed by six paid work weeks as Aquarium Guides or Visitor Services Assistants while studying marine science, climate science, advocacy, and public communication.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New England High School Journalism Collaborative (NEHSJC) / New England Newspaper & Press Association
New England High School Journalism Collaborative Summer Workshop
A one-week, all-expense-paid summer workshop at Simmons University in Boston where high school students learn reporting, writing, editing and multimedia production and produce their own newspaper under deadline pressure with professional journalists.
📍 Simmons University, Boston, MA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
New England Music Camp
New England Music Camp
A six-week residential summer music camp on Messalonskee Lake for students ages 11-18, combining private lessons, ensembles, and chamber music with athletics, and offering specialty tracks in composition, musical theater, and classical voice.
📍 Sidney, ME📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National High School Ethics Bowl / Tufts University
New England Regional Ethics Bowl (Maine teams)
Teams of 4-6 students discuss real-world ethical dilemmas and respond to judges' questions in a collaborative (not adversarial) debate format; Maine high schools compete in this New England regional, which qualifies teams for the national tournament.
📍 Medford, MA (New England regional; Maine teams travel)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tufts University (National High School Ethics Bowl regional)
New England Regional High School Ethics Bowl
A structured team debate competition in which high school students argue considered ethical positions on contemporary and philosophical cases, competing at Tufts as the New England regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Medford, MA (Tufts University)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
DECA Inc.
New Hampshire DECA
Chartered DECA association serving NH high school students studying marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through competitive events, case studies, and conferences.
📍 Manchester, NH (state conference)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NH Association of Conservation Districts
New Hampshire Envirothon
A statewide academic competition where five-student high school teams are tested on soils, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and a current environmental issue.
📍 Varies (NHTI-Concord's Community College in recent years)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda
New Hampshire FBLA
State chapter of Future Business Leaders of America preparing high school students for business careers through competitive events, professional development workshops, and a State Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Hampshire Bar Association Law-Related Education Program
New Hampshire High School Mock Trial
A statewide competition where high school teams argue a simulated legal case, competing live at district and state-final rounds to learn about the law and legal system.
📍 Statewide, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Hampshire Film Bureau / New Hampshire Media Teachers
New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival
Statewide student film festival for original films under six minutes, including narrative, documentary, animation and other genres. Winning filmmakers receive prizes and the first-place school's media program receives a $500 equipment gift card.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNH Leitzel Center / Young Inventors' Program
New Hampshire Invention Convention
Young inventors advance from local or independent fairs to a statewide convention where they present inventions and engineering solutions. The 2026 competition offered both in-person and virtual participation.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NH State Council on the Arts / National Endowment for the Arts
New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud
A free poetry recitation competition for high schoolers that builds public speaking skills and literary knowledge, progressing from classroom to school, regional, and state championships.
📍 NH State House, Concord, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NHSEE
New Hampshire Science & Engineering Exposition
ISEF-affiliated statewide research competition where high-school students present original science and engineering projects to judges. The next high-school exposition is scheduled for March 18, 2027.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Jersey Governor's Office of Volunteerism
New Jersey 9/11 Day of Service
State-supported service event connecting volunteers with large community-service projects; the 2026 event includes meal-packing for food-insecure communities.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of New Jersey
New Jersey American Legion Oratorical Contest
A Constitution-focused public speaking competition for students in grades 9-12, who deliver a prepared 8-10 minute oration on a constitutional theme plus a drawn 3-5 minute impromptu speech, advancing through post, county, district, and department rounds toward national finals.
📍 Local American Legion posts statewide, New Jersey📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Jersey ACS / New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Chemistry Olympics
Teams compete in chemistry research, forensic chemistry, instrumentation, microscale laboratory work, nomenclature, information search, debate and web design. The 2026 competition drew 300+ students.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Jersey DECA, hosted at Kean University
New Jersey DECA
The state CTSO for students enrolled in marketing, finance, hospitality, management, or entrepreneurship courses, offering competitive events and conferences in marketing and business; chapters require at least 10 members, an advisor, and school approval.
📍 Union, NJ (state office at Kean University)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Jersey FBLA, hosted at Kean University
New Jersey FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
The state chapter network of FBLA for NJ middle school, high school, and collegiate students, offering business-leadership competitive events, conferences, community service, and scholarships; the first NJ chapter was chartered in 1947.
📍 Union, NJ (state office at Kean University)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Jersey FCCLA
New Jersey FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
The state CTSO for NJ Family and Consumer Sciences students, with over 4,000 members participating in 80+ competitive events, a State Leadership Conference, community service, and leadership-skill development centered on family and career readiness.
📍 New Jersey (statewide, State Leadership Conference held regionally)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Jersey Department of Agriculture
New Jersey FFA Association
The state chapter of the national FFA organization, serving over 3,000 NJ students through agricultural-education leadership development, career/personal-growth competitive events, and state conferences, as part of the state's Agricultural Education program.
📍 New Jersey (statewide, chapters by school)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
William Paterson University (NJ affiliate of National History Day)
New Jersey History Day
The Garden State affiliate of National History Day, inviting students in grades 6-12 to conduct original historical research and present it as a performance, exhibit, documentary, website, or paper, with regional and state contests leading to the National Contest at the University of Maryland.
📍 Regional sites (Rutgers-Camden, Monmouth University, St. Elizabeth University) and state contest at William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
NJ School Boards Association / Garden State Film Festival
New Jersey Hometown Documentary Short
Students write, direct, and shoot a documentary of five minutes or less about their hometown. Entry is free; finalists screen at the Garden State Film Festival and the winning school receives $500 for film/video equipment.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Jersey HOSA
New Jersey HOSA — Future Health Professionals
The state affiliate of HOSA for students in health-related courses at NJ high schools, technical schools, and colleges, offering healthcare-career competitive events, leadership conferences, and chapter networking statewide.
📍 New Jersey (statewide, chapters by school)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Jersey State Council on the Arts / Count Basie Center for the Arts
New Jersey Poetry Out Loud
A statewide poetry recitation competition in which high school students memorize and perform poems through school, regional, and state rounds, with the state champion advancing to the national finals in Washington, D.C. for a chance at college scholarship funds.
📍 Regional sites statewide; State Finals at Count Basie Center for the Arts, Red Bank, NJ📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National High School Ethics Bowl (NJ Regional, hosted by Princeton University)
New Jersey Regional High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier of the National High School Ethics Bowl in which teams of high school students engage in civil, collaborative discussion of real-world ethical cases before a panel of judges, hosted at Princeton University.
📍 Princeton University, Princeton, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
New Jersey Science League
New Jersey Science League
School-based statewide academic science league with individual and team competitions in subjects including biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, anatomy/physiology and earth science.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Jersey SkillsUSA
New Jersey SkillsUSA
The state association for SkillsUSA, preparing NJ high school and college students in technical, skilled-trade, and health-occupation pathways through local, state, and national competitions and leadership events; NJ was named a 2026 Gold Standard of Excellence state.
📍 New Jersey (statewide, chapters by school)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NASA / Rutgers University
New Jersey Space Grant Consortium (NJSGC)
A NASA-funded statewide consortium headquartered at Rutgers that funds K-12 'bridge' STEM programs connecting NJ high schoolers with university researchers — historically including support for Liberty Science Center's Partners in Science and Rutgers engineering outreach for girls — plus fellowships for aerospace-related research.
📍 New Brunswick, NJ (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
New Jersey Speech and Debate League (NJSDL)
New Jersey Speech and Debate League
A statewide league running daylong competitive tournaments in Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas debate, Congressional Debate, and numerous speech/interpretation events for middle and high school teams, culminating in a state championship each March.
📍 Rotating host schools statewide (e.g., Freehold Township, Summit, Ridge, Bridgewater-Raritan HS); championship at Hunterdon Central Regional HS📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Jersey State Museum
New Jersey State Museum Teen Volunteer Program
Volunteers age 14+ assist museum educators with programs, family activities, carts, events and other educational experiences while earning service experience.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey State Science Day Challenge
New Jersey students investigate a community problem and design solutions using science and engineering practices.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Teen Arts NJ
New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival
Statewide multi-day youth arts festival where students present visual, literary and performing work, receive professional critiques and participate in workshops and performances.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
DECA Inc. - New Mexico Association
New Mexico DECA
The state chapter of DECA for high schoolers pursuing marketing, finance, hospitality, and management careers, running local chapters, competitive events, and an annual state Career Development Conference.
📍 Statewide, NM📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NM Public Education Department / NM Higher Education Department
New Mexico Dual Credit Program
Every New Mexico high-school student can potentially take approved college courses for both high-school and college credit. Public colleges waive tuition, and schools cover instructional materials.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Mexico Arts / New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs
New Mexico Ekphrastic Poetry Contest
An annual statewide ekphrastic poetry contest in which New Mexicans write poetry inspired by artworks on display at state cultural institutions, with a dedicated Youth (ages 10-18) category.
📍 Statewide New Mexico (online submission)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Mexico Envirothon, Inc.
New Mexico Envirothon
North America's largest high school environmental science competition brings together 5-student teams for a two-day indoor/outdoor state competition testing knowledge of aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, and wildlife; the winning team represents New Mexico at Nationals.
📍 Taos, NM (statewide competition)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America - New Mexico
New Mexico FCCLA
New Mexico's chapter network of FCCLA, a national CTSO built on family and consumer sciences education, developing student leadership around family relationships, nutrition, and career exploration through competitive events and conferences.
📍 Statewide, NM📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Mexico Agricultural Education & FFA Association
New Mexico FFA
The state agricultural-education CTSO serving over 5,300 members across 85+ New Mexico schools, running career development events, leadership conferences, and competitions (including welding and BBQ contests) alongside an annual FFA Day at the state capitol.
📍 Statewide, NM📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NM STEM Innovation Network
New Mexico Governor's STEM Challenge
Statewide team competition asking students to develop STEM-based solutions to real problems and present them to industry judges. Winning teams receive $500 per student; the next challenge is February 6, 2027.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
HOSA / CTLP New Mexico
New Mexico HOSA - Future Health Professionals
New Mexico's chartered association of HOSA, a CTSO integrated into Health Science Education classrooms that builds leadership and technical skills for students pursuing healthcare careers, with competitive events, conferences, and scholarship opportunities.
📍 Statewide, NM📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Mexico Model UN
New Mexico Model UN (NMMUN)
A statewide student organization running Model United Nations conferences, including LoboMUN, where New Mexico high schoolers debate global issues through simulated UN committees.
📍 Albuquerque, NM📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Mexico Scholastic Press Association / NMAA
New Mexico Scholastic Publications State Competition
State championship for New Mexico student newspapers, yearbooks and journalism programs, with individual publication categories and a Journalist of the Year award. The association is free to join.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Mexico Tech / NMAA
New Mexico Science & Engineering Fair
Statewide science and engineering fair in which students present original investigations and compete for recognition and scholarship money. The 2027 state fair is April 9–10 at New Mexico Tech.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA New Mexico
New Mexico SkillsUSA
The state association of SkillsUSA, preparing New Mexico middle/high school and college students for technical and skilled-trade careers through classroom-integrated curriculum and competitions in over 100 occupational areas, from 3D animation to welding.
📍 Statewide, NM📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) / National Speech & Debate Association, NM District
New Mexico Speech & Debate
The statewide competitive forensics circuit offering 12 events across debate, public speaking, and oral interpretation, culminating in district qualifiers and a state championship tournament.
📍 Various sites across New Mexico (state tournament location TBA)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Supercomputing Challenge Outreach
New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge
A unique research program in New Mexico that places high school students in state-of-the-art laboratories through the Supercomputing Challenge.
📍 Los Alamos, NM⏱ Year-round📅 January 31🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
New Mexico Tech Summer STEM Experience
Week-long residential experience where students earn college credit while studying a science, engineering, entrepreneurship or mathematics discipline. 2026 tuition, housing and meals totaled $675 per session.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
YMCA Central New Mexico
New Mexico Youth and Government
A YMCA civic education program in which New Mexico high schoolers simulate state government, debating and voting on student-written bills as legislators, judges, or press corps members at an annual conference.
📍 Santa Fe, NM📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension
New Mexico Youth Ranch Management Camp
Ages 15–19 receive college-level instruction in financial management, marketing, natural resources, wildlife, range management and livestock operations while developing a ranch-management plan.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
City of New Orleans Office of Youth and Families
New Orleans Mayor's Youth Advisory Council
New Orleans students participate in local policy discussions, youth advocacy, civic leadership, and city-government engagement through a selective council and interview process. Applications open August 1.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Student Press Law Center
New Voices Student Press Freedom
Youth advocacy network defending student press freedoms.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York DECA
New York DECA
The state chapter for high schoolers in grades 9-12 interested in marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, hospitality, and management, offering role-play competitive events, conferences, and over $300,000 in national scholarships.
📍 Statewide (local school chapters)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New York State FBLA
New York FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
The state chapter network for high schoolers in grades 9-12 enrolled in a business-related course, offering competitive events, leadership development, and community-service activities through local school chapters.
📍 Statewide (local school chapters)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New York Association of FFA (NY Agricultural Education, with Cornell CALS)
New York FFA Association
A school-based agricultural education organization open to all New York middle and high school students, building leadership through public speaking, team challenges, and career exposure to agriculture, veterinary medicine, engineering, and entrepreneurship.
📍 Statewide (200+ chapters across 53 of NY's 62 counties)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York Film Academy
New York Film Academy High School Programs
Summer and gap-year programs in filmmaking, acting, photography, and game design.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ 1-12 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NYFA
New York Film Academy Summer
Summer film, acting, photography, and animation camps.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ 1-4 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New York HOSA
New York HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
The state chapter of the national health-sciences CTSO, open to middle school, high school, and college students pursuing healthcare pathways, with regional and statewide conferences and competitive events testing healthcare skills.
📍 Statewide (local school chapters)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York Math Circle (hosted at NYU Courant Institute)
New York Math Circle High School Summer Program
An intensive three-week summer math program for high schoolers covering topics like number theory, graph theory, and knots and surfaces, offered in-person at NYU or remotely via Zoom with TA support.
📍 New York, NY (NYU Courant Institute)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Cornell University (lead institution, NASA Space Grant)
New York Space Grant Consortium
A NASA-funded statewide consortium of colleges, universities, and industry partners that funds K-12 STEM engagement, student project teams, and competitions to prepare New York students for careers with NASA and the aerospace/high-tech workforce.
📍 Ithaca, NY (Cornell University) and statewide partner campuses📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
NYS FCCLA
New York State FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
The state association of the only national CTSO centered on family and consumer sciences, developing high schoolers' leadership and life skills through competitive events, state/national conferences, and community-service projects.
📍 Statewide (14 districts)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York State Forensic League (NYSFL)
New York State Forensic League
A statewide speech and debate league open to all New York high schools that runs an annual Grand Championship Tournament and supports member schools' forensics programs.
📍 New York (statewide)🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
US Chess Federation
New York State High School Chess Championship
A six-round Swiss-system scholastic chess tournament at the Saratoga Hilton crowning the New York State High School Champion team and individual, with the top eligible player qualifying for the Denker Tournament of High School Champions.
📍 Saratoga Springs, NY📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New York State Bar Association / New York Bar Foundation
New York State High School Mock Trial Program
A statewide tournament-style competition in which high school teams argue a civil or criminal case before volunteer attorney judges, building courtroom procedure and advocacy skills.
📍 New York (statewide, eight regional tournaments)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Cooperstown Graduate Program, SUNY Oneonta
New York State History Day
New York's affiliate of National History Day, in which students research a historical topic tied to an annual theme and present findings as an exhibit, website, documentary, paper, or performance, advancing from regional to state and national contests.
📍 New York (statewide)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Teachers & Writers Collaborative (with the New York State Council on the Arts)
New York State of Poetry
A free statewide program engaging high school students with poetry through a curated anthology of classic and contemporary poems, including New York State Poet Laureates, with students writing original responses published in an annual statewide anthology.
📍 New York (statewide)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NYSSEF
New York State Science & Engineering Fair
ISEF-affiliated statewide competition for original student research across science and engineering.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NYS SkillsUSA
New York State SkillsUSA
The state CTSO for high school and college students in technical, skilled, and service career fields, offering contest-standard competitions, leadership development, and industry networking through local chapter advisors.
📍 Statewide (divided into six organizational areas)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The New York Times Learning Network
New York Times Personal Narrative Contest
Annual personal narrative writing contest for teens 13-19.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Fall🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Tulane University / Newcomb Institute
Newcomb Summer Session
A selective pre-college program where rising 9th-12th graders explore gender, feminist thought, and social change through discussion-based seminars, workshops, and collaborative projects, earning Tulane credit.
📍 New Orleans, LA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wayne State University College of Education / Michigan Education Association
Next Gen Teachers Program
A campus residency for high schoolers completing 9th-11th grade who are interested in becoming certified PK-12 teachers, featuring workshops on teacher preparation and cultural competency, hands-on classroom teaching, and a $1,000 stipend.
📍 Detroit, MI (Wayne State University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Montclair State University
Next Stop: Broadway! — Musical Theatre
Intensive musical-theatre performance training.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
St. Catherine University
Next-Gen AI & Data Science Summer Camp
Free five-day on-campus summer camp for high school students (grades 9-12) exploring AI and data science through topics such as AI and the arts, facial recognition, the environment and ethics, plus data visualization, with an off-campus visit to a tech center and mentorship from professors, college students and women in tech. Breakfast and lunch provided; first come, first served. Minnesota Academy of Science lists it as aimed at high school women.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Center for Equitable Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS), Morgan State University
NextGen AI Innovation Challenge
A two-day build event where middle school, high school, and college students design AI-powered tools to make K-12 classrooms more inclusive and engaging, with winning teams earning up to $2,500.
📍 Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Barnard College Pre-College Programs
NextGen Leadership Institute
Barnard's signature summer program in which high school students choose courses across humanities, social sciences, STEM, and the arts alongside a Leadership in Action workshop series examining leadership through gender and identity.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Stanford AIMI
NextGen Tech Talks
Live online webinar series tailored specifically for high school students. Join renowned experts as they share their professional journeys, unveiling the transformative potential of technology in healthcare.
📍 Multiple📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National Federation of the Blind of Nevada
NFB of Nevada Student Essay Contest
Blind and low-vision Nevada students submit an original essay, with high-school prizes ranging from $100 to $250 in the 2026 cycle.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NFFTY (The Talented Youth)
NFFTY - National Film Festival for Talented Youth
Seattle film festival for emerging filmmakers aged 24 and younger, accepting narrative, documentary, music video, animation, experimental, episodic and environmental films, with screenings at the annual spring festival.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Capital Region
NFTE Capital Region Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
An annual pitch competition for high schoolers across Maryland, DC, and Virginia where students present original business ideas to judges for a chance to compete at the national finals for seed capital and scholarships.
📍 Capital region (Maryland, DC, Virginia)📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNH Cooperative Extension / New Hampshire 4-H
NH 4-H Teen Leadership Pathway
Statewide 4-H leadership track for teens including the overnight Teen Leadership Retreat, Youth Leadership Teams, and NH 4-H Ambassadors, building critical thinking and communication skills.
📍 Durham, NH (statewide events)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Manchester Community College (hosting the NH/VT VEX Robotics state championship)
NH/VT VEX V5 Robotics State Championship
The combined New Hampshire/Vermont state championship for the VEX V5 Robotics Competition, where high school teams compete in qualification and elimination matches, skills challenges and judging for a spot at the VEX World Championship.
📍 Manchester Community College, Manchester, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NIACC Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center
NIACC Youth Entrepreneurial Academy
A free hands-on entrepreneurship program for North Iowa high school students that combines weekly in-person sessions with online instruction, culminating in a Pitch Night competition for seed money.
📍 North Iowa (Mason City area)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNC Charlotte Youth Programs
Niner Academy
High-school students choose weeklong specialty camps in subjects including robotics, chemistry, drones, esports, leadership and technology.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Northern Illinois University, Office of External Programs
NIU Theatre Arts Camp
Week-long residential theatre camp for students in grades 6-12 featuring daily acting classes, improvisation exercises, and a full stage production, with need-based scholarships available.
📍 Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Jersey Scholastic Chess Federation (NJSCF)
NJ High School Chess Championships
A statewide 5-round Swiss-system chess tournament for grades 9-12, with Varsity and Junior Varsity team brackets (top 5/4 rated players per school) plus an all-ages Booster section, awarding trophies to top schools and individuals.
📍 Union County Vocational Technical School, Scotch Plains, NJ📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
NJ LEEP (Seton Hall Law partner)
NJ LEEP Summer Law Institute
A five-week, tuition-free summer institute at Seton Hall Law exposing underserved youth to careers in law through criminal law and trial-process coursework, skills workshops, courthouse field trips, and a mock trial competition at a federal courthouse in Newark.
📍 Seton Hall Law School, Newark, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC)
NJCCIC High School Internship Program
A state-run cybersecurity internship with a Basics track (one intensive week) and an Advanced track (weekly sessions July-October) for NJ high schoolers interested in cybersecurity careers, run by the state's cyber threat intelligence agency.
📍 New Jersey (state program)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)
NJPAC Summer Arts Programs
Full-day summer arts immersion programs for ages 9-18 combining acting, dance, and vocal music toward original work creation, plus a TD Jazz for Teens intensive covering jazz theory, improvisation, and musicianship with a trip to the Newport Jazz Festival; financial aid is available so no student is turned away.
📍 New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
New Jersey State Bar Foundation (NJSBF)
NJSBF High School Mock Trial Competition
Student teams argue an original case as attorneys, witnesses, and jurors in county courtrooms, advancing through regional rounds and a state final held at the New Jersey Law Center. Free and open to NJ public, private, charter, and home school students; the state champion represents New Jersey at the National Mock Trial Championship.
📍 New Jersey (statewide; county courthouses, regional sites, and the New Jersey Law Center)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Northern Kentucky University
NKU Pre-College Summer Programs
Northern Kentucky University's pre-college office runs summer camps for students in grades 1-12 alongside dual-credit pathways like the Votruba Young Scholars Academy and School-Based Scholars, giving high schoolers early exposure to college coursework and campus life.
📍 Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation / NMSU
NM AMP Student Research Conference — High School Participation
NM MESA and TRIO Upward Bound high-school students attend alongside undergraduate researchers for STEM presentations, networking, workshops and panels. Their conference fees are covered by NM AMP.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Mexico State University STEM Outreach Center
NM Network Aviation Camp High School Internship Experience
Rising grades 9–12 participate in a week-long aviation/STEM program; 2026 participants received a $250 stipend plus documentation of 40 internship hours.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Mexico State University College of Engineering
NM PREP High School Academy
Students explore engineering through real-world projects involving 3D printing, advanced manufacturing and mathematics while interacting with NMSU faculty and laboratories.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
NMNH Summer High School Internship
Students work on museum projects in natural science, exhibitions, collections, communications and other departments while participating in field trips and career-development activities.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Non-Destructive Testing Technology
High-school summer camp, engineering/testing.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Norman Jordan African American Arts and Heritage Academy / West Virginia State University
Norman Jordan African American Arts and Heritage Academy
A residential summer academy for ages 12-18 with tracks in vocal and instrumental music, theater, dance, creative writing, visual arts and arts technology, with African American history and culture activities and guest artists.
📍 West Virginia State University, Institute, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania (Dept. of Computer and Information Science)
North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO) - Penn Site
A contest for US and Canadian high schoolers who solve linguistics and computational-linguistics puzzles requiring no prior knowledge; Penn hosts an official Open and Invitational Round testing site in Philadelphia.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Southern Maine, Department of Linguistics
North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO)
A puzzle-based linguistics competition open to middle and high schoolers with no prior linguistics, language, or computing background required; USM's Portland campus hosts Maine's site for the Open and Invitational rounds.
📍 Portland, ME (USM)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NACLO, hosted by University of Maryland Language Science Center
North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO)
A free linguistics puzzle competition for grades 6-12 (primarily 9-12) requiring no prior linguistics background, with an Open Round for all students and an Invitational Round for top scorers who advance toward the International Linguistics Olympiad.
📍 College Park, MD📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NACLO (hosted at university sites including in Massachusetts)
North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO)
A free puzzle-based linguistics competition open to middle and high schoolers requiring no prior linguistics background, where top scorers advance from local test sites to an invitational round and then international competition.
📍 Multiple North American test sites, including Massachusetts📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Middle Tennessee State University
North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO) - MTSU Site
A free linguistics puzzle competition requiring no prior linguistics or foreign-language knowledge, held in an Open Round and an Invitational Round at the MTSU campus site; top Invitational performers can qualify for the International Linguistics Olympiad team.
📍 Murfreesboro, TN📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina DECA
North Carolina DECA
The state DECA association preparing emerging leaders for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and business management through competitive events, regional and state career development conferences, and a scholarship program exceeding $90,000 annually.
📍 Statewide, NC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina FBLA
North Carolina FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
The state CTSO chapter equipping middle and high school students with business and workplace skills, offering competitive events and leadership opportunities at regional, state, and national conferences.
📍 Statewide, NC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina FCCLA
North Carolina FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
A CTSO for students in Family and Consumer Sciences education, offering competitive events (including a Culinary & Baking Competition), a State Leadership Conference, and career pathways in Human Services, Hospitality and Tourism, Education and Training, and Visual Arts and Design.
📍 Statewide, NC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina FFA Association (NCSU-based)
North Carolina FFA Association
The statewide agricultural education youth organization offering Career and Leadership Development Events (such as Veterinary Science and Forestry competitions), SAE project resources, scholarships, and a state convention for students aged 12-21 enrolled in agricultural education.
📍 Statewide, NC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNC Parr Center for Ethics
North Carolina High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl in which teams of up to 7 students discuss real-life ethical dilemmas collaboratively, aiming for respectful dialogue rather than adversarial debate.
📍 Chapel Hill, NC (UNC-Chapel Hill campus)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
North Carolina History Day
The North Carolina affiliate of National History Day, inspiring historical inquiry in middle and high school classrooms through student-created exhibits, documentaries, and performances that compete at regional, state, and national levels.
📍 North Carolina (regional contests statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina HOSA
North Carolina HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
The state chapter of HOSA-Future Health Professionals, promoting healthcare career opportunities for middle school, high school, and postsecondary students through competitive events and regional/state leadership conferences across 10 NC regional chapters.
📍 Statewide, NC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina Mock Trial Program (hosted by Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law)
North Carolina Mock Trial Program
A statewide high school mock trial competition in which teams argue a simulated civil or criminal case before judges and attorney scorers, progressing from regional sites across North Carolina to State Finals hosted at Campbell Law School. The 2025-2026 season includes regional competitions on February 7, 2026 and State Finals on March 13-14, 2026 in Raleigh.
📍 Regional sites statewide (Fayetteville, Gastonia, Goldsboro, Greenville, Hendersonville, Hickory, High Point, Hillsborough, Lincolnton, Raleigh, Wilmington), NC; State Finals in Raleigh📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
North Carolina Scholastic Media Association
Serves scholastic journalism statewide through fall regional workshops, a summer institute, a sports journalism camp, and contests including Journalist of the Year and statewide media awards.
📍 Chapel Hill, NC (regional workshops at ECU, NC State, Appalachian State)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NCSEF
North Carolina Science & Engineering Fair
ISEF-affiliated statewide fair in which students present original scientific and engineering research after advancing through regional fairs.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NC State University
North Carolina Science Olympiad
School teams compete in laboratory, engineering, biology, chemistry and other STEM events through regional and statewide tournaments.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NC State University / World Food Prize
North Carolina Youth Institute
Students research a global food-security problem, write a policy-style paper and present solutions to experts; top participants can advance to the Global Youth Institute.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
EduTech / North Dakota state partners
North Dakota Cyber Madness High School Tournament
Teams of up to five students solve cybersecurity challenges in virtual qualifying rounds before finalists compete face-to-face.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
DECA Inc. / North Dakota DECA
North Dakota DECA
North Dakota's CTSO chapter preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management, operating in 39 high schools and career/technology centers with 50+ competitive event categories.
📍 Statewide, North Dakota (state conference in Bismarck)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Future Business Leaders of America / North Dakota FBLA
North Dakota FBLA
The North Dakota chapter of the largest student business organization in the world, serving grades 9-12 members through competitive events like accounting, agribusiness, website design, and computer applications, plus state and national leadership conferences.
📍 Statewide, North Dakota📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
FCCLA / North Dakota FCCLA
North Dakota FCCLA
North Dakota's Family and Consumer Sciences CTSO, active since 1945, offering competitive events, community service projects, and leadership conferences to help members become college- and career-ready.
📍 Bismarck, ND (state office) and statewide chapters📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National FFA Organization / North Dakota FFA
North Dakota FFA Association
North Dakota's agricultural education CTSO with 8,000 members across 95 chapters, offering Career Development Events, Leadership Development Events, Supervised Agricultural Experience projects, and community service through its Living to Serve initiative.
📍 Statewide, North Dakota📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State of North Dakota / UND
North Dakota Governor's School
Select students complete an intensive residential academic program; the 2027 UND cycle is expected to include education, health studies, mental health and energy-law pathways.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
HOSA Inc. / North Dakota HOSA
North Dakota HOSA - Future Health Professionals
North Dakota's health-sciences CTSO for grades 7-12, grown from 395 members in 2021 to over 1,000 by 2026, offering 50+ competitive events across healthcare fields plus Fall, State, and International Leadership Conferences.
📍 Statewide, North Dakota (based in Mayville, ND)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Dakota State University Department of Mathematics
North Dakota Mathematics Talent Search
High-school students solve challenging mathematics problems over three rounds in an annual statewide problem-solving competition.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UND College of Engineering & Mines
North Dakota Signature VEX Robotics Competition
A high school VEX V5 Robotics Competition Signature Event hosted at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, drawing dozens of teams from the U.S. and Canada to compete for World Championship qualifying awards.
📍 Grand Forks, ND (Alerus Center)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of North Dakota College of Engineering & Mines
North Dakota State Science & Engineering Fair
Students advance through regional fairs to present original science and engineering research at the statewide ISEF-affiliated fair.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
North Dakota Student Legislative Summit
High-school delegates from across the state participate in a two-day legislative simulation and discuss education technology and artificial-intelligence policy.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Texas Teen Book Festival
North Texas Teen Book Festival
A free one-day festival of teen literature at the Irving Convention Center with about 75 authors, more than 40 small breakout panels, author signings and book sales.
📍 Irving, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Minnesota Crookston (World Food Prize Foundation network)
Northern Great Plains Youth Institute
Annual one-day institute at UMN Crookston where high school students write a paper on a food security issue and present it to local leaders and experts. Participants can earn Borlaug Scholar recognition, eligibility for Borlaug-Ruan international internships and a $1,000 scholarship to UMN Crookston.
📍 Crookston, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Northern Nevada Forensic League (NSDA-affiliated)
Northern Nevada Forensic League
A competitive speech and debate league spanning five northern Nevada school districts (Washoe, Lyon, Carson City, Douglas, and Elko counties), operating under the National Speech & Debate Association and hosting regular tournaments in Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and other debate/speech formats.
📍 Northern Nevada (Washoe, Lyon, Carson City, Douglas, Elko counties)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Northland Hackathon (Minnesota nonprofit)
Northland Hackathon
Billed as the Midwest's largest free student hackathon, this one-day remote event has Minnesota high school and college students build web and app projects in teams over seven hours with mentorship from engineers at companies like Google, Amazon, and Square. No coding prerequisites are required.
📍 Minnesota (remote/statewide)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Northwest College
Northwest College Jazz Festival
A non-competitive festival where school jazz bands, jazz choirs and combos receive adjudication from jazz educators and attend a headliner concert.
📍 Powell, WY📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pacific Lutheran University Department of Music
Northwest High School Honor Band (PLU)
A two-day honor band for about 325 high school musicians from the Pacific Northwest, recommended by their band directors, with rehearsals under guest clinicians and a free public concert.
📍 Tacoma, WA📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Norton Healthcare
Norton Children's Summer Teen Volunteer Program
A hospital volunteer program for teens ages 14-17 at Norton Children's Hospital and Norton Women's & Children's Hospital; no special skills are required and full training is provided.
📍 Louisville, KY📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Norton Children's Hospital Foundation
Norton Children's Teen Ambassadors and Teen Board
A youth philanthropy pathway at Norton Children's: Teen Ambassadors (grade 9 and up) meet twice a semester to learn about the hospital's mission, while Teen Board (juniors and seniors) takes on monthly leadership roles planning fundraising events and patient programming.
📍 Louisville, KY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Norwich University School of Architecture + Art
Norwich High School Architecture Design Competition (Story Space)
Free design competition for high school students to design an outdoor performance structure for storytelling gatherings of five and fifty people.
📍 Online (Northfield, VT)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Norwich University
Norwich University Artificial Intelligence (AI) Academy
A residential summer week where high school students use interactive coding labs, Raspberry Pi hardware builds and team challenges to design, train and test beginner machine-learning models while exploring AI bias, privacy and ethics.
📍 Norwich University, Northfield, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Norwich University
Norwich University Cyber Immersion Camp
A week-long residential camp in cybersecurity, coding, digital forensics, ethical hacking and artificial intelligence, with 2027 sessions on AI and on intelligence and drones for high school students in grades 10-12.
📍 Norwich University, Northfield, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Norwich University
Norwich University Future Leader Camp
A nine-day military-style leadership camp where rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors do rappelling, rock climbing, wilderness survival skills and team problem-solving, ending in competitions and a graduation ceremony.
📍 Norwich University, Northfield, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Norwich University
Norwich University Leadership Challenge Weekends
Weekend programs for high school students in grades 9-12 with outdoor challenges, team leadership training and an introduction to the Corps of Cadets lifestyle, including a dedicated women's weekend.
📍 Norwich University, Northfield, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Norwich University Cyber Institute
Norwich University Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Academy
A week-long immersive camp teaching media literacy, open-source intelligence and cognitive security, with labs in Norwich's War Room, a Vermont Intelligence Center field trip and individual research projects ending in student briefings.
📍 Norwich University, Northfield, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Norwich University School of Architecture + Art
Norwich University Summer Design Academy
One-week immersive architecture and design program with sketching, drafting, model building and seminars, culminating in a small building design and public virtual exhibit.
📍 Northfield, VT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
NPR
NPR Student Podcast Challenge
Free annual podcasting contest. Submit a 3-8 minute podcast. Winning student is featured on NPR.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 April🎓 Grades 5–12
Selective
National Symposium for Debate (NSD), held at Bryn Mawr College
NSD Philadelphia Public Forum Debate Camp
Two-week Public Forum debate camp at Bryn Mawr College for beginners through experienced debaters, with small-group labs, mentor groups, practice rounds, elective seminars and an end-of-camp tournament. The 2026 sessions ran June 28 to July 25 (about $3,000 to $3,600 depending on session and residential or commuter); NSD's site says 2027 camps open for registration in December.
📍 Bryn Mawr, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National Speech and Debate Association
NSDA Nationals
Largest US speech and debate tournament. Qualify through your district. Substantial scholarships for finalists.
📍 Rotating US city⏱ 1 week📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC)
NSLC on Law & Advocacy
Residential programs for students interested in law, ethics, or leadership held at university campuses.
📍 Multiple Locations⏱ 1 week📅 February 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
U.S. State Department
NSLI-Y (Critical Languages)
Fully-funded US government scholarship for high schoolers to study languages like Arabic, Mandarin, Korean abroad.
📍 Abroad (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 6 weeks or academic year📅 Early November🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
National Scholastic Press Association
NSPA Best of the High School Press
National recognition program for student publications.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho National Laboratory
Nuclear Science Camp
Students investigate nuclear science and energy through hands-on activities connected to Idaho National Laboratory's research mission.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Emporia State University
Nurse Camp (Emporia State University)
A one-day exploratory camp introducing high school students to nursing as a career path, offered alongside a separate middle-school session.
📍 Emporia, KS (Emporia State University)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
George Fox University
Nursing Institute (2027 Pre-College Summer Institute)
Patient-care simulations, Stop the Bleed, nursing skills and careers; part of GFU's June 27-July 2, 2027 Pre-College Summer Institute for students entering grade 10 through recent grade-12 graduates.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10, 12
Highly Selective
UNLV Model United Nations
NVMUN (Nevada Model United Nations Conference)
An annual weekend Model UN conference hosted by UNLV Model United Nations for middle and high school students, featuring committees such as the World Tourism Organization, UN Human Rights Council, and an Ad Hoc committee where delegates debate and draft resolutions.
📍 Las Vegas, NV (UNLV campus)📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NW Film Camp (Cherry Street Films)
NW Film Camp - Boise
A week-long day camp at the Idaho State Museum in Boise where teens learn scriptwriting, storyboarding, filming, and editing, working in teams on professional equipment to produce a short film screened for family and friends.
📍 Boise, ID (Idaho State Museum)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Northwest Association for Global Affairs
NWMUN-Portland High School Conference
One-day Model UN conference for Portland-area and statewide Oregon high schoolers run by the Northwest Association for Global Affairs, teaching UN procedure and international affairs alongside a sister college conference in Seattle.
📍 Portland, OR📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State University Native American Programs
NY'EHE - Native Youth Exploring Higher Education Camp
Free overnight summer camp on the WSU Pullman campus where high school students explore college life and higher education pathways.
📍 Washington State University, Pullman, WA📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Columbia University Pre-College Programs
NYC Commuter Summer
Engage in a rich and demanding academic experience on Columbia's tranquil campus, in the heart of New York City.
📍 New York, NY📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NYC DYCD
NYC Ladders for Leaders
Free paid summer internship program for NYC high schoolers. Stipend included; competitive admission.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 6 weeks📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Baruch College
NYC Public High School Journalism Conference
Free annual conference with reporting workshops, journalism/AI sessions, professional journalists and the Newsies student journalism awards. About 200 students from 26 NYC public high schools attended in 2026.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Columbia University Pre-College Programs
NYC Residential Summer
Engage in a rich and demanding academic experience on Columbia's tranquil campus, in the heart of New York City.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Carnegie Hall
NYO-USA
Free national youth orchestra tour for top high-school musicians; full scholarship including travel and residency.
📍 New York, NY📅 Auditions typically held each December for the following summer — exact date not yet posted🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The New York Times
NYT Learning Network Contests
Free monthly writing, photo, and podcast contests for teens 13–19 worldwide.
📍 Global📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
The New York Times
NYT Personal Narrative Contest
Annual short personal narrative contest for teens. 600 words. Free entry.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The New York Times
NYT Student Editorial Contest
Free annual contest for students aged 13-19 to write a 450-word evidence-based editorial. Top entries are published by the Times.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The New York Times
NYT Summer Academy
Journalism, filmmaking, and writing courses taught by Times journalists. Limited need-based aid.
📍 NY / Remote (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
The New York Times
NYT Summer Reading Contest
Each summer week, students pick a Times piece and write 350 words about it. Free; winners published.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 June-August🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NYU
NYU PreCollege
Earn college credit across a number of artistic disciplines, including casting and auditioning, dramatic writing, producing for film and television, and more. NYU Precollege is open to all current high school sophomores and juniors.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NYU Tandon
NYU Tandon ARISE
Free seven-week research program for NYC HS sophomores and juniors in engineering and science.
📍 Brooklyn, NY⏱ 7 weeks📅 Winter🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs
Ocean Awareness Contest
International student contest in visual art, film, writing, and music addressing ocean conservation.
📍 Global📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership
Ocean Lab — Surrounded by Science
High-school students participate in an immersive residential program centered on ocean science, field investigation, scientific practice, and leadership.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) Education
Ocean State Star Awards
An adjudicated musical theatre awards program recognizing excellence in Rhode Island (and nearby Massachusetts) high school productions, with one male and one female winner advancing to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City.
📍 Providence, RI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant
Ocean STEAM Powered (O-STEAM) Fellowship
A week-long residential fellowship in Woods Hole where Massachusetts high school sophomores and juniors work with WHOI researchers on hands-on ocean science, including building hydrophones, analyzing marine mammal vocalizations, and testing water quality.
📍 Woods Hole, MA📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Oceans and You — Bahamas Field Study
Marine-science field program at the Forfar Field Station including snorkeling, tide-pool research, sustainability and marine-conservation career exploration.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Oklahoma Council on Economic Education
OCEE Economics & Personal Finance Challenges
Statewide student competitions including the Economics Challenge, Personal Finance Challenge, Stock Market Game, and Outstanding Economics Student Awards, run by OCEE to build economic and financial literacy among Oklahoma high schoolers.
📍 Edmond, OK (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ochsner Health
Ochsner Job Shadowing Program
A free healthcare job shadowing program for students 16 and older, offering up to five half-day shadowing sessions per year with a pre-approved mentor at Ochsner locations across the Gulf South.
📍 Multiple Ochsner locations, LA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Oklahoma City University
OCU Summer Business Academy
Short intensive in business fields with classes and company/agency visits.
📍 OK🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Duke University
ODE Summer Design Camp
Five-week biomedical design experience where students identify health-care problems, develop prototypes and learn engineering-design methods.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind (International Finals)
International creative problem-solving competition with teams from 25+ countries.
📍 USA (worlds); regional in origin country📅 Regional Winter, Worlds May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Cleveland State University School of Film & Media Arts
Odyssey Program - Summer Filmmaking Intensives
Day and residential summer filmmaking camps for ages 13-18 covering screenwriting, directing, cinematography, editing, and sound design using CSU's professional soundstages and editing labs, plus one-day Saturday workshops.
📍 Cleveland, OH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ogden Museum of Southern Art
Ogden Museum Teen Internship Program
New Orleans-area teens spend eight summer weeks training in art interpretation, assisting with museum camps, meeting museum professionals, making art, and exploring cultural careers, then continue with monthly school-year programming. The 2026 summer stipend was $1,000 plus $50 per school-year meeting.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Ohio Business Week Foundation (hosted at Wright State University)
Ohio Business Week
A week-long residential business camp where high schoolers are placed into simulated companies, develop a business idea, and pitch it to a panel of investor-judges while learning leadership and entrepreneurship from business professionals.
📍 Dayton, OH (Wright State University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts
Ohio Envirothon
Five-person high-school teams compete in soils, wildlife, forestry, aquatic ecology and a current environmental issue, advancing from five regional contests to the state and international Envirothon.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio Center for Law-Related Education
Ohio High School Mock Trial
Teams prepare both sides of a legal case and compete in courtroom-style trials before attorneys and judges through district, regional and state rounds.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio History Connection
Ohio History Connection Youth Volunteer Program
Teen volunteers assist with interpretation, education, family programs, special events, museum operations and historic sites. Youth opportunities specifically include ages 15–17.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ohio History Connection
Ohio History Day
Students create research papers, documentaries, exhibits, performances or websites and advance from regional contests to the Ohio state and National History Day competitions.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio Arts Council / NEA / Poetry Foundation
Ohio Poetry Out Loud
Students memorize and perform published poetry, progressing through school, regional and Ohio state recitation contests to national finals.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Findlay
Ohio Regional High School Ethics Bowl
A collaborative (non-adversarial) ethics competition where Ohio high school teams analyze and discuss contemporary ethical issues, judged by University of Findlay's collegiate ethics bowl team, faculty, and staff, with winners advancing to the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Findlay, OH📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Ohio State University / Ohio Science Olympiad
Ohio Science Olympiad
School teams compete across 23 STEM events through regional and state tournaments, with top teams advancing nationally. The 2027 Ohio state tournament is hosted at Ohio State.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio Expositions Commission
Ohio State Fair Youth Arts Exhibition
Juried statewide art exhibition with monetary awards for Ohio students, including a dedicated high-school division.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio State University Model UN Team
Ohio State Model UN Conference (OSUMUN)
An annual spring conference hosted by Ohio State's Model UN Team for Ohio high school students to gain an in-depth look at international relations and the UN while developing collaboration, debate, and public speaking skills.
📍 Columbus, OH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio Academy of Science / Ohio State University
Ohio State Science Day
Students advance through Ohio Regional Science Days to present original scientific research at the state's highest-level science-day competition, with nearly $300,000 in scholarships and awards available.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio State University
Ohio State Young Scholars Program
Free year-round academic + research support for first-gen Ohio students.
📍 OH⏱ Year-round + summer📅 Rolling (school-based)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ohio Academy of Science
Ohio STEP
Students identify a real-world problem, design a STEM-based product or service, conduct market research and develop an entrepreneurial plan/pitch. Students can compete independently or in teams of up to three.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce
Ohio Student Voice Workgroup
Students work directly with state and local education officials, discuss education policy, provide feedback and develop student-led solutions.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oklahoma City Police Department
OKCPD Youth Engagement Council
Students meet police leadership during multiple school-year sessions and discuss community/policing issues.
📍 OK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oklahoma Neuroscience Chapter
Oklahoma Brain Bee
A free live question-and-answer neuroscience competition for Oklahoma students ages 14-18, testing knowledge of the brain through quiz rounds, neuroanatomy identification, and a patient-diagnosis role-play; the winner advances to the International Brain Bee national competition.
📍 Oklahoma📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
East Central University Harland C. Stonecipher School of Business
Oklahoma Business Week
A residential summer business camp at East Central University where high schoolers of any grade form student-led companies and compete in team-based business simulations, workshops, and a trade show pitch event judged by community investors.
📍 Ada, OK📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma Christian University Honors Summer Academy
A one-week residential college-experience program for academically gifted high school students entering grades 9-11, who earn two hours of transferable university credit by choosing two courses from fields including the humanities, business, engineering, and sciences.
📍 Edmond, OK📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Oklahoma Conservation Commission / Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma Envirothon
A statewide environmental knowledge competition where teams of five high schoolers, sponsored by their local conservation district, test their expertise in soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, and a current environmental issue through exams and field exercises; winners advance to the international NCF-Envirothon.
📍 Stillwater, OK📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rose State College / U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science
Oklahoma High School Regional Science Bowl
A fast-paced, Jeopardy-style academic competition testing high school teams on biology, chemistry, physics, earth/space science, math, and energy; the Oklahoma regional winner advances to the National Science Bowl finals.
📍 Midwest City, OK📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Oratorical Contest
A statewide public-speaking competition for high schoolers under 20 that progresses from local posts through districts to a state final, where contestants deliver a constitutional-topic oration plus an impromptu speech, competing for scholarships up to $25,000 nationally.
📍 Edmond, OK📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oklahoma A+ Schools / Oklahoma Arts Council
Oklahoma Poetry Out Loud
Students memorize and perform poetry through school and state competition, with the state champion advancing nationally.
📍 OK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oklahoma Arts Institute
Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute (OSAI) at Quartz Mountain
An immersive two-week residential academy providing professional artistic training to artistically advanced Oklahoma high school students in acting, chorus, creative writing, dance, drawing & painting, film & video, orchestra, and photography, taught by nationally renowned faculty at Quartz Mountain.
📍 Lone Wolf, OK (Quartz Mountain Arts and Conference Center)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Central Oklahoma / deadCenter Film
Oklahoma Teen Film Festival
A film festival open exclusively to Oklahoma high school students, who submit short films of 15 minutes or less across six categories (including animation, documentary, and drama) for cash prizes, workshops, and a red-carpet awards ceremony at UCO.
📍 Edmond, OK (University of Central Oklahoma)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VEX Robotics / REC Foundation
Oklahoma V5RC High School State Robotics Tournament
Oklahoma's annual state championship for VEX V5 Robotics Competition high school teams, featuring skills challenges plus qualification and elimination matches, with top teams advancing to the VEX Robotics World Championship.
📍 Pryor, OK (rotates by year)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Oklahoma Young Writer's Workshops
Oklahoma Young Writer's Workshops (OKYWW)
Free, recurring peer workshops for young writers held at venues like Warr Acres Library and Literati Press, offering critique, mentorship from established Oklahoma authors, and exposure to new writing forms and competitions.
📍 Oklahoma City metro, OK📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Mississippi
Ole Miss Bound
Rising sophomores through seniors live or commute to campus for a week, attend real university classes, meet professors, explore majors, and learn about admissions and financial aid.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Virginia State Bar (Young Lawyers and Diversity Sections)
Oliver Hill/Samuel Tucker Pre-Law Institute
A week-long residential camp that teaches high school students about a life and career in the law: students learn how to put on a trial, meet local officials and judges, learn attorney etiquette and compete in a mock trial and networking reception.
📍 Richmond, VA (University of Richmond)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Chicago
One Summer Chicago
Free paid summer jobs and internships for Chicago youth ages 14-24.
📍 Chicago, IL⏱ 6 weeks📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Interlochen Arts Camp
One-Week Intensives Arts Camp
One-week intensive arts programs covering various disciplines like music, theatre, visual arts, creative writing, dance, film & new media, and interdisciplinary arts. Students will perfect their skills and learn new ones alongside lifelong friends.
📍 Interlochen, Michigan, USA📅 Applications open Sept. 1 for Camp 2027🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Hampshire Academy of Science
One-Week Introduction to Scientific Research
Week-long introduction to laboratory research using tools such as microscopes, PCR, spectrophotometers and 3D printers across biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. The 2027 session is scheduled for July 19–23.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
OneWorld Now!
OneWorld Now Global Citizen Summer Language Program
Four-week summer program where Seattle-area high school students study beginner Arabic or Korean alongside cultural activities and leadership workshops.
📍 Summit Sierra School, Chinatown-International District, Seattle, Washington📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Duke Summer Session
Online Courses (High School)
High school students can take a variety of Duke courses online for college credit during the summer.
📍 remote📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana University Cinema Academy
Online Filmmaking Bootcamp
Students remotely develop a story, shoot footage, and learn editing and filmmaking fundamentals with Cinema Academy instructors.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Purple Comet! Math Meet
Online Math Team Championship (OMTC) / Purple Comet!
An international online math competition focused on high-level problem solving, often allowing students from rural areas to compete.
📍 Online⏱ 1 week📅 Late August (yearly)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NC State University Global Training Initiative
Online Research Academy
Four-week virtual research experience pairing high-school students with NC State faculty on projects spanning AI, engineering, medicine, genomics, mathematics and sustainability.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Columbia University Pre-College Programs
Online Summer
Dive into the Ivy League experience with Columbia’s world-class instructors and a rigorous and collaborative online experience.
📍 Multiple🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ohio Northern University
ONU Oratory & Art Festival
One-day statewide creative-expression event centered on student oratory, performance and visual art.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UC San Diego Institute for the Global Entrepreneur
OPALS Research Program
High-school students work in a structured research environment spanning engineering, medicine, science and innovation. Spring is part-time and summer is an intensive four-week primarily in-person experience.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Allen Institute with Seattle Public Schools Career and Technical Education
Open Science Quest at the Allen Institute
Three-week intensive internship course at the Allen Institute where students run advanced lab activities, generate and analyze biomedical data, and get exposure to neuroscience, cell biology and immunology.
📍 Allen Institute, Seattle, Washington📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Operation Catapult
Students completing grades 10 or 11 spend 11 days conducting engineering and science experiments, using faculty laboratories, and completing a team design project.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
ThreeSixty Journalism, University of St. Thomas
Opinion Writing Workshop
Free four-Saturday competitive workshop (Oct 3, 10, 24, 31) where 15-18 Twin Cities high school students develop publishable opinion pieces on community topics with media professionals; participants receive a $200 stipend on completion. Priority deadline Sept 16, rolling admission afterward; lunch and snacks provided.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority
Opportunity Scholarship
North Carolina K–12 students may receive state funding toward tuition and fees at eligible private schools.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Anderson University
Orangehaus Music Business Camp
A week-long residential camp for high schoolers covering DIY recording, songwriting, concert booking, and press kits, culminating in a battle-of-the-bands showcase called Orangefest.
📍 Anderson, IN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Interlochen Arts Camp
Orchestra & Wind Ensemble Summer Program
A six-week program for high school musicians combining large ensemble rehearsals, chamber music, weekly private lessons, and musicianship training, with students choosing among the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, World Youth Wind Symphony, or Interlochen Philharmonic.
📍 Interlochen, MI📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Susquehanna University
Orchestra Summit
Instrumental music pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Oregon Business Academy
Oregon Business Academy (Business Week)
A 7-day overnight summer program where high school students work in teams to build business, leadership, and real-world problem-solving skills through a business simulation.
📍 Oregon (residential, on a university campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pacific University Department of Philosophy
Oregon High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl in which teams of 3-5 students collaboratively analyze real-world ethical dilemmas and respond to judges' questions, winning by rigor and respectful engagement rather than adversarial debate.
📍 Portland area, OR (rotating host high schools)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oregon State University / University of Oregon / Portland State University Departments of Mathematics
Oregon Invitational Mathematics Tournament (OIMT)
A one-day statewide math tournament for Oregon's top high school students, who qualify via regional competitions or a qualifying AMC-10/12 score, competing in Algebra 2, Geometry, and two open/advanced exam categories plus a team logic event.
📍 Corvallis, OR (OSU campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oregon Model United Nations / University of Oregon
Oregon Model United Nations (OMUN)
Annual three-day Model UN conference hosted at the University of Oregon in Eugene where roughly 1,500 student delegates represent countries and negotiate solutions to real-world issues like global health, security, and disarmament.
📍 Eugene, OR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Rider University / Westminster
Organ Institute
Individual organ instruction plus organ history, literature, building styles and performance excursions.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of South Dakota, College of Fine Arts
Oscar Howe Summer Art Institute
A free, two-week residential arts institute at USD for high school students in grades 10-12 who show talent in the visual arts and a strong interest in American Indian culture, with special attention given to Native American applicants. Students take drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and cultural studies classes from Northern Plains artists.
📍 Vermillion, SD📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Southern Maine, Osher School of Music
Osher Senior Band Camp
An eight-day residential band camp for rising 9th graders through rising college freshmen, featuring concert band, sectionals, small ensembles, and a jazz band audition track, held on USM's Gorham campus.
📍 Gorham, ME (USM)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Oklahoma Scholastic Media (OU Gaylord College)
OSM Media Days
Twice-yearly journalism conferences on the OU-Norman campus for Oklahoma scholastic media students, featuring professional-led workshops and seminars, monthly student media contests judged by professionals, and an awards ceremony.
📍 Norman, OK📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio Scholastic Media Association (OSMA)
OSMA Student Journalism Regional Workshops & State Convention
A statewide network for Ohio's student journalists and advisers that runs fall regional workshops (hosted by Kent State, BGSU, University of Cincinnati, and Mount Vernon Nazarene) and an annual state convention for scholastic newspaper, yearbook, and broadcast staff.
📍 Regional universities statewide; Kent State University (state convention host)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association
OSSAA Speech & Debate State Championship
The statewide interscholastic speech and debate season sanctioned by OSSAA, culminating in regional qualifiers and a state championship tournament across classifications, with monthly extemporaneous-speaking topics for practice throughout the year.
📍 Statewide, OK📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Office of the State Superintendent of Education / DCPS
OSSE Consortium Dual Enrollment
DCPS students can take a college course at a participating university while still in high school, with OSSE covering tuition and books for one three-credit course per semester.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
OSSE Scholars
Academically strong DC public-school students with demonstrated financial need receive access to selective summer college programs at universities including Brown, Columbia, Emory, Harvard, Northwestern, Smith, Syracuse and Yale.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
OSSM Summer Academies
One- and two-week residential academic enrichment camps at OSSM in Oklahoma City for high school students interested in math and science, taught by OSSM faculty with afternoon field trips and evening activities.
📍 Oklahoma City, OK📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Otis College
Otis College Summer of Art
Four-week pre-college art and design program.
📍 Los Angeles, CA⏱ 4 weeks📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Otis College of Art and Design
Otis Summer of Art
Four-week pre-college program in fine art, design, fashion, and animation in LA.
📍 Los Angeles, CA⏱ 4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Vermont Department of Health Tobacco Control Program / Vermont Cooperative for Practice Improvement & Innovation
Our Voices Xposed (OVX) Vermont Youth Tobacco Prevention Movement
A statewide youth leadership initiative for Vermont high school students who research tobacco advertising, run community events, testify to legislators and attend the annual 802 Youth Leadership Summit with tracks in storytelling, justice and policy.
📍 Vermont (local chapters, summit and Montpelier Statehouse rally)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA)
OUT LOUD Teen Art Workshop Series
Free 12-week workshop series for current high school students, led by visiting artists, to explore new art mediums and develop an artistic voice. The program culminates in a museum exhibition of participants' work.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Public Health Museum in Massachusetts
Outbreak! High School Program
A free experiential-learning program for students entering grades 10-12 interested in public health careers, mixing expert talks and hands-on activities on topics like health equity, infectious disease, and emergency preparedness, culminating in an outbreak-simulation project.
📍 Tewksbury, MA (Public Health Museum, in-person and Zoom sessions)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Urban Ecology Center
Outdoor Leaders High School Internship (Urban Ecology Center)
A paid environmental career internship for Milwaukee high school students, with an eight-week summer intensive for 18 Outdoor Leaders and a September-April school-year cohort of nine, building skills in education, stewardship and research.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Maine Cooperative Extension / Early College
Outdoor Leadership Early College Intensive
High-school students complete field-based university coursework in outdoor leadership while training in environmental education, guiding, search-and-rescue skills, and nationally recognized Wilderness First Aid. Participants earn four college credits.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Outdoor World: Urban and Rural
Returning in summer 2027. Students investigate environmental challenges such as water quality, planning and sustainability while connecting them to civil/environmental engineering and public-health issues.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE)
Outstanding Young Environmental Leader Award
An annual nomination-based award recognizing Coloradans aged 14-23 for outstanding leadership in creating or implementing environmental education programs in their community.
📍 Colorado (statewide nominations)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ohio Wesleyan University
OWU Summer Music Camp
A band, choir, or orchestra ensemble camp for grades 6-12 with daily large-ensemble rehearsals plus electives like jazz band, chamber strings, drumline, composition, and private lessons, culminating in grand finale concerts.
📍 Delaware, OH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Oxbridge Academic
Oxbridge Global Scholars Programme
Summer academic residencies at Oxford, Cambridge, Barcelona, Los Angeles. Financial aid for admitted students.
📍 Various📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Oxbridge Launchpad
Oxbridge Launchpad Essay Competitions
Rolling essay competitions across STEM, humanities, and social sciences for global high school students.
📍 Remote (Global)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oxford Royale
Oxford Royale Academy
International summer academic programs held at Oxford and other UK/US universities.
📍 Oxford, United Kingdom📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Oxford Royale
Oxford Royale Summer Schools
Summer academic programs at Oxford and Yale across humanities, sciences, business for ages 13-18.
📍 Oxford, UK⏱ 1-3 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl)
Pacific Northwest High School Regional Science Bowl (DOE National Science Bowl)
Regional high school science quiz competition hosted by PNNL for schools in listed Washington and Oregon counties, with the winning team advancing to the DOE National Science Bowl.
📍 Columbia Basin College, Pasco, Washington📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of South Alabama, School of Computing
PACK Camp (Programming and Computer Knowledge)
An introduction to programming for rising high schoolers using Python and other tools, with hands-on problem-solving exercises and time spent alongside computing faculty and students on campus.
📍 Mobile, AL (University of South Alabama)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Hawaiʻi Pacific Model United Nations
PacMUN – Hawaiʻi Pacific Model United Nations
Three-day Model UN conference in Honolulu hosting 500+ high school delegates from across the Hawaiian Islands and beyond to simulate international diplomacy and committee negotiations.
📍 Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort, Honolulu📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio State University Department of Philosophy
PACT (Philosophy and Critical Thinking) Summer Camp
A week-long day camp where high schoolers form a community of inquiry with philosophy faculty, practicing critical thinking through guest lectures, discussion, media analysis, and debate on major philosophical questions.
📍 Columbus, OH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Paideia Institute
Paideia Institute Living Greek in Greece
Immersive Ancient Greek summer program in Greece with site visits.
📍 Greece⏱ 2 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Paideia Institute
Paideia Institute Living Latin in NYC
Two-week intensive Latin program in New York City for high schoolers, with site visits and immersive translation.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 2 weeks📅 Winter🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Sternberg Museum of Natural History / Fort Hays State University
Paleontology Academy Kansas
Students combine fossil prospecting with laboratory work in anatomy, microfossils, paleobotany, documentation, and museum collections to understand ancient Kansas ecosystems.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Northern Iowa School of Music
Panther Marching Band High School Marching Band Clinic
Students choose a leadership, drum-major, or colorguard track for a one-day intensive with experienced clinicians. The 2026 registration fee was $89 before June 26 and $99 afterward.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI)
PARI Summer Camps
One- or two-week camps for high-school-age students on a historic former NASA/DoD campus, using real scientific instruments and professional telescopes to follow the same research processes as working scientists in space science, astronomy and astrophysics.
📍 Rosman, NC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Parsons / The New School
Parsons Pre-College Academy
Online and in-person pre-college art and design courses.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Liberty Science Center
Partners in Science
An intensive eight-week summer mentorship, running since 1986, that pairs NJ high school juniors/seniors with scientist mentors at regional institutions (NJIT, Princeton, Rowan, Rutgers, Stevens, and more) for hands-on lab research, plus biweekly career workshops at LSC.
📍 Jersey City, NJ (placements statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Goethe-Institut
PASCH-Initiative
German government initiative offering scholarships to attend summer language and STEM courses in Germany for students at partner schools worldwide.
📍 Germany⏱ 3–4 weeks📅 January (school-nominated)🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Research Apprenticeship Program
Omaha Public Schools students age 16+ work for a semester in an active biomedical research laboratory, learning molecular biology and areas such as cell biology, cancer biology and microbiology. Students are paid hourly, transportation assistance is available, and placements may continue beyond one semester by mutual agreement.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UC Berkeley ATDP
Pathway Scholarship
Information about the Pathway Scholarship for ATDP programs.
📍 Multiple📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wabash College
Pathway to Your Future
A free week-long overnight visit program for rising sophomore and junior underrepresented, first-generation, or Pell-eligible high school students, featuring classroom learning, leadership activities, and a trip to Indianapolis.
📍 Crawfordsville, IN📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Tuskegee University
Pathways in Architecture, Construction, and Technology (PACT)
Two-week residential program introducing rising sophomores through seniors to architecture, design, construction, and related technology through immersive coursework and projects.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Pathways Research Explorers Program
A two-week, hands-on introduction to biomedical and cancer research at Fred Hutch with lab activities, lab tours and conversations with scientists at different career stages.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Yale University
Pathways to Arts & Humanities Summer Scholars
Free two-week program where local students study archives, art, photography, architecture, comics, playwriting, history and other humanities fields using Yale's collections and faculty.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Mississippi Trent Lott Leadership Institute
Pathways to Leadership
Current sophomores and juniors participate in a three-day leadership conference with university faculty centered on leadership at the local, state, and national levels. Participation is by school nomination.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Ohio Northern University
Pathways to STEM Camp
Residential multidisciplinary camp with microbiology, biochemistry, organic chemistry, physics, civil/mechanical engineering, robotics and manufacturing labs.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
City of New Orleans Office of Youth and Families / Gracefully Mindful Wellness Institute
Pathways Youth Internship Program
System-involved youth ages 14–17 receive paid employment placements together with workforce-readiness workshops, mentoring, case management, conflict-resolution training, and transportation support.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
PBS
PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs
Network of student newsrooms producing stories for PBS.
📍 Multiple states⏱ Academic year📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Peace First
Peace First Mini-Grants
Digital platform and mini-grants (up to $250) for 13–25-year-olds anywhere in the world to design and launch a project responding to injustice in their community.
📍 Remote (Global)⏱ Project-based📅 Rolling · anytime🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wyoming Catholic College
PEAK Summer Program (Wyoming Catholic College)
Two-week residential summer program in Lander for rising high school juniors and seniors with seminar-style morning classes on philosophical, literary and theological topics from the Great Books tradition, plus afternoon outdoor activities and a four-day Absaroka Wilderness backpacking trip.
📍 Lander, WY📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
New Hampshire Teen Institute
Peer Leadership Training
School clubs and student groups receive customizable hands-on training in teamwork, communication, prevention, positive school climate and evidence-based action planning.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (Legal Education Programs)
Penn Carey Law Pre-College Academy
Three-week summer program for high school students inside Penn Carey Law School: weeks one and two cover an accelerated first-year law curriculum (contracts, torts, constitutional law, criminal law), and week three offers specialized electives plus field trips to courts and legal institutions. 2027 session is in July; residential and commuter (local) options, rolling admission, and limited need/merit scholarships exist for qualified students.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Penn Math Contest (student-run, University of Pennsylvania)
Penn Math Contest (PMC)
A student-run math competition offering individual and team contests throughout the year for high schoolers of all levels, held in person on Penn's campus or online, with prizes and certificates for winners.
📍 Philadelphia, PA (University of Pennsylvania campus, or online)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Perelman School of Medicine
Penn Med Summer Mentorship
Six-week summer mentorship in healthcare for Philadelphia students from underrepresented backgrounds.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UPenn
Penn Summer Academies
Three-week intensive academic programs in biomedical, experimental physics, math, neuroscience.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 3 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
PennApps
One of the oldest college hackathons; HS-track sometimes available. Travel stipends offered.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 36 hours📅 Spring/Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pennsylvania FIRST / Centre County 4-H Robotics
Pennsylvania FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) State Championship
The state championship tournament for Pennsylvania's FIRST Tech Challenge season, where teams of middle and high school students design, build, and program a robot to compete in a floor game against other teams' robots.
📍 Hellertown, PA (2026: Saucon Valley Middle School)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pennsylvania State Chess Federation (PSCF)
Pennsylvania State Scholastic Chess Championships
The largest scholastic chess tournament in Pennsylvania, a 5-round Swiss-system event with 11 sections spanning K-3 through K-12 (including a dedicated K-12 Open), determining state champions by grade and rating category.
📍 Harrisburg, PA📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of South Alabama, PASSAGE USA
PEP Summer Camp (Postsecondary Education Preview)
A postsecondary-preparation summer camp for high school students with intellectual disabilities, covering independent-living, employment and college-readiness skills through mini classes and an individualized plan.
📍 Mobile, AL (University of South Alabama)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
QuestBridge
Personalized Support (through College Prep Scholars Program)
Personalized support for the college application process as part of the College Prep Scholars Program.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Peter Millimet Creative Writing Fund Contest
Manchester high-school students submit original creative writing, with particular encouragement for poetry. Recent awards were $500, $300 and $200 plus runner-up recognition.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Duquesne University School of Pharmacy
Pharmacy Exploration Day
A free, full-day summer event for high schoolers featuring a SimMan patient simulation demonstration, pharmacy compounding techniques, a mock emergency room scenario, and campus tours led by current pharmacy students.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA (Duquesne University)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Madison School of Pharmacy
Pharmacy Summer Program (UW-Madison School of Pharmacy)
A five-day residential camp where high school students learn about pharmacy careers and PharmD admissions from practicing pharmacists and current pharmacy students.
📍 Madison, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
UMBC
Pharmacy, Healthcare, & Technology
Students explore pharmacy, healthcare, and the technologies used in those fields.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health & Environmental Laboratories (PHEL)
PHEL STEM Student Outreach Program
A hands-on laboratory outreach program for Trenton-area junior-high and high schoolers, run with Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County and Rutgers 4-H, exposing students to vector-borne disease testing, newborn screening, heavy-metal analysis instrumentation, and pathogen genomics in a working state public health lab.
📍 Trenton, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Philadelphia Youth Film Festival
Philadelphia Youth Film Festival (PHYFF)
A student-run, free-to-enter film festival for filmmakers ages 14-19 worldwide, accepting narrative, documentary, experimental, and screenplay submissions, with a culminating public screening event in Philadelphia.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oakland University
Philosophy Camp
Students in grades 9–12 participate in a university-level summer exploration of philosophical questions and reasoning.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Teachers College, Columbia University
Philosophy for Students: Dialogue to Save the World
A pre-college course using the Philosophy for Children method in which students ages 14-17 hold philosophical dialogues on justice, climate change, identity, and truth, expressing ideas through zines, creative writing, and performance.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rutgers School of Public Health
PHocus
Students investigate outbreaks, epidemiology, population health and urban/community health while interacting with public-health scientists and practitioners. The 2026 enrollment fee was $395.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Phoenix Zoo
Phoenix Zoo ZooTeens
Year-long youth volunteer program for students entering grades 9-12 who commit to at least one 5-hour weekend shift per month from August through May, engaging guests and learning about conservation.
📍 Phoenix, AZ📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Susquehanna University
Photography Institute
Photography/visual media pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
AAPT
Physics Bowl
International multiple-choice physics competition for HS students.
📍 Global⏱ 45 min📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts
Physics in Motion: Theme Park Thrills
Students use geometry, trigonometry, statistics, probability and physics to analyze the motion and design of amusement rides, culminating in field measurements at a theme park.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, Michigan State University
Physics of Atomic Nuclei (PAN)
A free residential summer program at FRIB where high school students explore nuclear astrophysics, conduct their own experiments, and tour a world-leading rare-isotope laboratory.
📍 East Lansing, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UBC
Physics Olympics
Annual lab and theory physics competition for high schools.
📍 Vancouver, BC⏱ 1 day📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Montana School of Music
Piano Camp
Intensive piano camp incorporating performance, private/group instruction, theory, composition, jazz and ensemble experiences for secondary-school musicians.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Piano/Keyboard Workshop
Students age 15+ immerse themselves in contemporary piano, keyboard, and organ performance.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Dakota State University Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
PICNICS Summer Research Program
High-school students conduct hands-on research in NDSU chemistry, biochemistry, coatings, polymer/materials and engineering laboratories alongside university researchers.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Carnegie Mellon CyLab
picoCTF
Free annual cybersecurity capture-the-flag competition for students.
📍 Online⏱ 2 weeks📅 March🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Clemson University / SC 4-H
Pinckney Leadership Conference
Leadership, college/career exploration and civic engagement for selected students.
📍 SC🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
FIRST / Pine Tree District
Pine Tree District FIRST Robotics Competition
Maine's official FIRST Robotics Competition qualifying event, where high school teams from Maine and across New England compete head-to-head with robots they designed and built for a chance to advance to the FIRST Championship.
📍 Falmouth High School, Falmouth, ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, Michigan State University
PING: Physicists Inspiring the Next Generation (FRIB)
Two-week nuclear physics research experience for high school students at FRIB, pairing pre-college students with undergraduate mentors on a research project with possible national conference presentation and year-long continuation. Fully NSF-funded and free to participants; 2026 session ran July 12-25 (applications Jan 15 - Mar 15).
📍 East Lansing, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pioneer Academics
Pioneer Academics (Aid)
Accredited college-level research with US professors. Need-based aid up to full tuition.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 15 weeks📅 Multiple cycles🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Pioneer Academics
Pioneer Academics Research Program
One-on-one online research program with US professors across humanities, social sciences, and STEM; produces publishable paper.
📍 Online⏱ 4-6 months📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Pioneer Academics
Pioneer Research Institute
The world's first and only fully accredited online research program for high school students. Work directly with leading professors to conduct original research projects and earn four college credits. Participants engage in research group seminars, literature review, and 1:1 mentorship to develop an original, undergraduate-level research paper.
📍 Online, Globally Accessible📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Pittsburg State University Athletics
Pittsburg State High School Mega Football Camp
A one-day camp for high school football prospects led by Head Coach Tom Anthony, featuring speed and agility testing plus 1-on-1 and group drills in full pads.
📍 Pittsburg, KS (Robert W. Plaster Center)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Platteville School of Agriculture
Plant Biotechnology Boot Camp (UW-Platteville)
NSF-supported residential or commuter week of hands-on plant biotechnology for high schoolers: tissue culture, genetic transformation, DNA isolation, PCR and gel electrophoresis, with visits to the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center.
📍 Platteville, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Pacific Lutheran University Department of Music
PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings
A two-day honor orchestra for outstanding high school string players, nominated by their directors, with rehearsals under a guest conductor, sectionals and a public masterclass.
📍 Tacoma, WA📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pacific Northwest College of Art (Willamette University)
PNCA Pre-College Summer Intensive
A two-week, full-time pre-college intensive at PNCA's downtown Portland campus where students ages 14-18 build technical art and design skills and curate a group exhibition across tracks like Foundation, Animation and Creative Tech, and Creativity and Society.
📍 Portland, OR📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
PNNL High School Research and Business Internships
PNNL offers high school students academic-year (August-May, up to 4 hours a day) and full-time summer internships in research or business, with elective credit available through school work-based learning programs. Students must be 18 to work in lab spaces.
📍 Richland, WA📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Woodland Pattern Book Center
Poetry Camp (Woodland Pattern Youth Literary Arts)
Free one-week summer poetry camp sessions for Milwaukee youth entering grades 6-12 with writing instruction, meals, field trips and a published anthology of participant writing.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA)
Poetry Forward (ArtsWA)
A statewide original poetry writing program open to Washington schools serving grades 9-12, in which each school selects a student poet to enter the statewide contest for awards.
📍 Washington (statewide)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Utah Division of Arts & Museums
Poetry Ourselves Utah Original Poetry Competition
An original writing competition where grade 9-12 Utah students submit one or two original poems (or up to ten haiku) in English or Spanish. Students register and submit directly.
📍 Utah (statewide)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
Poetry Out Loud
A national poetry recitation competition that begins in high school classrooms and ends in a national final.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Academic Year📅 January 10🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alabama Writers' Forum (in partnership with the NEA and Poetry Foundation)
Poetry Out Loud - Alabama
A free national recitation competition for high schoolers that builds public speaking skills and confidence, with students reciting published poems (and optionally original or social-issues poetry) through classroom, regional, state, and national rounds.
📍 Regional competitions statewide; state finals at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Montgomery, AL📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky Arts Council
Poetry Out Loud - Kentucky
A national recitation competition for grades 9-12, run in Kentucky by the Kentucky Arts Council, where students memorize and perform poems in a schoolwide contest followed by state finals, with the state champion receiving $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to nationals for a shot at a $20,000 scholarship.
📍 Schools statewide; State Finals in Kentucky📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Dakota Arts Council / South Dakota Public Broadcasting
Poetry Out Loud - South Dakota
A free statewide poetry recitation and memorization competition for South Dakota students in grades 9-12 (public, private, or home school), building public-speaking skill and confidence; the state champion represents South Dakota at the national Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide, SD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana Humanities / National Endowment for the Arts
Poetry Out Loud — Indiana
A free statewide poetry recitation competition where high schoolers memorize and perform poems from an approved anthology, advancing from classroom to Indiana State Finals in Indianapolis and potentially national finals in D.C.
📍 Indianapolis, IN (state finals)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
California Arts Council
Poetry Out Loud California
A free national recitation competition, administered statewide by the California Arts Council, where high schoolers memorize and perform poems, advancing from classroom to school to county/district to state finals.
📍 California statewide; state finals in Sacramento📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado Creative Industries / Empowered / Lighthouse Writers Workshop
Poetry Out Loud Colorado
Free national recitation competition in which Colorado high schoolers memorize and perform poems, advancing from school and local competitions to the state finals at the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
📍 Denver Center for Performing Arts (state finals)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut Center for the Book / CT Department of Economic and Community Development (Arts)
Poetry Out Loud Connecticut
A free statewide poetry recitation competition where classroom winners advance through school, regional, and state finals, with the Connecticut champion competing at the National Finals in Washington, D.C. for scholarship money.
📍 Statewide (school-based, with a state final)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Poetry Out Loud DC
A free recitation competition, run as part of DC's Words on Fire festival, in which high school students memorize and perform published poetry to build public speaking skills and compete for national awards.
📍 Washington, DC (2026 DC finals at Planet Word Museum)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Division of the Arts
Poetry Out Loud Delaware
Statewide poetry recitation competition that builds public speaking skills and literary appreciation, advancing students from classroom competitions to school, regional, and state finals.
📍 Smyrna Opera House, Smyrna, DE (state finals)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia Council for the Arts / Alliance Theatre
Poetry Out Loud Georgia
Poetry Out Loud challenges Georgia students in grades 9-12 to memorize and perform poems, advancing through regional and state competitions toward the National Finals, with free educational materials provided to schools.
📍 Statewide; state finals via Alliance Theatre, Atlanta📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts & Honolulu Theatre for Youth
Poetry Out Loud Hawaiʻi
Free national poetry recitation competition for grades 9-12, progressing from classroom to school, state, and national finals, with curriculum materials supplied by the National Endowment for the Arts.
📍 Statewide; state finals in Honolulu📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho Commission on the Arts (Arts Idaho), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts
Poetry Out Loud Idaho
The Idaho leg of the national poetry recitation contest, where students in grades 9-12 memorize and perform poetry from an official anthology, advancing from school contests to state semifinals and finals in Boise.
📍 Statewide school contests; state finals in Boise, ID📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Illinois Arts Council Agency
Poetry Out Loud Illinois
National Endowment for the Arts recitation competition in which Illinois students progress from classroom to school, regional, and state finals reciting memorized poetry, with the state champion advancing to the National Finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Springfield, IL (State Finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Humanities Iowa / University of Iowa Office of Community Engagement
Poetry Out Loud Iowa
A recitation competition that encourages grades 9-12 students to study and perform poetry, progressing from classroom and local contests to the Iowa State Finals and a chance at the national finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide; State Finals in Iowa City, IA📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Louisiana Division of the Arts (Louisiana Dept. of Culture, Recreation & Tourism)
Poetry Out Loud Louisiana
A free statewide poetry recitation competition for grades 9-12 in which students memorize and perform poems from an official anthology, advancing from local and regional rounds to a state championship, with the state winner going on to national finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) / Maryland Humanities
Poetry Out Loud Maryland
Maryland's state recitation competition in the national Poetry Out Loud program, where high school students select and recite poems from an anthology, advancing from school to regional to state competition with a Poetry Coach mentoring finalists.
📍 Maryland (statewide)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Huntington Theatre Company (with Mass Cultural Council)
Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts
The Massachusetts state program of the national poetry recitation contest, in which high schoolers memorize and perform poems, advancing from school contests through semi-finals to a state final judged on interpretation and delivery.
📍 Massachusetts (statewide; state finals at Old South Meeting House, Boston)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Michigan Humanities
Poetry Out Loud Michigan
A free poetry recitation competition where high schoolers memorize and perform poems in increasingly competitive rounds, starting at school level and advancing to Michigan State Finals and potentially the national championship in Washington, D.C.
📍 Mt. Pleasant, MI (State Finals)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Southern Cities Student Coalition (SCSC) / Minnesota State Arts Board
Poetry Out Loud Minnesota
A statewide recitation competition in which high school students memorize and perform classic and contemporary poems, advancing from regional competitions to a state championship, with the Minnesota champion representing the state at nationals in Washington, DC.
📍 Regional sites and state championship, Minnesota📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri Arts Council
Poetry Out Loud Missouri
A national poetry recitation competition for high school students, in which participants memorize and perform poems, advancing from school-level competitions through seven regional contests to the Missouri state championship and national semifinals.
📍 Regional contests in Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Hannibal, Kansas City, St. Joseph, St. Louis, and Springfield📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nebraska Arts Council
Poetry Out Loud Nebraska
A free national poetry recitation program for grades 9-12 where students memorize and perform poems, advancing from classroom and local competitions to the Nebraska State Finals and a chance at the national competition in Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide Nebraska; State Finals in Kearney, NE📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Mexico Arts (NM Department of Cultural Affairs) / National Endowment for the Arts / Poetry Foundation
Poetry Out Loud New Mexico
A statewide poetry recitation competition in which New Mexico high school students memorize and perform published poems, advancing from the classroom to state finals and on to nationals.
📍 Albuquerque, NM (state finals at the National Hispanic Cultural Center)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina Arts Council / Children's Theatre of Charlotte
Poetry Out Loud North Carolina
A statewide poetry recitation competition for grades 9-12 (NEA/Poetry Foundation program) in which students master public speaking and literary heritage through memorization and performance, advancing from classroom to state finals to nationals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Charlotte, NC (state finals at Children's Theatre of Charlotte)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Tennessee Arts Commission (with The Porch)
Poetry Out Loud Tennessee
A national poetry recitation competition for Tennessee high school students that begins at the classroom level, where students memorize and recite poems before advancing toward the Tennessee state finals.
📍 Statewide, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Texas Commission on the Arts
Poetry Out Loud Texas
A poetry recitation competition where students memorize and recite poems from the Poetry Out Loud anthology, advancing from school contests to a statewide competition in February. The state finals are held in person in Austin.
📍 Austin, TX (statewide school contests)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Utah Division of Arts & Museums
Poetry Out Loud Utah
A poetry recitation competition where grade 9-12 students memorize and perform three published poems, advancing from school to regional to state finals. The state champion competes at the national finals in Washington, D.C. for a $20,000 grand prize.
📍 Utah (school, regional and state finals)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Commission for the Arts / Wayne Theatre
Poetry Out Loud Virginia
A poetry recitation contest for high school students that moves from classroom and independent competitions to virtual semifinals and a state final, with the state champion going to the national competition in Washington, D.C.
📍 Waynesboro, VA📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA)
Poetry Out Loud Washington
A poetry recitation competition for Washington high school students that runs from classroom and school contests through regional finals to a state final, with the state champion advancing to the National Finals.
📍 Washington (state final at Tacoma Little Theatre, Tacoma, WA)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wyoming Arts Council
Poetry Out Loud Wyoming
A free poetry recitation contest for Wyoming high school students; school champions advance to the state finals and the state champion competes nationally. Also includes Poetry Ourselves, a companion program for original student writing.
📍 Casper, WY📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Stevens Point Continuing Education
Point Music Camp
A week of immersive music study for serious young musicians entering grades 9 through graduated seniors, with UWSP faculty instruction in instruments and voice, electives, and a live concert.
📍 Stevens Point, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wake Forest University Pre-College Programs
Policy and Politics Institute
A week-long residential institute for grades 9-12 on American democracy, constitutional rights, international politics, and elections, culminating in student-developed public policy proposals.
📍 Winston-Salem, NC (Wake Forest Reynolda Campus)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vanderbilt University Programs for Talented Youth
Policy in Action: Who Decides? The Barnes Foundation Case
A one-week Vanderbilt Summer Academy course for rising 9th-10th graders analyzing policy change and community advocacy through the Barnes Foundation institutional case study.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
UMBC
Political Debate & Current Events
Students analyze current political issues and develop debate skills.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Polk County Conservation
Polk County Conservation Youth Corps
Teens complete paid conservation service restoring forests, prairies, wetlands, and trails while developing outdoor, teamwork, leadership, and environmental-science skills. Sessions are offered in spring, summer, and fall, with 2026 stipends reaching $600–$1,100 depending on session.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Polygence
Polygence Core Program
One-on-one online research mentorship with PhDs in any field; produces a tangible project.
📍 Online⏱ 3-6 months📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Polygence
Polygence Press
Symposium and publication outlets for high school student researchers in any field.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Polygence
Polygence Research Mentorship
1-on-1 online research mentorship with graduate students across any field; open globally.
📍 Global📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Polygence
Polygence Scholars (Financial Aid)
1:1 research mentorship with PhDs across any field. Full financial aid for qualifying students.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 10-20 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Polymer Innovators
High-school summer camp, polymer/materials science.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Polyphony Lit
Polyphony Lit Editorial Internship
International literary magazine staffed by high school students; editors and writers worldwide.
📍 Online⏱ Academic year📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Poolesville High School Math Team
Poolesville Math Tournament
An online high school math competition billed by organizers as Maryland's premier high school math competition, open to student teams statewide.
📍 Online (Maryland)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Community School of the Arts
Pop, Rock and All That Jazz
Students perform in pop, rock and jazz ensembles, receive private lessons, write songs, record music in a studio and learn about music technology and the music industry.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Johns Hopkins University
Population Genomics: Evolution, Extinction & Disease
Students examine population genomics in relation to evolution, extinction, and disease.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Port of Seattle
Port of Seattle High School Internship Program
Paid summer internships for high school students across Port departments in aviation operations, maritime operations, governance, community engagement and green jobs, with mentorship meetings, facility tours and resume workshops.
📍 Seattle, Washington📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Portland Urban Debate League (PUDL)
Portland Urban Debate League
A free competitive policy-debate league for Portland-metro high schoolers running tournaments from October through April, paired with student and teacher workshops to build critical thinking, research, and advocacy skills.
📍 Portland metro, OR📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minnesota Department of Education
Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO)
Minnesota students take eligible college courses on campus or online while earning both high-school and college credit. Tuition, required textbooks, fees, and required course materials are provided at no charge; grade-10 participation is more restricted than grades 11–12.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Princeton Plasma Physics Lab
PPPL Plasma Physics Research
DOE national lab program — fusion and plasma research mentorship.
📍 NJ⏱ 1 week + mentorship📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Pratt Institute
Pratt Fall and Spring PreCollege Classes
Spend Saturdays developing your skills in classes designed to fit a high school schedule. With both online and in-person options, students collaborate with peers from near and far while receiving expert guidance on their projects.
📍 Brooklyn, New York (and remote)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pratt Institute
Pratt Online Summer Program
Join a global community of students in live online classes, held Monday through Thursday. Through demos, critiques, and guided projects, instructors help students sharpen their skills and create polished, portfolio-quality work.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pratt Institute
Pratt Pre-College
Four-week summer college experience in art, design, and architecture.
📍 Brooklyn, NY⏱ 4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Pratt Institute
Pratt PreCollege
A college-level art and design program on Pratt's Brooklyn campus in which high schoolers aged 15.5-18 follow undergraduate curricula in fields like architecture, fine arts, graphic design, and fashion design, earning college credit and portfolio-ready work.
📍 Brooklyn, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pratt Institute
Pratt PreCollege Explore Program
Live and learn on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus! Spend two weeks learning about Fine Art, Design, or Architecture with a small group of peers. Program includes site-visits to artist studios and gaining a broad understanding of the different fields.
📍 Brooklyn, New York🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pratt Institute
Pratt PreCollege Intensive Program
Live and learn on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus! Spend four weeks taking two courses, building a portfolio, and experiencing life as a college student in New York City. This immersive program pushes students creatively while preparing them with college-ready work.
📍 Brooklyn, New York🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
Pre-Apprenticeship: Educators Rising Program
A Grow-Your-Own pre-apprenticeship pathway introducing middle and high school students to teaching careers, piloted in 2025-26 at five North Dakota school districts: Fargo, Hazen, Northern Cass, Watford City, and Williston.
📍 Fargo, Hazen, Northern Cass, Watford City & Williston, ND (pilot districts)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brown University
Pre-Baccalaureate
Brown University for-academic credit program for high school students.
📍 Online📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Maine College of Art & Design
Pre-College Art & Design Program
Students ages 15–18 spend three residential weeks in professional studios, choose two art/design majors, work with practicing artists, strengthen portfolios, and earn three transferable college credits.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Butler University
Pre-College Business Track
High-school sophomores through seniors explore marketing, sales, risk, and other business areas, build a team business pitch, and earn one college credit. Need-based assistance is available.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Butler University
Pre-College Healthcare Track
Students explore healthcare careers through laboratories, simulations, and activities related to pharmacy, nursing, respiratory care, and clinical practice.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Fairfield University
Pre-College Nursing Program
One-week primarily online program exploring nursing careers and the profession, with an optional campus visit and nursing-simulation laboratory experience.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Pennsylvania
Pre-College Online Program
Online version of Penn's Pre-College Program: students take one or two credit-bearing undergraduate courses taught by Penn faculty, alongside Penn undergraduates. Current 10th-11th graders. Session I runs May 26 - July 1 and Session II July 2 - August 7, 2026.
📍 Online⏱ Session I (May 26 - July 1) or Session II (July 2 - August 7), 2026🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Emory University
Pre-College Program
A 2-week program where high school students take one course per session. Non-credit, satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading. Offers both on-campus residential and commuter options. Includes Emory Exploration and Eagle Excursions.
📍 Atlanta, GA📅 May 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Skidmore College
Pre-College Program
Students take real undergraduate courses alongside college students for credit. Residential and commuter options are available; 2027 applications open in January.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Columbia University
Pre-College Program: Intensive Modern Chemistry Laboratory
An intensive three-week, in-person chemistry laboratory course for highly motivated high schoolers, with spectroscopy, chromatography and computer-simulation work plus a small research project and paper. Requires Algebra 1 and 2 and one year of high school chemistry; about $175 for class equipment.
📍 New York, NY (Columbia University)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UC Irvine Institute of Transportation Studies
Pre-College Research Immersion Program (PRIME)
Eight-week research experience where high-school students join a transportation research project and contribute under the mentorship of an ITS research associate. No prior research experience is required.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Pennsylvania
Pre-College Residential Program
Six-week residential program at Penn in which students take credit-bearing undergraduate courses taught by Penn faculty alongside Penn undergraduates. Current 10th-11th graders; students live in campus residence halls. No scholarships are available for the Pre-College Programs.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ About 6 weeks (June 30 - August 8, 2026)🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
Pre-College Summer Intensive
A rigorous, college-level residential or commuter program for students ages 15-17 offering studio classes, workshops, and artist talks in art and design, with the option to earn up to three college credits and build a stronger portfolio.
📍 Baltimore, MD📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Miami
Pre-College Summer Scholars Program
High-school students take a three-week credit-bearing university course while experiencing residential college life and exploring academic fields ranging from health and neuroscience to business and international relations.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Temple University
Pre-College Workshops
Two-week noncredit programs across 25+ subjects.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
University of Colorado Denver
Pre-Collegiate Development Program (CU Denver)
A year-round academic enrichment program for first-generation, college-bound 9th-11th graders, combining monthly Saturday Academies with summer sessions offering math, English, and college-seminar coursework.
📍 University of Colorado Denver📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
University of Cincinnati College of Engineering & Applied Science
Pre-Collegiate Robotics Competition
High-school teams receive LEGO SPIKE robotics equipment, mentoring from UC students and compete in an annual on-campus robotics competition.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Hartford, Hartford Art School
Pre-Collegiate Visual Arts Portfolio Workshop
Serious high-school artists spend four weeks developing studio skills, visual communication and original portfolio work for college art/design applications.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Susquehanna University
Pre-Engineering & Scientific Exploration
Engineering/science pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
Pre-Health Academy
A residential high-school academy provides exposure to health-related study and career pathways. The 2026 price was listed at $3,000.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Salt Lake Community College Crossroads Center
Pre-Health Summer Program
A six-week program introducing Salt Lake County high school students to healthcare careers through college-prep courses, facility tours, simulator experience, and daily professional presentations.
📍 West Jordan, UT (SLCC Jordan Campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Emory University
Pre-Med Institute
A 3-week program focused on pre-medicine, where high school students take one course. Non-credit, satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading. Offers both on-campus residential and commuter options. Includes Emory Exploration and Eagle Excursions.
📍 Atlanta, GA📅 May 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Quinnipiac University
Pre-Med Preparation: Medical Microbiology
Students investigate microorganisms, infectious disease and laboratory microbiology while exploring preparation for health and pre-medical study.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montclair State University
Pre-Medical Professions
Introduces students to medicine, healthcare careers and pre-med pathways.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Medical College of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy
Pre-Pharmacy Scholars Program
Three-day summer boot camp at MCW introducing high school and college students in the Milwaukee area to pharmacy careers with hands-on compounding and vitals collection, followed by program meetings through the year.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montclair State University
Pre-Teacher Academy
Immersive introduction to teaching and education careers.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Macalester College
PRE@Mac Pre-College Program
Free residential immersion at Macalester for high school students from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education (BIPOC and first-generation students): sample classes with faculty, community building and mentoring from current students. Out-of-state students receive airfare and transportation. Returns summer 2027; applications open in March with late-April notification.
📍 St. Paul, MN (Macalester College)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
UNC Wilmington
Precollege Mentoring Program
Free two-year mentoring and college-preparation program providing UNCW mentors, seminars, tutoring, community service and cultural enrichment.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
College for Creative Studies
Precollege Summer Experience & Teen Courses
A three-week precollege program (grades 9-12) earning 3.0 college credits while building an art/design portfolio in concentrations like animation, graphic design, fashion design, painting, and transportation design, plus shorter weekly teen studio courses.
📍 Detroit, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
Prepared & Protected: CPR, First Aid, and Disaster Readiness
Students study CPR, first aid, and emergency/disaster preparedness.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maryland Robotics Center, University of Maryland
PRIME-R — Pre-College Research Internships & Mentored Experience in Robotics
Students work 8–10+ hours per week in real UMD robotics laboratories with faculty and graduate researchers on AI, autonomous vehicles, drones, medical robotics, computer vision, and related projects. Program cost is $5,000.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Princeton SEAS
Princeton Day of Action / Princeton AI4ALL
Various Princeton SEAS outreach programs and summer engineering experiences for HS students.
📍 Princeton, NJ⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Princeton University
Princeton Model Congress
Four-day high school simulation of Congress run by Princeton students in DC.
📍 Washington, DC⏱ 4 days📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Princeton University Art Museum
Princeton University Art Museum Summer Academy
A free two-week intensive for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors from Trenton Central and Ewing High Schools to explore careers in art museums and the visual arts, working with Princeton mentors and regional artists on a capstone project, with no prior art experience required.
📍 Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Princeton University / Princeton Center for Complex Materials
Princeton University Materials Academy (PUMA)
A three-week, free materials-science and engineering program that has brought Trenton-area and other NJ high schoolers to Princeton's campus every summer since 2002 for inquiry-based labs, faculty-led research projects, and career-path conversations with grad students.
📍 Princeton, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press Junior Reviewers
Various junior reviewer / reader programs and writing contests in the humanities.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Evansville
Printmaking Camp — Grades 9–12
High-school students spend an intensive week creating original work while learning university-level printmaking processes.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
The Museum of Flight with Puget Sound Skills Center
Private Pilot Ground School (Museum of Flight)
A three-week, no-cost summer career and technical education course for Washington students that covers aerodynamics, aviation weather and flight instruments to prepare for the FAA private pilot written exam, with flight simulator training and field trips.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Product Design Academy
A program exploring the principles and processes of product design.
📍 University of Pennsylvania📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina A&T State University
Professional Accounting Career Exploration Summer Camp (PACE)
Free five-day residential program using workshops, case studies, mentoring and professional networking to introduce students to accounting careers.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center on Disability Studies
Project Hōkūlani Summer STEM Program
Students explore six STEM areas through culturally grounded hands-on activities, college and STEM-company visits and interaction with professionals.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
American Chemical Society — North Jersey Section
Project SEED
An 8-week mentored chemistry research internship in a university lab for high schoolers from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (family income typically under $34,000), hosted across NJ institutions including Rutgers-New Brunswick, Rutgers-Newark, Seton Hall, Ramapo College, William Paterson, and Fairleigh Dickinson.
📍 Multiple NJ campuses📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
American Chemical Society
Project SEED (Summer Experiences for the Economically Disadvantaged)
A paid summer research fellowship placing high school students from economically disadvantaged families in real chemistry labs with scientist mentors for 8-10 weeks, requiring at least one completed chemistry course.
📍 Multiple NY sites (NYU and other participating institutions)📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Project SELECT
Students completing grades 9 or 10 investigate biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering through hands-on experiments and design-and-build activities.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Wildlife Conservation Society / Fordham University
Project TRUE
Bronx students conduct authentic urban-wildlife and ecology research at the Bronx Zoo with scientists and Fordham mentors during summer and fall.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Ozark Natural Science Center
Project Water & Wilderness: Plugged into Nature
Two-week field-science program where students work alongside scientists, track wildlife, monitor bats, sample aquatic ecosystems, conduct a capstone study and explore conservation science.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Boston University
PROMYS
Selective six-week residential program in mathematics.
📍 Boston, MA⏱ 6 weeks📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Oxford / BU
PROMYS Europe
European edition of PROMYS at Oxford.
📍 Oxford, UK⏱ 6 weeks📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMass Lowell
PROPEL (Professional Research Opportunities to Prepare for Engineering and Life Sciences)
A competitive, full-time paid summer internship placing Massachusetts high school students in UMass Lowell labs to conduct research in engineering and life sciences alongside faculty and student mentors.
📍 Lowell, MA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Partnership for Maternal & Child Health / NJ Department of Health
Protect Me With 3+ Poster & Video Contest
Students create an original poster or 30-second video communicating the importance of vaccination and public health.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Providence College
Providence College Pre-College Summer Program
Five-day residential liberal-arts/college-life experience being developed for rising sophomores and juniors.
📍 RI🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
Provost Summer Mentorship Program
Four-week career immersion in Penn Medicine, Engineering, Nursing, Dental and Law.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 9–10
Highly Selective
OHSU-affiliated / Portland-area research institutions
PSI Program (Partnership for Scientific Inquiry)
A 16-week biomedical research introduction course (January-May, two hours weekly) for Oregon sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in medicine or biomedical research, with mentored research and an optional summer internship for students 16+.
📍 Portland, OR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Johns Hopkins University
Psychological Profiling
Students explore psychological profiling in an online pre-college setting.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Messiah University
Psychology Camp
A week-long overnight summer program introducing students entering grades 10-12 to clinical psychology, abnormal psychology, and biopsychology through faculty lectures, interactive demonstrations, and service-learning projects.
📍 Mechanicsburg, PA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Wake Forest University Pre-College Programs
Psychology Institute
A week-long residential institute for grades 9-12 exploring the brain, emotions, and senses, including a guided sheep-brain dissection, neuroplasticity exercises, and student-led observational research.
📍 Winston-Salem, NC (Wake Forest Reynolda Campus)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montclair State University
Psychology: The Human Mind Unlocked
College-level exploration of psychology and human cognition/behavior.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Psychopathology and Its Development
Students examine psychopathology and how psychological disorders develop.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Public Finance and Society
A location-based program in Cambridge, UK, focusing on public finance and its societal impact.
📍 Cambridge, UK📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UT Health San Antonio Institute for Integration of Medicine and Science / South Central AHEC / UTHealth Houston School of Public Health
Public Health Camp (UT Health San Antonio)
A free week-long summer camp for area high school students introducing public health careers and the 10 Essential Public Health Services. Run as a partnership since 2011 to build awareness of population health professions.
📍 San Antonio, TX📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Susquehanna University
Publishing & Editing Institute
Publishing/writing pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
The Telling Room
Publishing Workshop
Students work through the real editorial and production process to create and publish an anthology while learning book publishing, communication, writing, and leadership skills.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Green Bank Observatory / WVU / NANOGrav
Pulsar Science Collaboratory
An out-of-school citizen science project in which, after training, members analyze radio astronomy data from the Green Bank Telescope to search for new pulsars; students aged 13 and up and teachers can join.
📍 Online (with optional Green Bank, WV events)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Princeton University
PUMaC
Princeton University Math Competition. Team and individual events, held on Princeton campus each November.
📍 Princeton, NJ⏱ 1 day📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Purdue University
Purdue Extension Urban Agriculture Interns
Paid positions for Indianapolis youth to maintain urban gardens and learn about food justice.
📍 Indianapolis, IN⏱ 8 weeks📅 March 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Art of Problem Solving
Putnam-Style Online Practice
Free competition math forums, classes, and practice for K-12 students.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
The Putney School
Putney School Summer Arts Teen Program
Two- or four-week residential arts workshops for ages 14-17 in visual arts, filmmaking, animation, creative writing (fiction and poetry), acting, dance and songwriting.
📍 Putney, VT📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Putney Student Travel
Putney Student Travel
Summer global education programs in 30+ countries (community service, language, gap year).
📍 Global⏱ 2-6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wichita State University College of Engineering
Python Camp
Students learn the fundamentals of Python programming and its use in engineering, industry, and internet-connected projects.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Alaska Anchorage College of Engineering
Python Coding — Summer Engineering Academy
Introductory high-school programming camp teaching Python syntax, built-in libraries and third-party modules through practical programming challenges. No previous coding experience is expected.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Q?Crew Teen Volunteer Program
Teens help visitors explore scientific specimens and activities in Q?rius while learning science communication and museum skills and earning service hours.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Sandia National Laboratories
QCaMP (Quantum, Computing, Mathematics & Physics)
A free, week-long summer camp introducing high school students to quantum information science and technology, covering classical computing, quantum mechanics phenomena, and programming on a real quantum computer, offered in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Gallup.
📍 Albuquerque / Santa Fe / Gallup, NM📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Casper College
Quantum and Laser Fusion Science Camp
A two-week camp for high school students interested in physics, engineering and technology, with instruction from Texas A&M's Institute for Quantum Science & Engineering faculty and guest lecturers.
📍 Casper, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Quantum Bridge
High-school students receive an introduction to quantum science and technology.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Michigan State University College of Engineering
Quantum Motor City
A free NSF-supported summer camp introducing high school students to quantum computing, where participants program a real IBM quantum computer and tour MSU's Laboratory for Hybrid Quantum Systems.
📍 East Lansing, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Nebraska at Kearney Department of Physics and Astronomy
QUASAR — Quest for Understanding Astronomy, Science, and Research
Residential space-science camp involving professional telescopes, water rockets, gravitational mechanics, CAD, engineering challenges and the UNK Planetarium. The 2026 three-day program cost $100 including housing and meals.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Royal Commonwealth Society
Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition
The world's oldest international schools' writing competition; open to any student in the Commonwealth aged 18 or under.
📍 Commonwealth countries📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Queens College / CUNY
Queens College STEM Research Academy
Research preparation and faculty-guided projects emphasizing molecular biology and chemistry.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Quill and Scroll
Quill and Scroll International Writing Contest
Writing and photography contest for student journalists.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Connecticut Bar Foundation
Quintin Johnstone Statewide High School Essay Contest
Connecticut students research a contemporary constitutional/legal issue and write an analytical legal memorandum for statewide judging.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UND Center for Rural Health
R-COOL-Health Scrubs Academy II
Students shadow and interact with professionals across numerous health careers during a residential rural-health academy.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
East Central University
R. Darryl Fisher Creative Writing Contest
Statewide poetry and short-fiction competition associated with the Scissortail Creative Writing Festival.
📍 OK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Murray State University
Racer Instrumental Music Academy (RIMA)
Wind, brass, and percussion students spend a residential week in concert-band rehearsals, faculty instruction, musicianship development, masterclasses, and a final showcase concert.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Notre Dame
RADIANT: Research, AI, Data Innovation, and New Technologies
A course offered as part of the Notre Dame Leadership Seminars program.
📍 Notre Dame, IN📅 Annual — 2027 dates not yet announced🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Green Bank Observatory
Radio Astronomer for a Day (Green Bank Observatory)
Student groups work in research teams to study cosmic objects with the 40-Foot radio telescope, collecting data overnight and reviewing results with a Green Bank educator.
📍 Green Bank, WV📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Radius Adventure
Radius Adventure Outdoor Learning Programs
Tuition-free outdoor education programs for K-12 Colorado students, including rock climbing, backpacking, and canyoneering, that build leadership, communication, and decision-making skills through standards-aligned modules.
📍 Colorado Springs and partner schools statewide📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego / Health Scholars
Rady Children's Hospital Medical Academy
A healthcare-career exploration program for high school students featuring lectures, skills clinics, hands-on activities, and career panels with Rady Children's clinicians, offered as a two-week Summer Medical Academy or a weekend Medical Academy.
📍 Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas Tech University Whitacre College of Engineering Outreach & Engagement
Raider Robotics Academy (9th-12th Grade Camp)
A weeklong commuter robotics camp at Reese Technology Center where high schoolers learn FIRST Robotics Competition software, fabrication skills and build robots with SparkFun XRP kits, ending with a presentation day. Capacity is 24 students per camp.
📍 Lubbock, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
City of Raleigh
Raleigh Summer Youth Employment Program
Raleigh high-school students complete an eight-week paid summer work experience with city departments and partner employers.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest
An annual creative writing contest for high school students (grades 9-12) in Allegheny County, accepting short prose (fiction/nonfiction up to 4,000 words) and poetry (up to two pages), with up to two entries per student.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA (Allegheny County)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VCU Model United Nations Club
RAMMUNC High School Model UN Conference
An in-person high school Model UN conference at VCU's Monroe Park campus open to delegates in grades 9-12, including first-time delegates and individuals not affiliated with a school club.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Rays of Hope
Self-paced online course examining bycatch, fisheries technology and human impacts on fisheries and ocean ecosystems.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Federal Reserve Banks
RBA / Federal Reserve Essay Contests
Various regional Fed essay and case competitions for high schoolers.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Scripps Research
REACH High School Summer Internship Program
Seven-week full-time biomedical laboratory internship where students conduct hands-on research under a scientist mentor, attend scientific seminars and professional-development workshops, and present at the Summer Intern Symposium.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Reagan Foundation
Reagan Foundation Scholarships
Scholarship opportunities for outstanding student leaders.
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Alaska Anchorage College of Business and Public Policy
Real Estate Management + Investment (REM+I) Workshop
Three-day program where students learn why people invest in real estate, calculate cash flows and returns, analyze a property, tour real buildings, and meet Alaska property-industry professionals.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Rebel Classical Guitar Summer Camp
Beginning through advanced classical guitarists receive technique workshops, ensemble rehearsals, group instruction and performance experience ending in a recital.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
American Red Cross
Red Cross Youth Volunteer
Youth volunteer roles in disaster relief, blood services, education.
📍 Multiple states⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NC State University
Red Hat Shelton Challenge
Residential leadership program developing values-based leadership, teamwork, service and communication through group challenges.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Society for Science
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair
The world's largest pre-college STEM research competition with affiliated fairs in 60+ countries.
📍 USA (affiliated fairs worldwide)📅 Regional fairs Winter–Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
Regeneron ISEF
The largest international pre-college science fair. Qualify through an affiliated regional or state fair. Travel and lodging covered for finalists.
📍 Rotating US city⏱ 1 week📅 Regional Jan-Mar🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
Regeneron ISEF Categories
Finalists at Regeneron ISEF compete across 22 different scientific categories, covering a wide range of STEM fields.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
Regeneron Science Talent Search
Unique among high school competitions, the Regeneron STS focuses on identifying, inspiring, and engaging the nation’s most promising future leaders in STEM. Each year, around 2,600 students enter Regeneron STS, submitting original research in critically important scientific fields of study and full application for holistic review. $3.1 million in awards are distributed annually, including the first place prize of $250,000.
📍 Washington, D.C.📅 2026-11-05T20:00:00 EST🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS)
Unique among high school competitions, the Regeneron STS focuses on identifying, inspiring, and engaging the nation’s most promising future leaders in STEM. Each year, around 2,600 students enter Regeneron STS, submitting original research in critically important scientific fields of study and full application for holistic review. $3.1 million in awards are distributed annually, including the first place prize of $250,000. It is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science research competition for high school students.
📍 Washington, D.C. (Finals Week, if selected), Remote (Application)📅 November 5, 2026🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
LSU College of Engineering
REHAMS Engineering
Students live on LSU's campus for a week while exploring engineering disciplines, computer science, and construction management through hands-on design projects, faculty sessions, and laboratory tours.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Sternberg Museum of Natural History / Fort Hays State University
Research Academy Kansas
Returning Sternberg high-school campers work with authentic 3D fossil datasets, scientific literature, anatomical measurements, and geometric morphometrics while developing and testing research questions. Applicants must previously have completed a Sternberg high-school camp.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Alabama A&M University
Research Experience for Secondary School Students in Ceramics and Nanostructures
High-school students work in university laboratories on ceramics and nanostructured-materials research with faculty mentors during a summer research appointment.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Northwestern University CIERA
Research Experiences in Astronomy at CIERA for High School Students (REACH)
Students learn astronomy research, Python, and data analysis during a three-week research intensive, with an optional extended research component. Full and partial tuition assistance is available.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Florida CPET
Research Immersion in Science & Engineering (RISE)
One-week residential introduction to research with laboratory activities, faculty talks and tracks in engineering or environmental science/One Health.
📍 FL🎓 Grade 10
Highly Selective
UC Santa Barbara
Research Mentorship Program (RMP)
Seven-week intensive in which students work one-on-one with a UCSB graduate student, postdoc, or faculty mentor on an interdisciplinary university-level research project and participate in research lectures and academic programming.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Stevens Institute of Technology
Research Methods in Biomedical Engineering
Two-week program introducing experimental and research methods used in biomedical engineering.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
NC State University
Resource Conservation Workshop
Residential program combining field study, natural-resource science, conservation careers and scholarship competition.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Rhode Island
Rhode Island American Legion Oratorical Contest
A constitutional-themed public speaking contest, established nationally in 1938, in which students deliver an 8-10 minute prepared oration on the U.S. Constitution followed by a 3-5 minute response to an assigned topic.
📍 Rhode Island (statewide, post-level to state finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rhode Island Department of State (Office of the Secretary of State)
Rhode Island Civic Leadership Program
A year-long nonpartisan program that connects high school students to their state government, with teachers nominating up to three 'Civic Liaisons' per school to attend monthly sessions at the State House led by officials and community leaders.
📍 Providence, RI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College Upward Bound Program
A federally-funded, year-round college-access program for low-income, first-generation students at six target Rhode Island high schools, combining Saturday classes in math and writing with a six-week residential summer program on the RIC campus.
📍 Providence, RI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Rhode Island FBLA
Rhode Island FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
The Rhode Island high school chapter network of FBLA, open to all full-time secondary students, offering a Fall Leadership Conference, a Leadership Breakfast, and a State Leadership Conference with competitive business events each year.
📍 Rhode Island (statewide, chapter-based)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rhode Island FFA / Rhode Island Farm Bureau
Rhode Island FFA
The Rhode Island state association of FFA, an intracurricular organization for students interested in agriculture, food science, and related careers (not just farming), organized through local chapters including Narragansett, Chariho, Ponaganset, and Exeter West Greenwich FFA.
📍 Rhode Island (statewide, chapter-based)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brown University Department of Philosophy
Rhode Island High School Ethics Bowl
A collaborative (not adversarial) discussion competition in which teams from Rhode Island public, charter, and private high schools analyze real-world ethical cases, hosted annually at Brown University.
📍 Providence, RI (Brown University)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Rhode Island HOSA
Rhode Island HOSA (Future Health Professionals)
The Rhode Island state chapter network of HOSA, building leadership and technical competencies for students in health science education through Fall Leadership and State Leadership Conferences leading up to the International Leadership Conference.
📍 Rhode Island (statewide, chapter-based)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rhode Island Legal Education Foundation (RILEF)
Rhode Island Mock Trial Tournament
An annual statewide tournament, running for over thirty years, in which roughly 600 middle- and high-school students from 50 schools argue a case packet as attorneys and witnesses before real judges and magistrates at Rhode Island courthouses.
📍 Rhode Island (statewide, courthouse venues)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ocean State Chess Association (US Chess Federation affiliate)
Rhode Island Scholastic State Chess Championship
A USCF-rated scholastic chess tournament with a dedicated High School section (grades 9-12), with top finishers advancing to a Closed Invitational that selects Rhode Island's representatives to the national Denker tournament.
📍 Warwick, RI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rhodes College
Rhodes Summer Academy - Crafting Stories: Writing Fiction and Nonfiction Narratives
A two-week residential Rhodes Summer Academy course for students entering grades 10-12 studying the elements essential to writing sophisticated literary fiction and nonfiction narratives, earning two transferable college credits.
📍 Memphis, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Rhodes College
Rhodes Summer Academy - Medicine in the Ancient World
A two-week residential Rhodes Summer Academy history course for students entering grades 10-12 exploring medical theories and practices from the Near East, Egypt, and Greece through their development into Rome, using primary sources.
📍 Memphis, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Rice University School of Architecture
Rice Architecture Summer Immersion
A tuition-free twelve-day residential program giving Houston-area 10th and 11th graders hands-on experience in the principles of architecture and design, including drawing, model-making, and portfolio-ready work. Participants meet Rice faculty, students, and practicing architects.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Rice University Office of STEM Engagement
Rice BYTE! (Building Young Tech Engineers) Academy
A one-week summer academy teaching coding, microcontrollers and hands-on engineering with Arduino kits, sensor data analysis and a capstone project, including visits to research facilities such as a cleanroom. No prior experience is required.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Writers in the Schools (WITS) / Rice University Glasscock School
Rice Creative Writing Camp
Writing camp with interactive activities across poetry, prose, and creative nonfiction, including peer review and instructor feedback. The Rice University sessions are for students entering grades 6-12.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Rice University Office of STEM Engagement
Rice Digital Health Workforce Initiative (DHWI)
An NSF-supported paid program in which high school students explore wearable biomedical hardware or the software and data behind diagnoses, with a two-week summer immersion and Saturday sessions during the academic year.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–10
Highly Selective
Rice University Center for Engineering Leadership (RCEL)
Rice ELITE Tech Camp
A pre-college engineering and technology camp where students pick morning and afternoon technical courses such as robotics, Python, C++, AI/machine learning, 3D modeling and biomedical engineering, plus daily leadership workshops. Instruction is led by Rice engineering students under faculty-designed curricula.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Rice University
Rice Engineering Summer Academy
Pre-college engineering at Rice. Scholarships available.
📍 TX⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Rice University Center for Environmental Studies and Houston Climate Justice Museum
Rice Environmental Justice Summer Program for HISD Students
A free, week-long residential program on Rice's campus teaching HISD high school students about climate justice and environmental storytelling through arts and media practices. Field excursions have included Galveston Island and boat tours of Buffalo Bayou.
📍 Houston, TX📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Rice University Office of STEM Engagement
Rice Sustainable Futures Academy
A free one-week enrichment academy for high school girls (other students may also apply) entering 10th or 11th grade, exploring engineering challenges focused on sustainability through labs and discussions with Rice faculty. Activities include landing capsules, roller coasters and circuits with micro:bits.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Richmond Symphony School of Music
Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra
The Richmond Symphony's advanced pre-college youth orchestra for rising 7th graders and up, with auditions each spring and fall mid-season and an annual concerto competition.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rhode Island Music Education Association (RIMEA)
RIMEA All-State Music Festival
A statewide, audition-based music festival in which students competitively audition for Senior Division ensembles (band, orchestra, strings, percussion, vocal, jazz band, classical guitar), evaluated by a panel of professional musicians.
📍 Foster, RI (Ponaganset High School)📅 October🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UC San Diego Materials Research Science and Engineering Center
RIMSE Summer Schools — High School Research
Local high-school students develop an independent materials-science "Discovery" project after securing a UCSD research mentor and work alongside the MRSEC research community.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rhode Island School of Design
RISD Pre-College
Six-week intensive at the top art and design school.
📍 Providence, RI⏱ 6 weeks📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Rhode Island School of Design
RISD Pre-College Online
Intensive online college-level art/design courses and portfolio development.
📍 RI🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Schmidt Futures × Rhodes Trust
Rise
A lifetime program for 15- to 17-year-olds worldwide; the top ~500 finalists receive scholarships, mentorship, and career support to work on problems that matter.
📍 Remote application + summer residency⏱ Ongoing📅 Late January🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
RISE — Research, Inquiry Skills & Experimentation
Students design and pursue a year-long scientific research project, work with a mentor, and prepare to present at science symposia. The 2026–27 online program runs September through May and costs $1,200, with scholarships available.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rowan University
RISE — Rowan Introduction for Student Engineers
Multi-day engineering workshop with laboratory clinics, hands-on projects, campus tours and mentoring. The 2026 fee was $200; 2027 information is expected later in 2026.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rise
Rise (Schmidt Futures × Rhodes Trust)
Global program identifying brilliant young people who need support. Scholarships, mentorship, funding.
📍 Multiple + Remote (nationwide eligibility)⏱ Lifetime support starting at age 15-17📅 January🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Boston University
RISE Internship/ Practicum
Conduct university-level STEM research in a laboratory setting.
📍 Boston, MA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Cal Poly Pomona
RISE UP
Residential program introducing younger high-school students to academic preparation, leadership, career exploration, college readiness, community building and university life.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–10
Highly Selective
Wayne State University, Anderson College of Engineering
Rising 9th-12th Grade Summer Camps
Week-long day camps for rising 9th-12th graders exploring engineering, computer science, technology, and innovation through real-world projects in coding, design, construction, and game development.
📍 Detroit, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Mary
Rising Leadership North Dakota
A four-day residential summer leadership program for high schoolers at the University of Mary featuring first-person simulation experiences in business and health care, coordinated with Sanford Health and faculty from the Gary Tharaldson School of Business and Saint Gianna School of Health Sciences.
📍 Bismarck, ND (University of Mary campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Pittsburg Community Theatre and Pitt State Theatre
Rising Starz Theatre Camp (Pittsburg State University)
A summer theatre camp for ages 13-18 culminating in a full production (recently "Beetlejuice Jr.") staged at the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts.
📍 Pittsburg, KS (Pittsburg State University)📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
River Gallery School
River Gallery School Teen Studio
Weekly open studio for ages 12-18 where teens choose their own project and medium, including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, clay and weaving.
📍 Brattleboro, VT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
RoboCon New Jersey (student-run, FIRST Robotics Competition teams)
RoboCon New Jersey
A free, two-day public STEM/robotics event produced by NJ high school FIRST Robotics Competition teams, featuring 'Robot Rumble' exhibition matches, FRC/FTC/FLL team demonstrations, and a large-robot driving experience, open to student teams and the public.
📍 Bridgewater, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Notre Dame College of Engineering
Robotics Summer Camp
Local students entering grades 10–12 work in teams to construct and program robots and complete engineering challenges.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Stevens Institute of Technology
Robots, Humans and AI: From Past Visions to Future Stories
Interdisciplinary study of robotics and AI through technological, human and cultural perspectives.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
Rocket Engineering 101
Students explore rocket design and engineering concepts in a hands-on high-school summer program. The 2026 daytime option was listed at $650.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Minnesota, College of Science and Engineering
Rooted in STEM
A two-year pipeline program (10th through 12th grade) for Twin Cities students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM, meeting one Saturday per month for CSE faculty presentations, lab tours, and industry-alumni panels, plus summer enrichment. Graduates who enroll in CSE can receive a $40,000 3M scholarship.
📍 Minneapolis, MN📅 December🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Jane Goodall Institute
Roots & Shoots
Youth-led community action for people, animals, environment.
📍 Multiple states⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 1–12
Selective
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rose POWER
Students completing grades 9 or 10 explore engineering and making through prototype development, design challenges, and work in Rose-Hulman's innovation spaces.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rose-Hulman High School Mathematics Contest
High-school students compete by grade level in Rose-Hulman's long-running mathematics contest. Schools may enter students from freshman through senior classes.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio State / Otterbein / Rose-Hulman
Ross Mathematics Program
Six-week residential immersion in number theory for students new to proof-based math. Need-based aid covers tuition for many admits.
📍 Multiple campuses⏱ 6 weeks📅 March 31🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Rotary International
Rotary RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards)
Multi-day leadership training program for ages 14-30 hosted by local Rotary districts.
📍 Global⏱ 3-10 days📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Rotary International
Rotary Youth Exchange
Long-term (year) and short-term cultural exchanges for ages 15-19.
📍 Global⏱ 1 year📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
RoundPier
RoundPier Networking & Competition Portal
An online platform where students can find curated digital internships, summer courses, and research opportunities specifically for HS.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rowan University
Rowan STEAM Academy — Navigators
2027 program for incoming grades 10–12 combining STEAM coursework and a three-credit college experience; commuter and residential options are offered.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Rowan University
Rowan STEAM Academy — Pathfinders
Advanced residential STEAM experience for high-achieving students with research-focused coursework and university-level exploration.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Retirement Systems of Alabama
RSA Summer Internship Program
Students work full-time temporary summer positions with RSA, including clerical-aide and laborer roles, and receive wages.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Running Start
Running Start High School Program (Young Women's Political Leadership)
A leadership program that empowers young women to increase their political efficacy and leadership skills.
📍 Washington, D.C. / Online⏱ 1 week📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rutgers University Extension
Rutgers Master Gardener Youth Programs
Support for community garden initiatives and school composting programs led by NJ high schoolers.
📍 NJ⏱ Ongoing📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rutgers University
Rutgers Summer Scholars
High-school students age 16+ enroll in actual Rutgers undergraduate classes, choose from dozens of subjects and earn college credit. Courses may be in-person, online or hybrid.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Rotary clubs of western Washington (RYLA Northwest)
RYLA Northwest (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards)
Four-day residential leadership camp at YMCA Camp Colman in Longbranch for high school students nominated through their local Rotary Club.
📍 YMCA Camp Colman, Longbranch, WA📅 May🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Henry Ford Health
RYSE MED Program
A free, year-long program for underrepresented Metro Detroit high school students combining a six-week summer hospital immersion (shadowing physicians, VR clinical simulations) with academic-year mentoring and a health-equity research project.
📍 Detroit, MI (Henry Ford Hospital)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
S-PREP
Free academic enrichment program for students interested in medicine and STEM, with courses and preparation spanning science, math and health.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Museum of Nature & Science
S.T.E.A.M. Squad
Year-round teen volunteers lead science and nature activities and assist with gallery interpretation, museum collections, education programs, special events and summer camps.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Morgan State University School of Architecture and Planning
SA+P Design Summer Camp
A free day camp introducing rising 4th-12th grade BIPOC students to architecture, design, and planning through hands-on projects including sketching, Building Information Modeling, virtual reality, TinkerCAD, and 3D printing.
📍 Baltimore, MD📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oklahoma Farm Bureau & Oklahoma FFA
SAE CEO Challenge
A statewide pitch contest for Oklahoma FFA members who run their own entrepreneurship Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) business, combining a classroom entrepreneurship curriculum with a state-level pitch contest at the OKFB annual convention.
📍 Oklahoma City, OK📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Future Farmers of America (FFA)
SAE Grants
SAE Grants are awarded primarily based on financial need. Grant applications are evaluated by the SAE Grant Committee and are awarded primarily on demonstrated financial need.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
SAIC Early College Program
Intensive summer studio program for high schoolers earning college credit.
📍 Chicago, IL⏱ 4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm Drone Camp
A five-night residential camp teaching high schoolers Python programming, drone building and flying, and the ethics of AI and autonomous systems.
📍 Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Salt Lake County Mayor's Office
Salt Lake County Youth Government
A program for Salt Lake County middle and high school students to learn how government works and build leadership, advocacy and service skills, structured like the official county government. Students can run for elected offices or take non-elected roles and meet elected officials.
📍 Salt Lake County, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Salve Regina University / Rogers High School
Salve Pathways Program
Three-year first-generation college-access program with mentoring, SAT/college prep, financial literacy and a summer campus component.
📍 RI🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Carnegie Mellon University
SAMS
STEM coursework, projects and college preparation.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
San Francisco Zoo & Gardens
San Francisco Zoo Teen Volunteer Programs
Teen volunteer tracks at the San Francisco Zoo, including Junior Zoologists and Leadership Fellows for ages 15-17, training future ecologists and conservationists in animal care or public education roles.
📍 San Francisco Zoo & Gardens, San Francisco, CA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Sandia National Laboratories
Sandia High School Internship Program
Sandia hires students in their final years of high school for mentored R&D, engineering, technical and business work. High-school applicants generally must be at least 16; technical/R&D roles require a 3.0 GPA.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Sanford Health
Sanford Aspire Student Programs (MedX & EMT Certification)
Sanford Health's K-12 Aspire initiative gives high schoolers a behind-the-scenes look at health care careers through Sanford MedX career-exploration days with facility tours and hands-on activities, plus a hybrid online/live EMT certification course for seniors that leads to the National Registry EMT exam and college credit.
📍 Sioux Falls, SD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Sanford Health
Sanford Health Student Volunteer Program
A semester-long hospital volunteer program open to students age 16 and up who commit to a weekly shift in a health care setting, gaining direct patient-facing experience for those considering a medical career.
📍 Sioux Falls, SD📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Santa Fe Film Institute
Santa Fe Film Institute High School Scholarship
New Mexico high-school students with demonstrated film interest or experience may apply for a $500 scholarship plus a Santa Fe International Film Festival pass.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
SAT Preparation
Summer course providing structured preparation for the SAT.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Saturday Scrubs
Monthly high-school sessions introduce students to medicine through professional presentations and hands-on activities. Students attending seven sessions during the academic year earn a certificate.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Clemson University Cooperative Extension / National FFA Organization
SC FFA Association
The statewide student organization for agricultural education, offering 31 Career Development Events, leadership summits, and a state convention for students in agriculture-related coursework, spanning careers from biology to engineering.
📍 South Carolina (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM)
SC Governor's School for Science and Mathematics - Residential Program
A tuition-free, two-year public residential high school in Hartsville for current 10th graders with strong STEM records, offering advanced coursework, research opportunities, and a boarding-school experience for junior and senior year.
📍 Hartsville, SC📅 February🎓 Grade 10
Selective
South Carolina Governor's School
SC Governor's School Summer Programs
Free arts and STEM intensives for top SC students.
📍 SC⏱ 3 weeks (summer)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
HOSA-Future Health Professionals (South Carolina)
SC HOSA
South Carolina's chapter of HOSA-Future Health Professionals gives health-science students competitive events, leadership development, scholarship opportunities, and conference/networking experiences aimed at future healthcare careers.
📍 Chapters statewide, South Carolina📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
South Carolina Odyssey of the Mind
SC Odyssey of the Mind
A volunteer-run creative problem-solving competition for teams spanning kindergarten through college, where students write skits, build props, and engineer solutions to long-term open-ended challenges for state competition.
📍 Statewide, South Carolina📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Student Conservation Association (SCA) Seattle
SCA Seattle Urban Green Summer Crew
Paid summer conservation crew for Seattle high school students ages 14-18, working about 35 hours a week on urban park restoration with Seattle Parks and Recreation and partners, with environmental education field trips.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
The longest-running recognition program for creative teens in the US — writing, visual art, photography, film.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ Year-long competition📅 December-January (regional)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers (Arlington Public Schools; Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley)
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - Arlington and Southwest Virginia Regions
The Alliance's regional directory lists the Arlington County Art Region (Arlington Public Schools) and the Southwest Virginia Art Region (Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley) as Virginia affiliates where students in grades 7-12 enter art for regional Gold Key, Silver Key and national recognition.
📍 Arlington and Southwest Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers / School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - Massachusetts Writing Region
The Massachusetts regional affiliate of the nation's longest-running writing recognition program for teens, through which students in grades 7-12 submit work in categories like poetry, short story, and personal essay for regional and national Scholastic Awards.
📍 Massachusetts (regional partner: School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, Boston)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Plains Art Museum
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - North Dakota Art Region
The North Dakota regional affiliate of the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, inviting students in grades 7-12 to submit original artwork in categories such as painting, photography, sculpture, and architecture for Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention recognition.
📍 Fargo, ND (Plains Art Museum region)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Red River Valley Writing Project at NDSU
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - North Dakota Writing Region
The North Dakota regional affiliate for the writing categories of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, open to students in grades 7-12 submitting poetry, flash fiction, journalism, screenwriting, and other original writing.
📍 Fargo, ND📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Visual Arts Center of Richmond (VisArts) / Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - Richmond Region (VisArts)
VisArts is the regional affiliate that receives art and writing submissions from students at schools in Richmond City, Hanover, Henrico and Chesterfield; Gold and Silver Key work is exhibited and Gold Keys advance to the national awards.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Harris County Department of Education
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (Houston Region)
The Houston-area regional round of the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, where students submit original art or writing across 28-29 categories for regional Gold Key, Silver Key and national recognition.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Scholastic Art & Writing
Scholastic Art & Writing Programs (Exhibitions and workshops)
Exhibitions and workshops for teens, along with professional development for educators.
📍 Various📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Scholastic Art & Writing
Scholastic Art & Writing Scholarships
Information about scholarships available through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
📍 remote📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers / School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University
Scholastic Art Awards - Massachusetts Art Region
The Massachusetts regional affiliate of the Scholastic Art Awards, through which teens in grades 7-12 submit original artwork across categories such as painting, photography, and design for regional and national recognition.
📍 Massachusetts (regional partner: School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, Boston)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi Museum of Art / Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
Scholastic Art Awards - Mississippi Region
The Mississippi regional affiliate of the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, recognizing outstanding visual artwork from the state's middle and high school students, with Gold Key winners advancing to national judging.
📍 Jackson, MS📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nevada Museum of Art
Scholastic Art Awards - Northern Nevada Region
The Nevada Museum of Art administers the regional Scholastic Art Awards for middle and high school students across 13 northern Nevada counties, with Gold Key winners advancing to national competition and over $6,000 in scholarships awarded annually.
📍 Reno, NV (Nevada Museum of Art; open to 13 northern Nevada counties)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Milwaukee Art Museum
Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition
Wisconsin students in grades 7-12 submit art through a teacher for regional Scholastic Art Awards judging and a Milwaukee Art Museum exhibition, with scholarships available for graduating seniors who present portfolios.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
Scholastic Writing Awards
Regional and national recognition for student writers in 11 categories. Need-based fee waivers available.
📍 Regional + national⏱ Self-paced📅 Sept-Dec by region🎓 Grades 7–12
Moderate
Eudora Welty House & Garden / Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
Scholastic Writing Awards - Mississippi Region
The Mississippi regional affiliate of the national Scholastic Writing Awards, where students in grades 7-12 submit original work across ten categories including critical essay, poetry, short story, and journalism.
📍 Jackson, MS (Eudora Welty House & Garden awards ceremony)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New York Public Library (Schomburg Center)
Schomburg Center Junior Scholars Program
A six-month program for NYC students to examine inequality and social justice through research and advocacy.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 6 months📅 January 15🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Indiana University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
School of Science STEM Summer Camp
A four-day camp open only to high schoolers that gives hands-on exposure to all nine departments in the IU Indianapolis School of Science through experiments and access to state-of-the-art labs.
📍 Indianapolis, IN📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SAIC
School of the Art Institute Early College
Summer art and design intensives for high schoolers.
📍 Chicago, IL⏱ 1-4 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NYT / Hult
School of The New York Times Summer Academy
Need-based scholarships available; commuter and residential pre-college journalism courses in NYC.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 1-3 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Schoolhouse.world
Schoolhouse.world Tutor
A non-profit platform providing free, peer-to-peer tutoring in SAT prep and Math to students worldwide; volunteers can lead 'series' or 'sessions'.
📍 Online⏱ Flexible📅 Ongoing🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Science Accelerating Growth and Engagement (SAGE)
One-week day camp connecting students with LLNL scientists and engineers through hands-on STEM projects, job shadowing, laboratory/workplace tours and career exploration.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Ohio State University at Marion
Science Adventurers: Elements of Discovery
A week-long day camp covering biology, chemistry, and environmental technology -- decoding DNA, making molecular gastronomy treats, testing water quality with 3D-printed colorimeters, and learning how AI supports scientific research -- plus prairie fieldwork and the YMCA Cardboard Boat Regatta.
📍 Marion, OH (Ohio State University at Marion)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Department of the Navy / ONR
Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
Interns work at a Naval laboratory on real-world research under the mentorship of professional scientists and engineers.
📍 Nationwide⏱ 8 weeks📅 January 12🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
James Madison University School of Professional & Continuing Education / John C. Wells Planetarium
Science Explorers High School Residential Camp
Week-long residential camp for rising 9th to 12th graders with hands-on science in biology, earth science, chemistry, forensic science, physics and astronomy, run with the JMU planetarium.
📍 Harrisonburg, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National Geographic / Disney+ / Hulu
Science Fair: The Series
A three-part docuseries following young innovators, engineers, and scientists on their way to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
📍 Remote🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Columbia University
Science Honors Program (SHP)
A selective Saturday-morning program (10am-12:30pm, September-May) for high school sophomores through seniors living within 75 miles of Columbia's Morningside campus, with courses in the physical, chemical, biological, behavioral and computing sciences taught by active researchers. Starting Fall 2026 the annual program fee is $900 for new students ($700 returning), with hardship waivers possible.
📍 New York, NY (Columbia University, within 75 miles)📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Hudson River Park
Science Leadership Program
Six-week paid marine/ecology research and science-leadership internship for eligible female-identifying students from designated feeder programs.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad
Team-based STEM competition with 23 events spanning earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Regional through national rounds.
📍 School team + regional⏱ School year📅 Aug-May season🎓 Grades 6–12
Moderate
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Science on Saturday
Winter lecture series geared toward high-school students, featuring scientists and engineers discussing current research across physics, fusion, engineering and other technical fields.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Museum of Natural History
Science Research Mentoring Program
Paid year-long authentic research with AMNH scientists in areas such as genomics, evolutionary biology, astrophysics and earth science. Class of 2028 applications are expected in winter 2027.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
City of Cambridge / Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP)
Cambridge Rindge and Latin students undertake a paid, year-long independent astrophysics research project with Center for Astrophysics scientists.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Toledo Instrumentation Center
Scientific Instrumentation Summer Camp
Students use advanced scientific instruments including MALDI mass spectrometry, super-resolution microscopy, X-ray diffraction and NMR.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Colorado State University
SciVet Summer Program
Students investigate veterinary science through laboratory and fieldwork involving wildlife research, water quality, native bees, veterinary medicine, dendrochronology and related topics.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Indiana University Cinema Academy
Screenwriting Academy
Students develop screenplays using professional story-development practices and receive instruction in writing for film.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
Screenwriting Workshop (Mason Community Arts Academy)
A summer workshop for ages 13-18 on writing for the screen, led by George Mason film and video studies faculty at the Art and Design Building.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of New England / Maine AHEC Network
Scrub Clubs
Four-day summer clinical-skills programs for students in grades 8-12, featuring suturing, casting, IV training, operating-room simulations, and CPR, first aid, and Stop the Bleed certifications.
📍 University of New England, Biddeford, ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minnesota State University Moorhead / HealthForce Minnesota / Essentia Health
Scrubs Camp (Minnesota State University Moorhead)
Four-day day camp for students entering grades 9-12 to explore health care careers and experience college life, co-sponsored by HealthForce MN and Essentia Health. A scholarship application is available alongside registration.
📍 Moorhead, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UW-Superior
Scrubs Camp (UW-Superior)
A summer day camp for students in grades 9-12 exploring health care careers at UW-Superior as part of the university's 7-12 educational summer camps.
📍 Superior, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Winona State University
Scrubs Camp (Winona State University)
Week-long residential health care career camp for students entering grades 9-12: participants live in a residence hall and take part in hands-on activities related to health care. Full scholarships are available to students who demonstrate financial need.
📍 Winona, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
South Central Service Cooperative / Minnesota State University, Mankato
SCSC Writing Contest
K–12 students from south-central Minnesota submit fiction, nonfiction, or poetry around an annual theme. Selected writers are recognized through the contest and authors reception; the 2026–27 theme is "History Then and Now."
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
South Dakota Mines
SD Mines Summer Tech Academy
STEM camps at SD Mines. In-state aid.
📍 SD⏱ 1 week (summer)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Seattle Chamber Music Society
Seattle Chamber Music Society Youth Academy for Chamber Music
Pre-college chamber music program in which students ages 12-18 are placed into ensembles, coached weekly by professional musicians and perform in masterclasses and a showcase.
📍 Center for Chamber Music, 601 Union Street, Seattle, Washington📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle Children's Mental & Behavioral Health Camp
Free five-day camp for Puget Sound high school students ages 16-18 to explore careers in mental and behavioral health at Seattle Children's sites.
📍 Seattle Children's Hospital, Magnuson and Bothell sites, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle Children's Nurse Camp
Free five-day summer camp at Seattle Children's Hospital where Puget Sound teens ages 16-18 explore nursing careers through hands-on activities and time with hospital staff.
📍 Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle Children's Scrubs & 'Scopes Camp
Free five-day camp at Seattle Children's Hospital for Puget Sound teens ages 16-18 interested in medical and surgical careers.
📍 Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Seattle Public Schools Seattle Skills Center
Seattle Skills Center Summer Program
Free in-person summer introductory career and technical classes for Seattle Public Schools students entering grades 9-12, including medical careers, engineering, automotive, culinary, media arts, video game design, maritime operations and education.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle University School of Law with University of Washington School of Law and Just the Beginning
Seattle University School of Law Summer Legal Institute (Law & Leadership Conference)
Multi-day summer law and leadership conference for high school students with mock law classes, panels with faculty and alumni, visits to federal courts and law firms, and a learning session on applying to law school.
📍 Seattle University and University of Washington law schools, Seattle, Washington📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
City of Seattle
Seattle Youth Employment Program
Free paid summer internships for Seattle youth ages 16-21. Targeted toward youth furthest from opportunity.
📍 Seattle, WA⏱ 8 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle Arts & Lectures (Writers in the Schools)
Seattle Youth Poet Laureate
Annual honor for a young Seattle-area poet committed to poetic excellence and civic engagement, with a stipend, mentorship, a published chapbook, public readings and eligibility for regional and national competitions.
📍 Seattle, Washington📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras (SYSO)
Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras Academic Year Orchestra Program
Audition-based youth orchestra program with five orchestras at different levels, Saturday rehearsals and at least three public concerts each year, plus summer music and conservatory offerings.
📍 Seattle, Washington📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UC Berkeley ATDP
Secondary Division
For students completing grades 7–11. Rigorous summer courses in an area of deep interest.
📍 Multiple📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory / Columbia partners
Secondary School Field Research Program
Six-week summer field and laboratory research experience focused on environmental and ecological sciences for students from participating schools.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Harvard University
Secondary School Program (4-week)
Experience what it’s like to be a college student for 4 transformative weeks. This residential program allows students to choose one accelerated 4-credit course, with limited enrollment for increased interaction with faculty and peers, and earn college credit.
📍 Cambridge, MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Akron, Women in Engineering Programs
SEE UA! Summer Experience in Engineering Camp
A week-long residential or day camp for young women entering grades 9-12, immersing them in biomedical, civil, chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering through hands-on projects, tours of local engineering firms, and a team design competition.
📍 Akron, OH (University of Akron)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute / Indiana University Indianapolis
SEED/STEM Summer Program
Indiana high-school students spend eight weeks working full-time with a faculty research mentor and finish by presenting their project. Need-based stipends of up to $4,000 are available.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland (Ed Snider Center)
SELF: CEO of ME (Snider Enterprise and Leadership Fellows)
A summer program where high schoolers become the 'CEO of ME, Inc.,' learning entrepreneurship, leadership, economics, strategy, and personal finance while building a venture pitch, with in-person commuter, residential, and fully online options.
📍 University of Maryland, College Park, MD📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Maine College of Engineering and Computing
Semiconductor Camp
High-school students study bits, gates, transistors, circuits, integrated devices, and semiconductor systems through hands-on electronics work and a Texas Instruments visit.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Arizona College of Engineering
Semiconductors — Summer Engineering Academy
Students investigate how semiconductor devices are designed, manufactured, tested, and incorporated into products while exploring related engineering careers.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina General Assembly
Senate Page Program
Students serve for a legislative week with the North Carolina Senate, assisting chamber operations and observing lawmakers and committees.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Office of Senator Jack Reed / Rhode Island Art Education Association (RIAEA)
Senator Reed High School Art Competition
An annual statewide art competition co-sponsored by Senator Jack Reed and RIAEA in which each participating Rhode Island high school submits up to three student artworks for judged exhibition and awards.
📍 Warwick, RI (Warwick Mall exhibit)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi State University Bagley College of Engineering
Senior Engineers
Students complete engineering-design activities with faculty, tour university engineering facilities, learn about engineering pathways, and participate in college-readiness preparation during a two-day program.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
New York State School Music Association
Senior High Area All-State Festival
Selected high-school musicians perform in regional NYSSMA ensembles after competitive evaluation. The 2026 festival cycle includes November events around New York.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
South Central Service Cooperative
Senior High Knowledge Bowl
Five-student high-school teams compete in interdisciplinary academic invitationals and regional events, with qualifying teams advancing to the Minnesota state competition. Registration is open for the 2026–27 season.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio University
Senior Summer Dance Intensive
Two-week intensive dance program taught in Ohio University's professional performing-arts environment.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of New Hampshire
Senior Summer Youth Music School
Nine-day intensive with concert band, chorus, orchestra, jazz, masterclasses, electives and ensemble performance. Summer 2027 is already confirmed for July 24–August 1.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Arizona College of Engineering
Service through Engineering
Students design engineering solutions intended to improve communities while experiencing university engineering, teamwork, leadership, and hands-on design.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
SETI Institute
SETI Institute REU and Education
Astronomy and astrobiology education programs including HS workshops.
📍 Mountain View, CA⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of the South
Sewanee Young Writers' Conference
A rigorous two-week writing workshop where students live at Sewanee: The University of the South and work with acclaimed authors.
📍 Sewanee, TN⏱ 2 weeks📅 January 15🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
SF DCYF
SF Mayors Youth Employment & Education
Free paid year-round and summer internships for SF youth.
📍 San Francisco, CA⏱ Flexible📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Columbia Engineering
SHAPE — Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers
Three-week project-based engineering program with tracks in engineering, robotics, computing, design and related technologies.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wofford College
Shared Worlds Writing Camp
A two-week residential science-fiction and fantasy writing camp at Wofford College for rising 8th-12th graders, where campers build an imaginary world with published genre authors and workshop their own fiction set in it.
📍 Spartanburg, SC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Shenandoah Conservatory
Shenandoah Conservatory Summer Dance Intensive
A week-long summer dance intensive for rising sophomores through rising first-year college students, ending in an informal showing.
📍 Winchester, VA📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Shepherd University
Shepherd University NeuroData Summer Camp
A one-week summer camp where students explore the fundamentals of neuroscience and data science through hands-on, real-world applications.
📍 Shepherdstown, WV📅 April🎓 Grades 8–12
Highly Selective
Sheridan College
Sheridan College Music Tech Camp
A five-day intensive for ages 13-18 in recording, audio engineering, digital music composition, songwriting and live sound, ending with a showcase of student work.
📍 Sheridan, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin Philharmonic
Shining Stars Competition
A spring audition competition for Waukesha County middle and high school instrumentalists, awarding Shining Stars scholarships and a $1,500 scholarship for a high school senior continuing into a declared music major.
📍 Waukesha County, WI📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland
Shirley Povich Sports Journalism Summer Camp
A weeklong July camp at Knight Hall for students entering grades 9-12 offering hands-on instruction from sports media professionals in sports writing, broadcasting, video production, and analytics.
📍 University of Maryland, College Park, MD📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hawaiʻi Creative Media / Hawaiʻi Department of Education partners
SHOOTS Summit Hawaiʻi
Statewide student-media gathering featuring workshops, industry speakers and competitions in film, broadcast media, photography, graphic design and related creative fields.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Florida Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience
SHORE Academy
Students complete hands-on marine-science and research experiences at UF's coastal Whitney Laboratory.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Science Coach / St. Charles Community College
Show-Me SCIENCE Competition
Missouri statewide science, invention, and engineering competition for students who advance from affiliated regional fairs. The April 8–9, 2027 competition includes biology, chemistry, computing/math, engineering, environmental science, medicine, physics/astronomy and other categories; top students advance to ISEF.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Sacred Heart University, Dr. Susan L. Davis College of Nursing
SHU Nursing Immersion Program
A week-long summer immersion at Sacred Heart's Center for Healthcare Education, in partnership with Nuvance Health, where area high schoolers earn CPR certification, work in simulation labs with the Anatomage Table, and visit a hospital's clinical acute care unit.
📍 Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT; clinical visit at Norwalk Hospital📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Sierra Club ICO
Sierra Club Inspiring Connections Outdoors
Outdoor leadership and conservation volunteer service.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Sierra Club
Sierra Student Coalition
Youth-led grassroots environmental network with trainings, fellowships, and campaigns.
📍 United States⏱ Year-long📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Signature Theatre
Signature Conservatory (Teen Acting Program)
A weekly acting program for serious teenage actors ages 14-18 in the DC area, meeting Wednesday evenings at Signature's Education Center in Arlington, with up to 20 students per semester selected by application.
📍 Arlington, VA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Simpson College
Simpson College Jazz Combo Camp
Middle- and high-school musicians study jazz improvisation, theory, history, masterclasses, rehearsals, and performance during an intensive six-day camp. The 2026 fee was $625 residential or $525 commuter, with scholarships available.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNLV
SISTEM (Student Interactions with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
A free, semester-long series of talks and hands-on interactions that lets any Nevada high school student learn about STEM careers and research directly from STEM professionals, with an in-person track for students near UNLV and a remote option for students elsewhere in the state.
📍 Las Vegas, NV (remote option statewide)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Alabama, Styslinger College of Engineering
SITE (Student Introduction to Engineering)
A six-day, five-night residential summer camp introducing rising high school sophomores through seniors to engineering and computing disciplines through hands-on labs, an industrial plant tour, and a team design competition.
📍 University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
SIU Project Upward Bound
Free federally funded TRIO college-prep program for first-generation, low-income, or academically at-risk high schoolers, offering tutoring, academic counseling, a six-week summer program, and university field trips.
📍 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Southern Illinois University Carbondale (STEM Education Research Center)
SIU STEM Research Academy
Four-week research camp for students in grades 9-12 to conduct authentic research alongside SIU faculty, choosing from 17 projects spanning physics, biology, computing, and environmental science.
📍 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
SIU Young Writers' Conference
Two-day writing workshop for high school and junior college students to hone prose and poetry skills under published authors, capped at 30 participants with a 'Best of the Conference' award.
📍 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL📅 June🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA / CTECS
SkillsUSA (Connecticut Technical Education and Career System)
Students from Connecticut's 17 technical high schools compete each spring at the SkillsUSA State Conference across dozens of occupational skill categories, with top finishers advancing to the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference.
📍 Connecticut Technical Education and Career System high schools statewide📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Arizona
SkillsUSA Arizona
Workforce-development student organization for students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations, with regional and state competitions across Arizona.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SkillsUSA California
SkillsUSA California
California's SkillsUSA chapter serves over 59,000 students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations, with regional, state, and national competitions in more than 130 disciplines.
📍 California (regional conferences statewide; state conference location varies)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Colorado
SkillsUSA Colorado
Career and technical student organization developing skilled trade workers through regional and state competitions in fields like construction, automotive, cosmetology, IT, and manufacturing.
📍 Chapters statewide; State Leadership Conference (previously held in Pueblo)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Florida
SkillsUSA Florida Fall Leadership Conference
A fall training conference for SkillsUSA Florida student members built around the 'Maximize' student leadership track, focused on teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.
📍 Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center, Leesburg, FL📅 August🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Florida
SkillsUSA Florida State Leadership and Skills Conference
Florida's premier career and technical education competition, where more than 1,700 high school and college students compete in over 100 trade, technical, and leadership contests judged by industry professionals, with gold medalists advancing to the National Leadership and Skills Conference.
📍 Jacksonville, FL📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Georgia
SkillsUSA Georgia
SkillsUSA Georgia develops high school students pursuing trade, technical, and skilled-service careers through a Champions Rally, Fall Leadership Conference, and regional-to-national skills competitions.
📍 Statewide; based in Ringgold, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SkillsUSA Illinois
SkillsUSA Illinois State Leadership & Skills Conference
Career and technical student organization serving more than 3,000 Illinois members across 100-plus occupational programs, culminating in the State Leadership & Skills Conference (SLSC) with a pathway to national competition.
📍 Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Indiana
SkillsUSA Indiana
The Indiana chapter of the national career and technical student organization, where high school students in skilled-trade and technical programs compete in regional and state skill competitions and pursue chapter leadership roles.
📍 Indianapolis, IN (statewide chapters)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Iowa
SkillsUSA Iowa State Leadership & Skills Conference
Iowa's annual skilled-trades CTSO conference where high school and college students compete in nearly 70 hands-on competitions spanning nearly every skilled trade.
📍 Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines, IA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Kansas
SkillsUSA Kansas State Championships
Career and technical education students from across Kansas compete against the clock in skilled-trade contests such as automotive refinishing, cabinetmaking, culinary arts, and welding fabrication, with state gold medalists advancing to SkillsUSA Nationals.
📍 Hutchinson, KS📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Louisiana
SkillsUSA Louisiana State Conference
Louisiana's statewide SkillsUSA leadership and skills conference where secondary students compete in hands-on contests across career fields including information technology, health care, and construction.
📍 Louisiana (site varies)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Maine
SkillsUSA Maine
Career and technical student organization for Maine middle school, high school, and postsecondary students in skilled trades, hosting an annual State Leadership and Skills Conference plus a statewide Jump Start Conference.
📍 Statewide, Maine📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Missouri / Missouri Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education
SkillsUSA Missouri
SkillsUSA Missouri serves high school students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations across nine districts and 85+ local chapters, culminating in a State Leadership and Skills Conference with more than 150 competitive events.
📍 Local SkillsUSA chapters statewide; State Leadership and Skills Conference📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA New Hampshire
Membership organization for NH high school and career-technical students competing in over 60 skill areas, from automotive technology to digital filmmaking, with leadership training and scholarships.
📍 Manchester, NH (statewide chapters)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA North Carolina
SkillsUSA North Carolina
The state CTSO serving middle school, high school and postsecondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations, hosting an annual state conference with 3,000+ students competing in 140+ skilled, technical and leadership events.
📍 Statewide, NC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA / North Dakota
SkillsUSA North Dakota
A career-readiness CTSO for trade, industrial, technical, health science, and IT students, culminating in a State Leadership & Skills Conference and national championships spanning 100+ occupational and leadership skill areas.
📍 Bismarck, ND (state office) and statewide chapters📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SkillsUSA North Dakota
SkillsUSA North Dakota State Leadership & Skills Conference
Students compete in technical, occupational and leadership events spanning skilled trades, engineering, technology and career preparation.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Rhode Island
SkillsUSA Rhode Island
The Rhode Island state association of SkillsUSA, a partnership of students, teachers, and industry building career and technical skills through school-based chapters, culminating in the annual State Leadership & Skills Conference (SLSC).
📍 Rhode Island (statewide, chapter-based; conference at rotating sites)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SkillsUSA Texas (SkillsUSA, Texas Association, High School Secondary Division)
SkillsUSA Texas
SkillsUSA Texas is a career and technical student organization partnering students, teachers, and industry to build a skilled workforce through leadership training and skills competitions. Students in Career and Technical Education programs can join and compete at district, regional, and the State Leadership and Skills Conference.
📍 Texas (statewide chapters)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 6–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Vermont
SkillsUSA Vermont
Vermont's SkillsUSA state association holds a fall leadership conference and a spring conference with nearly 70 hands-on technical and professional contests for career and technical education students.
📍 Vermont (state conference)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Virginia
SkillsUSA Virginia
State association of SkillsUSA for career and technical education students, with competitions in more than 100 areas and leadership training workshops across the year.
📍 Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Washington
SkillsUSA Washington
Washington's SkillsUSA state association serving middle school, high school and college career and technical students in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, with a State Leadership & Skills Conference.
📍 Washington (state conference)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Wisconsin
SkillsUSA Wisconsin State Leadership and Skills Conference
Wisconsin chapter of SkillsUSA running regional and state technical and leadership competitions for middle school, high school and college students in dozens of skilled trades and technical fields.
📍 Madison, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SDSU Extension 4-H
SkillsX by 4-H (Teen Leadership Conference)
An on-campus leadership conference for South Dakota youth ages 13-18, featuring workshops, campus tours, community service projects, and keynote speakers, planned each year by the State 4-H Ambassadors.
📍 Brookings, SD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kean University
SkyLAB
Environmental-science program involving biodiversity, climate, renewable energy, drones, soil/water analysis and fieldwork at Kean Skylands.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Rutgers Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
SLAAM Engineering Summer Academy
Two-week academy combining faculty-guided research projects with mechanical and aerospace engineering design challenges. The 2026 fee was $875.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SLC Brain Bee Committee, University of Utah
SLC Brain Bee
Annual neuroscience competition free to Utah high school students, with neuroanatomy and neurological disease questions, Brain Awareness Week modules, a graduate student panel and laboratory tours at the University of Utah Health Sciences campus. The 2026 event was March 21.
📍 University of Utah Health Sciences Campus, Salt Lake City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Utah State University Center for the School of the Future
Slopes Hackathon
A free 12-hour coding competition where high school students form teams of up to four and build a working project from scratch with mentoring from USU faculty, students, and industry professionals.
📍 Logan, UT📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Saint Louis University School of Science and Engineering
SLU STEM Pre-College Programs (Aviation & Engineering Summer Academies)
SLU's School of Science and Engineering runs residential summer academies -- including an Aviation Summer Academy (flight science, aircraft design, UAVs) and an Engineering Summer Academy (aerospace, mechanical, biomedical, electrical, civil) -- introducing high schoolers to STEM career paths.
📍 Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
SLU Summer Scholars Program
A four-week, in-person healthcare pathway program for St. Louis-area students entering grades 10-12 interested in medicine, offering hands-on healthcare experiences coordinated by first-year SLU medical students on weekday mornings in June.
📍 Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
The Smallpeice Trust
Smallpeice Trust Engineering Courses
Residential engineering courses at UK universities for Year 10–13 students — many fully funded via bursaries; specialisms include civil, aerospace, chemical, and robotics.
📍 United Kingdom⏱ 2–5 days📅 Rolling · by course🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Alaska Anchorage College of Engineering
Smart Maps — Geomatics
Students perform surveying and outdoor fieldwork, collect real-world spatial data, convert it into digital maps, and use web applications to explore applications such as environmental planning and disaster response.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
SMART Summer Program
A free four-week summer enrichment program, established in 1991, that introduces rising 10th-12th graders from economically or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds to health science and biomedical research careers.
📍 Newark, NJ📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
St. Mary's College of Maryland
SMCM Summer Space Camp
High-school students from St. Mary's, Calvert, and Charles counties participate in a free STEM-focused space camp led by three SMCM professors. Lunch is provided.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Tufts University
SMFA Studio Art
An intensive studio art program offered by SMFA.
📍 Tufts University📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Smith College
Smith Summer Science & Engineering Program
Research courses for young women in STEM. Substantial need-based aid.
📍 MA⏱ 2-4 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Youth Engagement
Internships across Smithsonian museums and research centers.
📍 Washington, DC⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Maine Early College / Downeast Institute
SMS 103: Oceanography on the Ocean
Students earn four college credits during a two-week residential course studying physical, chemical, geological, and biological oceanography on Maine's coast.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Southern Methodist University
SMU Pre-College
Rising juniors and seniors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area take for-credit, university-level summer courses on SMU's campus. It is a non-residential commuter program with a financial aid calculator and partial scholarships.
📍 Dallas, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Schack Art Center (Scholastic Art & Writing Awards regional affiliate)
Snohomish County Scholastic Art Awards (Schack Art Center)
Regional affiliate of the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for students in Snohomish County, with juried exhibition, cash awards, scholarships and a path to national recognition.
📍 Everett, Washington (Snohomish County)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNC Charlotte School of Architecture
SoA Summer Design Academy
One-week architecture academy where high-school students work in university design studios, complete design exercises and receive critique from faculty, students and professionals.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Xavier University of Louisiana
SOAR X
High-school students participate in Xavier's residential pre-college program, with both credit-bearing and non-credit options designed to provide an immersive university academic experience.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
SoCal Student Film Festival
SoCal Student Film Festival
An annual showcase of top high school films from across the U.S., held in Southern California with industry panels, workshops, and networking alongside festival screenings.
📍 Irvine, CA (Southern California)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SOCAPA (School of Creative and Performing Arts) at Champlain College
SOCAPA Summer Arts Camps at Champlain College
Residential and day precollege arts intensives for teens in filmmaking, screenwriting, acting and musical theater, photography, dance, and singer-songwriter and music, taught on the Champlain College campus in Burlington.
📍 Champlain College, Burlington, VT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania (Penn Summer / Penn LPS)
Social Change and Social Justice Academy
A two-week residential summer academy exploring social justice through historical and contemporary contexts, examining issues like war, immigration, poverty, and discrimination through guest speakers, films, discussions, and Philadelphia field trips.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
UW-Madison Badger Precollege
Social Impact Leadership Online (Badger Precollege)
An online course for high school students to design and carry out a project addressing a community issue while building leadership, teamwork and public-speaking skills with peers worldwide.
📍 Remote (UW-Madison)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Johns Hopkins University
Social Inequality and the Public's Health
Students examine relationships among inequality, social conditions, and population health.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UMBC
Solar Powered: How to Harness the Power of the Sun
Students investigate solar power and renewable-energy technology.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Purchase College, SUNY
Songwriting & Introduction to Music Production
Students write original music while learning recording and digital production techniques.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Songwriting Workshop
Students age 15+ develop original songs through instruction in melody, lyrics, chord progressions, structure, feedback, and performance.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NDSU Department of Mathematics
Sonia Kovalevsky Day
A free annual celebration of women in mathematics for grades 8-12 female students, featuring hands-on workshops, a career panel with women who use math professionally, and a math competition.
📍 Fargo, ND (NDSU campus)📅 September🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Dakota State University
Sonia Kovalevsky Mathematics Day
Students participate in mathematics problem solving, interactive activities and workshops designed to build mathematical confidence and interest.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service (Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership)
Sorensen Institute High School Leaders Program
A two-week residential program at UVA in which Virginia high school students study Virginia government and politics, work in groups on public policy projects presented to professionals, and build advocacy and communication skills.
📍 Charlottesville, VA📅 January🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Northwest Youth Corps
Sound to Summit
Five-week paid conservation crew for teens ages 15-18 in Tacoma and Olympia: four weeks of day work with city and county parks departments, then a camping project week at a nearby national park, with weekly education and training.
📍 Tacoma and Olympia, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Sounds in the Summer Marching Band Clinic
Intensive three-day clinic for high-school drum majors and color guard members focused on marching-band leadership and performance. The 2026 fee was $140 commuter or $200 residential.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SXSW EDU
South by Southwest EDU (SXSW EDU) Student Startup Competition
Education-focused conference and student startup competition.
📍 Austin, TX⏱ 4 days📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
DECA Inc. / South Carolina DECA
South Carolina DECA
The chartered state association for DECA, preparing students enrolled in business or marketing courses for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and entrepreneurship through chapter activities and an Association Career Development Conference.
📍 South Carolina (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Coastal Carolina University / National History Day
South Carolina History Day
The state affiliate of National History Day, where students in grades 6-12 research a historical topic and present it as a paper, exhibit, performance, documentary, or website, competing to advance to the national contest.
📍 South Carolina (varies by year)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Carolina Academy of Science / Furman University
South Carolina Junior Academy of Science (SCJAS) Annual Meeting
An annual statewide research conference where middle and high school students present original research across categories like biochemistry, environmental science, computer science, and psychology, alongside a day of hands-on STEM activities.
📍 South Carolina (varies by year)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE), in partnership with SCDNR and Ducks Unlimited
South Carolina Junior Duck Stamp Competition
A visual-arts and wildlife-conservation competition where South Carolina K-12 students, including a dedicated grades 10-12 category, create an original drawing or painting of a native duck, goose, or swan species to compete for Best of Show and advancement to the National Junior Duck Stamp Contest.
📍 Charleston, SC (entries mailed statewide)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
South Carolina Science Olympiad
South Carolina Science Olympiad (Division C)
The high school division of the statewide Science Olympiad tournament, where teams of up to 15 students in grades 9-12 compete across dozens of STEM events, with the state champion advancing to Nationals.
📍 South Carolina (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SkillsUSA South Carolina
South Carolina SkillsUSA
South Carolina's SkillsUSA supports CTE students preparing for trade, technical, and skilled-service careers through the State Leadership & Skills Conference, training certifications, scholarships, and state officer leadership positions.
📍 Statewide, South Carolina📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SDSU Extension 4-H Youth Development
South Dakota 4-H Legislature Program
A civic-education program for senior 4-H members (ages 14-18) to run campaigns, serve as elected 4-H Legislators, draft bills, and debate them during a mock legislative session at the South Dakota State Capitol, mirroring committee meetings, caucuses, public testimony, and floor debate.
📍 Pierre, SD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of South Dakota
South Dakota Business Student Summer Leadership Academy
A rigorous residential program for high school students in South Dakota to explore the business world and entrepreneurship.
📍 Vermillion, SD⏱ 1 week📅 March 1🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
DECA Inc. - South Dakota Chartered Association
South Dakota DECA
South Dakota's chapter of DECA, which prepares emerging leaders in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through classroom instruction and a competitive State Career Development Conference (SCDC).
📍 South Dakota (2026 SCDC hosted by the SD Army National Guard)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Dakota Envirothon
South Dakota Envirothon
A natural-resources competition for teams of 5-6 high school students testing knowledge of soil, water, forestry, and wildlife plus a presentation on an annually-selected current environmental issue; the state champion advances to the North American Envirothon competition each summer.
📍 Statewide, SD (state competition site varies)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Future Business Leaders of America - South Dakota
South Dakota FBLA
South Dakota's chapter of Future Business Leaders of America, preparing high school students for business careers through competitive events, public speaking, and leadership training culminating in a State Leadership Conference.
📍 Pierre, SD📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Dakota FCCLA
South Dakota FCCLA State Leadership Conference
The official statewide gathering for South Dakota FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) members, featuring STAR Events competitions, leadership development, and networking, with top competitors advancing to the National Leadership Conference.
📍 Sioux Falls, SD (Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
South Dakota FFA Association
South Dakota FFA Association
The statewide agricultural education and leadership organization for the state's 112 FFA chapters, offering Career Development Events, Leadership Development Events, an Agriscience Fair, leadership retreats, and the State FFA Convention for students in agricultural education classes.
📍 Brookings, SD (chapters statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
HOSA-Future Health Professionals (South Dakota)
South Dakota HOSA State Leadership Conference
South Dakota's chapter of HOSA-Future Health Professionals hosts an annual State Leadership Conference drawing 800+ high school students for competitive health-science events, breakout sessions, a college/career fair, and hands-on activities like suturing practice and a mobile simulated patient unit.
📍 Statewide, SD (recent conferences at Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arts South Dakota / U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
South Dakota Junior Duck Stamp Contest
A free art and conservation-science contest open to students in kindergarten through high school, who research waterfowl and wetlands conservation and submit an original drawing or painting of a duck, goose, or swan; entries are postmarked by March 15, and the state Best of Show winner advances to the national Junior Duck Stamp contest.
📍 Statewide, SD📅 March 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Dakota Science Olympiad (hosted by University of South Dakota)
South Dakota Science Olympiad State Tournament
A one-day state tournament in which Division C high school teams compete in up to 23 STEM events spanning earth science, physics, biology, and engineering design, held at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.
📍 Vermillion, SD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
SkillsUSA South Dakota
South Dakota SkillsUSA State Conference
SkillsUSA South Dakota's annual State Conference brings together high school and post-secondary students from 20+ active chapters for 100+ skilled-trades, technology, and service-career competitions, leadership training, and direct connections to South Dakota employers.
📍 Mitchell, SD (Mitchell Technical College)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books
Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books Volunteer
Volunteer roles at the annual Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books at Carroll University in Waukesha, with high school students listed among the ideal volunteers and most shifts only 3-4 hours after a short orientation.
📍 Waukesha, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Southern California Model United Nations / USC
Southern California Model United Nations (SCMUN)
An advanced Model UN conference hosted at USC each spring, offering committees ranging from historical crisis simulations to futuristic scenarios for high school delegates.
📍 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of New England Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences
Southern Maine Brain Bee
A neuroscience quiz-bowl competition for local high school students, covering brain biology, cellular function, anatomy, physiology, and psychology, preceded by prep activities like sheep-brain dissections.
📍 University of New England, Biddeford, ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Southern Nevada Writing Project / UNLV
Southern Nevada Writing Project Student Writing Programs
Student writing camps and workshops are taught through the Southern Nevada Writing Project; the current UNLV page includes a September 2026 college-essay workshop for high-school students.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Southwest MN Hacks (Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall)
Southwest MN Hacks
Free 24-hour student hackathon held in spring and fall at Southwest Minnesota State University for participants ages 14 and up, from high school through university. Teams of up to four build projects with mentors and workshops; beginners are welcome, and meals and snacks are included.
📍 Marshall, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Western Wyoming Community College
Southwest Regional Science Fair (Western Wyoming College)
A regional science fair for STEM students in grades 6-12 at Western Wyoming College in Rock Springs, with junior and senior divisions and ISEF-style categories; it is a regional qualifier for the Wyoming State Science Fair.
📍 Rock Springs, WY📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Space — The Final Frontier
Returning in summer 2027. Students design, build and fly small-satellite systems while learning aerospace and space-science concepts.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
US Space & Rocket Center
Space Camp
Week-long astronaut training simulation programs for ages 9-18 in Huntsville.
📍 Huntsville, AL⏱ 1 week📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 4–12
Moderate
UW-Stevens Point Continuing Education and Outreach
Spanish Culture Camp (UW-Stevens Point)
A four-day day camp for ages 13-17 immersing students in the Spanish-speaking world through hands-on projects, music, games, food traditions, pop culture and real conversations in Spanish.
📍 Stevens Point, WI📅 June🎓 Grades 8–12
Highly Selective
Maryland Robotics Center
SPARC Certificate Program
Students complete a three-week robotics certificate in areas previously including autonomous vehicles, drones, 3D nanoprinting, additive manufacturing, and medical or bio-inspired robotics. The 2026 fee was $5,000.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UC San Diego Stem Cell Program
SPARK — Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge
Eight-week regenerative-medicine research internship where students work in active laboratories, learn about stem-cell and regenerative-medicine fields, and shadow physicians in clinics.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UC Davis Biotechnology Program / CIRM
SPARK Research Scholar Awards
Eight-week mentored research experience at the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures combining an individual stem-cell research project, a certified stem-cell biology course, clinical-medicine exposure and a research presentation.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SPARK SMP
SPARK Summer Mentorship Program
Free 1:1 mentorship with industry researchers. Started by WA students, now nationwide.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 8 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The EdVenture Group / West Virginia Department of Education
SparkWV Student Business Pitch Competition
A statewide business-idea competition for middle and high school students with a Big Idea (invention or tech concept) track and a Small Business track, culminating in live finals during Bridging Innovation Week.
📍 Online submissions via VentureDash; finals at Bridging Innovation Week, Charleston, WV📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Atlanta Botanical Garden
SPEAK Volunteer Program
High-school volunteers teach Garden visitors about climate change and sustainable gardening while gaining environmental-education experience.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Special Olympics
Special Olympics Youth Activation
Youth leadership and unified sports programs.
📍 Multiple states⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
University of Montana spectrUM Discovery Area
spectrUM High School Explainer Program
Paid high-school explainers develop and lead interactive science activities for younger students, with current work touching neuroscience, psychology and biomedical science. Positions are roughly 5–10 hours/week and current postings pay $14/hour.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Spelman College
Spelman College Prep Institute
The College Prep Institute is a two-week residential program for rising 10th- and 11th-grade female high school students, combining college-search workshops, SAT prep, life-skills, and leadership training on Spelman's campus.
📍 Spelman College, Atlanta, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Sphinx Organization / University of Colorado Boulder
Sphinx Performance Academy at CU Boulder
Intensive chamber-music and solo-performance academy offering private lessons, master classes, recitals, mentoring and career enrichment for young string musicians.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Spokane Cyber Cup (nonprofit, hosted at Spokane Falls Community College)
Spokane Cyber Cup
Daylong capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition for teams of 2-5 from regional high schools and colleges, with separate divisions for experienced and first-time participants.
📍 Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Sports Broadcasting
Students explore sports broadcasting and sports-media production.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wharton
Sports Business Academy
Wharton Global Youth program on sports business and analytics.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 1 week📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montclair State University
Sports Communication
Examines sports journalism, media production and communication.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Seton Hall University
Sports Media and Business Academy
Explores financial models, media, innovation and business strategy in the sports industry.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Santa Clara University School of Engineering
Spring Engineering Education Days (SEEDs)
Students attend introductory faculty- and student-led workshops in bioengineering, civil/environmental engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and related disciplines.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
NYU Tisch
Spring Future Artists Program
The Spring Future Artists Program is free of charge and offered to students in the Tri-state area. It is designed for students who may not have access to other programs in their schools and/or communities and who would qualify for financial aid at NYU. This program requires a 14-week commitment on Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from early February through mid-May, and is taught by faculty from the undergraduate departments.
📍 New York, NY📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Spring Semester High School Internship
Students work with museum professionals, attend career workshops and explore careers in art, conservation, education and museum administration. Spring participants receive a $1,100 stipend.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Springs Preserve
Springs Preserve Volunteer Program
Volunteers age 16+ educate visitors about Mojave Desert ecology and Las Vegas history and assist with gardens, exhibits and public programs. Ages 16–17 may participate with parental permission.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Spy Hop Productions
Spy Hop Apprenticeship
A 2-4 month paid apprenticeship where teens work on real projects for real clients in film, audio, music or design while building a portfolio and earning a stipend.
📍 Kahlert Media Arts Center, Salt Lake City, UT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Spy Hop Productions
Spy Hop In-House Media Arts Programs
Free hands-on film, audio, music and design programs for youth ages 12-25 at the Kahlert Media Arts Center in Salt Lake City, ranging from drop-in classes to year-long capstone projects. Students get free gear checkout, Adobe Creative Suite access and UTA transit passes.
📍 Kahlert Media Arts Center, Salt Lake City, UT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Savannah State University (with NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center)
SSU Coast Camp
Coast Camp is a month-long, half-day ocean science program using Ocean Literacy Principles, with classroom instruction and field trips to sites like Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary and Tybee Island for students up to age 18.
📍 Savannah State University, Savannah, GA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
St. Mary's University
St. Mary's University Summer Band Camp
A week of full band rehearsals, sectionals, technique classes, and student-selected electives such as composition, conducting, jazz improvisation, and drum line, ending in final performances. Students audition on the first day for placement.
📍 San Antonio, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
St. Olaf College
St. Olaf Music Academy
High-school musicians spend a residential week in choir, band, orchestra, chamber groups, private lessons, masterclasses, music theory, conducting, and performances with St. Olaf faculty. Financial assistance is available to Minnesota participants.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Michigan, Stamps School of Art & Design
Stamps Pre-College Portfolio Prep Program
An intensive portfolio-development program for current high schoolers in grades 9-11, offered in virtual and residential formats, structured like a first-year Stamps studio experience to prepare a competitive art school application portfolio.
📍 Ann Arbor, MI (virtual and residential options)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Stanford School of Medicine
Stanford AIM-HI
Free Stanford program for under-resourced Bay Area students interested in health equity careers.
📍 CA⏱ 4 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Stanford SIEPR
Stanford International Youth Forum
Policy and economics forum for international and US high school students.
📍 Stanford, CA⏱ 1 week📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Stanford Jazz Workshop
Stanford Jazz Workshop Jazz Institute
A jazz-focused summer program for talented instrumentalists and vocalists.
📍 Stanford, CA⏱ 2 weeks📅 March 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies
Stanford Math Circle
Stanford Math Circle offers after-school classes for elementary, middle & high-school students interested in math to improve academic and extracurricular performance.
📍 Stanford, CA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Stanford
Stanford Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)
Three-week intensive abstract math program.
📍 Stanford, CA⏱ 3 weeks📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Stanford School of Medicine
Stanford Medical Youth Science Program
Free five-week summer program for low-income California high schoolers exploring medicine.
📍 Stanford, CA⏱ 5 weeks📅 Winter🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Stanford
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Economics & Finance
Summer courses in microeconomics, behavioral econ, finance.
📍 Stanford, CA⏱ 3 weeks📅 February🎓 Grades 8–11
Moderate
Stanford University
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes
Residential courses in humanities, social sciences, and STEM.
📍 Stanford, CA⏱ 3 weeks📅 February🎓 Grades 8–11
Moderate
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies
Stanford Pre-Collegiate University-Level Online Math & Physics
Stanford Pre-Collegiate University-Level Online Math & Physics offers high school students an opportunity to take advanced courses online and earn Stanford University Continuing Studies credit and a transcript.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Stanford University
Stanford TreeHacks (High School Track)Check Site
Youth-led hackathons and tech workshops held annually at Stanford.
📍 Stanford, CA⏱ 1 day📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Duke Clinical Research Institute
STAR Program
Students learn clinical-research methodology, scientific writing and data interpretation while contributing to mentored projects with the goal of producing scholarly work.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
STARTedUP Foundation
STARTedUP Challenge / Innovate WithIN
Indiana high-school students develop ventures through statewide entrepreneurship programming and compete in a pitch competition for mentorship, scholarships, and startup funding. The state champion can receive $25,000 in seed funding.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State Bar Association of North Dakota (SBAND)
State Bar Association of North Dakota High School Mock Trial Competition
Teams of North Dakota high school students argue a simulated civil or criminal case before real attorneys and judges, working side-by-side with legal professionals to learn trial procedure and courtroom skills.
📍 Bismarck, ND (statewide competition)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minnesota FFA Association
State Greenhand Leadership Conference (SGLC)
Four-day residential leadership conference at Deep Portage Conservation Reserve introducing first-year FFA members to the organization, with goal setting, relationship building and career development through agricultural experiences. Cost covers programming, supervision, materials, lodging and meals. Requires FFA membership through a school chapter.
📍 Hackensack, MN (Deep Portage Conservation Reserve)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Minnesota FFA Association
State Leadership Conference for Chapter Leaders (SLCCL)
Four-day residential program at Deep Portage Conservation Reserve for FFA chapter leaders in grades 10-12, building teamwork, community service, time management and chapter leadership skills with state leaders and peers. Requires FFA membership through a school chapter.
📍 Hackensack, MN (Deep Portage Conservation Reserve)📅 June🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
State of Alaska, Division of Personnel
State of Alaska Student Internship Program
Student Intern I and II positions are specifically designed for high-school and pre-college students. Openings can occur in agencies including Fish & Game, Natural Resources, Law, and Transportation, combining employment with public-sector work experience.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State of Maryland Speech and Debate Association (NSDA affiliate)
State of Maryland Speech and Debate Association
Maryland's official National Speech & Debate Association affiliate, coordinating interleague speech and debate tournaments statewide and an end-of-season interleague competition open to all Maryland, DC, and Delaware students and schools.
📍 Maryland (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Florida Foundation for Future Scientists
State Science & Engineering Fair of Florida
Students qualifying through regional science fairs present original research at Florida's statewide science and engineering competition.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Massachusetts DESE
State Student Advisory Council
Students elected through regional councils advise the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on issues affecting Massachusetts students; the statewide chair becomes a voting Board member.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Department of Labor
State Summer Youth Employment Program
Youth receive up to ten weeks of summer employment through approved providers while learning workplace expectations and building work experience.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
State Superintendent's Student Cabinet
Selected students advise the state superintendent on education policy while developing leadership, advocacy, public-speaking and decision-making skills.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina Department of Administration
State Youth Council Program
Network of local youth councils where high-school students advise communities, organize service projects and build civic leadership skills.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kansas 4-H / Kansas State University Research and Extension
States' 4-H International Exchange (S4-H)
A "learn by doing" cultural exchange for ages 12-18 to live abroad with a host family for 4-8 weeks in summer (destinations have included Norway, Costa Rica, Taiwan, and Japan), or to host an international delegate in Kansas.
📍 Kansas (host placements) / abroad (outbound exchange)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Telling Room
Statewide Writing Contest
Maine youth submit poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, playwriting, songwriting, or other creative writing. A grand-prize winner and county winners are selected, and submissions can be considered for publication.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics
StatStart
A free month-long summer program (July 6-30) for Boston-area high school juniors and seniors, designed for first-generation and low-income students, teaching R programming and introductory statistics with mentoring from Biostatistics graduate students.
📍 Boston, MA📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Melbourne School District
STEAM & Beyond: Summer Exploration
Ten-day interdisciplinary enrichment combining STEM, arts, music, literature, communication, social studies and world languages through original projects and problem-solving.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Xavier University
STEAM@XU Research Immersion
Students choose a research experience and conduct hands-on STEAM work with Xavier faculty.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
College of Charleston
STEM 360 Pre-College Summer Program
A five-day STEM sampler for rising 10th-12th graders covering biology, marine biology, chemistry, environmental geosciences, engineering, and computer programming, with field visits to the Stono Preserve and Grice Marine Laboratory.
📍 Charleston, SC📅 June🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Valley City State University Prairie Waters Education & Research Center
STEM Explorers: Water Research Institute
Students investigate water quality, aquatic invertebrates and fish through field and laboratory research with environmental scientists.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
STEM Fellowship
STEM Fellowship Big Data Challenge
International data science competition with publication in STEM Fellowship Journal.
📍 Online⏱ 8 weeks📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
STEM Fellowship
STEM Fellowship Journal
Peer-reviewed journal publishing student STEM research.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brown Pre-College
STEM for Rising 9th and 10th Graders
Define, investigate and excel: Spend your time doing science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
📍 On Campus📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of South Florida
STEM for Scholars Summer School
Three-week program introducing advanced subjects including quantum information, machine learning, nanotechnology, epidemiological modeling and bioinformatics.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Boise State University College of Engineering
STEM Gems
Fifty students spend an overnight experience at Boise State completing hands-on STEM workshops in areas such as artificial intelligence, physics and game animation while exploring engineering careers.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Boise State University College of Engineering
STEM Gems Summer Camp
A free overnight summer camp at Boise State for girls exiting 9th-11th grade, featuring workshops led by Society of Women Engineers professionals and college students on topics that have included artificial intelligence and game animation alongside other engineering applications.
📍 Boise, ID (Boise State University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Ohio Supercomputer Center
STEM Institute
Two-week residential program where students use supercomputers for team projects in science, engineering, cybersecurity, modeling and computational research.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Center for Excellence in Education (CEE)
STEM Lyceums
STEM Lyceums are virtual events that connect high school students with leading STEM professionals, providing insights into various STEM fields and career paths.
📍 Virtual📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NMSU Physical Science Laboratory
STEM Mavericks
Free two-week camp covering Linux/Python, embedded engineering, AI, radio frequency, 3D printing and cybersecurity. Summer 2027 is already confirmed to return.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
CU Science Discovery
STEM Pathfinders — Bioscience
Two-week exploration rotating through molecular biology, ecology/evolution, bio-inspired design and computational biology with labs, faculty interaction and campus activities.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
CU Science Discovery
STEM Pathfinders — Engineering
Students rotate through aerospace, chemical engineering, creative technology/design and integrated engineering while exploring academic and research pathways.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UNC Charlotte Center for STEM Education
STEM Pre-College Program
Year-round STEM enrichment with Saturday instruction, robotics, mathematics, science competitions, field trips and summer programming.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Colorado Boulder / CU Anschutz
STEM Research Experience
Seven-week program pairing students with CU researchers for an authentic project involving literature review, experiments/data collection, analysis, and a scientific poster presentation. Research fields range from chemistry and astrophysics to medicine and engineering.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Nevada, Reno (Department of Biology)
STEM Sisters
A six-week paid summer research program in which local high school students from backgrounds underrepresented in science are paired with graduate-student mentors in a UNR biology lab, forming their own hypothesis, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting a poster at a university symposium and an international scientific meeting.
📍 Reno, NV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Notre Dame College of Engineering
STEM Summer Camp
Local high-school students complete hands-on engineering activities with Notre Dame faculty and staff while exploring STEM fields and careers.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Penn State Harrisburg
STEM Summer Enrichment Program (STEM-SEP)
A free two-week summer program giving high schoolers hands-on experience across eight STEM disciplines (biology, chemistry, math, physics, computer science, civil/mechanical/electrical engineering), including visits to the Hershey Clinical Simulation Center and Three Mile Island, capped with student presentations.
📍 Middletown, PA (Penn State Harrisburg)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Alabama in Huntsville, College of Science (with CAP & GOWN Project)
STEM Summer Institute
A free outreach institute combining ACT-prep classes with hands-on STEM projects, campus tours and interactive sessions with UAH professors across nursing, optics, biology and physics facilities.
📍 Huntsville, AL (UAH campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
The LEAH Project
STEM Teaching Internship
A paid school-year internship placing Massachusetts high schoolers in afterschool programs where they teach STEM curricula to elementary school students, with training in classroom management, lesson planning, and professionalism.
📍 Boston, MA (Chinatown-Downtown area)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
STEM with Phones
Students use smartphone accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure sensors, microphones, magnetic sensors and GPS signals to investigate physics, engineering and data-analysis problems.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Georgia Tech Research Institute
STEM@GTRI High School Summer Internship
Georgia high-school students work in GTRI laboratories on real science and engineering projects for five weeks, about 24 hours per week.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
New Jersey Institute of Technology
STEMx — Applied Engineering Technology
One-week applied-engineering experience emphasizing hands-on technology and engineering problem solving.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
New Jersey Institute of Technology
STEMx — Artificial Intelligence
One-week commuter intensive in artificial intelligence taught with NJIT faculty as part of STEMx.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
New Jersey Institute of Technology
STEMx — Cybersecurity
One-week cybersecurity concentration within NJIT's faculty-led STEMx high-school program.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
New Jersey Institute of Technology
STEMx — Materials Engineering
Intensive one-week exploration of materials engineering for current sophomores and juniors.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
New Jersey Institute of Technology
STEMx — STEM Entrepreneurship
One-week faculty-led program combining STEM innovation with entrepreneurship and product/business thinking.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
New Jersey Institute of Technology
STEMx — Sustainable Engineering and the Environment
One-week STEMx concentration focused on engineering responses to environmental and sustainability challenges.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
New Jersey Institute of Technology
STEMx Residency
Three-week residential sequence covering applied engineering, foundations of AI, and sustainable engineering/environment, plus college and career preparation. The 2026 tuition was $3,600.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Step Up to STEM
Multi-summer STEM enrichment pathway for North Carolina students featuring hands-on science, mathematics and engineering experiences.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
University of Arizona Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center
Steps 2 STEM Summer Research Internship
Students in eligible Pima County JTED programs spend four weeks working in University of Arizona research laboratories, complete science-literacy training, earn three transferable college credits, and present at a research showcase.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Courses for College Credit
Qualified high-school students enroll in actual Stevens courses, work with university professors and earn transferable college credit.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
SIFMA Foundation
Stock Market Game
Free K-12 simulation of investing in real-world markets used in classrooms nationwide.
📍 Online⏱ 10-14 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
UMBC
Stock Market: Financial Literacy
High-school course focused on financial literacy and stock-market concepts.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Stockholm Water Foundation
Stockholm Junior Water Prize
International youth water-research prize awarded during World Water Week in Stockholm.
📍 Stockholm, Sweden (national rounds worldwide)📅 National rounds Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
StoryCon
StoryCon 2027 (Teen Track)
Two-day writing and storytelling convention with a dedicated teen track on February 5-6, 2027, plus masterclasses, agent and editor sessions, and writing contests with nationally known authors as keynote speakers.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT (Salt Palace Convention Center)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts
StoryLab: The Writing Process Across Genres
Students explore poetry, short fiction, screenwriting and creative nonfiction through reading, journaling, guided writing and peer feedback.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Strategy and International Management
A location-based program in Cambridge, UK, covering business strategy and international management.
📍 Cambridge, UK📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Susquehanna University
Stream Ecology Institute
Biology/environmental science pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
University of Montana School of Music
String Camp
Orchestra-focused summer camp with ensemble rehearsals, chamber music and instrumental masterclasses for secondary-school string musicians.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas State University
String Leadership Institute
High-school string musicians receive chamber and large-ensemble coaching together with leadership training, team-building, service, and performances. Scholarships are available.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Delaware Community Music School
Strings in Harmony — High School Edition
High-school string musicians receive chamber coaching, explore traditional and avant-garde repertoire and participate in creative, student-led music activities.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nasher Sculpture Center
Student Ambassadors
A group of Dallas-area high school students who help shape Nasher student programming, volunteer at events and get behind-the-scenes museum learning. The group meets monthly on Wednesday evenings in the Dallas Arts District.
📍 Dallas, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Student Conservation Association (SCA)
Student Conservation Association Houston Urban Green
Houston conservation program with a free school-year weekend volunteer track (five camping weekends of trail building and habitat restoration) for high schoolers, plus a paid summer weekday service crew for high school students and young adults. Includes invasive species removal, dune restoration, and environmental education.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York State School Music Association
Student Electronic Music Showcase
Students submit original electronic compositions for evaluation and potential All-State Conference performance/coaching.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Adventist Health Portland
Student Healthcare Leaders
A free after-school program introducing Portland-area high schoolers to healthcare careers through weekly rotating hospital department tours (ER, cardiology, oncology, robotic surgery, IT) and panel discussions with clinicians.
📍 Portland, OR (Adventist Health Portland hospital)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Hampshire Press Association
Student Journalism Day
Free annual event for New Hampshire students combining professional journalism panels, a student-press workshop, an NHPBS tour, lunch and student journalism awards.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana High School Press Association
Student Leadership Workshop
High-school student-media leaders participate in a free workshop focused on journalism leadership and strengthening school publications and media organizations.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum
Student Lecture Series (Intern Mentoring Program)
An intern mentoring program for high school and college students who research a topic tied to the museum's permanent exhibit, such as US history, the American presidency, or public policy. The program ends with student-led presentations to peers, the public, and library staff.
📍 Dallas, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York State Archives
Student Research Awards
Students create research projects using historical records and primary sources. High-school projects compete for statewide recognition.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York State School Music Association
Student Songwriters Showcase
Student songwriters submit original work for adjudication, coaching and possible performance at the statewide conference.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Las Vegas Science & Natural History Museum
Student Volunteer Program
Students assist with exhibits, visitor engagement, educational programs, science events, collections and museum operations. Students can earn community-service hours; ages 14–15 have supervised junior-volunteer options.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Cheyenne Regional Medical Center
Student Volunteer Program (Cheyenne Regional Medical Center)
Students ages 15-18 can volunteer at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center by completing a Student Volunteer Application and committing to 25 hours a year, through a routine weekday schedule or occasional and seasonal projects.
📍 Cheyenne, WY📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ascension NE Wisconsin - Mercy Campus
Student Volunteer Program at Ascension NE Wisconsin Mercy Campus (Oshkosh)
A hospital volunteer program for students age 15 and older who give one 2-4 hour weekly shift for at least six months, with an application, interview, health screening and orientation.
📍 Oshkosh, WI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUU)
SUMA ARTventures Teen Art Camp
Four-day teen art camp exploring connections between art and the natural world through alternative photography, plein-air painting, printmaking, and collage. All supplies are included.
📍 Cedar City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Moderate
University of Puget Sound
Summer Academic Challenge
A tuition-free four-week project-based STEAM enrichment program for Tacoma and Pierce County students, with 2026 topics including salmon and water quality, probability and statistics, and sustainable home design.
📍 Tacoma, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAE)
State program providing stipends of up to $1,000 per student, paid directly to sponsors, to attend any of 78 approved summer enrichment programs (science and technology, health care careers, aviation, language arts, math, world languages, performing and fine arts). Open to students in grades 3-11 who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals; students in grades 7-11 need a C average in the relevant subject. First come, first served.
📍 Statewide (Minnesota)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Boston Architectural College (The BAC)
Summer Academy – Boston
A half-day, onsite pre-college design program at BAC's Back Bay campus where high schoolers explore architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and other design fields with no experience required.
📍 Boston, MA📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
Summer Academy (Pre-College)
A four-week, in-person pre-college program modeled on PAFA's undergraduate first-year curriculum, in which students take Foundations of Drawing plus three elective concentrations (oil painting, printmaking, sculpture, or illustration), culminating in a museum exhibition of student work.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Georgia Lamar Dodd School of Art
Summer Art Camp
Students rotate through drawing, painting, photography, fiber/3D art, printmaking and book arts and finish with a group exhibition.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Maine College of Art & Design
Summer Art Camp — Teen Courses
Students ages 14–17 can choose intensive week-long studio courses in areas such as oil painting, silkscreen, digital art, animation, illustration, and metalsmithing.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UTSA Southwest School of Art (UTSA Community Art Program)
Summer Art Studios (Teen Classes)
Seven weeks of summer studio classes in San Antonio, with teen classes for ages 14-18 in drawing, painting, wheel throwing, metalsmithing, photography and sculpture, several with portfolio-development emphasis.
📍 San Antonio, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Murray State University
Summer Art Workshop
Rising ninth graders through seniors work in university studios, participate in hands-on art seminars, visit galleries, and display their work in a concluding exhibition.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UW-Madison Badger Precollege
Summer Arts Clinic (Badger Precollege, UW-Madison)
A week-long, hands-on arts program for students completing grades 9-12 at all experience levels, with courses in dance, design, theatre and drama, and visual art that each end with a student performance or exhibit.
📍 Madison, WI📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Indiana University Jacobs Academy
Summer Brass Academy
High-school brass musicians receive concentrated performance training, coaching, and ensemble experience with Jacobs School faculty and musicians.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey
Summer Brass Institute
Intensive brass study through chamber ensembles, large ensemble work and faculty coaching.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Marquette University College of Business Administration
Summer Business Academy (Marquette)
Four-day non-residential business camp for rising 10th-12th graders with core sessions in management, leadership and operations, two tracks (finance/analytics/AI or marketing/sales/entrepreneurship), and visits to Milwaukee companies.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
The Backlot: Film School and Studio
Summer Camps: Filmmaking & Creator/YouTube
In-person film production camps for ages 13-18 where students write a screenplay, shoot with professional cameras, lighting, and sound equipment, and edit using Adobe Creative Suite, or develop their own YouTube/content-creator projects, each culminating in a premiere screening.
📍 Catonsville, MD📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Boston University
Summer Challenge
Expand your academic horizons over two weeks, choosing 2 seminars.
📍 Boston, MA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Utah Department of Chemistry
Summer Chemistry Program
A summer chemistry program for high school students who have finished their sophomore or junior year and at least one year of chemistry. Participants earn eight hours of transferable University of Utah credit that satisfies the physical and life sciences general education requirement.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Kansas State University
Summer Choral Institute
Fifty freshmen through juniors receive a fully funded week of intensive choral and leadership training. Selected students also receive a $1,000 future K-State music scholarship commitment.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
American University
Summer Civics Institute on American Principles and Debates
Students participate in college-style seminars on constitutional government, free expression, civil disobedience and political thought, plus Washington field trips and guest lectures.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Syracuse University
Summer College — On Campus
Rising sophomores through seniors choose one-to-four-week residential courses spanning Syracuse's schools and colleges; credit and noncredit options are available.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Syracuse University
Summer College — Online
Three- and six-week online pre-college courses for rising sophomores through seniors, with both credit and noncredit study.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Purdue University
Summer College for High School Students
Purdue's precollege program lets high school students take real college courses (online or on campus) alongside undergraduates across more than 650 course options.
📍 West Lafayette, IN📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Emory University
Summer College Program
A 6-week program where high school students can earn college credit by taking one course. Letter-based grading (A-F). This is a non-residential program with on-campus and online instruction options. Students take classes with current Emory undergraduates.
📍 Atlanta, GA (on-campus & online)📅 June 5🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering
Summer Computer Academy
Female students learn Python programming and apply it to small robots, image processing, and other computing projects while participating in career-planning activities. Minnesota Academy of Science identifies the academy as a free program.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Writers Circle
Summer Creative Writing Intensives for Teens
Three one-week creative writing intensives for teens held at Drew University, with full days of genre workshops (fiction, poetry, and rotating forms) taught by published authors, free-writing time, editorial conferences, and a Friday student reading, with work eligible for publication in The Writers Circle's online journal.
📍 Drew University, Madison, NJ📅 March🎓 Grades 8–12
Highly Selective
Honolulu Community College
Summer CTE Academy
Students rotate through career and technical fields including computer networking, automotive technology, welding, fashion, music and early-childhood education through labs and projects.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Samford University Debate
Summer Debate Institute
An immersive debate camp for middle and high school students across Alabama, led and mentored by Samford's nationally recognized debate team, focused on Public Forum and Birmingham Area Debate League-style debate.
📍 Birmingham, AL (Samford University)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Idaho College of Art and Architecture
Summer Design Days
High-school students spend four days completing university design workshops, creating projects and exploring architecture, art, interior architecture and related design majors.
📍 ID🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Kansas State University College of Architecture, Planning & Design
Summer Design Experience
High-school students explore architecture, industrial design, interior architecture, landscape architecture, and community planning through faculty-led design studios and a final project.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Summer Discovery
Summer Discovery at the University of Michigan
Two- to three-week residential pre-college program on the Ann Arbor campus for grades 9-12 with one-week courses across 11 fields including psychology, business and entrepreneurship, medicine, law, STEM and arts. Tuition of $4,499-$11,999 covers instruction, housing, meals and activities; participants earn a certificate of completion.
📍 Ann Arbor, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Texas at Austin / Summer Discovery
Summer Discovery at UT Austin
A pre-college summer program on the UT Austin campus offering non-credit courses and full-day academies taught by UT faculty and instructors. Subject areas include psychology, civic engagement, neuroscience, and music business.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NC State University College of Engineering
Summer Engineering Day Camps
Commuter engineering camps introduce students to hands-on design, problem solving and multiple engineering disciplines.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Auburn University, Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Summer Engineering Expo
A one-day, hands-on exploration of the engineering profession for rising 10th and 11th graders, led by engineering student organizations, faculty, and current students.
📍 Auburn University, Auburn, AL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
UMass Amherst College of Engineering
Summer Engineering Institute (SENGI)
A two-week pre-college program for rising sophomores through seniors to explore biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, industrial, and mechanical engineering through faculty lectures, labs, and team design projects.
📍 Amherst, MA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Santa Clara University
Summer Engineering Seminar (SES)
Five-day residential experience introducing students to multiple engineering disciplines through faculty workshops, interactive projects and exposure to university residential life.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
New Mexico Public Education Department
Summer Enrichment Internship Program
State-funded paid internships for New Mexico high-school students at municipal, county, tribal, pueblo, nonprofit and other workplace sites. The program continues statewide under a new administrator beginning summer 2026.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Kentucky Area Health Education Center
Summer Enrichment Program (SEP)
Kentucky 10th graders spend two free residential weeks studying biology, chemistry, and physics, meeting health professionals, observing clinical work, and practicing hands-on skills in simulation centers.
📍 KY🎓 Grade 10
Selective
Seton Hall University
Summer Entrepreneurship Institute
Students develop a startup idea, prototype a product, study market strategy and pitch to professionals.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Montana
Summer Exploration
Two-week University of Montana pre-college experience for rising sophomores, juniors, seniors and recent graduates. Students take college-level courses, earn two credits and can participate as residential or commuter students.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Kansas State University School of Consumer Sciences
Summer Fashion Institute
Students explore fashion design, illustration, sewing, and careers while creating their own designs. The 2026 camp cost $100.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Bryn Mawr Film Institute
Summer Filmmaking Workshop
A six-week summer workshop where 12 high school filmmakers collaborate to write, produce, direct, and edit a short film using professional equipment, premiering the finished film at the Institute's theater.
📍 Bryn Mawr, PA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
Summer Guitar Camp (Mason Community Arts Academy)
A one-week beginner guitar workshop where students ages 10-18 split into age groups and learn melodies and chords with professional musicians.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Stanford AIMI
Summer Health AI Bootcamp
Two-week virtual bootcamp offers a curated curriculum that covers the fundamentals of machine learning in healthcare settings.
📍 Virtual📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
HCA Healthcare New Hampshire
Summer Healthcare Exploration Program
Paid seven-week rotational experience in which high-school and college students shadow multiple healthcare departments, receive leadership mentoring, complete a project and participate in weekly professional-development activities.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Columbia Engineering
Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE)
A selective three-week pre-college program for rising sophomores through recent grads offering courses in biomedical engineering, computer science and AI, data science, electrical engineering, robotics, and sustainability/environmental engineering.
📍 New York, NY (Columbia University)📅 December🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Summer High School Advanced Research Program (SHARP)
Ten-week bench-research program for sophomores and juniors age 16+. Scholars train in biomedical techniques, analyze data and complete a research poster through participating UNMC research programs, including funded high-school placements such as Travis B. Lewis and H-STAR.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Summer High School Internship
Students work with Garden horticulture staff maintaining plant collections while attending college-, career-, financial-planning and professional-development sessions.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Youngstown State University
Summer Honors Institute
Academically motivated students take hands-on university courses across STEM, arts, journalism and other disciplines.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
IUP Cook Honors College
Summer Honors Program: Design, Build, Play
A dual-enrollment summer course (HONR 281) combining a week of on-campus residential instruction with online learning before and after, covering games and storytelling with an English professor and creative engineering in the STEAMSHOP with a math professor.
📍 Indiana, PA (Indiana University of Pennsylvania)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi State University
Summer Horticulture Camp
High-school students study landscape architecture, floriculture, floral design, nursery management, turf, vegetable production, and fruit production during a residential horticulture experience.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wofford College
Summer Immersion Program in Health Sciences and Medicine
A residential summer program on Wofford's Spartanburg campus where middle and high school students ages 13-16 learn from healthcare professionals and faculty, take part in medical simulations, and experience college life.
📍 Spartanburg, SC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–10
Highly Selective
Xavier University
Summer in Cincy
One-week residential college-immersion program with mini-courses, application preparation, faculty interaction and Cincinnati excursions.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Nasher Sculpture Center and The Warehouse Dallas
Summer Institute for Teens
A five-day program where high school students explore Dallas museums, meet art-world professionals and make hands-on projects with artists. Tuition is free for accepted participants.
📍 Dallas, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Drexel University (LeBow College of Business)
Summer Institute: Business and Entrepreneurship
A summer camp introducing motivated high school students to business and entrepreneurship coursework, facilitated by Drexel faculty using university facilities and Philadelphia business resources.
📍 Philadelphia, PA (Drexel University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Drexel University
Summer Institute: Engineering and Computing
A summer camp for highly motivated high school students to explore engineering and computing at the college level, taught by Drexel faculty using university labs and Philadelphia resources.
📍 Philadelphia, PA (Drexel University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Drexel University (Dornsife School of Public Health)
Summer Institute: Public Health
A summer camp exposing high school students to public health as a field of study, using Dornsife School of Public Health faculty, coursework, and Philadelphia public-health resources.
📍 Philadelphia, PA (Drexel University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Art League Houston
Summer Intensive For Teens (SIFT)
A 4.5-week, tuition-free studio art intensive in Houston with six hours of daily coursework in sketching, textiles, ceramics and digital media, plus artist mentorship, a collaborative mural and a gallery exhibition. Participants receive a $500 stipend.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Summer Intensives
Conservatory-style summer intensives offer high-school training in filmmaking, animation, visual arts, drama, voice, composition/music technology, piano, harp and other performing arts.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
J. Craig Venter Institute
Summer Internship Program
Rising high school students conduct an in-depth, structured 8-week research experience in genomic medicine, synthetic biology, infectious disease, or bioinformatics under faculty mentorship at JCVI's Rockville campus, culminating in a judged poster presentation.
📍 Rockville, MD📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Indiana University Jacobs Academy
Summer Jazz Workshop
Teen musicians study jazz performance through ensembles, rehearsals, coaching, and other intensive musical training.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Boston University
Summer Journalism Academy
A journalism training program for high school students, offered either residentially on the BU campus for students with prior journalism experience or remotely for students ages 14-18 of any experience level, giving participants a hands-on sample of life as a news reporter under working journalists.
📍 Boston, MA (Boston University) or remote📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Summer Junior Volunteer Program
Experienced teen volunteers assist at discovery carts, touch pools, classrooms and other aquarium education stations.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rutgers Language Engagement Project
Summer Language Institute (Language Immersion)
A pre-college, full-immersion summer language institute for high schoolers offering intensive workshops in Chinese, French, Italian, and Spanish, with placement interviews for proficiency-based grouping and small-group activities, language circles, and games focused on speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
📍 Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Seton Hall University
Summer Law Academy
Interactive introduction to the legal profession, critical thinking and legal communication.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Hampshire Teen Institute
Summer Leadership Program
Week-long residential experience covering leadership, civic engagement, conflict resolution, health and wellness, substance-use prevention and community action. The 2027 program is confirmed, with dates forthcoming and scholarships available.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
Summer Legal Academy
High-school students explore law and legal study through a residential summer academy. The 2026 program was listed at $1,500.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio State University Department of Linguistics
Summer Linguistic Institute for Youth Scholars (SLIYS)
A one- to two-week live-online program introducing high schoolers to linguistics through daily sessions on language structure, data-collection fieldwork with native speakers of languages such as Chinese, German, Greek, and Korean, and experimental linguistics activities.
📍 Remote (hosted by Ohio State University, Columbus, OH)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology
Summer Marine Mammal Intensive Learning Experience (SMMILE)
Twelve students live at Moku o Loʻe for ten days and train in marine-mammal research involving acoustics, stranding science, field observations, drones and laser-scanning technology.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UPLIFT Academy
Summer Math Camp
A free, two-week (10-day) foundational math camp for income-qualifying students entering grades 8-11 who will take Algebra 1 the following year, run at sites in Newark, Paterson, and Rochelle Park with daily lessons and free lunch.
📍 Newark / Paterson / Rochelle Park, NJ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
University of Utah Department of Mathematics
Summer Mathematics Program for High School Students
A three-week, non-residential program introducing motivated high school students to mathematical biology through collaborative problem solving with faculty and peer mentors. Participants earn three university credits in mathematics.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 May🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Wake Forest University Pre-College Programs
Summer Medicine Institute
An overnight pre-med program where current 9th-12th graders visit Winston-Salem healthcare facilities, practice clinical skills like suturing and taking blood pressure, and tour the Wake Forest School of Medicine.
📍 Winston-Salem, NC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio University
Summer Music Academy
Week-long academy with band, choir, orchestra, piano and contemporary-music pathways.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas State University Bands
Summer Music Camp
Musicians participate in ensemble rehearsals, sectionals, specialized classes, social activities, and a final concert while experiencing campus life.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Indiana University Jacobs Academy
Summer Music Clinic
High-school musicians participate in band, orchestra, jazz, chamber ensembles, masterclasses, sectionals, and elective music activities.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Madison Badger Precollege
Summer Music Clinic Senior Session (UW-Madison)
A week-long residential or commuter music program for students completing grades 9-12 to play, sing, create and learn about music at all experience levels on the UW-Madison campus.
📍 Madison, WI📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Nebraska at Omaha Theatre
Summer Musical Theatre Academy
Tuition-free four-week intensive where Omaha-area high-school artists train with UNO faculty and industry professionals in performance, technical production and instrumental music while mounting a full-length musical.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Rockefeller University
Summer Neuroscience Program (SNP)
A two-week, fully-funded program for NYC public high schoolers that pairs interactive neuroscience lectures and a journal club with an original student-designed neuroscience experiment, led by Rockefeller graduate students.
📍 New York, NY📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UC Irvine School of Medicine
Summer Online Research Program
Three-week mentored research program teaching responsible research, evidence-based medicine, medical-literature analysis, scientific writing, and preparation of a research abstract.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Los Alamos National Laboratory / New Mexico School for the Arts
Summer Physics Camp
A free, two-week hands-on STEM camp at the New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe where students explore physics, engineering, bioengineering, chemistry, computer programming, and cybersecurity with scientists from LANL and Sandia, plus a tour of LANL facilities.
📍 Santa Fe, NM📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana University Jacobs Academy
Summer Piano Academy
Serious young pianists receive private lessons, masterclasses, music-theory instruction, and multiple performance opportunities during an intensive two-week academy.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Summer Program Advancing Research and Knowledge (SPARK)
High-school students deepen research skills through hypothesis testing, data analysis, interpretation and use of data software, with emphasis on research readiness and data literacy.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Summer Program for Machine Learning
A two-week, full-day program introducing high schoolers to the computer science, data analysis, and mathematical techniques behind machine learning and AI, taught by NYU Tandon faculty and graduate researchers.
📍 Brooklyn, NY (NYU Tandon)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rutgers University, Department of Physics & Astronomy
Summer Program on Fundamental Physics
A free, two-week intensive summer program at Rutgers' Busch Campus where high schoolers study cutting-edge topics in cosmology, particle physics, quantum computing, and cosmic rays through faculty talks, lab tours, and hands-on cosmic-ray measurement.
📍 Piscataway, NJ📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
QuestBridge
Summer Program Scholarships (through College Prep Scholars Program)
Exclusive access to scholarships for summer programs as part of the College Prep Scholars Program.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities (SCGSAH)
Summer Programs (Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Film, Music, Visual Arts)
Residential, arts-intensive summer programs in Greenville for students in grades 6-11 (7-11 for most disciplines) to study creative writing, dance, drama, film, music, or visual arts alongside professional artists.
📍 Greenville, SC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
UC Santa Barbara
Summer Research Academies (SRA)
Students enroll in an intensive four-week research track, conduct directed research and complete a four-unit university course culminating in academic work and presentations.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Wyoming EPSCoR / University of Wyoming
Summer Research Apprentice Program (SRAP)
A six-week paid summer research program giving qualified high school students hands-on research experience in science, mathematics, statistics and engineering, with priority for Wyoming residents and underrepresented or first-generation students.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Stanford AIMI
Summer Research Internship
Two-week virtual opportunity to explore technical and clinical aspects of AI in healthcare.
📍 Virtual📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Kentucky Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics
Summer Research Training Fellowship
High-school students age 16+ with advanced biology and chemistry training spend eight weeks working 20–25 hours per week in a research laboratory under a graduate student, postdoctoral researcher, or scientist. Fellows receive $2,500.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana University Jacobs Academy
Summer Saxophone Academy
Students ages 14–18 participate in private lessons, masterclasses, saxophone quartets, ensemble work, and jazz instruction.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey
Summer Saxophone Institute
High-school saxophonists work on technique, repertoire and ensemble performance with TCNJ faculty.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Clemson University
Summer Scholars
A residential summer academic program for gifted middle and high schoolers (rising 7th-12th graders, up to age 17) offering immersive hands-on courses such as Vet Camp, Environmental Engineering, Microbiology, and Crime Scene Investigation, taught by Clemson instructors.
📍 Clemson, SC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Mississippi State University
Summer Scholars On Stage — Performance Track
Students audition for roles in an original musical and spend two residential weeks studying acting, dance, music, and theatre before presenting a fully staged production.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi State University
Summer Scholars On Stage — Writers & Technical Theatre Tracks
Writers collaboratively create an original musical's script and songs while technical-theatre participants learn stagecraft and help design and build the production. The three-week residential program culminates in a staged performance.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Smith College
Summer Science & Engineering Program
High-school students complete intensive laboratory-based science and engineering courses with Smith faculty in fields such as genetics, health, physical science, and digital systems.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Emory University School of Medicine
Summer Science Academy
Two-week science program uses lectures, laboratories and field experiences to introduce students to biology, healthcare, biotechnology, engineering and medical research.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF)
Summer Science Corps
Free weeklong environmental science and ecology learning experiences for K-12 students across Central New York, delivered through partnerships with local schools, libraries, parks, and arts organizations, facilitated by ESF student mentors.
📍 Syracuse and Central New York (SUNY ESF partner sites)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SSP International, Inc. / New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Summer Science Program in Astrophysics - New Mexico Tech
A rigorous five-week residential research program for high school juniors (and exceptional sophomores) hosted on the New Mexico Tech campus in Socorro, where teams of three determine the orbit of a near-Earth asteroid using research-grade telescopes, Python, and vector calculus.
📍 Socorro, NM📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Summer Scrubs
Students explore medicine and health careers through professional lectures and hands-on laboratory experiences; specialized sessions include physician-focused programming.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Carnegie Mellon University
Summer Session
Pre-College Summer Session program at Carnegie Mellon University.
📍 Pittsburgh, PA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
Summer Songwriting Workshop (Mason Community Arts Academy)
A summer workshop in which students ages 13-18 write and develop original songs, ending with a performance for friends and family.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
After School Activities Partnerships (ASAP Philly)
Summer Speech Academy (ASAP Debate)
A free, annual week-long July camp run by ASAP Debate for Philadelphia students, focused on raising their voices on issues they care about. Participants do team building and public speaking activities, take a field trip, and write Original Oratory speeches that culminate in an end-of-week speech tournament. ASAP also runs the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League (Public Forum) for high school clubs from November through March.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky State University
Summer STEM Momentum
Rising sophomores through seniors take up to two college-level STEM courses during a fully funded four-week program. Residential and virtual participation options are offered.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Indiana University Jacobs Academy
Summer String Academy
Serious young string players receive intensive performance instruction, lessons, ensemble experience, and other conservatory-style training.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Stevens Point at Marshfield
Summer Theatre Camp at UWSP Marshfield
A six-week evening theatre camp for ages 11-18 in acting, singing and dancing that culminates in public performances of a full production.
📍 Marshfield, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 6–12
Moderate
Denison University
Summer TUTTI Performing Arts Camp
Residential performing-arts intensive in music, dance, theatre and musical theatre with interdisciplinary collaboration and professional artists.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health
Summer Under the Microscope
Students explore environmental health and public health through hands-on activities and instruction from UAMS Environmental Health Sciences faculty.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNC System / NCSSM
Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics (SVSM)
Four-week, state-funded residential research program in which North Carolina students conduct intensive STEM investigations at participating UNC campuses.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Maryland Writing Project / Towson University
Summer Writers Camp (Maryland Writing Project)
A week-long in-person creative writing camp for grades 8-12 with icebreakers, writing-strategy instruction, dedicated writing time, and one-on-one conferences with experienced writing teachers.
📍 Towson, MD📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Susquehanna University
Summer Writers Workshop
Creative writing/literature pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Belin-Blank Center, University of Iowa
Summer Writing Online
Students participate in a three-week synchronous writing residency featuring fiction, poetry, screenwriting, seminars, critiques, author talks, and workshops led by University of Iowa writers. Admission is rolling and the program costs $295, with financial aid available.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa
Summer Youth Corps (Youth Intern Program)
A paid, residential conservation crew position for teens ages 14-18 who camp in Minnesota state parks while completing hands-on projects such as trail maintenance and habitat restoration alongside a crew of peers.
📍 Minnesota state parks (statewide)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pima County Community & Workforce Development
Summer Youth Employment Program
Youth work in paid internship positions with Pima County businesses and organizations while receiving career planning, skill development, and educational support.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NYC Department of Youth & Community Development
Summer Youth Employment Program
Massive paid summer-employment program placing NYC youth in jobs and career experiences across nonprofits, government, businesses and cultural organizations.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Marquette University Law School
Summer Youth Institute (Marquette Law School)
A free summer program introducing Milwaukee students to the legal system and careers in law through sessions with attorneys, judges and law students.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 March🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Museum of Science
Summer Youth Internship Program
High-school students ages 14–19 complete a seven-week museum internship combining department-specific projects with professional-development workshops and authentic workplace experience.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Miami-Dade County / Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Summer Youth Internship Program (SYIP)
Students complete a paid five-week workplace internship, earn academic credit and develop professional and financial-literacy skills.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
City of Lexington / Partners for Youth
Summer Youth Job Training Program
Rising sophomores through seniors complete workforce training and a six-week placement with Lexington businesses or community organizations. Youth work up to 20 hours weekly and earn $15 per hour; registration for the 2027 cycle opens October 1, 2026.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
IU Indianapolis School of Education
Summer YPAR Institute
A five-day intensive institute where high school youth learn youth participatory action research (YPAR) methodology to investigate and address issues in their own communities, prioritizing students of color and those eligible for free/reduced lunch.
📍 Indianapolis, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brown Pre-College
Summer@Brown
Explore new paths and connect with different ways of thinking, seeing and doing.
📍 On Campus📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University
Summer@Cornish Art & Design Intensive
A 4-week intensive giving high school students a mini-college experience at Cornish where they create and present original work, take electives outside their main art form, and build portfolios.
📍 Cornish College of the Arts, South Lake Union, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
TheatreSquared
SummerStage
Eight-day immersive theatre program where students work with professional playwrights, poets, musicians, actors and directors to devise and perform an original production.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Sundance Institute / George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation
Sundance Film Festival Student Screening Program
Free screenings of specially curated festival films for Utah secondary students, with content advisories and Q&A sessions with filmmakers. Screenings are offered online and at festival venues in Salt Lake City.
📍 Utah (online and Salt Lake City festival venues)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Fannie Lou Hamer's America / Sunflower County Film Academy
Sunflower County Film Academy
A free, intensive multi-week filmmaking workshop for high school students from the historically underserved Mississippi Delta, who work with professional filmmakers using industry-standard equipment to produce a documentary short while studying civil rights history.
📍 Cleveland, MS (Mississippi Delta)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Superconductor Quantum World Camp
Students explore superconductivity and quantum-related physics through experimental and engineering activities. The 2026 session charged $500.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) with regional ESD art shows
Superintendent's High School Art Show
Annual statewide student art competition: high school students enter a regional Educational Service District show, and selected pieces advance to the statewide Superintendent's show, where award recipients receive a $200 cash award and trophy.
📍 Regional ESD shows and Olympia, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Student Conservation Association (SCA)
Superior & Chippewa National Forests Program
Hands-on wilderness and developed recreation programs for young adults in Minnesota’s legendary forests, lakes, and wetlands.
📍 Minnesota, US📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Superior Court of Delaware
Superior Court High School Internship Program
One-week internship introducing students to Delaware's state-court system at the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Street Law
Supreme Court Summer Institute
Teacher and student programs on constitutional law and the Court.
📍 Washington, DC⏱ 1 week📅 Summer🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Surfrider Foundation
Surfrider Youth Volunteer
Coastal cleanup and ocean advocacy chapters across US.
📍 Coastal states⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Susquehanna University
Susquehanna Advanced Writers Workshop
One-week residential workshop in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, publishing.
📍 Selinsgrove, PA⏱ 1 week📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Maine Forest Bioproducts Research Institute
Sustainable Engineering Leaders of the Future (SELF)
Maine high-school students attend a free residential institute involving renewable-energy research, woody biomass, engineering, AI activities, collaborative research, and presentations.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Smith College
Sustainable Futures
Students investigate sustainability through fieldwork, environmental science, farms, art, writing, community resilience, and Smith's own carbon-neutrality efforts.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership
Sustainable Sea — Aquaculture and Fisheries for the Future
Students examine sustainability challenges involving aquaculture and fisheries while practicing environmental science and leadership in an island field setting.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Southern Utah University Department of Music
SUU High School Honor Band Festival
Audition-based two-day honor band for high school wind and percussion players, with rehearsals under SUU's Director of Bands and a final concert at the Heritage Center Theater. Participants receive two college elective credits.
📍 Cedar City, UT📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Southern Utah University Department of Music
SUU High School Honor Choir Festival
Audition-based two-day honor choir for high school singers, rehearsing outstanding choral literature under SUU's choral director and performing in a final concert in Cedar City.
📍 Cedar City, UT📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
SWOSU Music Camps
A set of six summer music camps for grades 6-12 (Choral, Jazz, String, Musical Theater, and Band camps), offering ensemble coaching, technique instruction, and all-state audition preparation with a finale concert.
📍 Weatherford, OK📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Michigan Technological University, Summer Youth Programs
SYP: Aerospace Engineering
A week-long residential exploration camp for grades 9-11 covering aerospace engineering fundamentals through hands-on labs, classroom instruction, and field experiences on Michigan Tech's campus.
📍 Houghton, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Michigan Technological University, Summer Youth Programs
SYP: AI Coding - Idea to Impact
A week-long residential camp for grades 9-11 where students design, program, and test their own AI-powered apps to solve practical, real-world problems.
📍 Houghton, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Michigan Technological University, Summer Youth Programs
SYP: Autonomous Robotics - Computer Vision & Navigation
A week-long residential camp for grades 9-11 in which students build and program small self-driving robots using cameras and sensors for computer-vision-based navigation.
📍 Houghton, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Michigan Technological University, Summer Youth Programs
SYP: Brains & Behavior - Neuroscience 101
A week-long residential camp for grades 9-11 introducing the fundamentals of neuroscience and behavior through hands-on labs and lectures at Michigan Tech.
📍 Houghton, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Michigan Technological University, Summer Youth Programs
SYP: Cybersecurity
A week-long residential camp for grades 9-11 introducing high school students to cybersecurity fundamentals through hands-on labs and exercises on Michigan Tech's campus.
📍 Houghton, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Michigan Technological University, Summer Youth Programs
SYP: Discover Your Future in Healthcare!
A week-long residential camp for grades 9-11 exploring healthcare career paths through hands-on activities and lab experiences at Michigan Tech.
📍 Houghton, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Michigan Technological University, Summer Youth Programs
SYP: Introduction to Computational Physics
A week-long residential camp for grades 9-11 introducing computational methods for solving physics problems through hands-on coding and lab work.
📍 Houghton, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Michigan Technological University, Summer Youth Programs
SYP: Mobile Robotics
A week-long residential camp for grades 9-11 where students design, build, and program mobile robots using hands-on engineering methods on Michigan Tech's campus.
📍 Houghton, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Michigan Technological University, Summer Youth Programs
SYP: The MTU Trading Room
A week-long residential camp for grades 9-11 where students use Michigan Tech's financial trading room to learn markets, investing, and business decision-making.
📍 Houghton, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Michigan Technological University, Summer Youth Programs
SYP: Wildlife Ecology & Conservation
A week-long residential camp for grades 9-11 exploring wildlife ecology and conservation through field investigations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
📍 Houghton, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Institute for Systems Biology
Systems Thinkers in STEM Ambassadorship (STiSA)
Free micro-courses, workgroups and events that build systems thinking skills in STEM, covering systems medicine, environmental systems, community action and scientist talks, with a Slack community.
📍 Online (Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA)📅 January🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
T3 Alaska
T3 Alaska Student Summer Program
A free residential summer program bringing Alaska high schoolers together on University of Alaska campuses to explore technology, energy, cybersecurity, and design thinking through hands-on, community-based projects.
📍 Fairbanks / Anchorage, AK (UAF / UAA)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Texas Association of Journalism Educators
TAJE Fall Fiesta
TAJE's annual fall convention for student journalists and advisers with workshops, keynote speakers, and competitions including Best in Texas and Journalist of the Year. Student scholarships are available to attend.
📍 San Antonio, TX📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas Association of Journalism Educators (TAJE)
TAJE Student Scholarships
TAJE awards $1,000 college scholarships to high school seniors in journalism programs and up to six $150 scholarships to help students attend summer journalism workshops. Applicants need an adviser who is a current TAJE member.
📍 Texas (online application)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Take Flight Aviation Camp
Hands-on introduction to aviation and flight careers.
📍 OK🎓 Grade 10
Moderate
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Take One Make One (TOMO)
An outdoor education and mentoring program that pairs first-time youth hunters with an experienced SCDNR-affiliated mentor for a safe, ethical introductory hunt, plus access to conservation camps and shooting-sports clinics.
📍 Statewide, South Carolina📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Boston University
Tanglewood Institute
Premier summer music program for high school instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers.
📍 Lenox, MA⏱ 2-6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tarheel Forensic League
Tarheel Forensic League
North Carolina's statewide high school speech and debate league, organizing Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Congressional debate tournaments culminating in a state championship each spring.
📍 North Carolina (tournaments statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The College of New Jersey / NJ DVRS
TCNJ Pre-College Summer Program for Students with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities
State-funded 10-day residential transition-to-college experience covering academics, career exploration, social-emotional development, self-determination and independent campus life. Tuition is covered through DVRS for eligible NJ residents.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Concord Review, Inc.
TCR Academic Coaches
Provides academic coaches to help students with their historical writing and research.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Concord Review
TCR History Camp
A camp focusing on history and writing, with testimonials highlighting invaluable writing lessons for high school students.
📍 Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
TCU School of Music
TCU Band Camp (High School Music, Leadership and Color Guard)
A four-day summer camp at TCU for students entering grades 9-12 preparing for marching band leadership, concert band, solo and chamber music, with music and leadership, drum major and color guard tracks.
📍 Fort Worth, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation / NSHE
Teacher Academy College Pathway Program
State-funded pathway covering tuition and mandatory fees for Nevada high-school students taking dual-credit teacher-education courses at NSHE institutions. Statewide implementation began in spring 2026.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maryland State Department of Education / Towson University
Teacher Academy of Maryland (TAM)
A statewide Career and Technical Education pathway starting in 10th grade where students take a four-course sequence culminating in an Education Academy Internship, gaining classroom observation and lesson-planning experience.
📍 Maryland public high schools statewide; affiliated with Towson University📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Tennessee System - Grow Your Own Center
Teaching as a Profession (TAP)
A Tennessee high school CTE pathway introducing students to education careers through introductory coursework, classroom field experiences and internships in local schools, and a capstone project, with potential college credit toward teaching degrees.
📍 Statewide, TN (offered through participating high schools)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SC Governor's School for Science & Mathematics
TEAM UP
Virtual engineering/STEM pathway extending GSSM instruction statewide.
📍 SC🎓 Grades 9, 10, 12
Moderate
University of Wyoming Speech and Debate
Team Wyoming Free Debate Coaching
Free supplemental debate coaching for Wyoming and Mountain West high school debaters, with weekly Zoom coaching from University of Wyoming staff, practice rounds with feedback, shared prep files and an online Q&A forum.
📍 Online (University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Rochester / Eastman School of Music
TEAMuP AI Music Production Camp
NSF-supported free high-school camp combining digital music production with artificial-intelligence tools and creative technology.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Tec de Monterrey
Tec de Monterrey Global Leadership Program
Youth leadership and entrepreneurship program at one of Latin America's top universities.
📍 Monterrey, Mexico⏱ 3 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Northern State University
Tech and Innovation Camp
A free residential summer camp for students entering grades 9-12 focused on hands-on learning in technology, coding, entrepreneurship, and digital content creation, with on-campus meals and lodging included.
📍 Aberdeen, SD📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Boston Private Industry Council
Tech Apprentice
A paid six- to seven-week summer internship placing tech-savvy Boston Public Schools high school students at local tech companies, government agencies, or universities for hands-on IT, web design, and programming experience.
📍 Boston, MA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Ithaca College
Tech Innovation Summer Academy
Free residential program offering tracks in fields such as robotics, AI, app/web development, VR, gaming and hardware; tuition, housing and meals are covered and students earn 0.5 college credit.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UNH Tech Camp
TechLeaders: Bridge to College — The Heat Equation
Upper-level STEM camp combining an intensive technical project with college-readiness and professional-development activities; the Heat Equation project applies mathematics and engineering to thermal systems.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UNH Tech Camp
TechLeaders: Frontiers in Regenerative Medicine — Cryopreservation
Students investigate cryopreservation at ultra-low temperatures through wet-lab experimentation covering cells, water, freezing-point depression, proteins, chemistry and biotechnology.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Sandia National Laboratories
Technical High School Intern — Counter-Autonomy & Machine Learning
Current Sandia high-school internship involving sensors, experiments, data collection/curation, programming, machine learning, robotics and computer engineering in a mentored R&D environment.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UNC Greensboro
Technovation for Good
Residential technology program teaching programming, cybersecurity, data analytics, mobile applications, IoT and entrepreneurship through socially focused projects.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Technovation
Technovation Girls
Global tech entrepreneurship challenge for girls 8-18.
📍 Online⏱ 12 weeks📅 October🎓 Grades 3–12
Selective
UNH Tech Camp
TechVenturers: Bioinformatics
Project-based program combining biological information with computational analysis. The 2026 session was open to grades 9–12 with commuter and residential options.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNH Tech Camp
TechVenturers: Data Detectives
Students learn how to gather, interpret, model and present data to uncover patterns and make predictions about real-world problems.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNH Tech Camp
TechVenturers: RC Cars — Trail to Track
Students use professional RC crawlers and drift cars to explore vehicle engineering, design, maintenance and performance while constructing custom terrain and track challenges.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
UNH Tech Camp
TechVenturers: Regenerative Medicine — The Planaria Project
Students investigate tissue regeneration using planaria while learning how biological data is generated, visualized and interpreted in regenerative medicine and biotechnology.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
UNH Manchester Tech Camp
TechVoyagers: AI for Models
Students collect real laboratory data with sensors and cell cultures, then create and train AI models to test and verify the data.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNH Manchester Tech Camp
TechVoyagers: Body Builders
Students combine anatomy and physiology with art, electronics and Arduino-based engineering to construct functional models of body systems.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNH Manchester Tech Camp
TechVoyagers: Forensics in Action
Manchester-area students process a mock crime scene while learning fingerprinting, blood typing, fiber analysis, chemical analysis and DNA fingerprinting. Current program participation is free for accepted students.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
UNH Manchester Tech Camp
TechVoyagers: Zoom Lens
Students investigate microscopy, then use 3D modeling and printing to prototype a high-magnification microscope attachment for a phone.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
OHSU Knight Cancer Institute
Ted R. Lilley CURE Program
Eight-week cancer-research internship in an OHSU faculty laboratory culminating in a poster presentation.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
TED-Ed
TED-Ed Student Talks
Free, self-run program that helps students discover, develop, and share their own ideas in TED-style talks; open to schools and clubs anywhere in the world.
📍 Remote (Global)⏱ Self-paced club📅 Rolling · anytime🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
TEDx
TEDxYouth Events
Local TEDxYouth events held worldwide; students can apply to speak or attend.
📍 Global⏱ 1 day📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
New York Civil Liberties Union
Teen Activist Project
Students organize around youth rights, education, health and civil-liberties issues while receiving advocacy/public-speaking training. Participants can receive a stipend or service hours. The 2026–27 cycle includes NYC, Buffalo and Nassau-area participation.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Teen Ambassador Program
School-year marine-conservation leadership program combining service, public speaking and environmental education.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Des Moines Art Center
Teen Arts Academy and Teen Clay Academy
Motivated high-school artists participate in a nine-month program of instructor-led studio classes, independent work, critiques, museum discussions, guest artists, and college-portfolio development. Art Center materials describe the academies as free.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Frist Art Museum
Teen Arts Action Group (TAAG)
A teen leadership program for ages 15-18 who collaborate with Frist educators and professional artists to plan teen programming such as Teen ArtLabs and the Teen Fall Festival, while developing leadership and professional skills; service hours count toward school requirements.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Detroit Institute of Arts
Teen Arts Council
Twelve high-school students serve as DIA employees, work with museum staff, and design cultural and creative programming for Metro Detroit teens.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Saint Louis Art Museum
Teen Arts Council
Ages 14–18 advise the museum on teen programming, plan an annual juried teen art exhibition, attend workshops and field trips, and meet every other week from September through May. Members receive a $200 stipend each semester for full attendance.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle Art Museum
Teen Arts Group (TAG) at Seattle Art Museum
An intensive program for high school-aged youth interested in leadership and community who learn how the museum works behind the scenes, lead tours, plan Teen Night Out and make their own art.
📍 Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York Public Library
Teen Center Ambassadors
Paid teen internship in which students help develop library programs and resources, build professional skills and serve their communities.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Anchorage Museum
Teen Climate Communicators
Teens meet weekly with museum staff and guest presenters to investigate climate change, create short-term projects, and collaboratively develop a public exhibition about climate action. Participants receive documented volunteer hours and a certificate.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Carolina Aquarium
Teen Conservation Crew
A hands-on conservation program for 9th and 10th graders in the Charleston area, involving dolphin population counts, artificial reef construction, horseshoe crab surveys, and flood monitoring during spring and fall semesters.
📍 Charleston, SC📅 October🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Teen Conservation Leaders
Teens complete intensive marine-biology and ocean-conservation training, then volunteer in tracks such as visitor interpretation and science communication while developing career and leadership skills.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Teen Eco Summit
A free, year-long, student-driven program where teams of 4-7 high schoolers and a faculty advisor create Conservation Action Plans to make their school or community more eco-friendly, beginning with an in-person kickoff and ending with a spring celebration event.
📍 Powell, OH (Columbus Zoo and Aquarium)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Penn State Lehigh Valley LaunchBox
Teen Entrepreneur Challenge (TEC) Camp
A weeklong residential camp where teams of rising 9th-12th graders develop a product or service idea while learning entrepreneurial mindset, marketing, financial literacy, economics, AI, and teamwork, ending in a pitch competition.
📍 Reading, PA (Penn State Berks campus)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Natural History Museum of Utah
Teen Explainers Program
A paid high school internship where teens learn to engage museum guests in interactive science learning and build communication and professional skills. Offered as an October-April school-year cohort and a June-August summer cohort.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
J. Paul Getty Museum
Teen Gallery Guides @ Getty
Teens research artworks, learn museum-education techniques, work with art professionals and lead gallery experiences for school groups and general visitors at the Getty Center or Getty Villa.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Teen Guest Engagement Volunteer
Teen volunteers assist museum guests with visitor engagement, information, wayfinding, ticket scanning and special museum activities.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
OhioHealth, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine & Labcorp
Teen Healthcare Camp
A 3-day hands-on healthcare camp bringing together high schoolers from area schools for medical-education exercises led by medical students and OhioHealth physicians, part of a Discovery Series partnership exploring healthcare careers.
📍 Dublin, OH (Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Young Authors Foundation
Teen Ink
An award-winning monthly print and online magazine by and for teens.
📍 Online / Jersey City, NJ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York Jewish Week
Teen Journalism Fellowship
NYC-area Jewish teens report and publish professional journalism while receiving editing and mentorship; fellows receive compensation for published stories.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Walters Art Museum
Teen Lab
Free teen-focused workshop series offering hands-on art experiences; the fall 2026 series includes multi-session printmaking and pattern-design work.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Shedd Aquarium
Teen Lab Workshops
Free workshops for currently enrolled high-school students ages 14–18 explore aquatic science, conservation, STEAM topics, and related careers through hands-on activities. Workshops are offered on multiple dates and topics.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
826michigan
Teen Leadership Lab
High-school students mentor younger writers, complete professional-development activities, develop and workshop their own writing, and receive support toward publication. Participants who complete the program receive a stipend. Fall 2026 enrollment is open.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montana State University
Teen Movie Making Intensive: Story to Screen
Students develop, shoot and edit a narrative short film while learning visual storytelling, production and on-set collaboration.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Bell Museum, University of Minnesota
Teen Science Cafe
Free public programs 'by teens for teens' run by a Teen Advisory Board, where teens meet University of Minnesota STEM experts for conversations, interactive presentations and hands-on activities. No prior STEM experience needed; RSVP via Eventbrite. Sponsored by General Mills.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Teen Science Cafés
Free monthly events where teens interact directly with working scientists through talks, activities and informal Q&A.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Teen Science Scholars
Teens work directly with museum scientists on authentic projects in fields including genetics, ornithology, paleontology, anthropology, collections, data science, and conservation.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Salt Lake City Public Library (The City Library)
Teen Squad (Salt Lake City Public Library)
Six-week program for students in grades 7-12 who work with a librarian to set goals and develop a project, earning volunteer hours and job skills.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
J.F. Mazur Fine Art Studio
Teen Studio (Young Artists Workshop)
A weekly drawing, painting, and printmaking studio class for middle and high school students, taught in small groups of up to 10 students.
📍 Santa Fe, NM📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UTSA Community Art Program (PACE)
Teen Studio Intensive
A full-academic-year visual arts program for high school students with twice-weekly studio classes, portfolio review and instruction by professional artists at 300 Augusta in San Antonio.
📍 San Antonio, TX📅 August🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Teen Stylin' Fashion Program at VMFA
A free, 12-week fashion program for teens in grades 6-12 in which participants learn from professional designers and create garments inspired by VMFA's collection, showcased in a juried runway exhibition; an independent-study option serves students statewide.
📍 Richmond, VA (statewide independent study option)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Frist Art Museum / Nashville Film Festival
Teen Summer Film Camp
A week-long film camp for rising 10th-12th graders who work in small production teams with teaching artists to develop a concept, script, and storyboard, then shoot and edit a finished short film using professional gear and industry-standard tools.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Children's of Alabama
Teen Summer Program (Volunteer Services)
A half-day hospital volunteer program for teens combining patient/family support with education about healthcare careers and hospital operations, requiring a four-week commitment with a required midday Lunch and Learn session.
📍 Children's of Alabama, Birmingham, AL📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
GrubStreet
Teen Summer Writing Fellowship
A three-week intensive fellowship for Boston-area teen writers to generate new work across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenwriting, with daily mentorship, guest author visits, and a culminating public performance showcase.
📍 Boston, MA (GrubStreet)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum
Teen Takeover Contest
North Dakota teens submit an original artistic creation plus a short written explanation inspired by state history and museum collections.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Walters Art Museum
Teen Takeover: Spirit Realm
WAMTAC teens take over the museum with teen-designed art activities, games, interpretation, and programming inspired by the museum collection. The 2026 event is free.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
McWane Science Center
Teen Volunteer Program
Teens help present STEM activities, support camps and visitors, and develop communication, leadership, and science-education experience.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia Aquarium
Teen Volunteer Program
Teens serve as Gallery Guides in guest interpretation, touch pools and engagement activities and complete a collaborative environmental community project.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
Teen Volunteer Program
Teens complete roughly 50 hours of summer service while learning about animals, habitats and conservation and helping educate aquarium visitors.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Catholic Medical Center
Teen Volunteer Program (Catholic Medical Center)
Hospital volunteer program for students ages 15-18 to gain healthcare-setting exposure through patient transport support, information desk work, pastoral care assistance, and patient experience services.
📍 Manchester, NH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SEE Science Center
Teen Volunteer Program (SEE Science Center)
Teens facilitate hands-on science activities for kids as Kit Facilitators, Near Peer Facilitators at special community events, and STEM Role Models sharing their own science career stories.
📍 Manchester, NH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Science Museum of Virginia
Teen Volunteer Program (Teen Leadership Program) at the Science Museum of Virginia
Teens ages 15-18 (or rising sophomores) learn hands-on guest engagement, mentorship and behind-the-scenes museum skills in a semester-long volunteer cohort, with options in exhibits, labs or administrative work.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 November🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Williamsburg Regional Library
Teen Volunteer Roles and Teen Advisory Group (Williamsburg Regional Library)
Teens volunteer at the library through the year-round Teen Advisory Group (ages 13-18) and seasonal roles such as Summer Reading Room, Summer Reading Program helper and puppeteer; the group helps shape teen materials, services and events.
📍 Williamsburg and James City County, VA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
DISCOVERY Children's Museum
Teen Volunteers
Teen volunteers support museum programming and hands-on educational experiences for children and families. Applications are accepted through the museum's active teen-volunteer program.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Charleston Museum
Teen Workshops
Reservation-based workshops for teens ages 13-17 at the Charleston Museum, pairing a lesson or guided tour on history, natural history, or STEAM topics with a hands-on activity or craft project.
📍 Charleston, SC (The Charleston Museum)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Loft Literary Center
Teen Writing Project — Fall Edition
Students ages 15–18 spend 12 weeks workshopping fiction, studying craft, revising manuscripts, and participating in literary-community projects such as an anthology editorial board and youth writing blog. The fall 2026 fee is $444.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Teen/Artist Project
An eight-month program for sixteen high school students who meet three hours every Sunday at the Modern for workshops with visiting artists, gallery discussions and studio projects, ending with an exhibition. Free for accepted students.
📍 Fort Worth, TX📅 August🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
TeenHacks LI
TeenHacks LI
Free high-school hackathon where programmers, engineers, designers and entrepreneurs form teams and build technology projects during an intensive event hosted on Long Island.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Fort Wayne Children's Zoo
Teens for Nature
A summer volunteer and leadership program for students in grades 7-12 who rotate through Zoo Crew, Zookeeper, Conservation Crew, or Camp Counselor roles in two-week sessions throughout the summer.
📍 Fort Wayne, IN📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Teens in Public Service (TIPS)
Teens in Public Service (TIPS) Summer Internships
A paid summer internship program that places Seattle-area high school students with nonprofit organizations for 6-8 weeks, with required trainings and mentoring.
📍 Greater Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National Park Service
Teens Programs (Service Projects and Volunteer Opportunities)
Learn how to participate in service projects and volunteer opportunities within the National Park Service.
📍 National Parks across the US📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
TeenTix
TeenTix Newsroom
Teen arts-journalism program in which writers attend arts events for free, write reviews that are edited one-on-one by teen editors, and are paid for their writing.
📍 Seattle, Washington area📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Selective
Telluride Association
Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS)
Fully-funded six-week humanities seminar focused on critical Black studies, anti-oppressive thought, and social justice.
📍 Multiple universities⏱ 6 weeks📅 Winter🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
DECA Inc. / Tennessee DECA
Tennessee DECA
The Tennessee chapter of DECA, preparing high school students as emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through local chapters, district conferences, and the State Career Development Conference.
📍 Statewide, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Future Business Leaders of America / Tennessee FBLA
Tennessee FBLA
The Tennessee chapter of FBLA, preparing high school students to become community-minded business leaders through competitive events, a Testing Tournament, and the State Leadership Conference with a path to the National Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America / Tennessee FCCLA
Tennessee FCCLA
The Tennessee chapter of FCCLA, promoting personal growth and leadership development in human services, education, design, and hospitality through STAR Events competitions and the State Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National FFA Organization / Tennessee FFA Association
Tennessee FFA
The Tennessee FFA Association develops students' leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education, including the Environmental Challenge Contest (supported by TVA), Camp Clements leadership camp, and the annual State Convention.
📍 Statewide, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Tennessee Knoxville, Department of Philosophy
Tennessee High School Ethics Bowl
A discussion-based (not debate) competition, established in 2010, in which high school teams analyze controversial ethical issues using moral reasoning and present their analysis to a panel of judges. The winning team advances to the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Knoxville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Tennessee High School Press Association (Lipscomb University School of Communication)
Tennessee High School Press Association
A statewide scholastic journalism association offering fall workshops in Chattanooga, Memphis, Knoxville, and Nashville, plus evaluations and contests for newspapers, yearbooks, literary magazines, and broadcast/online media, culminating in an annual Awards Day.
📍 Statewide, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League (THSSDL)
Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League
A statewide association for speech and drama educators whose member schools compete in tournaments and invitationals across events including extemporaneous speaking, solo acting, one-act plays, interpreters' theatre, and public debate, culminating in a State Tournament.
📍 Clarksville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tennessee Historical Society (National History Day state affiliate)
Tennessee History Day
The Tennessee affiliate of National History Day, in which students research and present original historical projects through a multi-level competition of District, Regional, State, and National contests across six Tennessee regions.
📍 Statewide, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
HOSA Inc. / Tennessee HOSA
Tennessee HOSA - Future Health Professionals
The Tennessee chapter of HOSA, empowering future health professionals through chapter competitions, Regional and State Leadership Conferences, with top performers advancing to the International Leadership Conference.
📍 Statewide, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vanderbilt University Department of Mathematics / Tennessee Mathematics Coalition
Tennessee Math Tournament
A one-day high school math competition at Vanderbilt featuring five rounds — Individual, Team, Speed, Elimination, and Math Bowl — co-organized with the Tennessee Mathematics Coalition.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tennessee Chess Association (TCA)
Tennessee Scholastic Chess Championships
Annual statewide scholastic chess championships for K-12 Tennessee students, including Regional Team Qualifiers and State Team Finals across Primary, Elementary, Middle School, and High School divisions, plus the Tennessee All-Girls State Championship.
📍 Statewide, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Inc. / Tennessee SkillsUSA
Tennessee SkillsUSA
The Tennessee chapter of SkillsUSA, preparing students in skilled trades and technical careers through Regional and State Leadership and Skills Conferences and the SkillsUSA Championships, with a path to the National Leadership and Skills Conference.
📍 Statewide, TN📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tennessee Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division
Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition
A statewide mock trial competition in which high school teams role-play as lawyers and witnesses in simulated court cases, judged by practicing attorneys and judges. District winners advance to the state championship, and the state champion represents Tennessee at Nationals.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
YMCA of Middle Tennessee, Center for Civic Engagement
Tennessee YMCA Youth in Government
The second-largest Youth in Government program in the country, where more than 2,500 Tennessee high school students annually role-play as state senators, representatives, Supreme Court attorneys and justices, executive branch officials, lobbyists, or press corps at multi-day conferences held at the Tennessee State Capitol.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Austin Peay State University / Humanities Tennessee
Tennessee Young Writers' Workshop
An overnight summer camp for students ages 14-18 offering workshops in a wide variety of creative writing styles and genres taught by professional instructors, alongside community-building camp activities.
📍 Clarksville, TN📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
InterConnections 21 / Teton County School District
Teton County Model United Nations (TCMUN)
A student-run two-day Model UN conference at Jackson Hole High School where delegates represent countries in committees such as the Historical Security Council, ICJ, UNESCO and a Crisis committee. Delegates register through a sponsoring school or non-profit.
📍 Jackson, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Texas A&M Galveston Sea Camp (High School Programs)
Residential marine science camps for ages 14-18 covering marine biology research, ocean conservation, ichthyology, ornithology, sea turtles, marine engineering, veterinary medicine and pre-medicine. Includes Talented and Gifted tracks for students in GT, Pre-AP or AP courses.
📍 Galveston, TX📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas A&M University Department of Statistics
Texas A&M Statistics and Data Science Summer Camp
A free one-week day camp introducing high school students to core statistics and data science concepts through lectures, data analysis exercises and group projects. Aimed at students in the Bryan/College Station area.
📍 College Station, TX📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of North Texas
Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (TAMS)
A residential early-college program at UNT where Texas students enter after 9th, 10th, or 11th grade and take university courses in math and science while finishing high school. Applicants must have completed Algebra I and be enrolled in or finished Geometry and Algebra II; applications are reviewed continuously through April.
📍 Denton, TX (UNT campus)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Texas Association of Future Educators
Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE)
TAFE is a statewide student organization founded in 1984 that lets middle and high school students explore the teaching profession through chapters, competitive events, and service. Its annual Teach Tomorrow Summit is held March 4-6, 2027 in San Antonio.
📍 Texas (statewide chapters; Summit in San Antonio)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 6–12
Moderate
Texas Book Festival
Texas Book Festival Volunteer Program
Teens 13 and older can volunteer at the Texas Book Festival in downtown Austin, including in the children's and young adult programming areas, alongside more than 900 volunteers.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State Bar of Texas Law-Related Education Department and Sumners Foundation
Texas Citizen Bee
A civics competition for students in grades 9-12 covering the Constitution, landmark Supreme Court cases and current events, with regional contests by Education Service Center region and a state championship in Austin.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Texas Debate Collective
Texas Debate Collective Student Institute
A two-week residential debate institute in San Marcos with Lincoln-Douglas and World Schools labs of 12-14 students, covering debate skills plus politics, philosophy and law. The majority of students receive scholarships.
📍 San Marcos, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas DECA
Texas DECA
Texas DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management through district, state (SCDC), and international Career Development Conferences. Open to Texas students enrolled in Marketing Education or an approved CTE class; the 2027 State Career Development Conference is February 25-27, 2027 in Houston.
📍 Texas (statewide chapters; State CDC in Houston)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas FBLA
Texas FBLA State Leadership Conference
Texas FBLA high school members compete in business events at Area Leadership Conferences, with top performers advancing to the State Leadership Conference and then the FBLA National Leadership Conference. Members also join leadership, volunteer and career-planning activities.
📍 Texas (2026 state conference in Round Rock)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas Association of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (Texas FCCLA)
Texas FCCLA
Texas FCCLA is the state Career and Technical Student Organization for Family and Consumer Sciences students, offering STAR competitive events, Family and Consumer Sciences assessments, community service, and a State Leadership Conference. Students in grades 6-12 enrolled in or having completed an FCS course may join.
📍 Texas (statewide chapters; state office in Austin)📅 November🎓 Grades 6–12
Moderate
Texas FFA Association
Texas FFA Career Development Events (CDEs)
State-level competitions for Texas FFA members testing technical, leadership and teamwork skills in agricultural fields such as entomology, food science, vet science, agronomy, forestry, wildlife and ag sales. Many events qualify teams for the National FFA CDE competition and offer scholarships.
📍 Texas (events hosted at Tarleton, Sam Houston State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas Forensic Association
Texas Forensic Association Speech and Debate
The association that oversees high school speech and debate competition in Texas, with events including Congress, debate, extemporaneous speaking, oral interpretation, platform events, and World Schools Debate. Students qualify for the state tournament by earning points at TFA tournaments.
📍 Texas (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas A&M University McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship
Texas High School Ideas Challenge
A statewide entrepreneurship competition for Texas high school students ages 14-18, individually or in teams of up to six. Ideas go through an online pre-screen round, and finalists pitch at Texas A&M for cash prizes; the 2027 challenge is scheduled for spring 2027 with applications opening early 2027.
📍 College Station, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Dallas Bar Association Community Service Fund
Texas High School Mock Trial Competition
An annual advocacy competition where public, private, and home school teams from across Texas argue a mock case before attorney judges. The 2027 competition includes a courtroom artist category.
📍 Dallas, TX (regionals across Texas)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas State Historical Association (Texas affiliate of National History Day)
Texas History Day
A statewide student research competition where grade 9-12 students present papers, exhibits, documentaries, performances, or websites on a historical topic tied to the annual National History Day theme. Winners advance from regional to state to the national contest.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Texas HOSA
Texas HOSA - Future Health Professionals
Texas HOSA is the state association of HOSA-Future Health Professionals, offering middle school, secondary, and post-secondary divisions with health science competitive events, chapter leadership, and a State Leadership Conference. It is open to students in health science programs or interested in healthcare careers.
📍 Texas (statewide chapters; HQ Laredo)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 6–12
Moderate
Audubon Texas
Texas Leaders in Conservation (TLC)
A free high school stewardship and leadership program where students explore conservation topics (climate, water, coasts, working lands, or bird-friendly communities) through field trips and a five-day summer conservation camp. Offered through partner schools in Dallas, Balch Springs, and San Antonio via the Young Women's Preparatory Network.
📍 Dallas, Balch Springs, and San Antonio, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Texas Chess Association
Texas Scholastic Chess Championships
The Texas Chess Association runs annual state scholastic championships and regional events with high school sections, open to Texas residents with US Chess and TCA memberships. Results determine qualification for the Texas Junior Invitational and Lone Star Cup.
📍 Austin, TX (regional events statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas A&M Engineering (Texas Science and Engineering Fair)
Texas Science and Engineering Fair (TXSEF)
Statewide science fair where regional fair qualifiers in grades 6-12 present research projects across 20+ categories in engineering, biological sciences, and physical sciences. Top high school entries advance to the International Science and Engineering Fair; the 2027 state fair is April 2-3, 2027 at Texas A&M.
📍 College Station, TX (Texas A&M University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 6–12
Moderate
Texas Space Grant Consortium
Texas Space Grant Build the Moon Challenge
A hands-on aerospace engineering challenge in which middle and high school teams develop a regolith concrete mixture with lunar simulant, test its strength and design a lunar habitat. Texas teams can apply for Space Grant funding to cover participation costs.
📍 Texas (statewide, team-based)📅 August🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas Space Grant Consortium
Texas Space Grant Plant the Moon Challenge
An 8-week team science experiment in which students grow crops in lunar or Martian soil simulant, submit research reports and can present at a virtual symposium with NASA scientists. Teams of 1-5 students participate.
📍 Texas (statewide, team-based)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas State University School of Music
Texas State University String Camp
A 38-year-old week-long camp in San Marcos for violin, viola, cello and bass students ages 12-18 with four orchestras, chamber ensembles, electives in composition, improvisation and fiddling, and an All-State etude clinic.
📍 San Marcos, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Texas Tech University Whitacre College of Engineering
Texas Tech Explore Engineering Camp
A week-long camp for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors introducing each engineering discipline through hands-on activities and field trips to local engineering facilities. Participants stay on campus in Lubbock.
📍 Lubbock, TX📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
NC State University
TexTEC: Exploring Textile Technology, Engineering and Chemistry
Short intensive where students explore textile engineering, chemistry and technology through laboratories and hands-on demonstrations.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
5 Gyres Institute
The 5 Gyres Institute Ambassador Program (Youth)
Young leaders working to solve the ocean plastic crisis through local policy change.
📍 Online/Nationwide⏱ Ongoing📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Notre Dame
The American Experiment: Liberty for All?
A course offered as part of the Notre Dame Leadership Seminars program.
📍 Notre Dame, IN📅 Annual — 2027 dates not yet announced🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Susquehanna University
The Apprentice Writer
National literary magazine of high school student writing published by Susquehanna.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Sheridan School District
The Art of Humanity
Students examine human history through art, culture and sociology while learning artistic techniques and constructing a creative timeline of art history.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
The Brodsky Prize / New Hampshire journalism community
The Brodsky Prize
New Hampshire high-school students submit journalism-oriented writing addressing news, media and public affairs. The program awards a $5,000 prize.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Concord Review
The Concord Review
The only quarterly journal publishing high school history research essays. Students submit 5K-9K word papers; selected essays are printed and indexed.
📍 Online submission⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Concord Review
The Concord Review Submissions
The Concord Review is the only quarterly journal in the world to publish the academic research papers of secondary students. Students are encouraged to submit their history papers for consideration.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Daphne Review
The Daphne Review
An independent literary journal specifically for middle and high school writers and artists.
📍 Online📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona State University
The Dialectic: High School Philosophy Summer Camp
Students work with graduate students and professors on ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, civic virtues, open-mindedness, disagreement, polarization, and philosophical argument.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Diana Award
The Diana Award
International charity honoring young people (9–25) for social action or humanitarian work; programmes include mentoring, anti-bullying, and the Legacy Award.
📍 Remote (Global)⏱ Varies📅 Nominations open year-round🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Earth Foundation
The Earth Prize
Global environmental sustainability competition with $200k in prizes for student teams.
📍 Global📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Concord Review, Inc.
The Emerson Prize
A prize awarded to authors published in The Concord Review, recognizing exemplary historical research and writing.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Entrepreneur Academy
The Entrepreneur Academy (TEA)
A San Diego startup incubator for middle and high schoolers who build real companies over several months, culminating in an internal pitch competition with the top team advancing to a global Shark Tank-style event.
📍 San Diego, CA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
The Era of Quantum Science & Technology
Students examine modern quantum science and emerging quantum technologies.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
San Francisco State University
The Great Sunflower Project (Citizen Science)
A massive collaborative project where students collect soil samples and perform data analysis for ecological research. Hybrid model.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Ongoing📅 Early March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
The Handbook to Cybersecurity Challenges in AI
Students examine cybersecurity challenges associated with artificial intelligence.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering
The Human + AI Experience
High-school students investigate global problems, develop potential solutions, and explore how humans and artificial intelligence can work together. The four-day 2026 program was free.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
The Japanese Cultural Experience
Students explore Japanese culture in a structured summer enrichment course.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Knowledge Society
The Knowledge Society (TKS) Virtual Program
A 4-week virtual accelerator where high schoolers solve real-world problems for top companies like Microsoft and TKS partners.
📍 Online⏱ 4 weeks (Trial) / 10 months (Pro)📅 Rolling (Monthly cohorts)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montclair State University
The Mathematics of Musical Instruments
Investigates how mathematical and physical principles shape musical instruments and sound.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Georgia State University Center for Behavioral Neuroscience
The Neuroscience School (Georgia State University)
The Neuroscience School offers short summer courses for high school students interested in neuroscience, taught by GSU neuroscience and psychology faculty and covering the structure and function of the nervous system.
📍 Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
The NSHSS Foundation
The NSHSS Foundation
Fosters the growth of students pursuing the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math), business, economics, public policy, and environmental science and sustainability fields. Connects young scholars with additional opportunities to advance their education, personal growth and career interests.
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Notre Dame
The Power of Investing: Financial Literacy and the Miracle of Compound Interest
A course offered as part of the Notre Dame Leadership Seminars program.
📍 Notre Dame, IN📅 Annual — 2027 dates not yet announced🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
The Power Within: Recharge Your Future with Battery Tech
Students explore battery technology and energy-related science and engineering.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montana Chamber Foundation
The Prospects
Statewide virtual entrepreneurship competition for Montana K–12 students with either a new business idea or an existing student-run business. High-school winners can earn substantial scholarships and cash prizes; the 2026 grand champions received $5,000.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Cooper Union
The Saturday Program
A free, 55-year-old program offering NYC public high schoolers weekly Saturday studio classes in architecture, drawing, graphic design, media production, painting, and sculpture, with portfolio development for college art and architecture programs.
📍 New York, NY📅 September🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Scholarship Academy
The Scholarship Academy
Offers curriculum to help students identify tailored scholarship options and build solid scholarship profile.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
The Science of Sketching
Art-and-science program using museum specimens, live animals and architectural subjects to teach observational drawing.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UMBC
The SingerStudio: Learning How to Sing Better and Why!
Students study vocal performance and the principles behind effective singing.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Aspen Institute
The Stevens Initiative Virtual Exchange
A high school program focusing on international affairs and cultural exchange between US and Middle Eastern students. Online workshops.
📍 Online⏱ 6 months📅 Early February🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
SALA / Global Leaders
The Summer Academy for Global Leadership (Virtual)
An intensive 4-week program for students to learn community organizing, civic engagement, and effective altruism. Often has online cohorts.
📍 Online/Regional Chapters⏱ 4 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Keck Graduate Institute
The Super Heroes of STEM
In-person program introducing high-school students to STEM careers and how scientists, engineers and healthcare innovators solve major real-world problems.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
City of Wichita
The Way to Work Summer Youth Program
Wichita and Sedgwick County youth ages 14–17 receive work-readiness preparation and summer employment experiences intended to build job skills and self-sufficiency. Income eligibility requirements apply.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Weight Journal
The Weight Journal
An online literary magazine that curates the best of student writing in various genres.
📍 Online📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
The Wharton One-Day High School Experience
A one-day immersive experience at Wharton for high school students.
📍 University of Pennsylvania🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
The Young Researcher
The Young Researcher
Peer-reviewed journal for IB Extended Essay and similar research.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ohio University
Theater Intensive
Two-week intensive introducing students to college-level theatrical training and production.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Fox University
Theatre (2027 Pre-College Summer Institute)
Performance, collaboration and full theatrical production; part of GFU's 2027 Pre-College Summer Institute.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Montclair State University
Theatremaker: Writing and Directing Intensive
Students develop theatrical material through writing and directing.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering
Think Like an Engineer: The Ultimate Systems Challenge Camp
Students use industrial and systems engineering to improve real-world systems involving manufacturing, logistics, supply chains, healthcare, and delivery networks. The 2026 program was free.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Carleton College Summer Liberal Arts Institute
Thinking About Feelings: The Science of Emotion
Students examine emotion through neuroscience, cultural studies, and related interdisciplinary approaches during a three-week college-credit experience.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
WVU Medicine Thomas Hospitals
Thomas Hospitals VolunTEEN Program
A hospital volunteer program for students ages 14 to 18 interested in healthcare and community service, with a regular weekly shift and orientation through Volunteer Services.
📍 Thomas Memorial Hospital, South Charleston, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
America250 Idaho (Idaho's 250th Anniversary Commission)
Thomas Jefferspud Writing Contest
A statewide essay/short-story contest for Idaho students ages 12-18 about a revolutionary-era figure instrumental in the nation's founding and why they should still be honored today, tied to America's 250th anniversary.
📍 Idaho (online/mail submission)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Institute for the Creative Arts
Through the Lens
Students study exposure, composition, lighting, portraiture, landscape filming and visual storytelling while producing a portfolio of original photography and film work.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Thurgood Marshall College Fund
Thurgood Marshall College Fund
Provides scholarships, programmatic and capacity building support to the 47 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Alabama
Tide to Success
A six-hour, self-paced online college-readiness course for Alabama high-school students covering ACT preparation, majors and careers, scholarships, and college planning.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
TiE Oregon
TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Oregon
A project-based entrepreneurship curriculum where seasoned entrepreneurs and mentors teach Portland-area high schoolers invention, design thinking, and customer validation, culminating in a state competition that feeds into the Global TYE Competition.
📍 Portland Metro, OR📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Utah Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute
Tim Draper High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge
A statewide business-idea competition for Utah high school students with an online application, top-20 selection, finalist video submissions, public online voting, and an in-person final.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NYU Tisch
Tisch Summer High School Four-Week Residential Program
This residential program is a commitment of four weeks on campus that encompasses a highly structured class schedule, which include projects, professional training, and collaboration. Tracks include: Animation, Dance, Drama, Production & Design, Dramatic Writing, Filmmaking, Game Design, Photography and Imaging, and Recorded Music. The program is tuition-based and culminates in four to six college credits (units).
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Titan Machinery / Dickinson State University
Titan Machinery Diesel Camp — Dickinson State
Students receive hands-on instruction in diesel technology, heavy equipment, diagnostics and technician careers.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Titan Machinery / North Dakota State College of Science
Titan Machinery Diesel Camp — NDSCS
Overnight technical camp introduces students to diesel mechanics, agricultural/construction equipment and service careers.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Denison University
Tomorrow Tech Institute
Residential AI and data-skills program where students use AI, analytics and ethics to solve real-world problems for businesses and nonprofits.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Furman University
Top Mock
An advanced trial advocacy summer program at Furman for experienced high school mock trial competitors, run by Furman's collegiate Mock Trial team and culminating in a mock argument at the federal courthouse in Greenville.
📍 Greenville, SC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Seton Hall University
Topics in Women's Healthcare
Workshops and mentoring expose students to women's health, medicine and healthcare professions.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Toshiba / NSTA
Toshiba ExploraVision
K-12 team STEM competition forecasting future technologies.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 January🎓 Grades 1–12
Selective
Purdue Polytechnic Institute
TOTAL Camp (Turned Onto Technology And Leadership)
An on-campus, residential STEM camp for rising 10th and 11th graders introducing the six academic departments of Purdue Polytechnic through a week-long faculty-mentored project, earning one college credit.
📍 West Lafayette, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
City of Austin Parks and Recreation
Totally Cool Totally Art (TCTA)
Free arts classes for Austin youth in grades 6-12 taught by professional artists in painting, film, theatre, sculpture and more at Austin recreation centers, plus summer film and theatre camps.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rutgers EOHSI
Toxicology, Health & Environmental Disease High School Program (THED)
One-week program covering toxicology, genetics, pharmacogenetics, environmental health and clinical applications through hands-on activities and Rutgers faculty instruction.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Tracy Aviary
Tracy Aviary Volunteer Program (Ages 15+)
Ongoing volunteer positions at Salt Lake City's Tracy Aviary for people 15 and older, with hands-on work in aviary programs, conservation and grounds. Volunteers earn a free annual family membership after 20 hours.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Alaska Anchorage College of Engineering
Trail Smart: ATV & Road Safety Lab
Students investigate ATV and roadway safety through hands-on scenarios, demonstrations, first aid, emergency response, traffic-safety concepts, and an AI-based safety training tool.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
R.W. Traip Academy / Maine School Garden Network
Traip Greenhouse and Garden Summer Internship
Paid ten-week summer internship for Traip Academy high school students to tend the school garden and greenhouse, run the Saturday farmers market, and learn sustainable food production and sales.
📍 Kittery, Maine📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Hartford
Transportation & Civil Engineering Summer Camp
Students complete hands-on work in transportation, structural, geotechnical, construction, environmental and water-resources engineering while meeting faculty and professionals.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Transylvania University Center for Entrepreneurship
Transylvania University Entrepreneurship Camp
A one-day entrepreneurship camp at Transylvania's Center for Entrepreneurship, run in partnership with Junior Achievement, where Fayette County high schoolers learn to build problem statements, value propositions, and early business plans with mentorship from local entrepreneurs.
📍 Transylvania University, Lexington, KY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
NDSU / Minnesota State University Moorhead / Concordia College Mathematics Departments
Tri-College Math Contest
An annual math competition rotating among NDSU, MSUM, and Concordia with Beginning High School, Senior High School, and Middle School divisions, drawing over 200 teams and 1,700 students.
📍 Fargo, ND (rotates among NDSU, MSUM, and Concordia)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Tributary & Bay Ecosystems Exploration
Students canoe, boat, hike, examine water quality and Bay ecosystems, and learn environmental advocacy during a five-day overnight expedition beginning and ending in Annapolis.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Trinity College
Trinity College Dream Camp
Long-running Hartford youth program combining summer enrichment with year-round academic mentoring; high-school programming emphasizes college awareness, SAT preparation, admissions and financial aid.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Trinity University
Trinity Debate Institute
A two-week summer debate institute on the Trinity University campus in San Antonio with policy debate instruction from Trinity professors, high school coaches and Trinity debaters, focused on the NSDA 2026-2027 topic. The site also lists Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum and public speaking programs.
📍 San Antonio, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
North Carolina A&T State University
TRIO Upward Bound
Year-round college-preparation program with a six-week residential summer component, academic instruction, tutoring, college tours and advising for students from designated Guilford County schools.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alabama A&M University
TRIO Upward Bound
Eligible first-generation and/or income-qualified students from participating North Alabama schools receive tutoring, mentoring, ACT and college preparation, financial-literacy instruction, enrichment, campus visits, and a summer residential component.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Case Western Reserve University
TRIO Upward Bound
Free year-round academic program with tutoring, college planning, SAT/ACT preparation, Saturday enrichment and a six-week summer component.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho State University TRIO
TRIO Upward Bound Math-Science
A federally funded, free college-prep program for first-generation and low-income high schoolers in nine eastern/southeastern Idaho high schools, featuring weekly academic-year advising, Saturday Academy, and a six-week residential Summer Academy with college-prep coursework and paid internships.
📍 Pocatello, ID (ISU campus) and partner high schools in eastern/southeastern Idaho📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montana Tech
TRIO Upward Bound Summer Academy
Free six-week summer academy for eligible Butte/Anaconda-area Upward Bound students, combining residential college classes, leadership development, college exploration and educational travel.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Montana State University Billings
TRIO Upward Bound Summer Institute
Federally funded college-preparation program serving eligible Yellowstone County students, including a free summer institute plus year-round advising and academic support.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business
Trulaske Wall Street Summer Camp
Residential finance camp where students study capital markets, build and monitor mock portfolios, use Bloomberg terminals and participate in a stock-pitch competition. The inaugural 2026 camp cost $1,000 including room and board.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Truman State University
Truman State University Band Academy
A one-week residential music program for grades 8-11 where young musicians rehearse and perform alongside Truman faculty and student mentors, culminating in a final concert on campus.
📍 Truman State University, Kirksville, MO📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans / Brees Dream Foundation
Trust Your Crazy Ideas Challenge
A Shark Tank-style entrepreneurship competition where Louisiana high school students pitch original business ideas to judges at regional finals, with winners advancing to a statewide championship and The Big Pitch at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week.
📍 New Orleans, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Technology Student Association (TSA)
TSA National Competitions
The premier middle and high school competition for engineering and technology projects involving a formal design process.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Tulsa, School of Music
TU All-State Choral and Vocal Camp
A summer day camp for high-school-aged singers focused on preparing All-State High School Mixed Choir audition literature through daily rehearsals and coaching sessions.
📍 Tulsa, OK📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Towson University / Baltimore County Public Schools
TU-BCPS Model United Nations
A free Model UN partnership between Towson University and Baltimore County Public Schools featuring a training day and an annual conference on Towson's campus, connecting students with professors and college mentors.
📍 Towson, MD📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Tufts University
Tufts College Experience
A six-week residential or commuter program that allows you to live on campus and get a preview of what it would be like to be a college student. You will take 2 traditional courses with Tufts faculty, earn college credit, take College Prep 101, go on local college tours, have a dedicated student support advisor, and gain life experience as you explore the city with new friends.
📍 Medford, MA📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tufts University
Tufts Dual Enrollment Courses
Ambitious high school students have the opportunity to learn from renowned faculty and experience rigorous academics at a leading higher education institution.
📍 Tufts University🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tufts University
Tufts Summer Research Experience
High school students have the opportunity to learn from renowned faculty and experience rigorous academics at a leading higher education institution.
📍 Medford, MA📅 Not yet announced — check official site for next cycle🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tulane University
Tulane Summer Pre-College
Pre-college courses at Tulane. Need-based scholarships available.
📍 LA⏱ 2-4 weeks (summer)📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Swenson College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota Duluth
Twin Ports Teen Science Cafe
Free monthly program for Twin Ports high school students to explore advances in science and technology through conversations and hands-on activities with researchers and STEM experts at UMD. Registration and a parent permission form are required; upcoming session is an aquarium careers and animal encounter at the Great Lakes Aquarium.
📍 Duluth, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Toronto
U of T Summer Mentorship Program
Summer research and mentorship program hosted by the University of Toronto for high school students.
📍 Toronto, Canada⏱ 4 weeks📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
University of Utah Department of Mathematics
U of U Math Circle
A weekly fall-semester math circle where high school students work with professors and graduate students on puzzles and problems beyond the typical classroom curriculum. Designed to extend mathematical understanding and problem-solving skills.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Student Conservation Association (SCA)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Program
Protect our nation’s waterways, lakes, and campgrounds through wildlife surveys and water safety.
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maryland Section of the American Chemical Society
U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad - Maryland Section
A two-stage chemistry competition (local exam then national exam) for Maryland high school students, with top national performers invited to a residential Chemistry Study Camp to prepare for the International Chemistry Olympiad.
📍 Maryland (local exam held online; national exam at CCBC)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Chemical Society (ACS)
U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) - Local Chemistry Olympiad Exams
The first tier of the USNCO multi-tiered chemistry competition for high school students. Held each March, students register with ACS and are notified by their ACS Local Section Coordinator. Coordinators choose nominees for the National Exam based on results of the local competition.
📍 Varies by local section📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Chemical Society (ACS)
U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) - National Chemistry Olympiad Exams
A three-part exam administered to more than 1,000 students each April. National Exams are often hosted by ACS Local Sections at local universities and colleges.
📍 Varies by local section📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Alaska Anchorage College of Business and Public Policy
UAA Business Plan & Big Idea Competition
Local high-school students submit an entrepreneurial concept and finalists pitch live to investors, executives, and entrepreneurs for feedback and cash awards.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Alaska Fairbanks Department of Music
UAF Summer Music Academy
Intensive two-week music program where middle- and high-school students work with UAF faculty, alumni, and guest artists through ensembles, lessons, composition, theatre and performances.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Alaska Fairbanks
UAF TRiO Upward Bound
Eligible Upward Bound students receive free college-preparation support plus summer academic and career experiences. 2026 options included American history and civic leadership, applied ethnobotany, engineering, and a Sitka marine-science intensive.
📍 AK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Alaska Fairbanks TRiO Upward Bound
UAF Upward Bound Summer Programs (Alaska Futures in Engineering & others)
Free summer enrichment programs for Upward Bound students, including an Alaska Futures in Engineering session at UAF's Troth Yeddha' campus and other tracks in ethnobotany, civic leadership, and science, several offering college or CTE credit.
📍 Fairbanks, AK (UAF) and other sites📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UC Berkeley Academic Talent Development Program
UC Berkeley AI Summer Program (ATDP)
Hands-on AI and Machine Learning summer program at Berkeley for high schoolers.
📍 Berkeley, CA⏱ 2 weeks📅 April 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley ATDP
Academic Talent Development Program with summer courses for grades 7-12.
📍 Berkeley, CA⏱ 3-6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 7–12
Moderate
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
UCCS Pre-Collegiate Program
Multi-year college-readiness program providing career and college exploration, academic preparation and a Summer Academic Institute. It prioritizes first-generation, low-income and military-connected students.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Chicago
UChicago Financial Markets Program
Summer immersion in financial markets and economics.
📍 Chicago, IL⏱ 3 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of Chicago
UChicago Pre-College Courses
Pre-College academic courses offered by the University of Chicago.
📍 Chicago, IL📅 Applications are closed for this summer and will reopen in Spring 2026🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Chicago
UChicago Pre-College Programs
Learn about the various pre-college programs offered at the University of Chicago.
📍 Chicago, IL📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Chicago
UChicago Summer Session Pre-College
Three and four-week pre-college programs at UChicago across humanities and sciences.
📍 Chicago, IL⏱ 3-4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UCLA
UCLA Summer Sessions for HS
Six-week and short-term pre-college academic courses at UCLA.
📍 Los Angeles, CA⏱ 2-10 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Connecticut, Department of Journalism
UConn Journalism Multimedia Summer Camp
A one-week residential camp at UConn Storrs where high schoolers ages 15-18 get a crash course in news reporting, interviewing, photography, video storytelling, and podcasting, taught by working journalists and faculty, with need-based scholarships available.
📍 UConn, Storrs, CT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Connecticut
UConn Pre-College Summer
High-school students take immersive university-level courses in engineering, medicine, law, chemistry, marine biology, psychology/neuroscience, journalism, art, business and other fields while experiencing college academics and campus life.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
UC San Francisco
UCSF SEP High School Intern
Paid summer research for SFUSD students underrepresented in science.
📍 CA⏱ 8 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment
UD Marine Science Summer Camp (Advanced Track)
High school students conduct marine science and oceanography experiments at the University of Delaware's coastal campus.
📍 Lewes, DE⏱ 1 week📅 February 15🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of the District of Columbia
UDC Capital Cup Entrepreneurship Competition
Teams create a business or product concept with international-market potential, submit a qualifying video pitch and finalists present their venture to judges at UDC.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
UH Hilo Upward Bound Summer Academy
Six-week, fully-paid (room, board, and activities) residential summer academy for low-income and first-generation incoming high school freshmen through juniors, combining core academic coursework with college-life experiences.
📍 Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island (UH Hilo campus)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Outreach College
UH Mānoa Summer Scholar Program
Qualified high-school students enroll in regular UH Mānoa summer courses and earn transferable university credit while experiencing college-level academics.
📍 HI🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Utah High School Activities Association
UHSAA Speech and Debate State Championships
School-based speech and debate competition sanctioned by UHSAA, with separate state championships by school classification featuring events such as oratory, extemp and interpretation as well as debate formats.
📍 Utah (high schools statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Illinois Chicago School of Theatre & Music
UIC Symphonic Band Camp
High-school musicians spend a week in ensemble rehearsals, sectionals, masterclasses, and other musical activities culminating in a performance. The 2026 fee was $150.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University Interscholastic League (UT Austin)
UIL High School Academic and Speech Contests
Statewide high school academic contests including literary criticism, ready writing, social studies, current issues, journalism, speech and debate (Congress, CX, Lincoln Douglas), and filmmaking. Students compete through their school.
📍 Texas (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University Interscholastic League (UIL)
UIL Robotics State Championships (BEST, FIRST, RECF Divisions)
Texas high school robotics teams compete in BEST, FIRST (FTC and FRC) or RECF (VEX) qualifier meets, with top teams invited to UIL state championships. Schools register a team with one of the three robotics organizations.
📍 Texas (state finals in Dallas, League City, Waco, Houston)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
UIUC Worldwide Youth in Science & Engineering
STEM camps at UIUC. Need-based aid for Illinois students.
📍 IL⏱ 1 week (summer)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UK Mathematics Trust
UKMT Mathematical Challenges
Junior, Intermediate, and Senior Mathematical Challenges run by the UK Mathematics Trust — international schools can register and top scorers progress to Olympiad rounds.
📍 United Kingdom⏱ 1-hour exam📅 Oct–Feb🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Mississippi Pre-College Programs
UM Summer Language Institute
A month-long residential immersion program in Arabic or Chinese for high schoolers, earning six college credits alongside cultural and career-pathway activities.
📍 Oxford, MS📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Mississippi
UM Summer Medical Academy
Students explore pharmacy, public health, nursing, nutrition, physical therapy, and other healthcare fields through case studies, science laboratories, CPR training, simulations, and facility tours.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of Mississippi Writing Project
UM Writing Competition
Students submit original essays, poetry, or short stories responding to the annual theme. Winners receive recognition, Summer 2027 academic-competition scholarships, and publication opportunities in the annual Celebrations literary magazine.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Mississippi Pre-College Programs
UM Writing Competition (Celebrations)
An annual literary competition for grades 7-12 in poetry, short stories, and essays tied to a yearly theme, with winners published in the Celebrations literary magazine and awarded summer-program scholarships.
📍 Oxford, MS (University of Mississippi)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Maryland, Baltimore
UMB CURE Scholars Program
A year-round pipeline program for 6th-10th graders from West Baltimore offering after-school, Saturday academy, and summer enrichment in biomedical research and public health, with high schoolers completing paid summer internships through Baltimore City's summer employment program.
📍 Baltimore, MD📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
University Medical Center New Orleans (LCMC Health)
UMC New Orleans Shadow Program
A hospital shadowing program open to students 15 and up interested in healthcare careers, requiring sponsorship by a credentialed staff member and submission of immunization records and a confidentiality agreement.
📍 New Orleans, LA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Maryland
UMD Young Scholars
Pre-college research at UMD. Need-based aid available.
📍 MD⏱ 3 weeks (summer)📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Missouri-Kansas City
UMKC STAHR Scholars Program
A free, multi-month pipeline program for rising high school juniors and seniors interested in dentistry, medicine, or pharmacy, combining a six-week in-person summer session of clinical observation and research with mentorship and coaching through the following April.
📍 UMKC Health Sciences Campus, Kansas City, MO📅 February🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Minnesota
UMN Eureka! and Talented Youth Math
Free STEM enrichment for Minnesota girls and underrepresented students.
📍 MN⏱ Summer + school year📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of North Alabama (with Alabama Space Grant Consortium support)
UNA Summer STEM Camp
A three-day, two-night residential STEM camp giving high school students project-based learning experiences in physics, astronomy, math and computer science led by UNA faculty.
📍 Florence, AL (University of North Alabama)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
United Nations Association of Minnesota
UNA-MN Model United Nations
Junior and senior high students form school or community delegations, research UN member countries, and spend three days at a downtown Minneapolis conference debating global issues such as human rights, climate action, and peacekeeping while drafting resolutions.
📍 Minneapolis Marriott, Minneapolis, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNC Asheville
UNC Asheville Pre-College Summer Programs
One-week residential academic intensives include creative writing, ceramics, music, film scoring, engineering and mechatronics, geology, meteorology, pre-med, ecology, game design/AI and wildlife science.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UNCF
UNCF Scholarships and Internships
Awards 10,000 students each year through 400 scholarship and internship programs so that students from low- and moderate-income families can afford college tuition, books and room and board.
📍 US🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
UNCSA Summer Intensives
Conservatory-style summer intensives for high school students in visual arts, music, filmmaking, and animation, taught by UNCSA faculty and guest artists with hands-on studio instruction.
📍 Winston-Salem, NC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of North Dakota Department of Music
UND Honor Band, Choir & Strings Festival
Selected high-school musicians rehearse with guest conductors and university faculty before performing in honors ensembles.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of North Dakota TRIO Programs
UND Upward Bound
Eligible first-generation and/or lower-income students receive tutoring, advising, college preparation and a six-week residential summer academic program.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Cleveland Clinic, Lerner Research Institute
Undergraduate & High School Research Programs
Places high school students age 16 and up directly in Cleveland Clinic Research laboratories for hands-on biomedical research experience, either through a formal internship application or by contacting principal investigators directly about lab openings.
📍 Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Clinic)📅 January🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Understanding Investing
An online course covering the basics of investing and portfolio management.
📍 Remote🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Illinois Institute of Technology Elevate College Prep
Understanding the Human Mind
A high-school summer program introducing students to questions and concepts related to human thought and behavior. The 2026 daytime option was listed at $650.
📍 IL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Understanding Your Money
An online course to help students understand personal finance and money management.
📍 Remote🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of New England
UNE NextWave Pre-College Experience
Students in grades 10–12 spend a residential week conducting original research, tackling sustainability-oriented problems with UNE faculty, collaborating in teams, and pitching findings to industry decision-makers.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UNESCO
UNESCO Youth Programmes
Rolling list of UNESCO calls: youth forums, writing prizes, sustainability grants. Open to youth worldwide.
📍 Various📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Northern Iowa School of Music
UNI Jazz Combo Camp
Students entering grade 10 and above spend a week studying jazz improvisation, theory, ear training, masterclasses, combo performance, and jam sessions. The 2026 fee was $600 residential or $450 commuter.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Nebraska Legislature / University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Unicameral Youth Legislature
Week-long legislative simulation where students act as Nebraska senators, introduce bills, conduct committee hearings and debate legislation inside the State Capitol while learning directly from senators and legislative staff. Full-cost civic scholarships are available.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNICEF USA
UNICEF Clubs
Student-led advocacy for global child welfare.
📍 Multiple states⏱ Academic year📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
US Senate Youth Program
United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) Washington Week
A unique educational experience for outstanding high school students interested in pursuing careers in public service. Two student leaders from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity will spend a week in Washington experiencing their national government in action. Student delegates will hear major policy addresses by Senators, Cabinet Members, officials from the Departments of State and Defense and directors of other federal agencies, as well as usually participate in meetings with the President and a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. All transportation, hotel and meal expenses will be provided. In addition, each delegate will also be awarded a $12,500 college scholarship for undergraduate studies, with encouragement to pursue coursework in history and political science. Students must be actively serving in high-level elected or appointed leadership positions to qualify to apply.
📍 Washington, D.C.📅 2026-12-01🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UWC International
United World Colleges Scholarships
Two-year, needs-blind scholarships to complete the IB Diploma at one of 18 UWC schools worldwide; students selected by their country's national committee.
📍 18 campuses worldwide⏱ 2 years📅 National deadlines: fall/winter🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Iowa / GEAR UP Iowa
University of Iowa Health Sciences Summer Experience
Rising 10th graders spend a free residential week exploring medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, biomedical engineering, and research through hands-on activities, mentoring, and college-readiness workshops. Travel, housing, meals, activities, and one college credit are covered; the next program is planned for July 2027.
📍 IA🎓 Grade 10
Highly Selective
University of Iowa
University of Iowa TRIO Upward Bound
Eligible first-generation and/or income-qualified students from Columbus Community, Muscatine, and West Liberty high schools receive free year-round college preparation, tutoring, STEM programming, college visits, and a summer residential experience.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Maine System / Maine Department of Education
University of Maine System Early College
Eligible Maine high-school students take university courses online, on campus, or through concurrent enrollment and earn both high-school and college credit. Beginning with the Class of 2027, qualified students can receive up to 18 tuition-free credits.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Mississippi Department of Mathematics
University of Mississippi Math Tournament
An annual math competition for high school teams from Mississippi and neighboring Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee, consisting of an individual test and a team test held on the Ole Miss campus.
📍 Oxford, MS📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Montevallo
University of Montevallo Music Camp
Middle- and high-school musicians attend intensive band, choir, or piano instruction with both day and residential participation options.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Oregon School of Music and Dance
University of Oregon Summer Music Camps
A set of week-long residential music camps on the UO Eugene campus -- String Intensive, Jazz Improvisation, and the Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy -- for high school musicians at varying skill levels.
📍 Eugene, OR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Utah Office of Admissions
University of Utah High School University Program (HSUP)
An early college program letting Utah high school sophomores through seniors take 1000-2000 level University of Utah courses for college credit at $5 per credit hour plus class fees. Eligible students may take up to 9 credits per semester.
📍 University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of Utah
University of Utah Science & Engineering Fair (USEF)
Regional science fair on March 8-12, 2027 for students in grades 5-12 from the Salt Lake, Tooele, Granite, Park City, Canyons and Murray school districts, with a Senior Division for grades 9-12. Students must first win at their school or district fair, and Senior Division winners advance toward the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
📍 University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Nebraska at Kearney Department of Music
UNK All-State Vocal Camp
Three-day intensive helping high-school singers prepare Nebraska All-State Chorus repertoire through vocal technique, sectionals and full rehearsals. The 2026 commuter/residential fees were $175/$225.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
UNL Young Nebraska Scientists
Free STEM camps at UNL for Nebraska students.
📍 NE⏱ 1-2 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC at Shady Grove
Unlock the World of Bioterrorism and Bio-Warfare
Students explore biological threats and topics related to bioterrorism and biological warfare.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
UNLV AI Explorers Camp
One-week introduction to artificial intelligence through hands-on use of AI tools, responsible-use exercises, misinformation detection, creativity and real-world problem solving; no prior experience is required.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNLV Cyber Clinic
UNLV Cyber Clinic Junior Member Program
Free high-school cohort offering weekly online workshops on cybersecurity, OSINT, social engineering and defensive/offensive security concepts, plus internal competitions and college guidance.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
UNLV Dual Enrollment Program
Nevada high-school students can enroll in regular UNLV undergraduate courses before graduation and potentially earn both university and high-school credit.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Cybersecurity Center
UNLV GenCyber Camp
Free Southern Nevada cybersecurity camp covering encryption, computer security, cybercrime, wireless security, infrastructure protection and hands-on cybersecurity challenges.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Liberal Arts / UNLV Mock Trial
UNLV Mock Trial Summer Workshop
Students work with Southern Nevada's legal community while practicing case preparation, advocacy, public speaking, critical thinking and courtroom skills.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art / UNLV
UNLV NextGen Curators
Two-week program combining art curation, storytelling, basic coding, 3D/VR tools and public speaking as students create a virtual museum exhibition. The 2026 fee was $450.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Nursing
UNLV Nurse Camp
Week-long health-care program where students practice nursing skills, visit UMC, complete CPR and Stop the Bleed training and explore nursing specialties. Nevada students were eligible for full fee waivers in 2026.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of New Mexico Health Sciences
UNM Health Professions Symposium
New Mexico's largest health-career convention offers 80+ workshops, information tables, demonstrations and networking with health professionals. It is free and explicitly includes high-school attendees. The next symposium is April 10, 2027.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of New Mexico Department of Music
UNM Summer Music Institute
Intensive professional-level chamber-music training open to qualified high-school musicians through competitive video audition. Full and partial scholarships are available.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of New Mexico Chemistry & Chemical Biology / NM Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
UNM/DVR High School Research Experience
New Mexico high-school students supported through DVR conduct paid university laboratory research, including mosquito/insect collection and analysis connected to public-health monitoring. The program operated in summer 2026.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Nevada Reno
UNR Davidson Academy Research
Pre-college STEM research at UNR. In-state scholarships.
📍 NV⏱ 2-4 weeks (summer)📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Oregon, School of Architecture & Environment
UO Summer Architecture Academy
A free, intensive four-week program on the UO Eugene campus for prospective architecture, interior architecture, and landscape architecture students, combining daily studio work with workshops, lectures, demonstrations, and field trips.
📍 Eugene, OR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
UPchieve
UPchieve Volunteer Tutor
An ed-tech nonprofit that provides free, online, 1-on-1 tutoring to low-income students. Tutors must be high school students with high GPAs.
📍 Online⏱ Semester-based📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Pennsylvania
UPenn Summer Programs
Pre-college summer programs across business, biomedical research, social justice, and academic.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 3-6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Toledo
Upward Bound
Year-round college-preparatory program for Toledo-area high-school students with tutoring, counseling, leadership development, college visits and six-week summer study.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Ohio State University
Upward Bound
Year-round college-preparation program with school advising, Saturday academies, cultural experiences, community service and a six-week OSU Summer Institute for eligible first-generation and/or lower-income students.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Youngstown State University
Upward Bound
College-preparation program with after-school tutoring, Saturday enrichment, ACT preparation and a six-week residential summer program for Youngstown-area students.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Akron
Upward Bound Classic
Federally funded college-access program supporting students in targeted Akron Public Schools through grades 9–12.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kent State University
Upward Bound Classic Academy
Year-round college-access program with academic support, mentoring, Saturday programs, campus visits and a six-week residential Summer Institute.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
University of Delaware
Upward Bound Classic Summer Academy
Eligible New Castle County students complete intensive summer academics, SAT preparation, college/career activities and, for qualifying older students, a residential campus experience.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Kent State University
Upward Bound Health Professions
College-access program for first-generation and/or lower-income students with additional exposure to health professions and related academic pathways.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
University of Akron
Upward Bound Math & Science
STEM-focused program offering tutoring, six-week residential study, polymer science/chemistry and engineering laboratories, mentoring and internship opportunities.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Toledo
Upward Bound Math & Science
STEM-focused TRIO program adding science and mathematics research exposure, computer training and faculty-guided scientific research to the Upward Bound model.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado Mesa University
Upward Bound Summer Academy
Six-week college-simulation program combining academic classes with a residential campus experience for eligible CMU Upward Bound participants.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Keene State College
Upward Bound Summer Academy (Keene State College)
A residential summer program giving high schoolers a taste of college life through academic classes in English, math, and science, plus grade-level seminars on college prep and study skills.
📍 Keene, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center
Urban Barcode Research Program
Students complete prerequisite training and then conduct year-long independent DNA-barcoding/bioinformatics research. Participants receive a $500 stipend.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Student Conservation Association
Urban Green
Paid green jobs, including single-day service projects, seasonal work and year-long internships or fellowships in major metropolitan cities.
📍 Various US cities🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of the District of Columbia
Urban Hydroponic Farming Summer Camp
Students learn vertical farming and hydroponic food production from seed to harvest and explore nutrition, sustainable agriculture and urban-agriculture business opportunities.
📍 DC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle University
Urban Sustainability (Pre-College Program)
A hands-on overnight program led by Seattle University faculty on human impacts on the environment, with water quality testing, green stormwater infrastructure, urban wildlife, sustainable building and plastic pollution.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Rhode Island
URI Shark Camp
Selective marine-biology experience where students conduct shark/fish field surveys aboard a URI research vessel and explore natural-science majors and careers.
📍 RI🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
US House
US House Page Program (alumni network)
Visit programs and learning resources from the US House of Representatives.
📍 Washington, DC⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Chemical Society (ACS)
US National Chemistry Olympiad
A multi-tiered chemistry competition for high school students, featuring local and national exams, a study camp, and selection for the International Chemistry Olympiad.
📍 US; International (for IChO participants)📅 Annual — 2026-27 cycle not yet announced (historically opens each October)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Association of Physics Teachers
US Physics Olympiad
F=ma exam then USAPhO. Top 20 attend a training camp for the International Physics Olympiad team.
📍 School-administered⏱ Multi-round📅 Jan-Mar🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Center for Excellence in Education
USA Biology Olympiad (USABO)
Free 3-round biology olympiad. Top 20 attend a residential training camp; top 4 represent the US at the International Biology Olympiad.
📍 Online + training camp⏱ Multi-round📅 Jan-Apr🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
USA Brain Bee / International Brain Bee
USA Brain Bee
A neuroscience competition for teens ages 13-19 that begins with local chapter bees and advances winners to regional and national championships testing knowledge of brain science.
📍 Local/regional chapters nationwide, national championship rotates location📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Chemical Society
USA Chemistry Olympiad
Local-section through national chemistry olympiad. Top scorers attend the USNCO study camp at the US Air Force Academy.
📍 Local section + national⏱ Multi-round📅 Mar-Apr🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
USACO
USA Computing Olympiad
Free online programming contests held four times a year. Top US students earn an invitation to the summer training camp and the IOI team.
📍 Online⏱ Multi-round📅 Dec-Apr contests🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
X-Camp
USACO Guide Summer Camp (X-Camp) (Affiliated)
Intensive summer coding bootcamp focusing on competitive programming and software dev.
📍 San Jose, CA⏱ 2-4 weeks📅 March 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
USACO
USACO Training Resources and Historical Contest Problems
Hundreds of hours of free on-line training resources and historical contest problems (complete with solutions) that students can use to improve their programming and computational problem-solving skills.
🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MAA
USAMO / USAJMO
Two-day, nine-hour proof-based olympiad. Top finishers join the US team for the IMO. Invitation only via AIME.
📍 Nationwide⏱ 2 days📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
USC
USC Summer Programs
Pre-college summer programs across arts, sciences, business, journalism.
📍 Los Angeles, CA⏱ 2-4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
USC School of Cinematic Arts
USC Summer Programs Film
Pre-college film production programs at USC.
📍 Los Angeles, CA⏱ 4 weeks📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of South Florida
USF Aerospace Engineering
Students explore aerodynamics, propulsion, turbine engines, drones, flight simulators and CAD-based aircraft-wing design with USF engineering faculty.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of South Florida
USF Sports Business Bootcamp
Students study marketing, sales, finance and operations in professional sports, visit organizations and develop a sports-marketing pitch.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Southern Mississippi / American Chemical Society
USM Project SEED
An 8-10 week summer research fellowship placing high school students side-by-side with USM chemistry faculty on hands-on laboratory research, aimed especially at students who have historically lacked exposure to scientific careers.
📍 Hattiesburg, MS📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UT Austin Department of Radio-Television-Film
UT Austin Film and Media Camps
Summer camps for high school students in screenwriting, cinematography, filmmaking, 2D animation, advanced filmmaking, and post-production, plus a virtual DIY filmmaking course. Sessions run one to three weeks.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Texas at Austin
UT Austin High School Research Academy
Course-based research at UT Austin. Need-based aid.
📍 TX⏱ 5 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UT Austin College of Fine Arts (School of Design and Creative Technologies)
UT Austin Summer Design and Creative Technology Camps
Week-long camps on the UT campus for grades 8-12 in game design, product design, 3D modeling, 3D animation, printmaking and immersive light-and-sound experiences, taught by UT faculty.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Highly Selective
UT Austin Department of Computer Science
UT Computer Science Academy for Machine Learning
A six-day immersive residential academy where students learn Python and machine learning fundamentals through hands-on projects, guest lectures and social activities. No prior coding experience is required for the all-levels sessions.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
UT Austin Department of Computer Science
UT Computer Science Academy for Robotics
A six-day residential program on the UT Austin campus where students apply mechanical design, programming and control systems to build, program and simulate robots using C++ and Linux. No prior robotics or programming experience is required.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UT Dallas Computer Science / K-12 Outreach
UT Dallas Summer Research Program for High School Students
An 8-week summer program offering lab internships in UT Dallas computer science labs, research workshops, and a deep-dive AI workshop. Aimed at advanced students finishing 10th or 11th grade, with in-person and virtual options.
📍 Richardson, TX📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
UT Tyler Center for Ethics
UT Tyler Regional High School Ethics Bowl
High school teams discuss real-life ethical problems and moral dilemmas before judges, building critical thinking and collaboration. The winning team advances to the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Tyler, TX📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah Area Health Education Centers (AHEC)
Utah AHEC Virtual Job Shadowing
Virtual job-shadowing experiences that let high school and college students learn from Utah healthcare providers in medicine, dentistry, nursing, physical therapy, physician assistant, occupational therapy and pharmacy. Participants hear about daily practice, lifestyle and board certification, and earn a certificate on completion.
📍 Online (Utah AHEC)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Utah DECA
Utah DECA State Career Development Conference
Utah's state competition for DECA chapters, with role-play events, written presentations, and online tests in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. Top performers advance to the International Career Development Conference.
📍 Layton, UT📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah State University Extension 4-H
Utah Envirothon
Two-day outdoor natural resources competition for teams of five high school students (grades 9-12, ages 14-19) with stations in forestry, aquatic ecology, wildlife, soils and land use, and a current issue. Winners qualify for national contests, with sponsors covering travel.
📍 Salt Lake County, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Utah FBLA
Utah FBLA State Leadership Conference
Utah FBLA's annual state conference where high school chapter members compete in business events such as Business Ethics, Business Communication, Business Law, and Business Management.
📍 Utah📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah FCCLA
Utah FCCLA State Leadership Conference
Utah FCCLA's culminating state conference after five regional conferences, featuring competitive events, leadership development, and career exploration for Family and Consumer Sciences students.
📍 Layton, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah FFA Association
Utah FFA State Convention
An annual convention where FFA members participate in general sessions, competitive events, agricultural tours, volunteer service projects, and leadership workshops.
📍 Logan, UT📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah State University Extension Sustainability
Utah High School Clean Air Marketing Contest
Statewide contest where high school students learn about Utah's winter inversion air pollution and create public service announcements using social marketing techniques. Schools pick winners by mid-January and state winners share more than $6,000 in prizes at a February event in Logan.
📍 Utah (Cache, Carbon, Grand, Salt Lake and San Juan counties)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Utah College Media Alliance (with Utah Press Association, Utah Education Network, Amplify Utah)
Utah High School Future of Journalism Awards
Statewide awards recognizing excellent journalism by Utah high school students in writing, photo/multimedia, and video/broadcast, judged by college journalists, journalism professors, and professionals. Includes Coverage Cup and High School Journalist of the Year honors.
📍 Utah (statewide; awards ceremony at the University of Utah)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Independent Education Program
Utah High School Model United Nations (UHSMUN)
High school Model UN conferences where student delegates immerse themselves in global diplomacy and debate across six committees on topics such as disarmament, climate and women's rights. Held at Utah Valley University in winter and the University of Utah in spring.
📍 Utah Valley University, Orem, and University of Utah, Salt Lake City📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Utah State University Extension Youth Programs (U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl)
Utah High School Regional Science Bowl
Team quiz-bowl style science competition for Utah high school students, hosted on January 23, 2027 at Entheos Academy in Kearns, with up to 20 teams and no more than 3 teams per school. Winners can advance toward the National Science Bowl; there is no registration fee.
📍 Kearns, UT📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Utah HOSA-Future Health Professionals
Utah HOSA State Leadership Conference
Annual state conference with over 100 events including health science challenges, team competitions, presentations, and practical exams; winners advance to the HOSA International Leadership Conference.
📍 Layton, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah Law Related Education
Utah Mock Trial Competition
Students act as attorneys, witnesses and bailiffs in simulated trials using real legal cases adapted for youth, coached by volunteer attorneys. High school state champions advance to the national mock trial competition.
📍 Courtrooms across Utah📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Utah Department of Physics & Astronomy
Utah Physics Circle
An extracurricular group where high school students work with University of Utah faculty and students on physics discussion, problem solving and demonstrations, including preparation for the F=ma physics olympiad. The Fall 2026-Spring 2027 series begins September 30, with later dates to be set (likely monthly).
📍 University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Utah Shakespeare Festival
Utah Shakespeare Festival Actor Training
A week-long residential pre-college intensive for high school students ages 15-17 where participants train with professional Festival actors in acting and theatre workshops. Tuition includes tickets to seven Festival plays.
📍 Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT📅 June🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Utah Shakespeare Festival / Southern Utah University
Utah Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare Competition
Scholastic Shakespeare competition in Cedar City covering acting, dance, music, and technical theatre, with workshops, professional evaluations, and scholarships to SUU and Festival summer classes. Students in grades 10-12 can also earn one SUU university credit.
📍 Cedar City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
SkillsUSA Utah
Utah SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference
Utah's showcase of technical skill, leadership, and career readiness with industry-judged contests across more than 80 trade, technical, and leadership areas for middle school, high school, and postsecondary students.
📍 Utah📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah Chess Association
Utah State High School Chess Championship
The state-level championship tournament for Utah high school chess players, organized by the Utah Chess Association with online registration.
📍 Weber High School, Pleasant View, UT📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah Symphony
Utah Symphony Salute to Youth Concerto Competition
A concerto competition for Utah's young musicians in piano, strings, winds, brass, percussion, harp, voice and small ensemble, with up to two winners per age division performing as soloists with the Utah Symphony.
📍 Abravanel Hall, Salt Lake City, UT📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah Office of State Treasurer
Utah Treasurer's Investment Challenge
A free, statewide 10-week stock market simulation in which teacher-led teams of 3-5 students manage a virtual portfolio using real market data. Top teams in the high school division receive recognition and prizes including college savings certificates.
📍 Utah (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Utah Technology Student Association
Utah TSA High School State Conference
State conference for Technology Student Association members with more than 65 STEM competitions, including engineering design, coding, robotics and technical communication. The high school conference is March 16, 2027 at the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo.
📍 Utah Valley Convention Center, Provo, UT📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UTEP Department of Computer Science
UTEP Computer Science AI Camp
A free one-week camp introducing Python programming and basic AI algorithms, with beginner and advanced tracks for high school students with prior CS experience. Open to rising 6th-12th graders with no experience required for beginner sessions.
📍 El Paso, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UTEP Department of Computer Science
UTEP Computer Science CyberCamp
A free cybersecurity training camp led by UTEP cybersecurity students, with beginner and advanced sessions for rising 6th-12th graders. No prior experience is required.
📍 El Paso, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Architecture + Design
UTK Summer Design Camp
A week-long design camp for high school students exploring color, pattern, space, form, and composition through 2D and 3D analog and digital techniques, plus design theory, history, technology, and professional practice. No prior design experience required.
📍 Knoxville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Texas National Institute in Forensics (UT Austin)
UTNIF Speech and Debate Camp
A residential summer forensic education camp for high school students focusing on debate, speech, and individual events, established in 1994. Daily schedule includes morning lectures, afternoon lab sessions, and evening practice.
📍 Austin, TX📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UT San Antonio Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design
UTSA Klesse College Engineering Summer Camps
A series of week-long high school camps including Engineering Overview, Biomedical Engineering, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, Rocketry and Aerospace Engineering, and an Architecture and Interior Design career academy. Camps feature hands-on challenges, faculty talks and research lab tours with day and overnight options.
📍 San Antonio, TX📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UVA School of Architecture
UVA Design Discovery Youth Summer Program
A six-day summer program for rising 10th-12th graders with design/build workshops, an architecture firm visit, a construction site tour and a public showcase.
📍 Charlottesville, VA📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Vermont Professional and Continuing Education
UVM Pre-College Courses (for-credit)
High school sophomores through seniors take for-credit UVM courses online or on campus in fields including psychology, economics, political science, history, philosophy, art history, film studies, music and English.
📍 Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Vermont
UVM Summer Academy
Pre-college academic programs at UVM. Need-based scholarships.
📍 VT⏱ 1-2 weeks (summer)📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Washington Materials Science & Engineering
UW ASM Materials Camp (High School)
A materials science summer day camp with mini-demonstrations, field trips and lab work that ends with team-based problem solving led by Materials Mentors.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 March🎓 Grade 10
Selective
University of Wyoming Department of Music
UW Band Summit Honor Band
An honor band for high school wind and percussion players selected by recorded audition, with instruction from a guest conductor and a concluding concert at UW.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Bothell
UW Bothell Research Experiences
Local UW Bothell faculty research opportunities — great for North Seattle students.
📍 WA⏱ Variable📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Washington College of Engineering
UW Engineering Academy
A one-week introductory summer program with hands-on engineering design challenges, meetings with engineering students and faculty, and a campus tour, for students with limited access to engineering opportunities.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Washington Foster School of Business
UW Foster Business and Leadership Program
A two-week summer program on leadership, teamwork, critical thinking and communication through workshops, visits to two Seattle corporations and a team case competition.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Washington Foster School of Business
UW Foster Business Startup Bootcamp
A one-week program where students develop a product-based startup concept into a prototype, covering design thinking, market research, business strategy and investor evaluation, ending in a pitch competition.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Wyoming Department of Visual Arts
UW High School Art Intensive
A two-day event introducing Wyoming high school students to UW Visual Arts faculty and facilities through short lectures and specialized workshops in drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, metalsmithing, sculpture, art education and visual communication design.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington
UW in the High School (UWHS)
Lets high school students take UW courses taught by their own high school teachers and earn college credit, with subjects including computer science, math, science and astronomy.
📍 Participating high schools across Washington📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Washington Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center
UW INSIGHT High School Program
Four-week summer program introducing high school students to public health, biomedical research and medicine, with seminars, group work and a capstone project on injury and violence prevention presented at a symposium.
📍 Online (University of Washington, Seattle)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Wyoming Department of Music
UW Instrument Intensives Day
A day-long event for high school students with masterclasses and chamber music coaching from UW woodwind, brass and percussion faculty.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Wyoming Department of Music
UW Jazz Festival
A one-day jazz festival at UW welcoming middle and high school big bands, combos and vocal ensembles for performance and workshops with guest artists.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington School of Nursing
UW Nurse Camp
Free week-long day camp for Washington high school sophomores and juniors interested in nursing, with nurse shadowing at UW Medical Center, CPR training, simulation lab sessions and mentoring by UW nursing students.
📍 University of Washington, Seattle, Washington📅 February🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
University of Washington Department of Radiology
UW Radiology High School Immersion Week
Five-day hands-on program at UW Medical Center - Montlake where high school students learn radiology, anatomy and imaging (radiography, ultrasound, CT, MRI, nuclear) and shadow healthcare professionals.
📍 UW Medical Center - Montlake, Seattle, WA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Washington School of Pharmacy
UW School of Pharmacy STEP Summer Program (Students Exploring Pharmacy)
Four-day summer program for students in grades 9-12 (priority to rising juniors and seniors) with hands-on activities, labs, presentations, tours and workshops exploring pharmacy as a career.
📍 University of Washington, Seattle, WA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Wyoming Department of Music
UW Summer Flute Intensive
A three-day summer program for flutists in grades 8-12 to study, perform and grow with UW faculty and guests.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Wyoming
UW Summer High School Institute (HSI)
A three-week residential pre-college program for Wyoming sophomores who live in UW residence halls and take two college-style courses, one in the physical and natural world (past topics include robotics and Wyoming energy) and one in human culture.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 February🎓 Grade 10
Moderate
University of Washington Summer Sessions
UW Summer Sessions for U.S. High School Students
High school students who have completed eighth grade can take regular UW summer courses for college credit on the Seattle campus or online, with 100-level courses usually the best fit.
📍 University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (on campus or online)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Wyoming / Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium
UW Teton STEM Academy
A week-long living/learning summer STEM camp at the University of Wyoming for rising 9th, 10th and 11th graders; applicants submit a 1000-word essay, a report card and two teacher recommendations.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 April🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
University of Wyoming Department of Modern & Classical Languages
UW World Languages Day (with Linguistics Olympiad)
A two-day event for Wyoming junior high and high school students with language competitions, art submissions, workshops and a resource fair; juniors and seniors can also enter a Linguistics Olympiad by separate registration.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Algorithmic Thinking - Programming Logic Fundamentals
Live online course on algorithms and data structures used in computer engineering, including recursion, stacks, searching, sorting, lists, binary trees and parsing, in any language.
📍 Online (live via Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Coding in Java I
Introductory two-week Java course for incoming 9th-12th graders with no programming experience, covering core computer science concepts, control structures, data structures and Java best practices.
📍 UW Seattle campus or live online (Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Coding in Java II
Intermediate Java course covering exception handling, graphical user interfaces, designing your own classes and polymorphism for students who already have Java experience.
📍 University of Washington, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Coding in Python I
Introduction to Python for incoming 9th-12th graders with no prior experience, covering variables, loops, functions, lists, dictionaries and file handling, ending in a text-based game project.
📍 UW Seattle campus or live online (Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Coding in Python II
Students build a visually interactive Python game that grows in complexity, learning graphical windows, user input, multi-file projects and simple animation.
📍 University of Washington, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Dive Into Oceanography
A hands-on ocean science course covering ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, food webs and marine pollution, with data collection and experiments on density and waves.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Esports, Gaming & Broadcasting
Two-week course exploring the esports industry and careers in marketing, management, production, community building and game design through real-world projects.
📍 Esports Arena & Gaming Lounge, University of Washington, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: High School Entrepreneurship - Startup Lab
Two-week in-person course where students learn entrepreneurial thinking, idea development, budgeting and marketing, work in teams and give a final pitch.
📍 University of Washington, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Introduction to AI & Machine Learning
A course covering machine learning, neural networks, computer vision, reinforcement learning and generative AI, in which students build their own AI tool and explore ethics.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Introduction to Data Analysis
Students learn to collect, clean and analyze data and present findings with data-driven storytelling using spreadsheet tools.
📍 Online (live via Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Introduction to Data Visualization
Students use Tableau to turn large amounts of information into charts, graphs and maps and explore how organizations use data visualization.
📍 Online (live via Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Introduction to Engineering Design & Process
A project-based course on the engineering design process covering teamwork, engineering tools, basic electrical wiring, digital logic, sensors and actuators, ending with a robotics project and open house.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Introduction to Math Modeling
A course on how math is used in science, business and research, with lectures, hands-on exercises and a final modeling project; students meet professionals from different fields.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Mission to Mars - Build Your Own Robotic Rover
Students build a Mars rover, learn engineering design, servo-driven arms and Java programming, and steer it through a field to move and stack items.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Madison College of Engineering
UW-Madison Engineering Summer Program (ESP)
Free three-week residential program on the UW-Madison campus for high school students interested in engineering, with math, physics, chemistry and engineering design, workshops, industry visits and faculty mentoring.
📍 Madison, WI📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison PEOPLE Program
Free year-round college-prep + research for Wisconsin students of color and first-gen.
📍 WI⏱ Year-round + summer📅 Rolling (school-based)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Platteville Department of Mathematics
UW-Platteville High School Mathematics Contest
Annual team and individual mathematics contest for high school students from southwest Wisconsin, eastern Iowa and northern Illinois, with Level 1 and Level 2 exams, plaques for top schools and an All-Academic Team.
📍 Platteville, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Stout
UW-Stout High School STEAM Summer Camps
Commuter and residential summer camps in Menomonie for students entering grades 9-12 across Art & Design, Engineering & Technology and Science & Health tracks.
📍 Menomonie, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Whitewater PreCollege Programs
UW-Whitewater PreCollege Summer Academic Camps (Digital Discovery, Healthcare Heroes, Sleuths & Scholars, Leadership Academy)
Residential week-long summer camps for students entering grades 7-12: Digital Discovery (cybersecurity, AI, robotics), Healthcare Heroes (nursing, radiology, pharmacy, EMT), Sleuths & Scholars (forensics and digital safety) and Leadership Academy.
📍 Whitewater, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
United World Colleges
UWC Short Courses
Short summer programs at UWC campuses worldwide focused on global citizenship and service.
📍 Global⏱ 2-3 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education with the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute
UWM College for Kids & Teens Data Science Certificate
A five-class certificate track in data science for high schoolers: three core classes (Introduction to Data Science, Entrepreneurial Data Science, Statistical Story Telling) plus two electives, including introductory Python programming.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts, Department of Film, Video, Animation & New Genres
UWM Film Summer Camp
A week-long day camp (optional overnight housing) for ages 14-18 with hands-on workshops in storytelling and screenwriting, cinematography and lighting, and editing led by practicing artists and UWM professors.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts Department of Music
UWM High School Honors Band & String Orchestra Festival
A two-day festival for ages 14-18 where the region's most accomplished high school instrumentalists rehearse with each other and with nationally recognized conductors and faculty.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts
UWM Peck School of the Arts "Day in the Life" Preview Days
Hands-on preview days for high school students ages 14-18 to experience a day as an Art and Design, Theatre, Dance, Film and Animation, or Music major, with workshops and classes.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts Department of Music
UWM Vocal Arts Festival
A two-day festival where skilled high school singers rehearse in an Honor Choir, work on a prepared solo with UWM voice faculty and perform in a final concert with the UWM Concert Chorale.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts Department of Music
UWM Youth Jazz Ensemble (UJAY)
An audition-based jazz ensemble for high school students ages 14-18 from the Greater Milwaukee area, rehearsing weekly with performance opportunities.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts Department of Music
UWM Youth Wind Ensemble and Percussion (UWAY)
An audition-based ensemble for grades 8-12 woodwind, brass and percussion players rehearsing weekly on Tuesdays with traditional and contemporary repertoire and public concerts.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UW Oshkosh Department of Mathematics
UWO Mathematical Problem Solving Contest
Annual on-campus math problem-solving contest at UW Oshkosh for middle school (grades 7-8) and high school (grades 9-10) students, with each school entering up to 12 students per grade.
📍 Oshkosh, WI📅 March🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
UW-Stevens Point Media Studies and Continuing Education
UWSP Filmmakers' Camp (Teen Session)
A four-and-a-half-day day camp run by UWSP Media Studies where campers write, shoot and edit short films, with a teen session for ages 13-17 and a closing film festival.
📍 Stevens Point, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Moderate
UW-Stevens Point Noel Fine Arts Center
UWSP Summer Dance Intensive
A week-long dance intensive in two age groups (13-15 and 16-18) with daily technique classes in the Noel Fine Arts Center dance studios, with optional residential housing.
📍 Stevens Point, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Moderate
George Mason University College of Science (Virginia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation / VALHEN)
VALHEN STEM Academy
A free three-day pre-college STEM program at George Mason's Fairfax campus for selected rising high school juniors, with university lectures, hands-on STEM challenges and a team research project on a global STEM or sustainability problem.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grade 10
Highly Selective
UVA International Relations Organization
VAMUN High School Model UN Conference
A high school Model UN conference held each fall on the grounds of the University of Virginia, with General Assembly, specialized and crisis committees plus an application-only advanced diplomacy committee.
📍 Charlottesville, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt Summer Academy
Pre-college research at Vanderbilt. Need-based aid available.
📍 TN⏱ 1-3 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vans
Vans Custom Culture Art Competition
National high school art competition to design custom Vans shoes for cash and supply grants.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VCU School of Pharmacy
VCU Pharmacy Summer Scholars
Week-long non-residential program introducing high school students to pharmacy careers with hospital pharmacy tours, nonsterile compounding and professional skills sessions.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
VCU Department of Philosophy
VCU Summer Camp in Philosophy
A one-week day camp for high school students led by VCU philosophy faculty, with games, theatrical dialogues, presentations, guest speakers and discussion of big questions around a yearly theme (2026: Justice).
📍 Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts
VCUarts Summer Pre-College Program
A three-week summer program in which rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors take one non-credit course with VCUarts faculty to build portfolio work or prepare for auditions.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Veritas AI (Harvard alumni)
Veritas AI
AI research mentorship and publishing program. Financial aid available.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 8-15 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vermont Music Educators Association
Vermont All State Music Festival
Audition-based festival where Vermont high school musicians perform in all-state band, orchestra, chorus or jazz ensemble under national guest conductors.
📍 Montpelier, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
American Legion Department of Vermont
Vermont American Legion High School Oratorical Contest
Constitutional oratory contest in which students deliver an original 8-10 minute oration on the U.S. Constitution plus assigned-amendment speeches, progressing from local to department to national finals.
📍 Vermont📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Vermont Neuroscience Graduate Program
Vermont Brain Bee
An annual neuroscience competition and day of exploration for Vermont high school students, with a multiple-choice test, oral exam and brain-anatomy practical, plus a preparatory boot camp.
📍 University of Vermont, Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vermont Principals' Association
Vermont Debate & Forensics League
Interscholastic Public Forum debate and eight individual public speaking events with weekly tournaments and VPA-sanctioned state championships at the State House in Montpelier.
📍 Vermont (state finals in Montpelier)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vermont Association of Conservation Districts
Vermont Envirothon
A hands-on natural resources competition where teams of five high school students are tested on forestry, wildlife, soils and aquatics, connecting with professionals in conservation, wildlife, forestry and agriculture.
📍 Buck Lake Wildlife Management Area, Woodbury, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vermont Future Business Leaders of America
Vermont FBLA
Vermont's FBLA state association with 16 chapters and 300+ members, hosting a Fall Leadership Conference and a Spring State Leadership Conference with 70+ competitive events.
📍 Vermont (state office in Burlington, VT)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vermont FFA
Vermont FFA Association
The Vermont state FFA association runs career development events, a winter CDE day and a two-day state convention (forestry, ag mechanics, speaking, dairy, equine and more) for students in agricultural education.
📍 Vermont (state convention at Saint Michael's College, Colchester)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Vermont Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Vermont High School Prize Examination in Mathematics
A long-running annual mathematics contest open to all Vermont secondary students, with state and regional prizes and an awards celebration at UVM Math Day.
📍 Vermont schools; awards at University of Vermont, Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vermont Historical Society
Vermont History Day
Annual National History Day affiliate contest where students research a historical topic and present it as a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance or website; top finishers advance to nationals.
📍 Colchester, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vermont HOSA
Vermont HOSA - Future Health Professionals
Vermont's HOSA state association for students in health science classes, offering competitive events and an annual State Leadership Conference.
📍 University of Vermont Davis Center, Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vermont Humanities
Vermont Humanities Camps
Week-long, project-based humanities summer camps run by schools, libraries and community partners across Vermont, built around reading, writing projects, field trips and outdoor activities.
📍 Vermont (multiple host sites)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Vermont Undergraduate Admissions
Vermont Pitch Challenge
A business pitch competition for high school students worldwide, with a full UVM tuition scholarship for the grand prize and cash prizes for runners-up; entries are a written proposal, video or audio pitch.
📍 University of Vermont, Burlington, VT📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Vermont Arts Council and the Flynn
Vermont Poetry Out Loud
Statewide poetry recitation contest for high school students; school winners advance to a spring state final and the champion goes to the national finals in Washington, DC.
📍 Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brattleboro Museum & Art Center
Vermont Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Vermont regional affiliate of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for grades 7-12, with entries in 27 art and writing categories and Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention awards exhibited at BMAC.
📍 Brattleboro, VT📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UVM Extension 4-H
Vermont Science Olympiad
A team science competition for Vermont students in grades 9-12 covering events across biology, chemistry, physics, engineering and earth science.
📍 Vermont (state tournament)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vermont Scholastic Chess
Vermont State Scholastic Chess Championships
Annual statewide scholastic chess championship with a USCF-rated 9th-12th grade section that also selects Vermont nominees for national invitationals.
📍 Hyde Park, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vermont State Youth Council
Vermont State Youth Council
Council of up to 28 Vermont youth ages 11-18 that advises the Governor and General Assembly on policies affecting young Vermonters, serving three-year terms.
📍 Vermont📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vermont Bar Association
Vermont Statewide High School Mock Trial
Annual statewide mock trial competition where high school teams argue prosecution and defense in courtrooms at Vermont Law and Graduate School, judged by attorneys and judges.
📍 South Royalton, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vermont STEM Fair (hosted at Norwich University)
Vermont STEM Fair
Vermont's only statewide STEM fair, an inquiry-based poster presentation competition for middle and high school students judged by science and engineering professionals, with top winners advancing to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
📍 Norwich University, Northfield, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
YMCA Youth and Government (Vermont)
Vermont YMCA Youth and Government
Model state government program for students in grades 6-12 who sponsor and debate bills in a simulated Vermont legislature and can advance to national YMCA youth government conferences.
📍 Vermont📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps Summer Teen Crews
Paid summer conservation and organic farm crews for teens doing trail work, habitat restoration, invasive species removal and sustainable agriculture across Vermont.
📍 Richmond, Burlington, Rutland and Woodstock, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Sundog Poetry (with Urban Word, the Flynn, Ruth Stone House and Young Writers Project)
Vermont Youth Poet Laureate
A statewide contest in which teen poets submit three original poems plus community and civic engagement information; the Laureate receives a cash prize, public readings in Vermont and an invitation to the regional competition of the National Youth Poet Laureate Program.
📍 Vermont (online submission at youthlaureate.org)📅 February🎓 Grades 8–12
Selective
UT Austin School of Journalism and Media
Verne Lundquist Sports Media Camp
A four-day, hands-on camp for aspiring high school sports journalists featuring a mock press conference with UT student-athletes and tours of stadium and press box facilities. Students work across print, photo, audio and video formats with professionals and faculty.
📍 Austin, TX📅 June🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Clemson University
Vet Camp
Clemson Summer Scholars one-week residential pre-college track.
📍 SC🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
VetCAMP
Students explore veterinary medicine through laboratories, clinical activities, animal-health instruction and exposure to veterinary careers.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine
VETCAMP
Students explore veterinary medicine through laboratories, clinical activities and exposure to veterinary specialties.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine
VetMed ROCKS
High-school students participate in hands-on veterinary laboratories, interact with teaching animals, and explore veterinary careers with faculty and veterinary students.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
REC Foundation
VEX Robotics Competition
Worldwide robotics competition with regional, state, and world championships. School- or club-team based.
📍 Worldwide⏱ Multi-month📅 Aug-Apr season🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Mexico State University / REC Foundation
VEX Robotics Competition - New Mexico State Championship
New Mexico's state-level VEX V5 Robotics Competition for high school teams, held annually at NMSU's VEX hub since 2014; top teams and award winners earn invitations to the VEX World Championship.
📍 Albuquerque, NM (Cibola High School)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
VEX Robotics Competition (REC Foundation) / Northwest Nazarene University
VEX Robotics Idaho High School State Championship
Idaho's state championship for VEX Robotics, where high school teams build robots from parts kits and write competition code to complete tasks, with the winning team advancing to the VEX World Championship.
📍 Nampa, ID (Northwest Nazarene University)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VEX Minnesota (REC Foundation)
VEX Robotics Minnesota State Championship
Minnesota's state VEX Robotics championship, now in its 17th year, held at the River's Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud, where high school (V5RC) teams design, build, and program robots to compete on a shared field alongside middle and elementary school divisions.
📍 St. Cloud, MN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
REC Foundation
VEX Robotics World Championship
World's largest robotics competition with VEX IQ (middle) and VEX V5 (high school) divisions.
📍 Global⏱ Year-long📅 April🎓 Grades 6–12
Moderate
Robotics Institute of Maine
VEX V5 Maine State Championship
Maine's statewide VEX V5 Robotics Competition championship, where middle and high school teams compete in qualification matches, skills challenges, and eliminations for spots at the VEX Robotics World Championship.
📍 The Point Community Center, South Portland, ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wichita State University College of Engineering
VEX V5 Robotics Camp
Students build and program VEX robots while developing engineering-design, project-management, teamwork, and presentation skills.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
VEX Robotics / RECF
VEX V5 Robotics Competition: Tennessee High School State Championship
The statewide VEX V5 Robotics high-school-only championship where Tennessee teams compete in alliance-based robot matches for a chance to advance further in the VEX competition season.
📍 Clarksville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arkansas
VFW Voice of Democracy - Arkansas
An annual audio-essay scholarship contest for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme; students record a 3-5 minute essay and submit it through a local VFW post, competing for state and national scholarships.
📍 Local VFW posts statewide, Arkansas📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of California
VFW Voice of Democracy - California
An audio-essay scholarship contest for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme, entered through local VFW Posts, with over $2 million awarded in scholarships nationally each year.
📍 California (submitted through local VFW Posts statewide)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Kentucky
VFW Voice of Democracy - Kentucky
An annual audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 in which Kentucky students record a patriotic essay on a set theme through their local VFW Post, competing for a share of over $2.3 million awarded nationally, including a $35,000 top scholarship.
📍 Submitted through a participating VFW Post in Kentucky📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Montana
VFW Voice of Democracy - Montana
An audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme, judged at the local VFW Post level with winners advancing to state and national competition.
📍 Submitted through local Montana VFW Posts statewide📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Department of North Dakota
VFW Voice of Democracy - North Dakota
A patriotic audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12; students record a 3-5 minute essay on an annual democracy/veterans theme, with winners advancing from the local VFW Post to department and national judging.
📍 Statewide, ND (entries submitted through local VFW Posts)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Rhode Island
VFW Voice of Democracy - Rhode Island
An audio-essay competition in which high school students record a patriotic-themed essay responding to an annual prompt, with local, state, and national scholarship prizes.
📍 Rhode Island (statewide, submitted through local VFW posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of South Dakota
VFW Voice of Democracy - South Dakota
An audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 on a patriotic/democratic theme, run nationally by the VFW since 1947 with nearly 40,000 student participants a year; South Dakota's Department first-place winner receives at least $1,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for national judging.
📍 Statewide, SD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Colorado
VFW Voice of Democracy (Colorado)
An audio-essay scholarship competition for students in grades 9-12 who record and submit a patriotic-themed essay through a local VFW post via the Scholars App.
📍 Entry through local VFW posts statewide📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of New York
VFW Voice of Democracy (Department of New York)
An audio-essay scholarship competition for high school students who record a 3-5 minute essay on an annual patriotic theme; New York's 2026-2027 entries are due to local VFW posts by October 31, 2026. The national grand prize is a $35,000 scholarship, with nearly 80,000 students competing nationwide.
📍 New York (submit through local VFW posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of North Carolina
VFW Voice of Democracy (Department of North Carolina)
An audio-essay scholarship competition for high school students on an annual patriotic theme, administered through local NC VFW posts with entries due October 31, followed by District judging by December 15 and Department judging by January 10. The national grand prize is a $35,000 scholarship.
📍 North Carolina (submit through local VFW posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Georgia
VFW Voice of Democracy (Georgia)
Voice of Democracy is an audio-essay competition in which Georgia students in grades 9-12 write and record a 3-5 minute essay on an annual patriotic theme, with entries submitted through a local VFW Post.
📍 Submitted via local VFW Posts statewide📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Iowa
VFW Voice of Democracy (Iowa)
An annual audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme, with Iowa's state winner advancing to the national contest for a shot at a $35,000 top scholarship.
📍 Submitted through local VFW Posts, Iowa📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Minnesota
VFW Voice of Democracy (Minnesota)
A national audio-essay scholarship contest in which grades 9-12 students write and record a 3-5 minute essay on an annual patriotic theme, starting at the local VFW Post level and advancing through district, state, and national rounds.
📍 Local VFW Posts statewide, Minnesota📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of New Jersey
VFW Voice of Democracy (New Jersey)
An audio-essay scholarship competition for students in grades 9-12 who write and record a 3-5 minute original essay on an annual patriotic theme, with the national first-place winner receiving a $35,000 scholarship.
📍 Submitted through local VFW posts statewide, New Jersey📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Ohio
VFW Voice of Democracy (Ohio)
An audio-essay competition for grades 9-12 on a democratic/patriotic theme, submitted through a sponsoring local VFW post, with the Ohio first-place winner earning at least $2,500 and a shot at national scholarships up to $35,000.
📍 Submitted through local Ohio VFW posts📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Texas
VFW Voice of Democracy (Texas)
An audio-essay scholarship competition for high school students expressing their views on democracy through a recorded essay. Entries go through a local VFW post, with state and national scholarship prizes.
📍 Texas (statewide)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Vermont
VFW Voice of Democracy (Vermont)
Audio-essay scholarship contest for grades 9-12; entries are submitted through a local VFW post and Vermont department winners receive at least $1,000.
📍 Vermont📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Washington
VFW Voice of Democracy (Washington)
Audio-essay scholarship contest for Washington high school students in grades 9-12 on the 2026-27 theme "What a Veteran Taught Me About America", judged at the Post, District, Department and national levels.
📍 Washington (entries uploaded online, judged through local VFW Posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Wyoming
VFW Voice of Democracy (Wyoming)
An audio-essay scholarship competition for high school students entered through a local VFW post. The 2026-27 theme is "What a Veteran Taught me about America."
📍 Wyoming (entries via local VFW posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arizona
VFW Voice of Democracy Arizona
Audio-essay scholarship competition for students in grades 9-12 on an annual patriotic theme, judged from the local VFW post level up through the department and national levels.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Virginia
VFW Voice of Democracy Audio Essay Contest (Virginia)
A 3-5 minute audio essay contest for grades 9-12 on the theme "What a Veteran Taught Me About America," judged from local VFW Posts up to the Department (state) level.
📍 Virginia (entries through local VFW Posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Tennessee
VFW Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay Scholarship (Tennessee)
Annual VFW audio-essay competition for high school students, entered through a local Tennessee VFW post and judged at post, district, and department levels before national judging. The VFW Department of Tennessee lists Voice of Democracy among its state programs.
📍 Tennessee (entries submitted through a local VFW post)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Delaware
VFW Voice of Democracy Delaware
Audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 on an annual patriotic theme, submitted through local Delaware VFW Posts, with the state winner earning a trip to the Spirit of America Youth Leadership Program.
📍 Delaware (submit via local VFW Post)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Illinois
VFW Voice of Democracy Illinois
Annual audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 built around a patriotic theme (2026-2027: 'What A Veteran Taught Me About America'), progressing from local VFW posts through district and state competition.
📍 Illinois (entries submitted through local VFW posts)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Missouri
VFW Voice of Democracy Missouri
An audio-essay scholarship competition, established in 1947, letting Missouri students in grades 9-12 record a patriotic-themed essay; the 2026-27 theme is 'What a Veteran Taught Me About America.'
📍 Submitted through local sponsoring VFW Posts statewide📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of New Hampshire
VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship (New Hampshire)
An audio-essay competition for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme, with NH winners advancing to compete for a share of the national program's $2.1 million in scholarships.
📍 Statewide, NH (recorded essay submission)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Nevada
VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship Contest
An annual audio-essay patriotic scholarship contest for high school students in grades 9-12, who record and submit a 3-to-3.5-minute essay on an assigned theme through their local VFW post.
📍 Statewide (submitted through local VFW posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Utah
VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program (Utah)
An audio-essay scholarship contest for grade 9-12 students on a patriotic theme, entered through a local VFW post. State winners receive at least a $1,000 scholarship and national winners up to $35,000.
📍 Utah (entries submitted via local VFW posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Wisconsin
VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program (Wisconsin)
Grade 9-12 students record a 3-5 minute audio essay on a patriotic theme, entered through a local VFW post and judged at post, district and state levels, with state and national scholarships.
📍 Wisconsin (entered through local VFW posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia High School League (VHSL)
VHSL Creative Writing Contest
VHSL accepts student creative writing entries from member high schools for statewide evaluation and recognition, with published entry guidelines and an entry form.
📍 Virginia (entries submitted by member schools)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia High School League
VHSL Debate Championships
Virginia's state high school debate competition run through member schools, with district and regional rounds leading to state championships.
📍 Virginia (state finals hosted by member schools)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia High School League (VHSL)
VHSL Esports Championships
VHSL's school-based esports league with fall and spring seasons, playoffs and in-person state championships in titles such as League of Legends, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart.
📍 Virginia (fall championships at Shenandoah University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia High School League (VHSL)
VHSL Film Festival (State High School Film Competition)
The VHSL's statewide student film festival, where member-school students submit short films that are judged in categories and screened at the state festival.
📍 Charlottesville, VA (Piedmont Virginia Community College)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia High School League (VHSL)
VHSL Ken Tilley Student Leaders Conference
An annual VHSL one-day conference where student leaders from member schools apply what they learned during the school year, hosted by a different school each year.
📍 Chesterfield, VA (Matoaca High School)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia High School League (VHSL)
VHSL Scholastic Bowl State Championships
VHSL's academic quiz competition in which member-school teams advance through section and region rounds to the state finals.
📍 Virginia (finals at Jamestown High School)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia High School League
VHSL Speech and Forensics Championships
Virginia's state high school speech competition, sponsored by the league that began as a debating league, with district and regional qualifying rounds leading to state finals.
📍 Salem, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia High School League (VHSL)
VHSL Theatre (One-Act Play) State Championships
VHSL runs a district-regional-state one-act play competition for member high schools, with state championships held by school classification at the Piedmont Virginia Community College Earl Dickinson Building in Charlottesville.
📍 Charlottesville, VA (state finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia High School League (VHSL) / Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisers
VHSL-VAJTA Media Championships (Newspaper, Yearbook, Broadcast, Online News)
Annual state media contest in which high school student journalists and publication staffs enter newspapers, newsmagazines, online news, broadcast, yearbook and literary magazine work for ratings and awards.
📍 Vienna, VA (James Madison High School, 2026 state event)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The College of New Jersey
Video Production Camp
Students learn professional camera, lighting, audio, scriptwriting, editing and directing while producing original media.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary
VIMS Marine Science Governor's School (Summer Residential)
Four-week residential Governor's School in which each student apprentices with a VIMS faculty sponsor on an authentic marine research project and delivers a paper and presentation.
📍 Gloucester Point, VA (housed at Christopher Newport University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary
VIMS Summer Aide Program
Temporary hourly summer positions at the VIMS campus in Gloucester Point for which high school students may apply, filled depending on faculty need and funding.
📍 Gloucester Point, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Virginia DECA (association of DECA Inc.)
Virginia DECA
State association of DECA for students interested in marketing, finance, hospitality, management and entrepreneurship, joined through a chartered school chapter, with an annual Association Career Development Conference.
📍 Virginia (conference in Virginia Beach)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
Virginia Dominion Energy Envirothon
Team natural resources competition for high school students testing soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife and an annual special topic with written, skills and oral presentation components.
📍 Virginia (local, area and state competitions)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE) at VCU
Virginia Economics Challenge (Online)
A statewide high school competition in which teams of three to four students take online economics exams, with qualifying teams advancing to a championship competition; no prior economics course is required.
📍 Virginia (online; championship in Richmond area)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Future Business Leaders of America
Virginia FBLA
State chapter of FBLA, a business education association open to middle and high school students, with local chapters, competitive events and a State Leadership Conference.
📍 Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Family, Career and Community Leaders of America
Virginia FCCLA
State affiliate of FCCLA for students in Family and Consumer Sciences courses, with chapters, STAR Events competitions and an annual State Leadership and Recognition Conference.
📍 Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia FFA
Virginia FFA Association
State FFA association developing student leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
📍 Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Tech Dept. of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education
Virginia Governor's School for Agriculture (Summer Residential)
Month-long residential Governor's School at Virginia Tech for able rising juniors and seniors, integrating science, technology, engineering and math through research, lab work and field trips on agriculture and natural resources.
📍 Blacksburg, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Virginia Department of Education / University of Lynchburg
Virginia Governor's School for Mathematics, Science, and Technology (Summer Residential)
Three-week residential Governor's School for gifted high school juniors and seniors with classroom and laboratory work, field studies, research, individual and group projects, and seminars with scholars and professionals.
📍 Lynchburg, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Virginia Department of Education / Radford University
Virginia Governor's School for Medicine and Health Sciences (Summer Residential)
Four-week residential Governor's School exploring medicine and the health sciences through hands-on classroom work and real-world scenarios, hosted on Radford University's Roanoke campus with the Blue Ridge Partnership for Health Science Careers.
📍 Roanoke, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Virginia Department of Education (hosted by Washington and Lee University and Virginia Commonwealth University)
Virginia Governor's World Language Academies
Summer residential academies for Virginia's most motivated world language students: full-immersion French, German and Spanish at Washington and Lee University, plus partial-immersion Japanese and an intensive Latin academy at VCU.
📍 Lexington and Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Collegiate School / VCU Department of Philosophy / National High School Ethics Bowl
Virginia High School Ethics Bowl
Regional Ethics Bowl hosted by Collegiate School in Richmond where high school teams analyze real-world ethical cases; VCU philosophy faculty and students serve as judges and moderators, and the regional qualifies teams toward the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Museum of History & Culture
Virginia History Day
The Virginia affiliate of National History Day, where students enter district contests in papers, exhibits, documentaries, performances or websites, with top state winners advancing to the national contest.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia HOSA
Virginia HOSA-Future Health Professionals
State CTSO for students in health and medical sciences programs with chapters, competitive events and a State Leadership Conference.
📍 Virginia📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Academy of Science
Virginia Junior Academy of Science (VJAS) Research Symposium
Student science organization sponsored by the Virginia Academy of Science since 1941; members can submit papers to a juried research symposium and compete for awards and scholarships, with the top achiever invited to the national AJAS.
📍 Virginia (symposium held at a Virginia college)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Junior Classical League
Virginia Junior Classical League (VJCL) State Convention
An annual two-day state convention for middle and high school Latin and classics students with academic contests (mythology, derivatives, Roman history, Latin vocabulary, grammar and literature), oratory, dramatic interpretation, creative arts contests, a Roman banquet and officer elections.
📍 Virginia (host site changes yearly)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Law-Related Education Institute / Virginia Museum of History & Culture
Virginia Mock Trial Program
Teams of 6-12 high school students act as attorneys and witnesses in simulated trials at regional competitions, with state finals at the Henrico County Courthouse and a national berth for the champion.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Council on Economic Education
Virginia Personal Finance Challenge
An online personal finance competition for teams of three to four Virginia high school students, with no formal personal finance course required, coached by a school-sanctioned teacher.
📍 Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
U.S. Department of Energy / Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
Virginia Regional High School Science Bowl (DOE National Science Bowl)
A buzzer-style quiz competition on math and science (including biology, chemistry, physics and earth and space science) in which high school teams from across Virginia compete at Jefferson Lab; the winner earns a trip to the National Science Bowl.
📍 Newport News, VA (Jefferson Lab)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Chess Federation
Virginia Scholastic Chess Championships
The annual state championship for Virginia K-12 chess players, with a K-12 championship section and results used to nominate Virginia's representatives to national scholastic tournaments.
📍 Virginia (host site rotates)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Science Olympiad (VASO)
Virginia Science Olympiad (Division C State Competition)
Statewide Science Olympiad for Virginia teams in grades 5-12 (Division C is high school), with regional qualifying tournaments leading to a State Tournament and a national tournament in May for state winners.
📍 Virginia (regional and state tournaments)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Space Grant Consortium / NASA Wallops Flight Facility
Virginia Space Coast Scholars (VSCS)
Free program for Virginia sophomores teaching the STEM behind NASA missions at Wallops and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, with an online course and a seven-day residential summer academy for top performers.
📍 Wallops Island, VA (online course plus residential academy)📅 October🎓 Grade 10
Selective
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (Virginia State Parks)
Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps
A two-week summer job for Virginia teens in which crews live at a state park, do trail maintenance and small construction projects on weekdays, and join ranger-led programs and outdoor adventures at night and on weekends.
📍 Virginia State Parks (host parks across Virginia)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VSSEF Inc. / Old Dominion University
Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair (VSSEF)
State science and engineering fair that gathers students who presented at Virginia regional fairs (200 to 250 exhibits) and selects finalists for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
📍 Virginia (host site varies by year)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Department of Education
Virginia Summer Residential Governor's School for Humanities
A month-long residential academic program for gifted Virginia students covering history, literature, philosophy, anthropology, political science, economics, sociology, psychology and media, hosted at Radford University.
📍 Radford, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Virginia Department of Education
Virginia Summer Residential Governor's School for the Visual and Performing Arts
A month-long residential arts program for gifted Virginia students in Visual Art, Dance, Theatre, Instrumental Music and Vocal Music, selected through a statewide audition and portfolio adjudication.
📍 Virginia (host campus varies)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech C-Tech²
Free cybersecurity and tech camp for high school women.
📍 VA⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design
Virginia Tech Explore Architecture Summer Program
A one-week summer studio for students in grades 9-12 in Blacksburg (day or overnight) or a shorter virtual session, with students working in the school's shared studio space.
📍 Blacksburg, VA📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Association of the Technology Student Association
Virginia TSA Technosphere State Conference and Competition
Virginia TSA's annual State Student Leadership Conference and Competition brings TSA chapters together for competitive technology events, leadership workshops and state officer elections, with regional fairs held beforehand.
📍 Hampton, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
VEX Robotics (Virginia state championship)
Virginia VEX V5 Robotics State Championship (High School)
In-person state championship for Virginia high school VEX V5 teams, with qualification through local tournaments or Virginia skills scores and a Skills Challenge.
📍 Marshall, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia War Memorial / Virginia Department of Veterans Services
Virginia War Memorial Veterans Day Student Essay Contest
An annual essay contest for Virginia middle and high school students writing 500-750 words about a Virginian who served in the U.S. military and inspires them; one high school and one middle school winner are chosen.
📍 Virginia (online submission)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Writers Club
Virginia Writers Club Teen Nib Contest
A statewide writing contest for Virginia high school students in fiction, nonfiction and poetry, with winning entries eligible for publication in the Golden Nib and Teen Nib Journal.
📍 Virginia (email submission)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Louisiana State University Department of Mathematics
Virtual Math Research Circle
High-school students work remotely with university mentors on authentic mathematics research projects in areas such as probability, mathematical biology, fluid modeling, statistics, and computational mathematics, ending with research-style presentations.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
UA Little Rock Emerging Analytics Center
Virtual Reality Summer Camp
Students learn introductory programming and VR game development while creating a puzzle-game level for Meta Quest headsets.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Oakland University
Virtual Reality World Builders Camp
Students in grades 8–10 learn virtual-reality world building and related digital-design skills during a week-long camp.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Kansas State University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance
Visual & Performing Arts Academy
Rising grades 9–12 choose tracks including musical theatre, performance theatre, choir, visual arts, dance, or technical theatre/audio production and finish with a showcase.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Jacksonville State University
Visual Art — Gamecock Arts & Sciences Program
Students explore techniques including printmaking, collage, digital illustration, and collaborative artmaking.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Purchase College, SUNY
Visual Arts Institute
Intensive studio-art experience emphasizing portfolio development and multiple media.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Murray State University
Vocal Arts Camp
Students study choral music, musical theatre, pop a cappella, solo performance, musicianship, and voice through a week of intensive instruction and rehearsals.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Purchase College, SUNY
Vocal Intensive
Advanced vocal training, musicianship and performance preparation.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Vocal Summit
Contemporary vocalists receive focused training in performance and vocal musicianship with Berklee instructors.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Berklee College of Music
Vocal/Choral Intensive
Students ages 15–18 develop solo and ensemble vocal skills for musical theatre and classical-performance settings.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Mississippi
Voice of Democracy
An annual audio-essay scholarship competition open to grades 9-12 students, who record a patriotic-themed essay on a yearly theme and submit it through a sponsoring local VFW post; national winners share over $2 million in scholarships.
📍 Submitted through local VFW posts statewide📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Idaho
Voice of Democracy
An audio-essay scholarship contest for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme ('What a Veteran Taught Me About America' for 2026-27), entered through local VFW posts across Idaho.
📍 Idaho (entries via local VFW posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Department of Louisiana
Voice of Democracy
An annual audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme, judged first at the local VFW Post level and advancing through district and state rounds, feeding into a national contest that awards a $35,000 top scholarship.
📍 Statewide, LA📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of South Carolina
Voice of Democracy - South Carolina
An audio-essay scholarship competition for high school students who record a patriotic-themed essay responding to an annual prompt, submitted through a local VFW Post, with South Carolina's state winner advancing toward national scholarships up to $35,000.
📍 Submitted through local VFW Posts statewide, South Carolina📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Indiana
Voice of Democracy — Indiana
A free audio-essay scholarship contest for students in grades 9-12 who write and record a 3-5 minute broadcast script on an annual patriotic theme, submitted through a local VFW post.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Oregon
Voice of Democracy (Oregon)
An annual audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 responding to a patriotic theme, with Oregon's top entrants receiving a minimum $1,000 scholarship and a shot at the $35,000 national first-place award.
📍 Statewide, OR📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW
Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay
Audio-essay scholarship competition with $35,000 top prize.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Hawaii
Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay Program (Hawaii)
Annual patriotic-themed audio-essay competition for grades 9-12, with entries judged at the Post, District, state, and national level for a share of over $2 million in scholarships.
📍 Statewide (entries submitted via local VFW Posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Pennsylvania
Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay Scholarship Contest (Pennsylvania)
An annual audio-essay competition for high schoolers on a patriotic theme (2026-27: 'What A Veteran Taught Me About America'), requiring a typed essay and an audio recording, judged at the post, district, and state levels with scholarship prizes.
📍 Statewide, Pennsylvania (state judging in State College)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Department of New Mexico
Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay Scholarship Program - New Mexico
Annual nationwide audio-essay scholarship contest inviting high school students to record a patriotic-themed essay (2026-27 theme: "What a Veteran Taught Me About America"), submitted through a local New Mexico VFW Post. The national first-place winner receives a $35,000 scholarship, and every department (state) winner receives at least $1,000.
📍 New Mexico (submit recorded essay via a local VFW Post)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Maine / VFW Auxiliary
Voice of Democracy Scholarship Contest (Maine)
Statewide audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 in which students write and record a 3-5 minute patriotic-themed essay, with winners advancing from local posts to state and national judging for scholarship prizes.
📍 Statewide, Maine📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Department of Massachusetts
Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program
A nationwide audio-essay scholarship contest on an annual patriotic theme; Massachusetts students submit recorded essays through local VFW posts, with hundreds of Massachusetts students competing each year for scholarships that can reach $35,000 nationally.
📍 Massachusetts (submitted through local VFW posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Voices in Science: Burke-ology (High School)
Free mentored STEM program for high school students in which participants work hands-on with UW mentors on one science topic per session and present findings at a public STEAM Spotlight Symposium at the Burke.
📍 Burke Museum, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The University of Kansas Health System
VolunTeen — Student Summer Volunteer Program
High-school students volunteer in clinical and nonclinical areas of an academic health system while learning about healthcare careers. Separate programs are offered for rising freshmen and rising sophomores through seniors.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Zoo Atlanta
Volunteen Program
Teens serve as conservation educators, interpret animal habitats, assist with enrichment and events and can later qualify for advanced animal-care and research-related assignments.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
St. John's Health (Jackson)
Volunteens Program (St. John's Health)
Teen volunteer program open to students ages 14 to 17 at the Jackson hospital. Applicants submit an online VolunTEEN application with a signed parent or guardian release and can serve in hospital areas alongside staff.
📍 Jackson, WY📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Society for Science
Volunteer for Regeneron ISEF
Sign up to support the Regeneron ISEF as interpreters and event volunteers.
📍 Phoenix, AZ (2026)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Department of Political Science)
Volunteer Model United Nations
A three-day Model UN conference for high school students at UT Knoxville, where delegates hold discussions on international relations and develop responses to global challenges alongside UT's collegiate Model UN program.
📍 Knoxville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Portsmouth Regional Hospital (HCA Healthcare)
Volunteer Services Program
Hospital volunteer program for students 14 and up covering roles like information desk support, medical floor assistance, music therapy, pet visitation, and spiritual care support.
📍 Portsmouth, NH📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kennedy Center
VSA Emerging Young Artists Program
Awards for young artists with disabilities; cash and exhibition at the Kennedy Center.
📍 Online📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Valdosta State University Department of Chemistry
VSU High School Chemistry Summer Camp
VSU's annual chemistry camp lets area high school students synthesize organic compounds, work with shape-changing materials, nickel-plate objects, and explore the chemistry of color alongside VSU faculty.
📍 Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP), UVM Larner College of Medicine
VT RAYS (Vermont Youth Health Advisory Group)
VT RAYS is Vermont's youth health advisory group, where young people represent the youth voice in statewide projects, present to clinicians, and build tools such as a youth-led clinic assessment walk-through.
📍 Vermont (statewide; based at UVM, Burlington)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest Summer Immersion Program
Twenty-five one-week residential institutes span AI, biology research, business, engineering, entrepreneurship, filmmaking, finance, law, medicine, neuroscience, politics, psychology, regenerative medicine, screenwriting and other fields.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Rutgers University
Waksman Student Scholars Program
Authentic molecular-biology and bioinformatics research beginning with a summer institute and continuing during the school year through participating high schools. The 2026–27 research cycle is active.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Montclair State University
Wall Street and the Investment Experience
Immersive introduction to investing, financial markets and Wall Street.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Walters Art Museum
Walters Art Museum Teen Advisory Council (WAMTAC)
Teens receive paid professional museum experience, collaborate with museum staff, advise on projects, and design programming for other teens.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
George Washington University International Affairs Society
WAMUNC (Washington Area Model United Nations Conference)
A high school Model UN conference hosted by GW's International Affairs Society in Foggy Bottom, welcoming delegations from across the country and around the world to practice diplomatic communication on global issues.
📍 Washington, DC (Foggy Bottom, near George Washington University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Youngstown State University
Ward Beecher Planetarium High School Programs
A lineup of 40+ fulldome planetarium shows for grades 9-12 aligned to Ohio Science Standards, covering topics from black holes and stellar life cycles to the chemistry of the periodic table, with live constellation tours and educator guides.
📍 Youngstown, OH (Youngstown State University)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wartburg College
Wartburg Meistersinger Music Camp
A summer music camp with band, choir, orchestra, piano, and organ tracks for high school musicians of all skill levels, plus a companion All-State Camp preparing vocalists entering ninth grade and up for Iowa All-State auditions.
📍 Waverly, IA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wisconsin Association of School Councils (WASC)
WASC Student Leadership State Conference
A two-day statewide student leadership conference for middle and high school student councils with leadership workshops and competitions such as Best Project, Scrapbook and Creative Marketing.
📍 Middleton, WI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washburn University Department of Music
Washburn Summer Keyboard Academy
A piano-focused academy for grades 6-12 offering three private lessons plus workshops, music history/literature classes, and performance classes, ending in a gala concert.
📍 Topeka, KS (Washburn University, Garvey Fine Arts Center)📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washburn University Department of Music
Washburn University Total Percussion Camp
A hands-on percussion camp covering marching percussion, drumset, concert percussion, and samba band, capped by evening concerts and a final student performance.
📍 Topeka, KS (Washburn University)📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Washington Student Math Association (WSMA)
Washington ARML Team
Invitational team of Washington's top high school math competitors, chosen by nomination and AMC, AIME and Mu Alpha Theta results, to represent the state at the American Regions Math League.
📍 Washington practices; ARML meet at a national site📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Business Week (Foundation for Private Enterprise Education)
Washington Business Week Summer Programs
Week-long summer programs in business, healthcare and advanced business tracks where high school students run mock companies, work with business mentors and earn two elective college credits from Renton Technical College.
📍 University of Puget Sound (Tacoma), Eastern Washington University (Spokane area) and Renton Technical College, Washington📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington DECA
Washington DECA
Washington's DECA association for high school business and marketing students, with local chapters and an annual state Career Development Conference in Bellevue.
📍 Bellevue, WA (state conference)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Council for Economic and Financial Education
Washington Economics Challenge
Online team economics exam in which teams of 3-4 high school students answer 30 questions in 35 minutes, with Adam Smith and David Ricardo divisions and advancement to the national semi-finals.
📍 Online (Washington teams)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington FBLA
Washington FBLA
Washington's FBLA state association preparing middle and high school students to be business and community leaders through chapters, competitive events and the State Business Leadership Conference.
📍 Washington (chapters statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington FCCLA
Washington FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
State association of FCCLA, a career and technical student organization for students in Family and Consumer Sciences classes, offering leadership development, regional and state STAR Events competitions, and state officer opportunities.
📍 Washington (State Leadership Conference in Spokane)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington FFA Association
Washington FFA Association
Washington's FFA state association for students enrolled in an agriculture course, offering chapters, career development events, leadership programs and the annual state FFA Convention and Expo.
📍 Washington (state convention at WSU Pullman)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
Washington History Day
Washington's National History Day affiliate: students in middle and high school research historical topics and compete at eight regional contests and a state contest, with winners advancing to the national contest.
📍 Washington (regional contests statewide; state contest each spring)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington HOSA
Washington HOSA Future Health Professionals
Washington's HOSA state association for health science students, with chapters, health-related competitions and a State Leadership Conference.
📍 Spokane, WA (state conference)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
George Mason University
Washington Journalism and Media Conference (WJMC)
Week-long residential journalism and leadership program on George Mason's Fairfax campus where high school students (National Youth Correspondents) learn from industry leaders, award-winning journalists and Washington insiders, with one college elective credit.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), Washington region
Washington Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)
Regional symposium where Washington students in grades 9-12 present original STEM research to judges and peers, with top presenters advancing to the national JSHS.
📍 Washington State (host and dates to be posted fall 2026)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington State Legislative Youth Advisory Council / Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Washington Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC)
A student-led council of Washington youth that advocates on youth policy issues, lobbies and testifies before the legislature, and attends an annual youth Action Day in Olympia.
📍 Washington (in-person meetings and Action Day in Olympia, WA)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Washington MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement), University of Washington
Washington MESA High School Programs
Statewide pathway program run through the University of Washington offering academic support, hands-on STEM learning, career exploration, leadership development and competitions such as Washington MESA Day for high school students.
📍 MESA program centers across Washington📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Washington Science Olympiad
Washington Science Olympiad (Division C)
State Science Olympiad program in which high school teams (Division C) compete in invitationals, regionals and a state tournament held in April, with national qualification for top teams.
📍 Washington (state tournament in April)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State University Extension 4-H
Washington State 4-H Teen Conference
Annual four-day conference on the WSU Pullman campus for high school students (grades 8 completed through 12) with leadership development, workshops, tours and college and career exploration.
📍 Washington State University, Pullman, WA📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State Envirothon
Washington State Envirothon
A natural resources competition for teams of five high school students testing aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife and a current environmental issue, from regional events to a state competition and the NCF-Envirothon.
📍 Regional events and a state competition across Washington📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
PLATO and University of Washington Department of Philosophy
Washington State High School Ethics Bowl
Teams of high school students analyze ethical dilemmas on topics such as cheating, peer pressure and social media, judged on the quality of their reasoning rather than adversarial debate.
📍 University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Chess Federation
Washington State High School Individual Chess Championship
A Swiss-system tournament open to Washington high school students in three rating sections; the champion earns the title of Washington State High School Chess Champion and travel support to the Denker Tournament of High School Champions.
📍 Lakeside Upper School, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State Legislature (Senate and House civic education offices)
Washington State Legislature Page Program
Students spend a week at the Capitol in Olympia during session, attending page school and assisting legislators on the floor of the Senate or House. Pages learn how state government works firsthand.
📍 Olympia, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Washington State Mathematics Council (WSMC)
Washington State Mathematics Council High School Math Contest
Regional and statewide math contest for Washington high school students, with team problem solving, a team project, individual events and a Math + Art contest in a collaborative setting.
📍 Regional sites across Washington; state contest at Central Washington University, Ellensburg📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State Science & Engineering Fair
Washington State Science & Engineering Fair (WSSEF)
Statewide science and engineering fair where students in grades 6 to 12 present research projects judged by scientists, with the Washington team attending the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
📍 Bremerton, WA📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Civics Education Washington State
Washington State We the People Competition
A simulated congressional hearing competition on the U.S. Constitution held on the Capitol Campus in Olympia; the state winner advances to the national finals.
📍 Capitol Campus, Olympia, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington Courts / YMCA Youth & Government
Washington State YMCA Mock Trial Competition
High school teams of student attorneys and witnesses prepare a fictional case and compete before real judges and attorney juries at district tournaments and a state championship.
📍 Washington (district tournaments statewide; state championship each March)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Western Washington University Center for Economic and Financial Education
Washington Stock Market Game
A web-based investing simulation in which student teams manage $100,000 of virtual cash in stocks and bonds, with fall, spring and yearlong games for Washington elementary, middle and high school teams.
📍 Washington (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Student Math Association (WSMA)
Washington Student Math Association (WSMA) Math Expos and Math Bowl
Statewide student-run math association offering free monthly Math Expos (group math lessons and tutoring for K-12 students), competitive-math practices led by the Washington ARML team and an annual team Math Bowl.
📍 Seattle area, Washington📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW PacTrans / Washington State Department of Transportation
Washington Transportation Camp
A six-day immersive camp with hands-on projects, university-led instruction, field trips and team transportation projects covering urban planning, traffic safety, supply chain logistics, innovative materials and connected and autonomous vehicles.
📍 Seattle and Pullman, WA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Washington Technology Student Association
Washington TSA (Technology Student Association)
Washington's TSA state association with high school competitive events in areas such as robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, architectural design and animation at an annual state conference.
📍 Washington (state conference)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Urban Debate League (WUDL)
Washington Urban Debate League
The only organization offering competitive policy debate to DC public and charter school students, with a focus on Title I schools, running after-school debate, travel teams, tournaments, and a summer debate institute.
📍 Washington, DC (partner schools across DC, MD, and VA)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VEX Robotics Competition (REC Foundation) Washington
Washington V5RC High School State Championship
The Washington VEX V5 Robotics Competition High School championship held in March, with qualification by awards at official events or World Skills Standings.
📍 Kirkland, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State Leadership Board
Washington World Fellows
A 2.5-year global leadership, study-abroad and college-prep program for Washington high school sophomores, including a summer homestay in Logroño, Spain with Spanish language and culture courses and civic education.
📍 Washington State and Logroño, Spain📅 Varies🎓 Grade 10
Selective
Washington University in St. Louis
WashU High School Summer Institutes
Two-week residential pre-college institutes for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors to experience undergraduate-level curriculum without a letter grade, through lectures, small-group collaboration, and final projects.
📍 Washington University in St. Louis, MO📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Washington University in St. Louis, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
WashU Sam Fox School Pre-College Programs
Two summer pre-college programs for high schoolers -- Portfolio Plus (studio art) and the Architecture Discovery Program -- let students develop fundamental art, design, and architecture skills while producing work in a real studio for college credit.
📍 Washington University in St. Louis, Sam Fox School, St. Louis, MO📅 December🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Water Detectives: Find Out What's Hiding in Your Water
Hands-on environmental-science camp in which students investigate PFAS contamination, transport through soil and water and emerging methods for removing persistent pollutants.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Raritan Headwaters Association
WatershedU
Day-long summer environmental-science workshops for high schoolers (grades 9-12) covering stream monitoring, stewardship projects, foraging, kayaking, and nature-based art, led by environmental educators, with financial aid available.
📍 Bedminster, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Belmont University (Watkins College of Art)
Watkins Teen Art & Design Program
A week-long program for teens to cultivate technical skills in art and design, choosing two studio courses plus seminars led by industry professionals, with access to a figure-drawing studio, photography lighting studio, and fabrication lab with 3D printers and laser cutters.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wildlife Conservation Society
WCS Youth JIVE — Job, Internship & Volunteering Expo
Annual youth career expo connecting students directly with volunteer, internship and job hiring managers across NYC's zoos and aquarium. More than 500 youth attended the 2026 event; 2027 updates are planned.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Northern Iowa School of Music
We Sing
High-school treble singers spend a day rehearsing repertoire with UNI singers and faculty before performing in an evening concert. The 2026 festival fee was $30 and included dinner and a shirt.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Center for Civic Education
We the People
Free national civics competition. Class teams compete in simulated congressional hearings on the Constitution.
📍 State + national⏱ School year📅 Dec-Apr🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ohio Center for Law-Related Education
We the People — Ohio State Competition
Student teams participate in simulated congressional hearings and defend constitutional arguments before panels of judges.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
California We the People / Center for Civic Education
We the People California
A constitutional-law curriculum culminating in simulated congressional hearings, where high school classes argue constitutional principles before panels of judges, with state winners advancing to national finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 California (state competition in Sacramento)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Center for Civics Education (University of Delaware Biden School)
We the People Delaware
Delaware's coordination of the national We the People program, in which high school students study the Constitution and prepare testimony for simulated congressional hearings before panels of judges.
📍 University of Delaware, Newark, DE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Institute of the North
We the People of Alaska
A statewide civics competition in which Alaska Studies students form teams of three to five, research constitutional and Alaska governance topics, and present in simulated legislative hearings judged by community members.
📍 Statewide, with finals before the Alaska Legislature in Juneau📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education
We the People: Arizona Regional Competition
Constitutional law program where whole high school classes prepare and deliver testimony in a simulated congressional hearing before panels of community judges, competing at one of nine regional sites statewide.
📍 Statewide, AZ (9 regional sites)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana Bar Foundation
We the People: Indiana Competition
A constitutional-law simulated congressional hearing competition where student teams research constitutional principles and defend their positions before a panel of judges, reaching more than 10,000 Indiana students a year.
📍 Indianapolis, IN (Crowne Plaza Union Station) and regional sites statewide📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
McConnell Center, University of Louisville
We the People: Kentucky Competition
A constitutional-law competition hosted by the McConnell Center in which Kentucky high school teams prepare simulated congressional hearing testimony judged by UofL students, professionals, and McConnell Scholar alumni, with the state winner advancing to the national finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 University of Louisville, Louisville, KY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Humanities North Dakota / The Study
We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution (North Dakota)
North Dakota classroom teams study the Constitution and Bill of Rights in six units, then compete in simulated congressional hearings before judges including state Supreme Court justices and constitutional scholars.
📍 Bismarck, ND📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Carolina Bar Law Related Education
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution - South Carolina
A civics competition in which South Carolina high school teams prepare and deliver simulated congressional-hearing testimony on constitutional issues before a panel of judges, with the state champion advancing to the national finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide hearings, South Carolina📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nevada Center for Civic Engagement (NVCCE)
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution — Nevada State Invitational
A year-long constitutional studies program culminating in a simulated congressional hearing where student teams present researched testimony on constitutional principles to panels of volunteer legal and civic judges.
📍 University of Nevada, Reno📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Civics for Colorado (formerly C3LE) / Center for Civic Education
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Colorado)
A constitutional-law curriculum culminating in a simulated congressional hearing where students demonstrate knowledge of constitutional issues before community-leader judges at the state competition and showcase.
📍 University of Denver (state competition)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut Democracy Center
We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Connecticut)
Connecticut's affiliate of the national civics program has student teams research six units of constitutional curriculum, then present testimony before a simulated congressional committee at a statewide hearing competition held at Yale, with winners advancing to nationals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Yale University, New Haven, CT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Constitutional Democracy Project (Illinois coordinator, Center for Civic Education)
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Illinois)
Constitutional-law curriculum and competition in which Illinois high school teams testify before panels of judges in simulated congressional hearings on constitutional principles, with state winners advancing to National Finals.
📍 Illinois (state hearings); Washington, D.C. (nationals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Iowa State Bar Association / Center for Civic Education
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Iowa)
A constitutional studies program where student teams prepare four-minute statements and 'testify' in a simulated congressional hearing before a panel of judges, with the top Iowa high school team advancing to nationals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Iowa (state competition held in December)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Massachusetts Center for Civic Education (MACCE)
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Massachusetts)
A constitutional-law curriculum culminating in a simulated congressional hearing where student teams testify as expert witnesses before judges acting as legislators, then advance from a Massachusetts state competition toward the national finals.
📍 Massachusetts (statewide, state final leads to Washington, D.C.)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Minnesota Humanities Center / Center for Civic Education
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Minnesota)
Students study the Constitution and democratic institutions through inquiry-based lessons, then 'testify' in simulated congressional hearings before panels of judges, with top classes representing Minnesota at the national We the People showcase.
📍 Minnesota State Capitol and classrooms statewide📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nebraska State Bar Foundation
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Nebraska)
Rostered high school classes use a constitutional-democracy curriculum and compete in simulated congressional hearings before a panel of judges, with the state champion advancing to the national finals near Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide Nebraska; State Finals at the State Capitol, Lincoln, NE📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Hampshire Bar Association Law-Related Education Program
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (New Hampshire)
A constitutional-democracy competition where high school classes split into units that prepare and deliver testimony in a simulated congressional hearing before a panel of judges.
📍 Statewide, NH (district hearings and state finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
New Jersey Center for Civic Education (Rutgers)
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (New Jersey)
A constitutional-law competition in which high school classes prepare testimony on the political philosophy of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, then compete in simulated congressional hearings before a panel of judges, with the state winner advancing to nationals.
📍 Rutgers University, Busch Campus Center, New Brunswick, NJ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Civics Learning Project (formerly Classroom Law Project)
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Oregon)
Oregon's constitutional-law competition where high school teams simulate congressional hearings, testifying before judge-panels on constitutional principles and advancing from regional to state to national finals.
📍 Portland, OR (regional/state rounds at Multnomah County Circuit Courthouse)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Utah Law Related Education / Utah Valley University Center for Constitutional Studies
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Utah)
Students prepare for and present a mock constitutional hearing before judges, building writing, collaboration and public speaking skills. The state winner advances to the national finals.
📍 Utah Valley University, Orem, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Museum of History & Culture / Virginia Civics
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Virginia Competitions)
Virginia's We the People program has high school classes study the Constitution and Bill of Rights and defend their answers in simulated congressional hearings at regional and state competitions; the winning high school class represents Virginia at the National Finals.
📍 Alexandria and Ashland, VA (regionals); state finals at Randolph-Macon College📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Wyoming College of Education Civic Education Program
We the People: Wyoming State Competition
High school teams testify in simulated congressional hearings on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights before panels of judges; the winning team advances to the national finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Cheyenne, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Weber State University Entrepreneurship
Weber State High School Jump Start Competition
Business idea competition open to all Utah high school students (grades 9-12), individually or in teams, entered by registration form and short video. 2026 prizes were $5,000 for first place, $1,300 for places 2-6 and $500 for every finalist.
📍 Weber State University, Ogden, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Weber State University
Weberbiz Free Summer Camp
A free business-education camp for ages 15-18 with hands-on classes taught by Weber State faculty and business professionals.
📍 Ogden, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Welch Foundation
Welch Summer Scholar Program
A five-week summer residency where Texas high school sophomores and juniors conduct real chemistry research under experienced research chemists at UT Austin, UT Arlington, UT Dallas, University of Houston, or Texas Tech. Selection is competitive and based on academics and recommendations.
📍 UT Austin, UT Arlington, UT Dallas, University of Houston, or Texas Tech (TX)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Wave Hill
WERM — Wave Hill–Riverdale Mental Health Association Ecology Research Mentorship
Fourteen-month urban-ecology research program combining three college courses with mentored research and an approximately $3,500 stipend.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Wesleyan Summer Gifted Program
A two-week residential camp, running since 1983, where academically advanced middle and high school students take courses in quantitative, verbal, and social subjects taught by college professors and live in campus dorms.
📍 Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, NE📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Wesleyan Summer Gifted Program
A two-week residential summer program for gifted students taught by college professors in math, physics, computer science, creative writing, history, environmental science and the creative arts.
📍 West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, WV📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Central Wyoming College
West Central Regional Science Fair (Central Wyoming College)
A regional science fair at Central Wyoming College in Riverton with a Senior Division for grades 9-12 and a Junior Division for grades 6-8; first, second and third place winners advance to the Wyoming State Science Fair.
📍 Riverton, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Philadelphia Zoo
West Philadelphia Zoo Scholars
Multi-year pathway including zoo experiences, mentoring, paid internships and scholarship support.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
West Texas A&M University School of Music
West Texas A&M Band and Orchestra Camp
A residential summer camp with full band or orchestra rehearsals, sectionals, individual instrument classes, and optional evening activities, with separate junior high and high school ensembles. Campers may stay in university dorms with adult supervision.
📍 Canyon, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
West Virginia Department of Education
West Virginia Academic Showdown
A head-to-head academic quiz competition for four-student high school teams, played in regional tournaments at universities with the top two teams per region advancing to a state finale in Charleston.
📍 Regional tournaments at WV universities; finale at the WV Culture Center, Charleston, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
West Virginia Humanities Council
West Virginia Book Festival
A one-day statewide literary festival with panel discussions, readings, author signings and workshops at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center, open to readers of all ages.
📍 Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center, Charleston, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
West Virginia Department of Tourism / The Culture Center and State Museum
West Virginia Congressional Art Competition
A statewide high school art competition in which students submit original two-dimensional artwork; each congressional district winner's piece hangs at the U.S. Capitol for a year.
📍 The Culture Center, Charleston, WV📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
West Virginia DECA
West Virginia DECA
WV DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs through chapters, state events and conferences for high school students in marketing, finance, hospitality and management.
📍 West Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Educators Rising West Virginia
West Virginia Educators Rising
A non-profit career technical student organization for high school students interested in teaching, with a fall leadership conference, a State Leadership Conference and competitions.
📍 West Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts
West Virginia Envirothon
A conservation education program and competition where teams of five are tested on aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and a current environmental topic.
📍 Camp Caesar, Cowen, WV📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia Future Business Leaders of America
West Virginia FBLA
Prepares students to become community-minded business leaders through career preparation and leadership experiences, with a high school State Leadership Conference of competitive events held in Huntington.
📍 West Virginia (2026 state conference in Huntington)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia Family, Career and Community Leaders of America
West Virginia FCCLA
The state FCCLA site for Family and Consumer Sciences students with chapter affiliation, a fall conference, a State Leadership Conference and competitions.
📍 West Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia FFA Association
West Virginia FFA
A student organization for middle and high school students building leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education, with state activities, competitions, awards and an annual state convention at Cedar Lakes.
📍 West Virginia (state convention at Cedar Lakes, Ripley)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia HOSA
West Virginia HOSA-Future Health Professionals
A student-led organization that promotes health career opportunities and improved quality of care, with competitive events and an annual State Leadership Conference at Marshall University.
📍 West Virginia (state conference in Huntington)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, West Virginia region
West Virginia JSHS (Junior Science and Humanities Symposium)
High school students present original STEM research at a university-held regional symposium and can compete for scholarships and recognition.
📍 West Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia / West Virginia State Bar Women in the Profession Committee
West Virginia Law Day Contest
Statewide contest where K-12 students submit posters, essays, digital art, poems or original songs on the annual Law Day theme, with winners honored at the Supreme Court.
📍 Charleston, WV📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
West Virginia Legislature (Senate and House of Delegates)
West Virginia Legislature Page Program
Students in grades 6-12 serve as Pages for the Senate or House of Delegates during the regular legislative session, gaining firsthand exposure to state government.
📍 West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
WVU School of Art and Design
West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival
An annual international competitive short film festival at West Virginia University with a Student Works (High School) category for films up to 15 minutes.
📍 West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
West Virginia University / West Virginia Department of Education
West Virginia National History Day
The West Virginia affiliate of National History Day, coordinated through WVU, where students build exhibits, documentaries, websites, papers or performances on an annual theme; top entries advance to the national contest.
📍 School, district and state contests across West Virginia (state contest at WVU, Morgantown)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History / WVDE
West Virginia Poetry Out Loud
Students in grades 9-12 memorize and recite poems in school and local contests leading to the state finals at the Culture Center in Charleston and the national finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Charleston, WV📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
West Virginia Scholastic Chess Association / West Virginia Chess Association
West Virginia Scholastic Chess Championships
Annual state scholastic chess tournament for K-12 students with grade-based sections including a high school (K-12) section; top finishers are nominated to national invitational events.
📍 Clarksburg, WV📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia Department of Education
West Virginia Science and Engineering Fair
The state science and engineering fair, an entry point for West Virginia high school students to qualify for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
📍 Charleston, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NETL / WVU (DOE National Science Bowl regional)
West Virginia Science Bowl (High School Regional)
A team quiz competition in science and math for high school students; regional winners earn the chance to represent their school at the National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C.
📍 Morgantown, WV📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Marshall University College of Science
West Virginia Science Olympiad State Tournament
The annual state Science Olympiad tournament where Division C (high school) teams compete in events from robotics and forensics to astronomy and anatomy; winning teams qualify for nationals.
📍 Huntington, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia SkillsUSA
West Virginia SkillsUSA
Develops personal, workplace and technical skills for the future skilled workforce through chapters and an annual state leadership and skills conference with contests in manufacturing, transportation, construction, hospitality and human services.
📍 West Virginia (state conference at Fairmont State)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Morehead State University Space Science Center / TMC Technologies at WV Wesleyan College
West Virginia SpaceTrek
A residential two-week space systems engineering program for young women, held at West Virginia Wesleyan College with a capacity of 24 participants.
📍 Buckhannon, WV📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WVU Extension / WV Conservation Camp
West Virginia State Conservation Camp
A weeklong camp at Camp Caesar with hands-on learning about natural resources, including classes and recreational activities.
📍 Camp Caesar, Cowen, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia State Math Field Day Organization
West Virginia State Mathematics Field Day
The annual state math competition for West Virginia students in grades 4-12; the grades 10-12 events (written exam, short answer, team power question, team questions and relays) are patterned on ARML and select the WV ARML team.
📍 Rotating West Virginia college campus (2026: Buckhannon, WV)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
West Virginia Department of Education
West Virginia State Social Studies Fair
A school-to-county-to-regional-to-state project fair where Division III (grades 9-12) students present individual or small-group projects in categories such as Economics, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, Geography and US or World History.
📍 School, county and regional fairs; state fair at Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, Charleston, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
West Virginia Technology Student Association
West Virginia TSA (Technology Student Association)
The West Virginia chapter of TSA offers high school and middle school competitions in technology, innovation, design and engineering, culminating in a state conference.
📍 West Virginia📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WVU Department of English
West Virginia Writers' Workshop
A summer writing workshop at WVU with craft talks, writing exercises and readings in fiction, poetry and nonfiction that welcomes high school writers.
📍 West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Central West Virginia Writing Project at Marshall University / WV Department of Education
West Virginia Young Writers Contest and Young Writers Day
A statewide prose-writing contest (fiction, nonfiction, narrative, memoir or essay) judged at school, county and state levels, with state winners honored at Young Writers Day at the University of Charleston.
📍 Entries through county schools; Young Writers Day at University of Charleston, Charleston, WV📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
West Virginia Youth Environmental Program (YEP)
A DEP program that enrolls school and community youth groups in litter cleanups, recycling drives and tree plantings, with awards, a college scholarship and an annual Youth Environmental Day and conference for members.
📍 Projects in local communities across West Virginia; Youth Environmental Day events in WV📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Youth Leadership Association (YLA)
West Virginia Youth in Government
A three-day program in which grade 9-12 students work in the actual House or Senate chambers at the State Capitol to craft and debate legislation in a mock legislative session.
📍 West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Youth Leadership Association (YLA)
West Virginia Youth Leadership Association Model United Nations
A statewide Model UN conference open to students from all schools and communities across West Virginia, held at the University of Charleston.
📍 University of Charleston, Charleston, WV📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Wyoming Department of Music
Western Bass Festival
A tenor/bass choral event at UW for students in grades 7-12 with rehearsals, a provided dinner and an evening performance.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Minnesota Crookston
Western Minnesota Regional Science Fair
Regional science and engineering fair for students in grades 4-12 in northwest Minnesota; projects follow International Science and Engineering Fair rules and require scientific review before the fair. Registration includes lunch and event swag. Advancing projects can move on to the Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair.
📍 Crookston, MN📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Western Washington University
Western Washington University in the High School (WWUHS)
College-level WWU courses (such as biology, chemistry, calculus, Spanish and literature) taught at partner high schools by high school instructors under WWU faculty oversight for college credit.
📍 Partner high schools in Washington State📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Westminster Conservatory of Music, Rider University
Westminster Conservatory Pre-College Summer Arts Programs
A set of residential and day summer music programs for high schoolers at the historic Westminster Choir College campus, including the Vocal Institute, High School Solo Vocal Artist, High School Solo Pianist Week, and Piano Academy, offering daily private lessons, studio classes, and performance opportunities with Westminster artist faculty.
📍 Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin Forensic Coaches Association
WFCA State Speech and Forensics Tournament
The capstone state tournament for high school competitive speech, with speech and interpretive events and a State Student Congress, open to students of WFCA member schools.
📍 Oshkosh, WI (2027 tournament)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
World Federation of United Nations Associations
WFUNA International Model UN
Officially UN-endorsed Model UN conferences that use real UN Rules of Procedure, with editions in New York, Geneva, and rotating global cities.
📍 New York · Geneva · Rotating⏱ 3–5 days📅 Rolling · by conference🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Wharton Essentials of Finance
An intensive academic program at Wharton's Philadelphia campus introducing students to the world of finance through lectures and a trading simulation.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 2 weeks📅 January 31🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Wharton (UPenn)
Wharton Global Youth Future of the Business World
Online Wharton-led business program. Some scholarships available.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 3 weeks (summer)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UPenn Wharton Global Youth
Wharton Global Youth Learning Sprint
A short, intensive learning experience offered in various global locations.
📍 Various Global Locations🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Wharton Global Youth Program (Online Course Series)
Wharton offers specific online modules and case study challenges for high schoolers to learn finance and investment management.
📍 Online⏱ Varies📅 Self-paced🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wharton/Penn
Wharton Global Youth Summer Program
On-campus and online summer business programs (Future of the Business World, Leadership in the Business World, Essentials of Finance, Sports Business Academy).
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 1-4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Wharton Sports Business Academy (WSBA)
WSBA provides an opportunity for rising high school juniors and seniors to study the business of sports through a Wharton lens.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Where There Be Dragons
Where There Be Dragons
Experiential semester and summer programs in Asia, Africa, Latin America.
📍 Global⏱ 2-12 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Whitney Museum
Whitney Museum Youth Insights
Paid teen programs and internships at the Whitney.
📍 New York, NY⏱ Academic year📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UMBC
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Mathematician?
Students tackle mathematics through a themed summer enrichment course.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin Land+Water Conservation Association
WI Land+Water High School Conservation Camp
Residential camp for students entering grades 9-12 covering wildlife, habitat restoration, water quality, soils and forestry with field trips and natural resources career exploration.
📍 Manitowish Waters, WI📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)
WIAA State Speech & Debate Championship
State championship for high school speech and debate events run by the WIAA, in which students qualify through district competition and compete in debate formats and individual speech events.
📍 University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) and Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA)
WIAA/WMEA State Solo and Ensemble Contest
State music contest for Washington high school students who win their category at one of 22 regional contests, with 29 solo categories and ensembles from woodwinds and brass to mixed vocal, guitar and Mariachi.
📍 Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Maryland
WIE Aspire! Explore Engineering
Rising ninth and tenth graders explore UMD's engineering disciplines through hands-on projects, laboratory tours, and conversations with faculty and students. The 2026 commuter program cost $650; 2027 information arrives in January.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
University of Maryland
WIE RISE! An Introduction to Engineering Research
Rising grades 9–12 virtually explore eight engineering disciplines, research laboratories, scientific papers, and home-friendly experiments. The 2026 fee was $25 and 2027 applications open in January.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Wildcat Disaster Management Academy
High-school summer camp, emergency management.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
Indiana Wesleyan University
Wildcat Summer Academy
A residential college-preview program for high schoolers with academic camps in Art+Design, Engineering, Esports, Forensic Science, Music Therapy, Nursing, Social Work, and Teaching.
📍 Marion, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Student Conservation Association
Wildland Fire
Wildland hazardous fuel reduction in the Pacific Southwest.
📍 Pacific Southwest, USA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Boston Globe
Will McDonough Sports Writing Contest
A free nonfiction sports-writing contest for grades 9-12 students in Maine and New England, judged on writing quality, reporting, and use of journalism practices, with entries capped at 700 words.
📍 Open to Maine residents (New England-wide contest)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
William & Mary Model UN
William & Mary High School Model United Nations (WMHSMUN)
A three-day high school Model UN conference at William & Mary welcoming delegates of all experience levels, with financial aid available through WMHSAid.
📍 Williamsburg, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
William & Mary / National Institute of American History & Democracy
William & Mary NIAHD Pre-College Program in American History
A three-week residential pre-college program in which students take one four-credit William & Mary history course (The Road to the American Revolution, The Road to the United States Civil War, or American Independence) with site visits and work with historians and curators.
📍 Williamsburg, VA📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Mass Audubon, Boston Nature Center
Willow Tree Youth Leaders Internship Program
A paid, multi-year internship introducing Boston teens to nature and environmental science through public programming, camp counseling, land stewardship, and climate action projects at the Boston Nature Center.
📍 Mattapan, MA (Boston Nature Center)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wilmington International Film Festival
Wilmington International Film Festival Student Film Competition
A seven-week filmmaking workshop and competition for Delaware high school students led by Wilmington University instructors and local filmmakers, culminating at the festival.
📍 Wilmington, DE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Susquehanna University
Wind Ensemble Institute
Music pre-college institute.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 10, 12
Moderate
UNC-Chapel Hill (WinSPIRE)
WinSPIRE Summer Research Program
Paid six-week immersive mentorship program pairing high school students who identify as a historically marginalized gender in STEM with women/non-binary research mentors in UNC labs, including hands-on research, career development, and college-prep workshops.
📍 Chapel Hill, NC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Winthrop University
Winthrop University Model United Nations Conference
A multi-day Model UN conference at Winthrop University where high school delegates from the Carolinas and Georgia debate global issues alongside college students in a United Nations simulation.
📍 Rock Hill, SC (Winthrop University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
WIRED
Wired Next Generation
Periodic youth innovator showcases run by WIRED magazine.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Wisconsin
Wisconsin American Legion Oratorical Contest
A constitutional speech contest in which high school students present a prepared oration on the U.S. Constitution through district, regional and department rounds, with scholarships at each level.
📍 Ripon College, Ripon, WI (regional and department finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
WMC Foundation / UW-Stevens Point
Wisconsin Business World Summer Camp (UW-Stevens Point)
Four-day, three-night camp on a Wisconsin campus where students are placed in small groups to build and run a business while learning economics, financial literacy and careers.
📍 Stevens Point, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Universities of Wisconsin / Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation
Wisconsin Civics Games
A team civics competition for Wisconsin high school students covering the U.S. Constitution, Wisconsin and U.S. history, elections and public policy, with regional playoffs at UW campuses and a state final at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
📍 Madison, WI (state final at the Capitol)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wisconsin DECA
Wisconsin DECA (High School)
Student membership association for high school marketing, business, finance and hospitality students with competitive events, role plays and written projects culminating in the state Career Development Conference.
📍 Wisconsin (state conference in Lake Geneva, WI)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin Land+Water
Wisconsin Envirothon
Team environmental science competition with hands-on field stations in aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and wildlife plus a team presentation; the top high school team advances to the national Envirothon.
📍 Rosholt, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin FBLA
Wisconsin FBLA High School State Leadership Conference
State conference for Wisconsin FBLA high school members with competitive events, leadership workshops and qualification for the national conference.
📍 Green Bay, WI📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin FCCLA
Wisconsin FCCLA
Career and technical student organization for family and consumer sciences students offering STAR events, leadership development and an annual State Leadership Conference.
📍 Wisconsin📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin FFA Association
Wisconsin FFA State Convention and Career Development Events
State FFA convention in Madison with competitions, leadership workshops, general sessions and a Career Expo for FFA members in agricultural, food and natural resources education.
📍 Madison, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
State Bar of Wisconsin
Wisconsin High School Mock Trial
Teams of 6-12 high school students with a teacher and attorney coach argue a hypothetical case in real courtrooms at regional and state tournaments run by the State Bar of Wisconsin.
📍 Wisconsin (regional courthouses; state tournament)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Madison International Division / WHSMUN
Wisconsin High School Model United Nations (WHSMUN)
The state's oldest and largest high school Model UN conference, held at UW-Madison, where delegates simulate UN committees and a historic crisis committee on global issues.
📍 Madison, WI📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin HOSA - Future Health Professionals
Wisconsin HOSA State Leadership Conference
Annual state conference for middle school and secondary HOSA members with competitive events in health science, recognition events, leadership training and an Anatomage anatomy tournament.
📍 Wisconsin Dells, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Madison Badger Precollege
Wisconsin International Precollege Academy (UW-Madison)
A three-week immersive residential program on the UW-Madison campus for international high school students, with workshops, presentations and excursions in one of two tracks: leadership and critical thinking, or innovating solutions for a sustainable future.
📍 Madison, WI📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wisconsin Interscholastic Speech and Dramatic Arts Association (WISDAA)
Wisconsin Interscholastic Theatre Festival
A statewide festival where about 1,800 high school students attend workshops led by professionals, perform one-act and individual-event contest pieces, and see showcase productions.
📍 Kenosha, WI📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin Labor History Society
Wisconsin Labor History Society Kenneth A. Germanson High School Essay Contest
An annual essay contest for Wisconsin students in grades 9-12 who write about 750 words on how unions have been important to their family, community and nation, using interviews or independent research on labor history.
📍 Wisconsin (email submission)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Madison Department of Mathematics
Wisconsin Math Talent Search
Problem-solving competition in which high school and middle school students work five sets of challenging problems at their own pace and mail or upload solutions; top scorers are invited to Honors Day in Madison.
📍 Wisconsin (online submission)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin National History Day
Students in grades 6-12 research a historical topic and compete in school, regional and state contests leading to the National History Day finals.
📍 Madison, WI (state contest)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wisconsin Arts Board
Wisconsin Poetry Out Loud
A poetry recitation contest for Wisconsin high school students who memorize and perform poems from an anthology through classroom, school, regional and state rounds, with the state champion advancing to the National Finals.
📍 Wisconsin (state final in Madison)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Madison Wisconsin School of Business
Wisconsin School of Business Precollege Summer Camps (Business Basics and Junior Business Badgers)
Four-day in-person summer camps at Grainger Hall: Business Basics (rising 9th and 10th graders) and Junior Business Badgers (rising 11th and 12th graders) introduce business careers, majors, job-shadow field trips and college-essay and networking skills.
📍 Madison, WI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin Interscholastic Speech and Dramatic Arts Association (WISDAA)
Wisconsin Schools Film Festival (WISDAA)
A statewide festival where WISDAA member schools enter student-made films that are adjudicated and screened, with no qualification process required and an in-person event planned for UW-Madison in 2027.
📍 Wisconsin (online screening)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin Science Olympiad
Wisconsin Science Olympiad
State Science Olympiad program with regional and invitational tournaments and a state tournament in which Division C (high school) teams compete in dozens of science and engineering events.
📍 Wisconsin📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
EconomicsWisconsin (Wisconsin Council on Economic Education)
Wisconsin State EconChallenge
An online economics competition open to every Wisconsin high school student: teams compete in a beginner (David Ricardo) or veteran (Adam Smith) division, with top teams advancing to the national semifinal and final.
📍 Wisconsin (online)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wisconsin Chess Association
Wisconsin State Scholastic Chess Championship
The annual state scholastic chess championship open to Wisconsin students under 19, with K-12 Junior Varsity, K-8 and K-5 sections plus varsity team sections and individual and team awards.
📍 Middleton, WI (2026 venue; site varies by year)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wisconsin Interscholastic Speech and Dramatic Arts Association (WISDAA)
Wisconsin State Speech & Debate Festival (WISDAA)
The state-level speech and debate festival for WISDAA member high schools, held in conjunction with the state speech contest, with in-person events at UW-Madison and online virtual video events.
📍 Madison, WI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Fox Valley Competitive Robotics (VEX Robotics)
Wisconsin VEX V5 High School State Championship
Wisconsin state championship for high school VEX V5 Robotics Competition teams, held at the Resch Expo in Ashwaubenon with top teams earning spots at the VEX World Championships.
📍 Ashwaubenon, WI📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change, Dane County Youth Environmental Committee and UNA Dane
Wisconsin Youth Climate Conference
An annual student-led conference for Wisconsin high school and college students with a keynote, tabling and presentations by youth environmental groups, and workshops on practical climate solutions.
📍 Madison, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
YMCA Wisconsin (Fox Cities YMCA delegation)
Wisconsin Youth in Government
Students in grades 7-12 meet weekly as a delegation, write bills, and then run a model state government (legislature, Supreme Court, media) at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
📍 Appleton and Madison, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Madison CALS and The World Food Prize Foundation
Wisconsin Youth Institute (World Food Prize)
Grade 9-12 students write a research paper on a country and a food security topic and present their recommendations in speeches and small-group discussions with agriculture experts at UW-Madison; participants earn Borlaug Scholar recognition.
📍 Madison, WI📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (WI-BPDD)
Wisconsin Youth Leadership Forum
A week-long overnight leadership and self-advocacy training and career-awareness program at Edgewood College for Wisconsin high school sophomores, juniors and seniors with disabilities, including meeting a state legislator.
📍 Madison, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health (OCMH)
Wisconsin Youth Mental Wellness Champions
A statewide cohort of 15 rising juniors and seniors, one from each of Wisconsin's 12 CESAs plus three at-large, who meet monthly online to build knowledge, skills and a network around youth mental wellness and present posters to state leaders at a May ceremony.
📍 Wisconsin (virtual, ceremony in Madison)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras
Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO)
Audition-based youth orchestras in the Madison area, including Philharmonia and Youth Orchestra for older students, with scholarships available for tuition and private lessons.
📍 Madison, WI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (NSTA / U.S. Armed Forces; regional host UW-La Crosse)
Wisconsin/Upper Peninsula Michigan Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)
Regional research symposium where grade 9-12 students present original research in oral or poster format in STEM fields; top presenters earn scholarships and a trip to the national JSHS.
📍 Tomahawk, WI (recent years)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wisconsin Journalism Education Association (WisJEA)
WisJEA Journalist of the Year and All-State Journalism Team
An annual application program recognizing Wisconsin high school student journalists: seniors can apply for Journalist of the Year, and students in grades 9-12 can apply for the All-State Journalism Team using a resume, a work sample and a short explanation of their media work.
📍 Wisconsin (online application)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNLV College of Liberal Arts / The Mob Museum / Atomic Museum
Witnessing History Summer Camp
Students explore how museums preserve and shape public memory through activities at UNLV, The Mob Museum and the Atomic Museum. The program has now run multiple years.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA)
WJEA J Camp (Summer Workshop at WSU)
Four-day summer journalism workshop for student journalists ages 14-18 at Washington State University's Murrow College, with majors such as journalistic storytelling, photojournalism, broadcast and editorial leadership.
📍 Washington State University, Pullman, Washington📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA)
WJEA J Day East
A day for student journalists who produce school newspapers, websites, yearbooks or broadcasts, with sessions led by professionals, a keynote and the Emerald Awards.
📍 Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA)
WJEA J Day West
A day of learning for student media staff with sessions led by journalism professionals, a keynote and the Emerald Awards.
📍 Everett Community College, Everett, WA📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA)
WJEA Spring Conference & Write-Off Contests
A statewide day for student media with a keynote, sessions and write-off contests in writing, photography, layout and design, and video and online news, ending with an awards ceremony.
📍 Mariner High School, Everett, WA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA)
WJEA Summer Trainings (West)
One-day summer journalism trainings where students choose two of seven sessions such as Editorial Leadership, Photojournalism, Video/Broadcast Journalism, Advanced Storytelling or Page Design.
📍 Nathan Hale High School, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA)
WMEA All-State High School Honor Ensembles
Audition-based High School All-State Band, Choir, Orchestra and Jazz ensembles that rehearse and perform together in Tacoma.
📍 Tacoma, WA📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Western Michigan University, College of Arts and Sciences
WMU Model UN Conference
A spring Model UN conference for Michigan and Indiana high schoolers featuring Security Council and General Assembly simulations on issues like international property rights and territorial disputes, timed to prepare freshmen through juniors for the following year's competitive season.
📍 Kalamazoo, MI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
University of Michigan
Wolverine Pathways (University of Michigan)
Free, year-round pre-college program for students in Detroit Public Schools, Southfield Public Schools and Ypsilanti Community Schools, beginning in 6th or 9th grade, with college prep, workshops and summer coursework; scholars who complete it and are admitted to U-M Ann Arbor or Dearborn receive a four-year tuition scholarship plus need-based aid. The next application window opens December 2026 (minimum GPA applies).
📍 Ann Arbor, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Arizona College of Engineering
Women in Engineering Camp
Students complete projects across fields such as biomedical, aerospace, chemical, materials, electrical, civil, optical, and biosystems engineering while receiving mentorship from women in STEM.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Alabama School of Mathematics and Science
Women in STEM Teen Conference
Girls participate in hands-on STEM activities and a career expo with women working as scientists, engineers, physicians, and other STEM professionals.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Smith College
Women, Gender, & Representation
Students examine how gender intersects with politics, health, history, culture, literature, identity, and social change through college-style seminars.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wonderworks Houston / University of Houston
Wonderworks: From the Ground Up (Architecture)
A comprehensive introduction to architecture with lectures on architectural history and theory, hands-on studio work, and field trips to significant buildings. Students design small-scale structures like cafes and galleries using physical models rather than computer programs.
📍 Houston, TX📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wonderworks Houston / Rice University
Wonderworks: Money Talks (Economics, Innovation and Business)
An exploration of economics, innovation, and business offered in partnership with Rice University's School of Humanities and Arts and School of Social Sciences. Includes field trips and runs Monday to Friday.
📍 Houston, TX📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wonderworks Houston / University of Houston
Wonderworks: Moving Pictures (Filmmaking)
An introduction to filmmaking covering production, editing, screenwriting, and cinema analysis, where students collaborate on short narrative projects using digital technology. Includes daily film screenings with faculty discussion.
📍 Houston, TX📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wonderworks Houston / Rice University
Wonderworks: Rules of the Game (Democracy and the Humanities)
An interdisciplinary exploration of democracy through history, political science, law, public policy, philosophy, and classics, combining lectures, readings, case studies, films, and field trips. Held at Rice University, Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 4 PM.
📍 Houston, TX📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wonderworks Houston / University of Houston
Wonderworks: Story Lines (Fiction and Creative Writing)
A reading-intensive summer program exploring fiction, films based on literature, and creative writing. Students discuss assigned readings in morning seminars and watch thematically paired narrative films in the afternoons.
📍 Houston, TX📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Woodland Park Zoo
Woodland Park Zoo Teen Ambassador Volunteer Program
Summer program for high school students entering grades 10-12 who volunteer in Zoomazium and at habitats, learn about animal care and conservation careers, and meet weekly as a teen cohort.
📍 Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, WA📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Jones Valley Teaching Farm
Woodlawn High School Internship
Selected Woodlawn High School students receive pay and course credit while helping manage a two-acre urban farm and selling food to the surrounding community.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of New Orleans Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program / UNO / SUNO
Work & Learn
Youth ages 16–18 combine paid summer employment with pre-college support delivered with the University of New Orleans and Southern University at New Orleans. Participants earned $15 per hour in 2026.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
National Park Service
Work With Us (for Youth and Young Adults)
Discover jobs, paid internships, and volunteer opportunities with the National Park Service.
📍 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Success Foundation with Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce
Workforce Discovery Lab
Two-week summer program for Highline Public Schools and Tukwila School District high school students with career tours, masterclasses and networking with local employers across the Seattle Southside cities.
📍 Seattle Southside region (Highline and Tukwila), WA📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Kirkwood Community College
Workplace Learning Connection High School Internships
Students complete worksite internships with regional employers, earn dual high-school/college credit, and develop career and professional skills. Participation is free; winter/spring 2027 applications run September 28–October 23, 2026, and summer 2027 applications December 21, 2026–February 5, 2027.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Philadelphia Youth Network
WorkReady Philadelphia
Free paid summer work experience for Philadelphia youth ages 12-24.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Telling Room
Works in Progress
Students ages 12–18 developing longer writing projects meet regularly for structured peer workshop, feedback, revision, and creative development.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Alabama A&M University
Workshop on Nanoscience & Technology
Students complete four days of faculty-guided, hands-on nanoscience and technology activities and receive a participation stipend.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Pratt Institute
Workshops
Spend an afternoon exploring Pratt’s Brooklyn campus through a 3-hour hands-on workshop led by Pratt faculty.
📍 Brooklyn, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Center for World Affairs / Bezos Academy
World Affairs Challenge
Project-based competition tackling UN Sustainable Development Goals.
📍 Denver, CO⏱ Academic year📅 May🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Rotary World Affairs Seminar
World Affairs Seminar
An annual overnight summer seminar for students at Carroll University in Waukesha, discussing current world problems with peers from other countries.
📍 Waukesha, WI📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
World Affairs Council of Seattle (Global Classroom)
World Citizen Essay Contest (World Affairs Council of Seattle)
An annual spring essay contest for Washington students in grades 3-12, with a separate 9-12 award division; essays of 1,000 words or less respond to a prompt on global issues and democracy.
📍 Washington (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
World Food Prize Foundation
World Food Prize Global Youth Institute
Research and conference program on global food security for high schoolers.
📍 Des Moines, IA⏱ 3 days📅 Winter🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Michigan State University, College of Arts & Letters
World Languages Day
A free, one-day statewide conference for high school students, teachers, and parents featuring roughly 75 sessions on world languages and cultures taught by MSU faculty, graduate students, and community members, alongside language-program and study-abroad exhibitor booths.
📍 East Lansing, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Population Connection
World of 8 Billion Student Video Contest
Students create short videos highlighting solutions to global issues like population growth and sustainability.
📍 Global⏱ One-time📅 May 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
WRO Association
World Robot Olympiad
Global robotics competition with regional, national, and international finals.
📍 International (national finals worldwide)📅 National rounds Summer🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Demidec
World Scholar's Cup
Team academic tournament — debate, collaborative writing, quiz bowl, and scholar's bowl — with regional, global, and Tournament of Champions rounds at Yale.
📍 Regional rounds worldwide⏱ 2–3 days per round📅 Rolling · regional dates🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WSDC
World Schools Debating Championships
Premier international high school team debating championship.
📍 Global⏱ 2 weeks📅 Summer🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Idaho College of Engineering
World-Changers in Engineering (WIE) Day
A free one-day engineering workshop on U of I's Moscow campus where 5th-12th grade students do hands-on engineering, computer science, and design activities, tour labs, and meet current students and faculty.
📍 Moscow, ID (ICCU Arena, University of Idaho)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
WPI Frontiers
Rising sophomores through seniors spend two residential weeks deeply studying a STEM major while also choosing a humanities, arts, or business minor.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
WPI Launch
Rising grades 9–11 spend a week using university technology, laboratories, and research tools to explore areas such as aerospace, robotics, programming, and other applied STEM disciplines.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
School One / Write Rhode Island
Write Rhode Island Fiction Contest
An annual short fiction competition, founded in 2016, that invites Rhode Island students to write original prose (under 2,500 words) weaving in the state's people, places, history, or spirit, with free accompanying writing workshops.
📍 Rhode Island (statewide; awards ceremony at Newport Art Museum)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of New Hampshire
Writers Academy
High-school students develop original writing through intensive instruction and peer collaboration. UNH offered separate high-school Writers Academy sessions in summer 2026.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Writers at Harriman (Idaho Commission on the Arts / Harriman State Park)
Writers at Harriman
A residential creative-writing camp at Harriman State Park where high school students ages 14-18 with advanced writing skills work closely with four published, teaching writers, with special outreach to students from small Idaho towns.
📍 Harriman State Park (Island Park / Ashton, ID)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Writers Workshop for High School (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
An introductory creative writing workshop exploring poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, spoken word and multimodal work, with peer feedback, a final portfolio and a class reading.
📍 UW Seattle campus, Seattle, WA (one session online via Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Carnegie Mellon University
Writing & Culture
Pre-College Writing & Culture program at Carnegie Mellon University.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Pennsylvania (Penn Summer / Penn LPS)
Writing and Research in the Age of AI Academy
An immersive three-week academy introducing high schoolers to research-informed writing and responsible AI use in preparation for university-level study, with daily drafting, peer feedback, and a completion certificate.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Writing Arguments That Matter (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Teaches high school students to build persuasive arguments, from choosing a topic and forming a research question to finding sources and writing a compelling essay.
📍 UW Seattle campus, Seattle, WA (one session online via Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Writing for College Readiness (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Builds high school students' college-level writing skills through frequent practice in research, argument, revision and portfolio creation.
📍 UW Seattle campus, Seattle, WA (one session online via Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Purchase College, SUNY
Writing for Film
Students develop screenplay concepts, characters, dialogue and film narratives. 2026 tuition was approximately $1,200.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
Writing for Researchers Online Seminar
Three-week online seminar on Zoom exploring how researchers in the social sciences, natural sciences and humanities plan, conduct and present their work, with practice in argument structure and use of evidence. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
📍 Online⏱ 3 weeks (July 20 - August 7, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA)
WSMA High School State Honors Music Project
Audition-based statewide honors band, orchestra, choir and jazz ensembles for high school musicians that rehearse at a four-day June camp and perform in Madison in late October at the Wisconsin State Music Conference.
📍 Wisconsin (camp site varies; fall concert in Madison)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
West Virginia Department of Transportation
WVDOT Bridge Design & Build Contest
A free statewide engineering contest where students in grades 6-12 design the lowest-cost bridge in software, with the top designs invited to build and test a balsa wood bridge at the finals.
📍 Online qualifying round; finals at WVU Institute of Technology, Beckley, WV📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
West Virginia Music Educators Association
WVMEA Solo and Ensemble Festivals
Regional solo and ensemble music festivals held at nine sites across West Virginia where students perform for adjudicators, with a state honors recital for top entries.
📍 Multiple sites across West Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WV Robotics Alliance / WVSSAC
WVSSAC Robotics (West Virginia High School Robotics)
A co-curricular high school robotics activity recognized by the WVSSAC in which teams play a modified RECF Achieve game, ending in a state championship coordinated by the WV Robotics Alliance.
📍 West Virginia📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
West Virginia State University 4-H
WVSU 4-H Mind Marvel Neuroscience Camp
A free day camp on the WVSU campus covering brain anatomy and related neuroscience topics.
📍 Institute, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
West Virginia State University 4-H
WVSU 4-H Yellow Jacket CyberDefender Camp
A free day camp on the WVSU campus introducing cybersecurity basics including digital security, threat identification, authentication tools, cryptography, social engineering and networking.
📍 Institute, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
WVU Engineering Challenge Camps (High School)
Weekly day camps in which high school students design and build projects in the Lane Innovation Hub and attend faculty-led engineering workshops.
📍 Morgantown, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WVU Extension 4-H
WVU Extension 4-H Code Camp
A weekend residential coding camp at WVU Jackson's Mill with hands-on workshops in drones, robots, game development, Arduino and more for all skill levels.
📍 Jackson's Mill, Weston, WV📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia University
WVU High School ACCESS Early College Program
Lets high school and home-schooled sophomores, juniors and seniors take WVU on-campus, online and dual-enrollment college courses, usually in STEM disciplines, for reduced tuition.
📍 Morgantown, WV and online📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
WVU College of Creative Arts and Media (Reed School of Media and Communications)
WVU Media Camp
A residential camp for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors with workshops in writing, photography, video, broadcasting and social media strategy plus tours of journalism, advertising/PR and sports media programs.
📍 West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center
WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center Junior Volunteer Program
A summer volunteer program for high school students ages 14 to 18 at the Martinsburg hospital, with an online application, interview and mandatory orientation.
📍 Berkeley Medical Center, Martinsburg, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
WVU Hospitals Volunteer Services (Ruby Memorial Hospital)
WVU Medicine Health Careers Academy and Junior Volunteer Program
High school students can apply to volunteer at WVU's Ruby Memorial Hospital through the Junior Volunteer Program, or to the one-week Health Careers Academy with hands-on exposure to healthcare professions.
📍 Ruby Memorial Hospital, Morgantown, WV📅 January🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
WVU Mining Engineering Experience
A three-day camp exploring the essential minerals that power our lives and mining engineering, held at WVU's Evansdale Campus.
📍 Morgantown, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
WVU School of Music
WVU Summer Brass Academy
A week of instrument-specific warm-ups, masterclasses, topic workshops and brass chamber ensembles for students completing grades 8-12.
📍 West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WVU School of Music
WVU Summer Percussion Academy
A comprehensive musical experience for high school percussion students ages 14-18 with masterclasses, ensembles and private instruction at WVU.
📍 West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WVU Institute of Technology
WVU Tech Camp STEM
A week-long overnight camp on the WVU Tech campus with STEM classes, experiments, field trips and career exploration led by faculty and upper-class counselors.
📍 Beckley, WV📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WVU School of Theatre and Dance
WVU Teen Acting Academy
A summer academy for teens ages 13-17 offering professional training in acting and all areas of performance at WVU.
📍 West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Moderate
WVU School of Art and Design
WVU Visual Arts Summer Academy (Residential Camp)
A residential summer camp for grades 8-12 where students choose studio workshops such as painting, drawing, printmaking, digital art, photography, ceramics and fashion, taught by WVU faculty.
📍 West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming Academic Challenge
Wyoming Academic Challenge (Quiz Bowl)
Wyoming's statewide high school quiz bowl circuit, with regional contests hosted at Wyoming community colleges and high schools from October to April and a state tournament; four-student teams answer buzzer questions across all subject areas, with scholarships, trophies and an all-star match against Montana.
📍 Wyoming (regional meets in Douglas, Cheyenne, Thermopolis, Greybull, Torrington; state finals at Central Wyoming College, Riverton)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming Music Educators Association and WHSAA
Wyoming All-State Music (Band, Choir, Orchestra)
Honor band, choir and orchestra for Wyoming high school musicians selected by recorded audition, culminating in a multi-day rehearsal and performance event.
📍 Evanston, WY📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Office of Rep. Harriet Hageman / Congressional App Challenge
Wyoming Congressional App Challenge
Wyoming middle and high school students, alone or in teams of up to four, build an original app on any platform or theme and submit it to the House of Representatives' official computer science competition. The Wyoming winner is chosen by a panel of judges and featured by Congress.
📍 Wyoming (online submission)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wyoming Congressional Award Council
Wyoming Congressional Award
Youth ages 13.5-23 set goals and log hours in voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition to earn Congressional Award certificates and medals, with Wyoming-specific support.
📍 Wyoming📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming DECA
Wyoming DECA State Career Development Conference
Two-day state conference of role plays and project presentations judged by local business professionals; top competitors advance to the DECA International Career Development Conference.
📍 Cheyenne, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming FBLA
Wyoming FBLA State Leadership Conference
Annual state conference at the University of Wyoming with competitive events, leadership workshops and activities for Future Business Leaders of America members.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wyoming FCCLA
Wyoming FCCLA State Convention
Annual Wyoming FCCLA leadership conference and competitions for Family, Career and Community Leaders of America members, with state officers and advisers.
📍 Cheyenne, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming FFA Association
Wyoming FFA State Convention
Wyoming's largest youth convention, with career and leadership development events, an Agriscience Fair, state officer elections, awards and a career and vendor fair.
📍 Cheyenne, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Wyoming Speech and Debate
Wyoming Forensics Institute
A summer debate camp at UW open to high school students nationwide, with policy, Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum labs for beginners through experienced debaters.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Wyoming Game and Fish Youth Conservation Camps
Week-long overnight Boys and Girls Conservation Camps at Whiskey Mountain near Dubois for ages 12-15, with career exploration alongside game wardens and biologists, animal identification, scientific research, archery and watersports.
📍 Dubois, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–10
Moderate
Wyoming High School Mock Trial (supported by the Wyoming State Bar)
Wyoming High School Mock Trial
Students analyze an original case and compete as attorneys and witnesses in a team mock trial tournament; the state winner represents Wyoming at the national championship.
📍 Cheyenne, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wyoming Historical Society
Wyoming Historical Society Young Essay Awards
Annual essay awards on Wyoming history with a separate high school division (grades 9-12, 1,200-2,500 words); winning essays are published in The Wyoming Historian. First place receives $150 and runner-up $100 per age group.
📍 Wyoming (submitted online)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
Wyoming History Day
Wyoming's National History Day affiliate: students complete year-long research projects (papers, documentaries, exhibits, performances, websites) on an annual theme and advance from regional contests to a state contest at UW.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wyoming HOSA - Future Health Professionals
Wyoming HOSA State Leadership Conference
Wyoming HOSA's state conference and competitive events program for health science students, which determines who competes at the HOSA International Leadership Conference.
📍 Rock Springs, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming Student Media Association
Wyoming Journalist of the Year (JOY) Scholarship
A state portfolio contest for high school journalism students who build a website covering 11 journalism categories; the winner receives a scholarship and advances to the national JEA Journalist of the Year competition.
📍 Wyoming (online submission)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Wyoming Life Sciences Program
Wyoming Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)
Regional JSHS symposium for Wyoming and Northern Colorado in which high school students submit an abstract and research paper and present original STEM research to judges. Top presenters win scholarships and expenses-paid trips to the National JSHS.
📍 Online (Wyoming and Northern Colorado region)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wyoming Chess Association
Wyoming Open and State Chess Championship
The Wyoming Chess Association's annual state championship weekend in Casper, with a Championship division, a 5-round Open and an Under-1000 division open to any US Chess member regardless of age or residency.
📍 Casper, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming Department of Health, Wyoming Cancer Program
Wyoming Radon Video Contest
Students in grades 9-12 produce a 30-second public service announcement video about radon risks and home testing. Winners receive gift cards and the first-place video goes to the National Radon Video Contest.
📍 Wyoming (online submission)📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Casper College / Wyoming Science Olympiad
Wyoming Science Olympiad State Tournament
The Wyoming state Science Olympiad tournament hosted at Casper College, with Division C for grades 9-12; winning teams advance to the national tournament.
📍 Casper, WY📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Wyoming
Wyoming SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference
The year-end state championship where career and technical education students compete in skilled-trades, technical and leadership contests; gold medalists advance to the national conference.
📍 Wyoming (varies by year)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Casper College School of Science
Wyoming State Math Competition
A statewide competition where middle and high school students take five timed 20-minute exams at regional sites, with individual medals and school trophies; Division A is grades 11-12 and Division B is grades 9-10.
📍 Casper, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Wyoming
Wyoming State Science Fair
A statewide science, technology, engineering and math research fair administered by the University of Wyoming for students in grades 6-12 who qualify at a regional fair; the fair is an ISEF-affiliated fair.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wyoming High School Activities Association
Wyoming State Speech and Debate Tournament
The WHSAA state high school speech and debate championship, held each spring in Cheyenne after a season of school contests.
📍 Cheyenne, WY📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Wyoming Student Conservation Stamp Art Competition
Wyoming K-12 students draw or paint the featured species (the western tiger salamander for the 2028 stamp) in a Wyoming habitat, judged on biological accuracy, composition and technical skill. Cash awards go to first through third place in each grade group, including grades 9-12.
📍 Wyoming (online or mailed submission)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wyoming Student Media Association
Wyoming Student Media Association State Conference
The state journalism convention for Wyoming high school student journalists and advisors, plus the Wyoming Journalist of the Year award with a $500 scholarship.
📍 Casper, WY📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
VEX Robotics / Thunder Basin High School (Gillette)
Wyoming VEX V5 Robotics State Championship
The invitational Wyoming state championship for VEX V5 Robotics Competition teams, with 2-team alliances, a Skills Challenge and in-person judging, held at Thunder Basin High School in Gillette.
📍 Gillette, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
YMCA Youth and Government - Wyoming
Wyoming YMCA Youth and Government
Civic engagement opportunities for Wyoming high school students including the Youth Advocate program (Washington, D.C. advocacy days), Changemakers community projects, the Conference on National Affairs and a national judicial competition.
📍 Wyoming; Washington, D.C.; North Carolina📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming Arts Council
Wyoming Youth Arts Council
A statewide leadership program for high school students ages 15-19 interested in the arts. Members meet monthly, attend workshops on grant writing and advocacy and lead a youth-driven statewide arts project.
📍 Wyoming (virtual meetings)📅 August🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources
Wyoming Youth Energy Leadership Program
A year-long series of workshops and mentorship sessions for Wyoming high school students focused on leadership in energy and natural resources.
📍 Laramie, WY⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy
Xavier Center of Excellence Summer Enrichment Program
Rising freshmen through seniors explore pharmacy and health-science careers through experiential laboratories, health projects, guest speakers, field trips, and ACT preparation.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Xavier University
Xavier Jazz Workshop
Students receive jazz instruction, improvisation workshops, jam sessions, masterclasses and perform in a final concert.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Xavier University of Louisiana
Xavier Star Programs and Summer STEM Academy
High-school students can pursue focused pre-college STEM study through offerings such as MATHStar, BIOStar, CHEMStar, PHYSStar, robotics, engineering, and other STEM Academy courses.
📍 LA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NextGen InterArts Foundation (listed via Idaho Commission on the Arts)
XC Creative Art Contest
An international, cross-disciplinary art competition for students in grades 6-12, promoted to Idaho students through the state arts commission, celebrating originality across a range of visual art mediums.
📍 Online submission (exhibition in Manhattan, NY for winners)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Yale International Relations Association
Yale Model United Nations (YMUN)
One of the largest Model UN conferences held on an Ivy League campus, YMUN is a four-day international relations simulation drawing over 1,800 high school delegates from dozens of countries to debate global issues as UN ambassadors and diplomats.
📍 Yale University, New Haven, CT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Yale School of Medicine
Yale Neuroscience Summer Scholars
Eight-week program providing New Haven public-high-school students with neuroscience coursework, laboratory-technique training and a supervised research project.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Yale University
Yale Pathways Research Internships
Seven-week, full-time laboratory research program matching New Haven-area public high-school students with Yale labs in neuroscience, astronomy, genetics, materials science, physics, biomedical engineering and other fields.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Yale University
Yale Pathways to Science Summer Scholars
Local Pathways Scholars spend two weeks completing intensive Yale workshops in areas such as physics, biology, robotics, neuroscience and engineering.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Yale University Department of Physics
Yale Physics Olympics
Teams of four complete five original physics challenges involving experimental measurement, engineering, optimization and estimation plus a Fermi-problem quiz.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Yale YRIS
Yale Review of International Studies
Undergraduate IR journal that publishes select high school work.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Film at Yale / Yale Student Film Festival
Yale Student Film Festival — Connecticut High School Category
A dedicated Connecticut high school competition category within the Yale Student Film Festival, open free of charge to filmmakers 18 or under currently enrolled in a CT high school, for films under 10 minutes, with winners recognized alongside college entries.
📍 Yale University, New Haven, CT (submissions via FilmFreeway)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Yale University
Yale Young Global Scholars
Two-week interdisciplinary academic enrichment program.
📍 New Haven, CT⏱ 2 weeks📅 January🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Yale University
Yale Young Global Scholars (Need-Based Aid)
YYGS offers full need-based scholarships covering tuition, travel, and room.
📍 CT⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 Early February🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Yale University
Yale Young Global Scholars Politics, Law & Economics
Two-week residential interdisciplinary program in politics, law, and economics.
📍 New Haven, CT⏱ 2 weeks📅 Fall🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Yale Center for Clinical Investigation
YCCI Exposures Program
Four-week virtual internship introducing high-school students to healthcare, medicine, clinical research and data science through Yale faculty and research staff.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Yellowstone Film Festival (Cody)
Yellowstone Film Festival Student Film Categories
Dedicated short-film categories for high school and college students from Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, screened at the Cody film festival alongside student panels, workshops and mentorship with filmmakers.
📍 Cody, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Northwest College
Yellowstone Summer Music Camp
A week-long music camp for students entering grades 6-12 with concert and jazz bands, choirs, master classes, music technology and evening recitals.
📍 Powell, WY📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Montana State University
Yellowstone Writing Project Youth Writing Camp
Week-long writing intensive with a dedicated grades 9–12 cohort. Students experiment with multiple genres, participate in writing activities and develop work in a supportive community of writers and educators.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National Park Service - Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)
A month-long residential work program for ages 15-18 doing trail maintenance, fence building and wildlife habitat work in Yellowstone, with resource education and NPS career sessions.
📍 Yellowstone National Park, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
U.S. State Department
YES Abroad
Fully-funded year-long high school exchange to countries with significant Muslim populations.
📍 Abroad (nationwide eligibility)⏱ Academic year📅 January🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Ohio-West Virginia Youth Leadership Association (YLA)
YLA Fall Conference at Camp Horseshoe
A weekend leadership conference with workshops on bill writing, legislative and judicial simulations for Youth in Government, chapter building and fundraising, plus a service project and social events.
📍 Camp Horseshoe, Parsons, WV📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio-West Virginia Youth Leadership Association (YLA)
YLA Teen Leadership Summit at Camp Horseshoe
A week-long residential leadership summit at Camp Horseshoe in Tucker County for rising 9th through 12th graders, with leadership training and outdoor activities.
📍 Camp Horseshoe, Parsons, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Young Musicians & Artists (hosted at Willamette University)
YMA: Young Musicians & Artists
A two-week residential summer arts camp on the Willamette University campus offering tracks in music, visual art, theatre, and writing for creative students aged 10 through the summer after high school graduation.
📍 Salem, OR📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
YMCA of Baton Rouge / Louisiana Youth & Government
YMCA Louisiana Youth & Government (Youth Legislature & Model United Nations)
A statewide civic-engagement program running since 1962 that hosts two annual conferences, a Youth Legislature (mock state government with bill debates and elections) and a Model United Nations (multi-country delegations, ICC/ICJ, and a press corps), for Louisiana high schoolers.
📍 Baton Rouge, LA (statewide participation)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
YMCA of Middle Tennessee, Center for Civic Engagement
YMCA Model United Nations (Middle Tennessee)
A three-day Model UN conference in which high school students represent UN member countries in simulated General Assembly, Security Council, and International Court of Justice sessions, drafting resolutions and competing for elected officer positions such as Secretary-General.
📍 Murfreesboro, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas
YMCA Texas Model United Nations
A youth development program where students in grades 6-12 simulate the United Nations as ambassadors solving global problems through compromise and diplomacy. Includes regional summits and an annual state conference.
📍 Dallas, TX (Houston and Fort Worth summits)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
YMCA
YMCA Youth and Government
Model state-legislature program. Local YMCA fees vary; scholarships available.
📍 State capitals⏱ School year📅 Fall-Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas
YMCA Youth and Government (Virginia Model General Assembly)
A teen program that teaches speech, debate and policy research, with students bringing a mock bill or amendment to the Model General Assembly at the Virginia State Capitol each spring.
📍 Hampton Roads and Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
YMCA of the USA (Mississippi affiliate)
YMCA Youth and Government Mississippi
A civic leadership program for Mississippi high schoolers offering multiple tracks, including a Youth Advocate Program with a funded trip to Washington, D.C., Changemakers community-action projects, and a mock-legislature Conference on National Affairs.
📍 Mississippi (statewide), with a Washington, D.C. trip📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Trailhead Boise / Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA)
You Lead Idaho
A free entrepreneurship competition for rural Idaho high school students in which teams of 2-4 from the same school pick a real community problem, develop a business solution, and submit a pitch video for a chance at scholarship funding and a fully-funded Boise pitch trip.
📍 Rural Idaho (statewide), with finale in Boise, ID📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona State University / Central Arizona Writing Project
Young Adult Writing Program (YAWP)
Young writers develop poetry, short stories, autobiographical pieces, comics, argument writing, and other forms in collaborative workshops and can publish work in the annual camp anthology.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
NC State University Pre-College Programs
Young and Teen Writers Workshop
A two-week summer afternoon program for ages 9-19 to develop creative-writing skills in fiction, genre fiction, poetry, and dramatic writing, with work submitted for a published anthology and a final performance.
📍 Raleigh, NC📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI)
Young Artists Composition Program (YACP)
A six-week program for high school composers who have not yet begun full-time college or conservatory study, offering individual composition lessons, theory and analysis classes, and weekly composition projects under BU faculty direction.
📍 Lenox, MA (Tanglewood)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Naptown Philharmonic
Young Artists Concerto Competition
A competition for Maryland resident high schoolers (grades 9-12, under 19) who perform a memorized concerto movement in piano, strings, or brass/winds/percussion categories, with winners performing as soloists at the orchestra's season finale.
📍 Annapolis, MD📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Austin Chamber Music Center
Young Artists Division Summer Workshop
A two-week, weekday day camp at the UT Austin Butler School of Music for intermediate to advanced strings, winds, brass, percussion and piano players, with chamber music coaching and final performances. Participants need 1-2 years of private instruction and the ability to read music.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New York State School Music Association
Young Composers Honors
Student composers submit original music for adjudication, feedback and potential performance at the NYSSMA All-State Winter Conference.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Young Diplomats Society
Young Diplomats Forum
Global essay and forum program engaging teens with foreign policy questions.
📍 Various⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
The Telling Room
Young Emerging Authors (YEA) Fellowship
Four Maine young writers are selected for a free, paid 15-month fellowship to write, revise, and professionally publish their own books with one-on-one mentorship from published authors.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Loudoun Chamber of Commerce / Loudoun Economic Development Authority
Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Loudoun
A seven-month after-school program in which students develop business ideas, write business plans, do market research, get mentored by local business owners and pitch to a panel of investors, aiming to launch a real company.
📍 Loudoun County, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UNLV International Gaming Institute
Young Executive Scholars Hospitality & Tourism Program
Under-resourced high-school students study hospitality and tourism management through applied learning, teamwork, mentoring and case analysis while exploring executive-level careers and college pathways.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Washington Foster School of Business with EY
Young Executives in our Community (YEOC) at UW Foster
A free nine-session Saturday program on the UW Seattle campus for Washington high school students, with business lectures, career exposure, college admissions and scholarship preparation, mentorship from professionals and competitions.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Marquee Arts
Young Filmmakers Camp
A sequential three-session summer camp covering pre-production, production, and post-production filmmaking, taught by industry professionals with access to professional equipment and culminating in a red-carpet premiere of student work.
📍 Ann Arbor, MI📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Hampshire Film Festival
Young Filmmakers Workshop
Weekend-long filmmaking intensive where high-school students work in teams with industry mentors to write, produce, act in, direct and edit an original short film that is screened at the festival closing ceremony. Registration is currently open for October 16–18, 2026.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Young Founders Lab (YOFO)
Young Founders Lab
A Maryland nonprofit's fully virtual accelerator for middle and high schoolers covering venture building, financial literacy, AI coding and digital prototyping, and pitch coaching, culminating in a Demo Day.
📍 Odenton, MD (serves multiple MD counties)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Arizona Global Health Institute
Young Global Leaders Program
Students investigate real public-health problems through laboratory experiments, data analysis, team research, faculty instruction, and a final research showcase.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Leadership Institute of Nevada
Young Leader Academy
A professional learning experience for high school students in grades 10-12 covering policy analysis, advocacy, and leadership development through internships, workshops, mentorship, advocacy campaigns, and a capstone project.
📍 Las Vegas, NV📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Nebraska EPSCoR / University of Nebraska
Young Nebraska Scientists (YNS) High School Research Program
Current 10th and 11th graders spend eight weeks as paid researchers embedded in a university science laboratory team, gaining hands-on experience beyond a typical camp.
📍 University of Nebraska campuses statewide📅 May🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Nebraska EPSCoR / University of Nebraska
Young Nebraska Scientists (YNS) High School STEM Camps
Current 9th-11th graders attend residential or commuter STEM enrichment camps on Nebraska university campuses, such as Explorations in Biology at Nebraska Wesleyan University and Biodiversity at Cedar Point Biological Station, with need-based scholarships available.
📍 Various University of Nebraska campuses statewide📅 May🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Virginia Repertory Theatre
Young Performers Institute (Virginia Rep Summer Camp)
A two-week weekday theatre camp for rising 7th-12th graders covering acting, singing and dance, with an optional mock audition in front of Virginia Rep casting directors and a ticket to the mainstage summer musical.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hamline University
Young Physicist Camp
A weeklong day camp on Hamline's Saint Paul campus where students entering grades 9-12 learn renewable energy and engineering principles by designing, building, and race-testing both a hydrogen fuel-cell car and a battery-powered car with 3D printing and local expert mentorship.
📍 St. Paul, MN📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tulane University / School of Liberal Arts
Young Public Scholars Program
A selective residential summer program for rising 9th-12th graders focused on social justice, where students research issues like climate change and inequality and produce media (writing, photography, video) to communicate a public-impact project.
📍 New Orleans, LA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Young Scientist Research Workshop
Free, selective week-long biomedical-research workshop teaching hypothesis formation, experimental design, data analysis and laboratory techniques through insect physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology experiments. Only five high-school places were available in 2026.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Young Scientists Journal
Young Scientists Journal
Peer-reviewed journal written, edited, and reviewed by 12–20 year-old scientists worldwide.
📍 Global📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Frist Art Museum
Young Tennessee Artists Exhibition
An annual juried exhibition showcasing artwork by Tennessee high school students in AP and IB studio art programs; jurors reviewed nearly 600 entries and selected works by 33 student artists for the 2026 show.
📍 Nashville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wharton Global Youth
Young Tycoons Business Challenge
Team competition run by Wharton for high schoolers worldwide — investment, comparative marketing, and business tracks.
📍 Global📅 Varies by track🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Young Women in Business Camp
Rising sophomores through seniors explore leadership, communication, personal branding, business careers, and experiences of women in business.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
The Telling Room
Young Writers & Leaders
A selective nine-month program for high-school students with international and multicultural backgrounds featuring writing instruction, one-on-one coaching, public readings, publication, and paid participation.
📍 ME🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nebraska Writing Project, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Young Writers Camp
Students write fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and other forms alongside writers and educators, with participant work compiled into the program's annual anthology. The 2026 camp cost $50 and scholarships were available.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Young Writers Project
Young Writers Project
Free online community based in Burlington where teen writers and visual artists post work, answer weekly challenges and are published in The Voice and local media.
📍 Online (Burlington, VT)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNC Wilmington
Young Writers Workshop
Residential writing intensive with daily exercises, craft lectures, peer workshops and readings led by published writers and MFA students.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington College, Rose O'Neill Literary House
Young Writers' Studio
A one-day creative writing program for high schoolers featuring generative workshops in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, a literature seminar with English faculty, and a celebratory open mic; successor to the Cherry Tree Young Writers' Conference while it is on construction hiatus.
📍 Chestertown, MD📅 June🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
State Historical Society of Iowa
Young Writers' Workshop
Students use museum collections and historical material as inspiration for a three-day writing experience. The 2026 workshop cost $200.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas State University Department of English
Young Writers' Workshop
Students spend a week producing original fiction, poetry, essays, and other writing with experienced teachers and published writers. The program is free, with preference for Kansas students.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
National YoungArts Foundation
YoungArts
Free national arts competition. Winners receive cash awards, mentorship, and the chance to perform at YoungArts Week in Miami.
📍 Miami + regional⏱ 1 week📅 October🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
National YoungArts
YoungArts at Oberlin: A One-Day Summer Intensive for High School Artists
A one-day summer intensive program at Oberlin Conservatory of Music for high school artists.
📍 Oberlin Conservatory of Music📅 Annual — 2027 dates not yet announced🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National YoungArts Foundation
YoungArts Awards
National competition in writing, visual arts, design, music, theater, film for 15-18 year olds.
📍 Miami, FL⏱ Year-round📅 October🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
National Foundation for the Advancement of Artists
YoungArts National Arts Competition
One of the nation's most prestigious honors for high school students in the visual, literary, and performing arts.
📍 Miami, FL / Nationwide📅 December 1🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
National YoungArts
YoungArts National Arts Competition Application
Application for the 2027 YoungArts National Arts Competition. YoungArts identifies and nurtures the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, and performing arts and assists them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development.
📍 remote📅 Annual — 2027 dates not yet announced🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National YoungArts
YoungArts Theater
National recognition program for theater artists 15-18.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 October🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey
Your Song! Your Voice! Shout Down Drugs
NJ high-school students write and perform original music and lyrics about preventing substance misuse and impaired driving; the statewide winner receives a performance contract/prize.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
George Mason University Mason Community Arts Academy
Your Story on Stage: Devised Theater Intensive (Mason Community Arts Academy)
An art, writing and acting camp for middle and high school students that builds an original devised theater piece culminating in a premiere performance.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Rehoboth Beach Film Society
YOUR WORLD Youth Environmental Film Festival
Youth film festival inviting Sussex County middle and high school students to submit short films made on a smartphone exploring environmental and global issues, with no filmmaking experience required.
📍 Cinema Art Theater, Lewes, DE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
YMCA of Greater Seattle
Youth & Government Washington State Conference (Seattle YMCA)
Teens join a delegation, prepare legislation during the school year, and take on roles from governor to legislator at the Washington State Youth & Government conference in Olympia.
📍 Olympia, WA (delegation meetings in the Seattle area)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming Wilderness Association
Youth Ambassadors for Wilderness (YAW)
A summer program for high school students interested in becoming conservation leaders, with place-based education on Wyoming's wild places, advocacy and stewardship work alongside US Forest Service Wilderness Rangers, and a multi-day backpacking trip into the Gros Ventre Wilderness.
📍 Jackson, WY📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arts Ed NJ / Teen Arts New Jersey partners
Youth Arts Initiative Workshops
Teen Arts New Jersey's Youth Arts Initiative: the free TANJ Youth Arts Festival on Oct 18, 2026 (10am-4pm, Asbury Park), plus Arts High courses for grades 9-12 and the annual Creative Change Makers open call.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Howard County Conservancy
Youth Climate Institute
A climate education and civic action program for 10th and 11th graders providing foundational climate science training and certifying students as climate ambassadors through a capstone community action project.
📍 Howard County, MD, with chapters expanding statewide and nationally📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Various
Youth Climate Leaders
Free youth climate summits and competitions. Project-based environmental advocacy.
📍 Online + regional⏱ Self-paced📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mass Audubon
Youth Climate Leadership Program
A free, statewide network of nine regional chapters where teens in grades 8-12 lead community-based Climate Action Projects and attend regional summits, developing public speaking, organizing, and advocacy skills.
📍 Springfield, Worcester, Lincoln, Topsfield, Mattapan, Milton, Dartmouth, Cape Cod, and Martha's Vineyard, MA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 8–12
Selective
MassEnergize
Youth Climate Solutions Challenge
A nine-month, community-based after-school challenge in which teams of Massachusetts high schoolers design and lead clean-energy and climate outreach campaigns, receiving a $500 seed grant and competing for regional prize money at a final Awards Night.
📍 Massachusetts (Eastern and Western MA regions)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Northwest Youth Corps
Youth Community Program
A five-week, non-residential conservation corps for 15-18 year olds who complete local service projects each day -- tree planting, invasive species removal, trail construction, and fuels reduction -- earning a stipend and possible high school credit.
📍 Portland, OR📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
Youth Conservation Camp
Week-long summer conservation camp at Virginia Tech, run for over 40 years, where about 70 Virginia high school students learn about natural resources from conservation professionals and Virginia Tech faculty with mostly hands-on outdoor instruction.
📍 Blacksburg, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Conservation Congress
Youth Conservation Congress (Wisconsin DNR)
A statewide youth extension of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress for students interested in the outdoors, with a county mentor, training in how natural resource policy is set, service-learning, job shadowing and mentored outdoor activities.
📍 Wisconsin (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
King County Parks
Youth Conservation Corps (King County Parks)
A paid summer internship for teens interested in public lands, environmental justice and environmental careers, with hands-on ecological restoration in a King County park, field trips and an independent creative project.
📍 White Center and Skyway, WA (King County)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
National Park Service
Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)
A summer employment program that engages young people in meaningful work projects on public lands.
📍 Nationwide⏱ 8-10 weeks📅 Mid-April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National Park Service, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Youth Conservation Corps at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Paid summer work program for ages 15-18 at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising: 40 hours per week of outdoor conservation work at $16 per hour (no housing provided). The 2026 session ran June 15 - August 7 with a May 1 application deadline; applicants need a work permit and SSN.
📍 Munising, MI📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Conservation Corps North Carolina (Conservation Legacy)
Youth Conservation Crews
Paid summertime conservation field crews for NC teens (ages 15-18) completing hands-on outdoor conservation service projects on public lands throughout North Carolina, gaining experience in parks, recreation, and natural resources management.
📍 Statewide, NC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Southwest Conservation Corps
Youth Conservation Crews (Los Valles / Four Corners Region)
A paid outdoor conservation crew program for ages 14-18 in New Mexico's Los Valles and Four Corners regions; crews of 6-8 students do invasive species removal, tree planting, and trail maintenance over 4-5 week sessions.
📍 Northern New Mexico📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Student Conservation Association
Youth Conservation Jobs
Exciting opportunities for teens and young adults who want to make a real impact on our environment while gaining valuable skills and experiencing the beauty of the outdoors.
📍 Various US locations📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
League of Women Voters of Maine / Maine Students Vote
Youth Council Internship
Paid internship for Maine high schoolers who design self-directed civic engagement projects (events, PSAs, social media campaigns) around issues like voting rights, immigration, and equity. Interns work 5 hours a week for a semester and don't need prior experience.
📍 Statewide, ME (virtual + in-person events)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center / CWRU
Youth Engaged in Science — YES
Seven-week cancer-research experience with a science bootcamp followed by full-time work in Case cancer laboratories and an end-of-summer research presentation.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pacific Education Institute
Youth Engaged in Sustainable Systems (YESS)
A career-connected program in which high school students join paid natural resource crews through participating school districts in restoration ecology, aquaculture, urban forestry, forest management and water resources.
📍 Quinault, Onalaska, Spokane, Tumwater, Yakima and Riverview (King County), WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Miami-Dade County
Youth Engagement Program
Two-week civic program giving students hands-on exposure to local government, public policy, community leadership, site visits and the legislative process.
📍 FL🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Youth Entrepreneurs CT
Youth Entrepreneurs CT Programs
A Hamden-based nonprofit offering in-school and after-school entrepreneurship programming for Connecticut students in grades 7-12, including single workshops, semester-long Entrepreneurship Labs, a year-long College & Career Pathways cohort, and the Money Moves personal-finance module.
📍 Hamden, CT and partner schools statewide📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Network Kansas / Kansas State University Research and Extension
Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Series
Students develop business concepts, compete in local entrepreneurship contests, receive feedback from business mentors, and can qualify for the statewide championship and cash awards.
📍 KS🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Mexico State University
Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Camp
High-school students study free enterprise, entrepreneurship and community prosperity while earning three college credits.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vermont 4-H, UVM Extension
Youth Environmental Science (YES!) Summit
A free, annual, youth-led day for high school students to explore science, career options and their connection to the natural world through hands-on workshops and networking with environmental professionals.
📍 Montpelier Performing Arts Hub, Montpelier, VT📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National Aquarium
Youth Exhibit Guide Program
Students who have completed ninth grade train intensively and then serve two four-hour aquarium shifts per week for six weeks, interpreting exhibits and engaging visitors about marine biology and conservation.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Montana Discovery Foundation
Youth Forest Monitoring Program
Six-week summer internship in which students train with scientists and then conduct field monitoring, stewardship, data collection and a culminating research presentation on national-forest lands. The 2026 cohort received a $1,200 stipend.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Yale Peabody Museum
Youth Gallery Educator
EVOLUTIONS participants can earn paid museum work teaching visitors through interactive science carts and gallery activities while developing communication and workforce skills.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington Trust for Historic Preservation
Youth Heritage Project (YHP)
Free overnight field school for high school students exploring the history, culture and nature of Washington's special places through hikes, museum tours and site visits, plus a real-world community project.
📍 Rotating Washington location (2026: Ellensburg)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Youth in Focus
Youth in Focus Creative Career Cohort
17-week in-person photography and career-readiness program in Seattle for BIPOC students ages 15-19 (sophomores through seniors) with technical photo skills, commercial projects, mock interviews and a portfolio.
📍 Youth in Focus office, Seattle, WA📅 November🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Missoula County Department of Ecology & Extension / Weed District
Youth in Restoration
High-school students work on real land-management projects including aquatic monitoring, invasive-species control, revegetation, natural-resource mapping and ecological data collection with public-land partners. The 2026 program ran for roughly eight to nine weeks as paid summer employment.
📍 MT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi for a Just World
Youth Internship Program
An 8-week summer internship (June-July) where Mississippi high school and early college students work directly with MSJW staff on organizing, campaign strategy, and movement history focused on international policy, human rights, and social justice.
📍 Jackson, MS📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Georgia J.W. Fanning Institute
Youth LEAD Georgia
Thirty selected students participate in a yearlong statewide leadership cohort with weekend sessions, career and industry exploration, community discussions and a multi-day educational tour of Georgia.
📍 GA🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Wisconsin Humane Society
Youth Leaders Volunteer Program (Wisconsin Humane Society)
A volunteer program for teens ages 13-17 who support the Humane Society's youth activities by setting up activities, assisting with crafts and acting as mentors to children ages 6-12 during Girl Scout Nights and Kids Night Out.
📍 Milwaukee, WI📅 November🎓 Grades 8–12
Selective
Leadership Oklahoma City
Youth Leadership Exchange (YLX)
A free year-long leadership program for OKC-metro high school students with three tracks — Leadership Skills, Youth in Action (student-run mini-foundation funding a nonprofit), and Youth Council of OKC — pairing teens with the city's civic, business, and nonprofit leaders through monthly sessions.
📍 Oklahoma City, OK📅 January🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
North Carolina General Assembly
Youth Legislative Assembly
Statewide mock legislature where high-school students debate and vote on local, state and national policy issues while learning legislative procedure.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle Aquarium
Youth Ocean Advocates (Seattle Aquarium)
The Seattle Aquarium's high school volunteer program in marine conservation and advocacy, with Tides, Currents and Breakers levels covering interpretation, beach cleanups, community science and advocacy projects.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
YOCS
Youth Ocean Conservation Summit
Free annual marine-conservation training summit.
📍 Sarasota, FL📅 Rolling, space-limited registration — no fixed deadline🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Youth Orchestras of Central Virginia
Youth Orchestras of Central Virginia (YOCVA) Youth Symphony
An audition-based advanced youth orchestra that rehearses Monday evenings at the MLK Performing Arts Center in Charlottesville through a September-May season.
📍 Charlottesville, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Education Justice Coalition of Vermont (with Outright Vermont)
Youth Organizer Training Program (Education Justice Coalition of Vermont)
A paid training program for Vermont students interested in social justice organizing, with five daylong retreats, an overnight coalition retreat and monthly Zoom meetings.
📍 Benson and Burlington, VT📅 June🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Greater Madison Writing Project, UW-Madison
Youth Press Corps (Cap Times and UW-Madison)
Five-day summer camp in the Cap Times newsroom where students learn interviewing, journalistic writing and ethics from journalists and educators, and can publish a story in The Cap Times.
📍 Madison, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Idaho Conservation League
Youth Salmon Protectors
A decentralized, student-led environmental advocacy program for high school and college students across the Pacific Northwest dedicated to breaching the four lower Snake River dams to protect wild salmon and steelhead, with students able to start chapters at their own schools.
📍 Boise, ID (chapters statewide)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Historic Fourth Ward School Museum
Youth Summer Camp in Digital Storytelling
A free filmmaking camp in Virginia City where youth ages 10-18 learn storyboarding, scriptwriting, shooting, and professional editing to create a short film based on Comstock history.
📍 Virginia City, NV📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
Youth Tree Team
Students age 14+ complete a seven-week paid summer job caring for Indianapolis trees while collecting environmental data and building leadership and professional skills. The 2026 position paid $13 per hour.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Northwest Youth Corps
Youth Urban and Community Forestry Crews - Tacoma (Northwest Youth Corps)
A five-week paid day program for ages 15-18 in which crews of eight youth and two adult leaders work on urban forestry projects in Tacoma city parks, public lands and community gardens, with training in conservation, hand tools and wildfire prevention.
📍 Tacoma, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle Children's Research Institute
Youth Voice Research Liaison Program (Seattle Children's)
A hybrid, paid program in which high school students learn research methods, ethics and data analysis, then consult with Seattle Children's research teams on study design, outreach and recruitment for youth-relevant projects.
📍 Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Conner Prairie
Youth Volunteer Program
Youth ages 10–18 participate in historical interpretation, guest engagement, camps, and special events, often in period or modern roles. High-school volunteers can build substantial year-round service experience.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Detroit Historical Society
Youth Volunteer Program (Detroit Historical Society)
Formal youth volunteer program for under-18 volunteers at the Detroit Historical Society and its museums, created to give young people a way to engage with community organizations. Apply via Volgistics with a parental consent form; the society covers the cost of the background check.
📍 Detroit, MI📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Little Rock Zoo
Youth Zoo Crew (Teen Volunteer Program)
Teens ages 13-17 complete a three-week summer training session on guest engagement, conservation, and zoo careers, then continue as year-round volunteer docents supporting Zoo staff and programming.
📍 Little Rock Zoo, Little Rock, AR📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National Park Service
Youth-Serving Organizations Programs
Participate in service-learning opportunities, like camps, field trips, and scouting.
📍 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Citizens' Committee for Children of New York (CCC New York)
YouthAction NYC Internship
A year-long civic engagement internship in which NYC teens learn fact-based advocacy in the fall, then run campaigns, meet legislators, and take an Albany lobbying trip in the spring.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Young Americans Center for Financial Education
YouthBiz
Entrepreneurship program for middle and high schoolers combining a 15-session business curriculum with real business ownership, mentorship from adult business leaders, and a twice-yearly youth marketplace.
📍 Young Americans Center, Denver, CO📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wing Luke Museum
YouthCAN (Wing Luke Museum)
The museum's free afterschool arts program for high school students, where teens work with teaching artists to explore identity and culture and produce creative work for a group exhibit in the Frank Fujii Youth Gallery.
📍 Wing Luke Museum, Chinatown-International District, Seattle, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Salt Lake City Youth & Family Division (YouthCity)
YouthCity City Department Internships
Eight-week paid internships placing teens ages 16-18 in Salt Lake City departments, part of the YouthCity Teen Internship Program that also offers unpaid government and child development internships.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
NMSU Young Women in Computing
YWiC High School Summer Camp
Two-week computing camp using Java, game development, cryptography, cybersecurity, AI, neural networks, chatbots, 3D printing and related projects.
📍 NM🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
Zoo Career Explorers
Year-long career program where teens rotate through animal care, veterinary medicine, education, administration, horticulture, marketing, maintenance and visitor services and complete job shadows and a final project.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Detroit Zoo
Zoo Corps
Teens ages 14–17 complete at least 60 summer service hours engaging visitors in conservation, science, animal information, and environmental-stewardship activities, with optional year-round continuation.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Utah's Hogle Zoo
Zoo Corps Teen Volunteers
A teen volunteer program where participants share animal and habitat information with zoo visitors while learning about animal care, conservation, and zoo careers.
📍 Salt Lake City, UT📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium
Zoo Crew
Year-round youth volunteer program in which high-school students assist with Zoo educational and on-grounds programming, interact with guests, build public-speaking skills and deepen their conservation knowledge. Applications for the next cohort are open now.
📍 NE🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Blank Park Zoo
Zoo Crew
Teens ages 13–17 volunteer with zoo camps, visitor education, events, and other operations while developing job skills and learning about animal science and conservation. Summer 2027 applications run January 1–March 1.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Lincoln Children's Zoo
Zoo Crew (Lincoln Children's Zoo)
One of Nebraska's largest youth volunteer programs, with 400 students in grades 7-12 choosing an animal-care or education track each summer session, gaining zookeeping and camp-instruction skills for a $250 session fee.
📍 Lincoln Children's Zoo, Lincoln, NE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Zoo Guide High School Volunteer Program (Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium)
Teens in grades 9-12 train as Zoo Guides who talk with guests about animals, conservation and environmental topics during the summer season at the Tacoma zoo.
📍 Tacoma, WA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Maryland Zoo
Zoo Teen Volunteer Program
Teens ages 14–17 complete a week of training and then volunteer at least four shifts monthly for one year, beginning as Zoo Guides and later accessing conservation, research, and education opportunities.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Zooniverse
Zooniverse Citizen Science
Free crowdsourced research platform. Contribute to active university research projects in any field from your laptop.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Anytime🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Adler Planetarium / Zooniverse
Zooniverse Citizen Scientist Volunteer
Research and tag images for academic science projects. High schoolers can contribute to NASA or university data sets from home.
📍 Online⏱ Flexible📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Minnesota Zoo
ZooTeen
Teens ages 13–17 support Zoo Camps by assisting with activities, supervising younger campers, serving as role models, and sharing their interest in the natural world. Summer 2026 applications are closed, with the next cycle expected in 2027.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Birmingham Zoo
ZooTeen Program
Teens make a one-year service commitment and can assist with Discovery Crew, Camp Crew, special events, education, and other zoo activities.
📍 AL🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden
ZooTeen Volunteer Program
A competitive volunteer program for Evansville-area teens ages 14-18 currently enrolled in high school, who train to lead guest education, wildlife outreach, and event support at the zoo.
📍 Evansville, IN📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Saint Louis Zoo
ZooTeens
Summer volunteer program for ages 15–18 in which students serve as junior ambassadors, junior docents or other Zoo volunteers while learning about animals and conservation. At least 30 service hours are expected.
📍 MO🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
ZooTeens Conservation Team
A year-round youth volunteer program for high schoolers age 14+ who assist with zoo camps and education events, take part in conservation projects and field studies, and build job-readiness and public-speaking skills.
📍 Columbia, SC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective

Other collections

Free summer programs for high school students Free summer programs for high school juniors Paid internships for high school students Research programs for high school students Online and virtual programs for high school students STEM programs for high school students Programs for underrepresented and under-resourced students Free programs for high school seniors

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