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Research programs in Delaware.

15 local programs run in Delaware, 14 of them free or paid. Plus 46 nationwide programs open to anyone in the US.

Local to Delaware

  1. 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.

    🎓 Grades 10–12
    Moderate
  2. Delaware Higher Education Office
    B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship

    Major merit scholarship for a Delaware senior enrolling at the University of Delaware.

    🎓 Grade 12
    Highly Selective
  3. Delaware Higher Education Office
    Career-Based Scholarship

    Supports Delaware students pursuing high-demand fields such as computer science, data science, engineering, finance, nursing and healthcare administration at Delaware institutions.

    🎓 Grade 12
    Highly Selective
  4. Delaware Higher Education Office
    Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship

    Merit scholarship for high-achieving Delaware seniors attending an accredited undergraduate institution full time.

    🎓 Grade 12
    Selective
  5. 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.

    🎓 Grades 9–12
    Highly Selective
  6. 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?"

    🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  7. 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.

    🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  8. Delaware Community Foundation
    Delaware Community Foundation Scholarship Program

    A common application matches students to dozens of scholarships based on school, county, intended field, financial need and other criteria.

    🎓 Grade 12
    Selective
  9. 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.

    🎓 Grades 10–11
    Selective
  10. State of Delaware
    Delaware State Board of Education Student Member

    One high-school student serves a full one-year term as a non-voting State Board member and contributes student perspectives on curriculum, graduation requirements, equity and accountability.

    🎓 Grades 11–12
    Selective
  11. 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.

    🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  12. 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.

    🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  13. 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.

    🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  14. University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship
    Diamond Challenge

    Global high school entrepreneurship pitch competition with $100k+ in prizes.

    ⏱ Academic year📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  15. 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.

    🎓 Grades 10–12
    Selective

Nationwide programs open to Delaware students

  1. 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.

    ⏱ 8 weeks📅 Early March🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  2. American Foreign Service Association (AFSA)
    AFSA National High School Essay Contest

    An essay contest designed to engage students in thinking about peace and conflict resolution.

    📅 February 15🎓 Grades 11–12
    Selective
  3. Carnegie Mellon University
    AI Scholars at CMU

    Free AI-focused summer program for rising seniors underrepresented in computing.

    ⏱ 4 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grade 11
    Selective
  4. AI4ALL
    AI4ALL Open Learning

    Girls in grades 6-12 learn AI and Python through interactive virtual classes.

    ⏱ 2 weeks📅 March 1🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  5. 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.

    ⏱ 3 hours📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  6. Freedom Forum
    Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference

    An all-expenses-paid journalism conference for one student from every US state and DC.

    ⏱ 1 week📅 February 15🎓 Grade 11
    Selective
  7. Amazon
    Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship

    Scholarship for high school seniors planning to study computer science in college.

    ⏱ 4 years scholarship📅 December 1🎓 Grade 12
    Selective
  8. 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.

    ⏱ 75 minutes📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
    Moderate
  9. ACSL
    American Computer Science League (ACSL)

    A multi-division computer science competition covering both theory and programming.

    ⏱ School year📅 November 30🎓 Grades 9–12
    Moderate
  10. Amgen Foundation
    Amgen Scholars Future Track

    Free online biotech simulations and pipeline programs preparing high schoolers for biomedical research.

    ⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  11. Apple Inc.
    Apple Swift Student Challenge

    Swift coding competition hosted by Apple to showcase creativity and app development skills.

    ⏱ 1 month📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  12. 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.

    ⏱ 5 weeks📅 March 1🎓 Grades 10–12
    Moderate
  13. NCWIT
    Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC)

    Award for girls and non-binary students in computing, providing recognition and a cash prize.

    ⏱ One-time📅 April 15🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  14. 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.

    ⏱ 3 weeks📅 April 1🎓 Grades 10–12
    Moderate
  15. MIT Lincoln Lab
    Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)

    Free MIT-led project-based courses in AI, robotics, cybersecurity.

    ⏱ 4 weeks (summer)📅 Early February🎓 Grade 11
    Selective
  16. 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.

    ⏱ 45 minutes📅 Early February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  17. Bennington College
    Bennington Young Writers Awards

    A prestigious creative writing competition for students to win cash prizes and publication.

    📅 January 12🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  18. Black Girls CODE
    Black Girls CODE Workshops

    Program that provides coding workshops and tech exposure to young girls of color.

    ⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  19. 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.

    ⏱ 3 months📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  20. Breakthrough
    Breakthrough Collaborative

    Free summer and school-year academic program for first-generation, low-income middle schoolers; high schoolers can serve as teaching fellows.

    ⏱ Multi-year📅 Spring🎓 Grades 6–12
    Selective

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