Science & Technology Summer Programs

Boston University High School Honors Program
College courses or research with a faculty supervisor.  6-week program, students must be entering 12th grade.

​

Carnegie Mellon Summer Academy for Mathematics and Science
Free. For students from under-represented or disadvantaged backgrounds. Special courses and hands-on projects.  6-week program, students must be at least 15 years old.

​

Clark Scholars Program
7-week paid research program at Texas Tech. Lots of alumni have gone on to win Siemens and Intel STS awards. Current 11th- and 12th-graders only.

​

Clemson & PARI Space Camps
2 week residential camp at Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) in Pisgah National Forest, NC, ages 14-17 Do astronomical research in conjunction with Clemson University and PARI (if your student has younger siblings 11-14 they also have a middle school camp)

​

COSMOS – California State Summer School for Math and Science
Special courses at UC Davis, Irvine, Santa Cruz, or San Diego.  4-week program, all grades may apply.

​

Earthwatch IGNITE
Free. Research expeditions where students conduct field work in environmental science.

​

Girls on Ice
Free. Girls only. Two weeks doing glaciology research on an alpine glacier. Admission preference given to people with few prior opportunities for field work or educational enrichment.

​

Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)

Free. For graduating seniors heading to college.

​

Harvard Secondary School Program (SSP)
College courses at Harvard.  4- or 8-week program, students must be entering 11th or 12th grades or college.

​

JPL Summer High School Internship
When there is a budget for HS, students conduct paid research internships at JPL. They announce in December/January whether the following summer will include high schoolers.

​

MIT's MITES Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science Program
Free. 6-week program.  Students must be minorities, preference given to lower income applicants.

​

MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP)
Girls only. Special courses in electrical, computer, or mechanical engineering.  4-week program.

​

National Youth Science Camp
Free. Recent 12th grade graduates only. Special courses and seminars.  2 students are nominated from each state, so it’s rough to be from California.

​

Perimeter Institute ISSYP
Free except for transportation costs to Ontario, Canada. Very prestigious two-week theoretical physics program. Students must be at least 17 years old by the program’s beginning.

​

Research Science Institute (RSI)
Free. Research program sponsored by Caltech and MIT.  6-week program.  Extremely prestigious, very selective.

​

Smith College Summer Science & Engineering Program
Special classes at Smith College.  4-week program, girls only entering the 9th-12th grades.

​

SSP – Summer Science Program
Special science courses at one of two camps, affiliated with both Caltech and MIT.  6-week program, students must be entering 11th or 12th (12th preferred) grades.  Well-established (since 1959) and prestigious program, alumni include several Nobel laureates. 

​

Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
You get a small stipend but you must pay room and board. 8-week program in which students conduct biomedical research under an individual faculty supervisor. Students must be entering the 12th grade or have just graduated high school.

​

UC Berkeley Summer Focus
One college course and two special courses.  6-week program, students must be entering 11th or 12th grades.

​

UCLA Summer Sessions
Regular university courses, either residential or commuter program.

​

UCLA Engineering Summer Research

UCLA High School Summer Research Program (HSSEAS) 
Paid stipend. Conduct original engineering research in an 8-week program under faculty members at UCLA.

​

UCSB Summer Pre-College Programs
Several options, including: Early Start Program (take college courses); Research Mentorship Program (work in a research laboratory); and Science & Engineering Research Academy (capstone seminar with directed research project).

​

University of Pennsylvania Summer High School Programs
College courses or special programs at U. Penn – there are several options (not all in science). 

​

University of Pennsylvania - Engineering Summer Academy @ Penn (ESAP)
Lecture and lab experience in biotechnology, complex networks, computer graphics, computer science, nanotechnology, or robotics. 3-week program.

​

USC Summer Courses
Assorted summer college courses at USC. 2 or 4 weeks. Pricey but high quality and local.

​

USC/Chevron Frontiers of Energy Resources
Free. Course focusing on energy sources and engineering applications. Students must be entering the 12th grade.

​

USC Young Researchers Program
Free. For students who live near USC and are from under-represented or disadvantaged backgrounds. Students conduct independent research under the supervision of USC professors. 6-week program.