Summer Programs
STEM and engineering Summer Programs for High School Students
11 stem and engineering programs for middle and high school students. 3 are free to attend and 7 are residential.
- Programs
- 11
- Free to attend
- 3
- Residential
- 7
- 2027 deadline posted
- 6
- of 11
| Program | Where | Who can apply | Cost | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASPIREJohns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory | Laurel, MDCommuter | High school juniors and seniors | Free | Not posted |
| ASPIREHarvey Mudd College | Claremont, CAResidential | Rising 10th, 11th, or 12th graders | Paid | March 31, 2026 (priority deadline; rolling admission afterward until full)Last cycle’s date |
| BSASUC Berkeley GLOBE (Global Learning and Outreach from Berkeley Engineering) | Berkeley, CACommuter | High school students ages 15 to 17 by the start of the program | Paid, aid available | March 31, 2026Last cycle’s date |
| BWSIMIT Beaver Works (MIT Lincoln Laboratory and MIT School of Engineering) | Cambridge, MACommuter | Students entering their senior year of high school | Paid, aid available | March 31 (prerequisite online course registration); teacher recommendation due April 2 |
| COSMOSUniversity of California | CAResidential | Rising 9th through rising 12th graders | Paid, aid available | February 5, 2027 |
| EPICCal Poly College of Engineering | San Luis Obispo, CAResidential | Currently in grades 6 to 11 | Paid, aid available | March 31, 2027 |
| MITESMIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science (MITES) | Cambridge, MAResidential | 11th graders | Free | February 1, 11:59 pm PST |
| MMSSUniversity of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts | Ann Arbor, MIResidential or commuter | Rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors | Paid, aid available | Rolling admission until courses fill; all seats for 2026 were filled as of April 6, 2026Last cycle’s date |
| Nanoscience Lab Summer InstituteCalifornia NanoSystems Institute at UCLA | Los Angeles, CACommuter | High school students, grade 9 and up, at least 15 years old | Paid, aid available | Not posted |
| SAMSCarnegie Mellon University Pre-College Programs | Pittsburgh, PAResidential | Students between 11th and 12th grade | Free | February 1, 2027 |
| WTPMIT Department of Mechanical Engineering | Cambridge, MAResidential | High school students now in grade 11 | Paid, aid available | December 21, 2026 |
Email me this list
A link to this list, so you have the deadlines when applications open.
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Frequently asked questions
When should I start a summer program application?
Each program sets its own deadline, and some fall months before summer. Check each deadline in the table and work backward from the earliest one.
Do summer programs help with college admissions?
A program is one line on an application. What a student did there, and what they did next with it, matters more than the name.
Each program was read from its own official site. A date or fee the site has not posted is left blank. Last checked 2026-10-09. A deadline marked “last cycle’s date” is from the previous year, shown because the new one is not posted. Dewey Smart is not affiliated with these programs.
