13 Free Winter Programs for High School Students

Explore 13 free winter programs for high school students in 2025. Gain skills in STEM, research, humanities, and more with online and in-person options.

Winter programs give you the chance to explore your academic interests more deeply while building skills that extend beyond the regular school curriculum. Many of these opportunities include guided projects, structured learning, and mentorship. They’re also useful for developing time management and independent learning habits during the academic year.

What makes winter sessions especially valuable is the smaller cohort size and lower competition compared to summer programs, which often leads to more personalized guidance. Whether you’re drawn to STEM, research, writing, or policy, these programs offer meaningful ways to stay academically engaged during the colder months. Here are 13 free winter programs high school students can apply to.

1. U.S. Senate Page Program 

Location: Washington, D.C.
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cohort Size: Typically, a small cohort
Program Dates: September 1 - January 23
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, 16–17 years old, with a minimum 3.0 GPA; must be sponsored by a Senator
Cost/Stipend: Free to apply; Pages are paid a prorated salary (~$37,238 annualized)

The Senate Page Program places high school juniors in the Capitol to assist with daily legislative work. Responsibilities include delivering correspondence, preparing the chamber for sessions, assisting with roll call votes, and supporting senators during debates. Pages live in Washington, D.C., with housing and meals arranged as part of the program. This internship provides rare, first-hand exposure to the operations of Congress and the legislative process. With only 30 pages serving 100 senators, the program is highly selective and requires sponsorship from a sitting senator.

2. Ladder Internships

Location: Remote
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Cohort Size: Typically, a small cohort
Program Dates: Multiple 8–12 week cohorts year-round, including winter
Eligibility: High school students able to commit 10–20 hours per week
Cost: Fully covered with 100% aid

Ladder places you with an early-stage startup where you work on defined projects under the supervision of company staff and a Ladder coach. Students gain hands-on experience in real-world workflows. You may conduct market research, build data analysis pipelines in Python, or support product development, depending on placement. Regular check-ins structure your progress and help refine deliverables. Key outcomes include applying technical skills in a professional context and delivering a final presentation to the host company. At the end, you receive a certificate of completion from the startup to help you with future career opportunities.  

3. New York Student Historian Internship Program

Location: New York Historical Society, NY
Application Deadline: August 24
Cohort Size: 25 students
Program Dates: October 29 – June 24
Eligibility: Grades 10–12, NYC metro area
Cost: Free; $700 stipend

Each year, 25 students are selected to research a theme in American history using archival material and museum collections. You’ll analyze sources, draft blog posts, and work with curators and historians on historical interpretation. The program also includes tech workshops where you learn digital publishing skills. Students gain training in research methodology, academic writing, and collaborative project development. Weekly sessions combine independent work with peer feedback to strengthen accuracy and communication. Final pieces are published on the Teen Blog of the New York Historical Society.

4. Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation

Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: The program is fully funded!
Application Deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Vary based on yearly cohort. Multiple 12-week cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: You must be enrolled in high school or plan to enroll as a freshman in college in the fall and must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.

The Lumiere Breakthrough Scholar Program is the equivalent of the Individual Research Scholar Program at Lumiere Education. In the flagship program, talented high-school students are paired with world-class Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll develop an independent research paper. You can choose topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. This program is a solid option if you are interested in interdisciplinary research and want to create an individual research paper. You can apply here! 

5. Fox Chase Cancer Center – Immersion Science Research

Location: Philadelphia, PA
Application Deadline: Varies annually
Cohort Size: 16 students
Program Dates: Early January – Mid-March
Eligibility: High school students (16+) in the Tri-State area with chemistry and biology completed
Cost: Free

This 11-week program begins with a 30-hour lab skills boot camp covering pipetting, gel electrophoresis, microscopy, and sterile technique. Students then design small-scale experiments in cancer biology under the guidance of research staff. You’ll apply cell culture methods, collect and interpret data, and troubleshoot results. The emphasis is on experimental design and clear presentation of findings. Weekly sessions include both lectures and hands-on labs, culminating in a symposium where students present projects to faculty. Only 16 students are admitted to each cohort.

6. The Met High School Internship Program

Location: The Met Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Application Deadline: October 27
Cohort Size: Typically, a small cohort
Program Dates: January 17 – May 29
Eligibility: 10th–11th graders in NYC, available for all sessions
Cost/Stipend: Free; stipend of $1,100

Interns rotate through various museum departments to gain experience in conservation, scientific research, digital media, and education. You’ll participate in career labs, boot camps, and departmental placements that simulate professional workflows. Assignments often involve writing, curating, or assisting in research tied to exhibitions. Students build practical skills in research documentation and collaborative project work within a cultural institution. Reflection and feedback sessions are included to connect academic interests to museum practice. The stipend supports full participation across the term.

7. Sandia National Laboratories – High School Internships

Location: Albuquerque, NM & Livermore, CA
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cohort Size: Typically, a small cohort
Program Dates: Flexible, including winter opportunities
Eligibility: U.S. high school students (16+), Minimum GPA: 3.0 for R&D, Technical, or Business roles, and 2.5 for clerical or laborer positions (laborer roles only at Sandia/New Mexico).
Cost: Free; Paid internships

This free winter program for high school students offers technical internships in various cybersecurity, engineering design, and software development. Interns may write code, perform system modeling, or work with CAD and network simulation software, depending on placement. You’ll collaborate with engineers and researchers on active projects while following lab safety and reporting protocols. Skills gained include programming, data analysis, and applied problem-solving in high-level research environments. Interns also join mentorship and professional development sessions to understand research careers better. The length and format of each internship depend on the hosting department.

8. APA Internal Internship Program (IIP)

Location: Remote
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cohort Size: Typically, a small cohort
Program Dates: Year-round (including winter)
Eligibility: U.S. high school students (D.C. work permit required under 18)
Cost: Free; some placements paid

The IIP places students with departments in the American Psychological Association. Interns may help with literature reviews, draft policy briefs, or contribute to communications projects. You’ll gain practice in research methods, data handling, and professional writing. Group projects and workshops expose you to applied psychology in action, from clinical issues to public policy. The virtual format allows collaboration with staff and peers across locations. Most roles are part-time and can be counted for academic credit, provided they are approved.

9. Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute

Location: Cleveland, OH
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cohort Size: Typically, a small cohort
Program Dates: Flexible (including winter break)
Eligibility: High school students, 16+
Cost: Free

This opportunity lets you work in a biomedical lab by contacting a faculty mentor whose research aligns with your interests. Students may practice pipetting, microscopy, record-keeping, or computational data analysis, depending on the lab’s focus. You’ll learn how to set goals with a mentor and contribute to an active research project. Core outcomes include technical lab training, scientific documentation, and familiarity with biomedical research processes. You can identify labs as per your area of interest and email the Principal Investigator, introducing yourself, stating your preferred field, and previous work experience (if any). The schedule and duration are determined in discussion with the faculty. Experiences can range from short shadowing to multi-week involvement.

10. EnergyMag Research 

Location: Virtual
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cohort Size: Typically, a small cohort
Program Dates: Flexible (quarter-time options during winter break)
Eligibility: Sophomores–seniors, GPA > 3.25, at least one honors science/English class
Cost/Stipend: Free

In this program, interns investigate a specific renewable energy company, technology, or market trend under mentor supervision. Work involves gathering technical and financial data, assessing industry reports, and conducting expert interviews. You’ll then synthesize findings into a publishable research paper. Skills emphasized include market research, technical writing, and critical evaluation of emerging technologies. The free winter program for high school students also awards a Letter of Accomplishment to students who meet quality standards. Flexibility makes it possible to integrate into a short winter break schedule.

11. OHSU School of Medicine – Partnership for Scientific Inquiry (PSI) 

Location: Virtual
Application Deadline: December 1
Cohort Size: Typically, a small cohort
Program Dates: January 14 – May 27; June - August Internship; August Poster symposium
Eligibility: Sophomores–seniors (16+) in Oregon, Portland metro, or select WA counties
Cost: Free

This free winter program for high school students begins with structured weekly sessions where you learn to dissect peer-reviewed articles, formulate research questions, and design a project proposal. Mentors guide you through evaluating scientific evidence, identifying knowledge gaps, and presenting your own ideas. You’ll complete two formal presentations: one reviewing a published paper and one outlining your independent project. Core skills include critical reading, data interpretation, and oral presentation of scientific work. Students who continue into the summer internship complete ~250 hours of mentored research and present findings at a poster conference. The program can also award high school credit for successful completion.

12. Penn State College of Medicine – Research Internships and Observation

Location: Hershey, PA
Application Deadline: Not specified
Cohort Size: Typically, a small cohort
Program Dates: Flexible (including winter break)
Eligibility: U.S. high school students sponsored by PSCOM faculty
Cost: Free

This short, free winter program for high school students places you with biomedical researchers for one or two days. You’ll observe how faculty set up experiments, record data, and troubleshoot lab methods. The experience provides exposure to research planning, standard operating procedures, and interpretation of results. Observation also includes discussions with faculty about scientific goals and project design. While you won’t run your own experiment, you’ll see the workflow of active labs up close. Students interested in continuing may later apply for a longer-term research placement.

13. Girls Garage – Construction + Community Program

Location: Berkeley, CA
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cohort Size: 12 students
Program Dates: January 20 - March 10
Eligibility: High school girls and gender-expansive youth
Cost: Free

Construction + Community is a school-year program taking place in three 8-week sessions over the school year. The program invites high school girls and gender-expansive youth with an interest in architecture, construction trades, design, and engineering to learn technical construction skills in the context of community service. Girls Garage accepts 12 students per cohort to learn applied construction skills while working on community projects. Training covers carpentry, welding, and architectural design methods. Students collaborate to complete a built project that directly benefits local organizations or residents. The program combines technical skill-building with teamwork and project management in a real-world context. 

Image Source - New York Historical Society Logo