13 Online Summer STEM Programs for High School Students
For high school students, summer programs offer a structured way to explore interests beyond the classroom while building meaningful connections with mentors and peers. These programs allow you to gain exposure to industries, learn from professionals, and work on projects that mirror real-world challenges. Many leading colleges and organizations offer these opportunities for high schoolers, ensuring credibility and quality. Their programs often emphasize teamwork and problem-solving, making them valuable for your future academic or career goals.
For students interested in STEM, online summer programs are particularly appealing as they combine flexibility with access to cutting-edge topics. You can explore everything from computer science and engineering to medicine and data science. To simplify your search, we’ve narrowed down the top 13 online summer STEM programs for high school students.
1. Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS)
Location: Virtual (In-person session at the Baltimore Campus)
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: June and August
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
The Johns Hopkins Virtual Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS) is a 5-week online program focused on neuroscience research. Through structured sessions and educational modules, you explore topics such as brain development, neurodegenerative disorders, and mental health. The program introduces you to basic lab techniques and experimental design while allowing you to apply skills in research-based projects. Mentorship and career support are integrated to guide your learning and professional growth. At the end of the internship, you receive a certificate of completion, marking your introduction to the field of brain science.
2. Ladder Internships
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type; financial aid available
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary by cohort.
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap year students who can work for 5-10 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks
Ladder Internships is a competitive program that provides high school students with the opportunity to gain practical experience working with rapidly growing start-ups. Conducted remotely, the program connects you with companies across diverse industries, including AI/ML, deep tech, health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Many of these start-ups are backed by Y Combinator and led by founders with backgrounds at organizations like Google, McKinsey, and Microsoft. Throughout the internship, you work closely with both a start-up manager and a Ladder Coach while contributing to meaningful projects. The experience concludes with a final presentation of your work to the company, and all opportunities are listed in the application form.
3. Stanford Program for Inspiring the Next Generation of Women in Physics (SPINWIP)
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Application Deadline: May 1
Dates: July 7 – July 25
Eligibility: High school students entering grades 10–12; students of all genders are welcome to apply, with a focus on those from underrepresented backgrounds in physics.
SPINWIP is a 3-week virtual summer program offered by Stanford University, created to inspire high school students to explore physics. Through lectures and collaborative projects, you learn Python and apply it to areas such as quantum computing and astrophysics. The program also provides mentorship from Stanford faculty and undergraduates, along with workshops on STEM careers and college preparation. All sessions are interactive and designed for beginners, so no prior background in physics or programming is required. The program provides an opportunity to develop skills, explore science, and engage with a diverse academic community.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type; financial aid available | None
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts, including summer (June - August)
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort
Eligibility: High school students with a high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a selective research opportunity created for high school students interested in pursuing independent academic work. The program pairs you with a Ph.D. mentor for one-on-one guidance as you design and carry out your own research project. Over the course of 12 weeks, you participate in methodology workshops and receive support in writing a full-length paper. By the end, you will have completed and submitted an original research paper based on your chosen topic. Research areas span fields such as psychology, physics, economics, engineering, chemistry, computer science, data science, and international relations.
5. Girls Who Code
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate: Moderately selective
Application Deadline: Rolling applications
Dates:
Pathways: June 30 - August 8
Summer Immersion Program: July 7 - July 18 and July 28 - August 8
Eligibility: Girls/non-binary students currently in grades 9-12
Girls Who Code Summer Programs offer free virtual opportunities for high school students to enhance their coding skills and explore careers in technology. The 2-week Summer Immersion Program (SIP) offers live instruction in game design, UX, and computer science basics through interactive workshops. For a more flexible option, the 6-week Pathways Program is self-paced and covers areas like AI and cybersecurity using Python, HTML, and JavaScript. Both formats include mentorship from tech professionals, hands-on projects, and access to a supportive peer community. By completing the program, you gain practical coding experience, exposure to industry leaders, and membership in an alumni network that supports long-term growth.
6. NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) Internships
Location: Virtual / NASA centers across the country
Stipend: While most interns receive a stipend, some opportunities are unpaid.
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: Summer Session: Late May to August
Application Deadline: February 27
Eligibility: High school students aged 16 at the time of application with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale; U.S. citizens
NASA’s OSTEM internships offer paid opportunities for students to work part-time or full-time on STEM projects related to space exploration, technology, and science. Positions are available both remotely and at NASA facilities across the country. The program emphasizes mentorship, giving you the chance to learn directly from experienced professionals. Through hands-on work, you build practical skills while contributing to real-world research and development. With three sessions offered each year, the internships align closely with your academic background and career goals.
7. George Mason University’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: Virtual/ In-person/ Hybrid
Cost: $25 application fee
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Application Deadline: February 2
Dates: June 18 - August 8
Eligibility: 15 years or older by June 18
George Mason University’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) gives high school students the chance to pursue hands-on research with faculty mentors. During this online summer STEM program, you engage in projects across fields such as neuroscience, nanoscience, cybersecurity, machine learning, and data science for social good. The program also offers opportunities in computer science areas like software engineering, game design, and human-computer interaction. Many students present their work at conferences or contribute to published studies. Through ASSIP, you gain exposure to real-world applications of research while developing technical skills and professional experience.
8. Stanford AIMI Summer Research Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost: $850 + $40 application fee
Cohort Size/Acceptance rate: 25
Application Deadline: February 28
Program Dates: June 16 - June 27
Eligibility: Students entering 9-12 grade in the fall; over the age of 14 by the program’s start
This online summer STEM program for high school students is a 2-week program that introduces high school students to how artificial intelligence is applied in healthcare. You participate in technical lectures that cover core AI concepts and their use in medical settings, alongside daily mentorship and collaborative research projects. Guest speakers from government, academia, and industry share perspectives on emerging healthcare technologies. Career-oriented “Lunch and Learn” sessions provide guidance on opportunities at the intersection of technology and medicine. After completing the core program, you may pursue extended research, and all participants receive a Certificate of Completion recognizing their work.
9. Kode With Klossy
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Application Deadline: The program waitlist is open until the beginning of August
Dates: June - August
Eligibility: Women and gender-expansive teens aged 13-18
Kode With Klossy is a free 2-week coding camp designed for high school students of underrepresented genders in STEM. You select from four tracks—Web Development, Machine Learning, Mobile App Development, or Data Science—and gain hands-on programming experience with languages such as Python, Swift, or JavaScript. Projects include building websites, training AI models, developing iOS apps, or analyzing datasets. The program also introduces broader themes like user experience, responsive design, and algorithmic bias, linking technical skills to ethical considerations in computer science. By the end, you complete a finished project and join a supportive peer network that continues beyond camp.
10. Camp Zon by Zon Lab
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Paid program, fees not specified | None
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: July 14 - 25
Application Deadline: Typically February
Eligibility: High school or rising college freshman | 16 years of age and older | Residing in Massachusetts
Camp Zon is a 2-week paid virtual research program for high school students interested in biology and medicine. In small teams, you design and conduct a project on anemia using zebrafish as the model system, developing hypotheses, planning experiments, and analyzing live lab data. The program includes lectures from leading scientists, guidance on reading scientific papers, and coding practice for graphing results. Career mentoring is provided throughout to help you explore future pathways in science. The experience ends with a team presentation, and no prior research experience is required to participate.
11. Stanford EXPLORE
Location: Virtual/ in-person at Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost: $1,800
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Application Deadline: Registrations open on March 1
Dates: July 6 – July 24
Eligibility: Students currently in 9th-12th grade; US citizens or permanent residents with a green card
The Stanford EXPLORE Lecture Series offers high school students the chance to experience college-level science instruction from Stanford’s School of Medicine. Over four weeks, you explore topics such as immunology, neuroscience, bioengineering, and stem cell biology while learning about current research in each field. Sessions are led by faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars who present both foundational concepts and recent discoveries. The program also introduces you to possible academic and career pathways in medicine and graduate studies. While there are no tests or assignments, the coursework is challenging, so a background in biology or related sciences is recommended.
12. Biomedical Engineering Innovation: Online at Johns Hopkins
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: ≈ $4,170 | None
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Dates: Summer Session: June 22 – July 311
Application Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Current high school student; talented 9th-graders (rising sophomores) may be considered | For academic prerequisites, see here.
Johns Hopkins University’s Biomedical Engineering Innovation is a 3-credit course for high school students interested in the intersection of biology and engineering. Throughout the program, you design a biosensor, build models of the circulatory system and the human arm, and complete an independent project—choosing between a device prototype, literature review, or experimental design—culminating in a virtual poster presentation. The course emphasizes interactive, project-based learning in a fully online format. Hands-on assignments are designed to strengthen your understanding of biomedical engineering concepts and applications. Past course syllabi are available for students who want a closer look at the program’s structure and content.
13. Stanford’s A14ALL
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,000
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Application Deadline: January 24
Dates: To be announced
Eligibility: 9th-graders or rising 10th-graders in the summertime, over 14 years by the start of the program
Stanford AI4ALL is a 2-week virtual program that introduces high school students to artificial intelligence (AI) through interactive projects and applied learning. You study areas such as robotics, computer vision, natural language processing, and medical AI while gaining experience with practical AI tools. The program emphasizes collaboration, allowing you to work with peers from diverse backgrounds. Mentorship from AI experts provides both technical guidance and career insights. By the end, you’ll develop a strong understanding of how AI can solve real-world problems and shape society.
Image Source - John Hopkins Medicine Logo