15 Science Camps for High School Students
If you’re specifically looking for science camps that let you explore a subject quickly and practically, these programs can be one of the most efficient ways to do that. Instead of committing to a long pre-college course, you’ll step into a short, focused experience where you’re working through labs, simulations, design challenges, or field-based activities that reflect real scientific work. Many camps are built to give you direct exposure to how different fields operate, whether that’s biomedical research, engineering design, or public health problem-solving.
If you’re looking to see what other camps or programs are available to high school students, check out the list of our winter programs here!
How are camps different from other programs in high school?
What sets camps apart is their shorter, more targeted structure, which is ideal if you want to explore a specific area without a long-term commitment. Unlike pre-college programs that often mirror full academic courses, camps tend to focus on doing rather than covering large amounts of theory. Many are hosted by independent organizations or specific departments, which allows them to center on a single theme or skill set and build activities around it. The result is a more condensed, activity-driven experience where you can quickly figure out whether a subject genuinely interests you.
To help you find options that actually match what you’re looking for, we’ve narrowed down a list of the top 15 science camps for high school students based on their practical learning, focused structure, and overall relevance.
Quick Look
15 science camps total spanning health sciences, engineering, public health, veterinary medicine, cybersecurity, and computer science, hosted at universities and institutions including Texas A&M, NC State, the CDC, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Most camps are free to attend, including the CDC Disease Detective Camp, RxPLORE, Rice NeuroCamp, and the cybersecurity camp at Alabama; the highest-cost options are Purdue's Vet Camp ($1,600) and NC State's Engineering Residential Camps ($1,550), with need-based aid available at several
Several camps are highly selective with small cohorts, including the CDC Disease Detective Camp (27 spots from 650 to 750 applicants) and NC State's VetCAMP (40 students per in-person week)
A handful of camps have geographic or demographic restrictions, including the Alabama cybersecurity camp (Tuscaloosa area only), Camp CHLA (Los Angeles County residents), and Kode with Klossy (open to girls, gender nonconforming, and trans students)
The earliest deadlines are Camp CHLA (January 19) and Camp SOAR (February 27), so students interested in these should start their applications well before spring
1. WNE-MHC Golden Bear Summer Camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not selective; First 35 students accepted
Location: Western New England University, Center for Sciences and Pharmacy, Springfield, MA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June 22–26
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: High school students ages 13–18; Not open to international students
Golden Bear Summer Camp gives you a broad introduction to health sciences by bringing several disciplines into one exploratory experience. This science camp for high school students lets you compare fields such as pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, occupational therapy, and neuroscience through applied activities and demonstrations. Hands-on sessions like medication compounding and DNA extraction help you see how core science concepts are used in healthcare settings. You’ll also examine how different health professionals contribute to patient care, rehabilitation, and research. Alongside the scientific content, college preparation sessions help place these careers within a longer academic path.
2. University of Cincinnati – Summer Engineering Camps
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective
Location: University of Cincinnati Clifton campus, Cincinnati, OH
Cost: Varies; some free, others $125–$250 for day camps, additional costs for overnight
Dates: Multiple camps available in June and July
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Rising high school freshmen through seniors
At the University of Cincinnati, engineering is introduced through project-based challenges that push you to think like a designer, builder, and problem-solver. Across the camp, you’ll move through stages such as ideation, prototyping, testing, and refinement while working on practical design tasks in small groups. Faculty, graduate students, and industry professionals help guide the process, adding both technical instruction and real-world context. Depending on the track, you may also engage with discipline-specific activities that highlight how different engineering fields approach problems. Collaboration is a key part of the camp, so you are consistently asked to communicate ideas, revise designs, and respond to feedback. The program ends with a showcase, where you present your project and reflect on the design decisions behind it.
3. CDC Museum Disease Detective Camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 27 participants/session chosen from 650 – 750 applications
Location: CDC headquarters, Atlanta, GA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June 22 – 26 | July 20 – 24
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Juniors and seniors in high school, ages 16 and up
The CDC Museum Disease Detective Camp places you in an academically rigorous public health environment where scientific investigation drives the experience. Through outbreak simulations, case-based exercises, and data analysis activities, you’ll learn how epidemiologists study disease patterns and respond to health threats. The science camp for high school students introduces a wide range of topics, including infectious diseases, chronic illnesses, environmental health, emergency preparedness, and public health communication. Team-based work is central to the experience, so you spend time interpreting evidence, discussing responses, and presenting findings with peers. There will be sessions with CDC professionals that also help you understand how research, law, communication, and community health come together in public health work.
4. RxPLORE Camp – University of Pittsburgh
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 70-80 students
Location: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: July 23 – 25
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
RxPLORE introduces pharmacy through hands-on activities that reflect the profession’s clinical, research, and innovation-focused sides. Across the program, you’ll take part in exercises such as medication compounding, patient care simulations, and drug development tasks that make the field feel concrete and interactive. Each activity is designed to show how pharmacists work in different environments, including community settings, hospitals, and industry. Faculty and current pharmacy students guide the sessions, which gives you both technical instruction and insight into pharmacy education at the university level. There will be tours and demonstrations that help you understand how medications are prepared, tested, and delivered within larger healthcare systems. The summer experience also makes space for conversations about career paths and emerging developments in the profession.
5. Camp SOAR (Summer Opportunities in Aerospace Research)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Location: Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Cost: Not explicitly stated; $35 application fee (need-based scholarships available)
Dates: July 12–17
Application Deadline: February 27
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors (as of fall); open to international students
This science camp for high school students introduces aerospace engineering through a focused mix of design work, technical instruction, and research exposure. Early in the program, you’ll choose a track such as aircraft, rotorcraft, space mission design, or space robotics, which gives your experience a more specialized direction. Lectures by faculty provide the scientific and engineering background for the work, while project sessions ask you to apply those ideas through building, testing, and refining solutions. Facility visits strengthen that understanding by showing how research is carried out in advanced laboratories and technical spaces. Conversations with faculty and current students also help connect the camp experience to what studying aerospace engineering in college might look like.
6. COHS Summer Camp – Sam Houston State University (SHSU)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; ~60 participants
Location: Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
Cost: Accepted students will receive details of the camp fees
Dates: June 29 – July 1
Application Deadline: April 3
Eligibility: Junior and senior high school students with a minimum GPA of 3.0
COHS Summer Camp is designed for students who want to explore health sciences without limiting themselves to a single career path too early. The program introduces multiple disciplines side by side, including areas such as nursing, kinesiology, public health, and other health-related fields, so you can compare how they intersect. Workshops rely on simulations, case-based learning, and applied activities to show how professionals respond to patient needs and broader health challenges. Faculty-led sessions also highlight both clinical practice and community-centered work, while living on campus adds an extra layer by giving you a closer look at the university environment and student experience.
7. The Marillyn A. Hewson Cybersecurity Summer Camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Camp 1: June 1 – 5 | Camp 2: June 8 – 12
Application Deadline: Typically in March
Eligibility: Open to high school students in the Tuscaloosa area
This cybersecurity camp for high school students introduces how digital systems are protected by combining technical instruction with applied security challenges. You’ll explore topics such as network defense, web infrastructure, vulnerabilities, and cyber risk through guided labs and problem-solving exercises. The program is designed to support different experience levels, with options that begin with foundational concepts or move into more advanced work. That makes it useful whether you are new to cybersecurity or already looking for a more demanding challenge. Activities are aligned with real security practices, helping you connect each exercise to the broader logic of how systems are tested, monitored, and defended. Academic sessions led by the faculty also draw links between cybersecurity research, data analysis, and the practical work of responding to digital threats.
8. University of Illinois College of Medicine STEM Camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Rockford, IL
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: 1-week day camp
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High-school students who are 16 years old by May 1
At the University of Illinois College of Medicine STEM Camp, biomedical science is explored through a research-centered approach that emphasizes how scientific discovery happens in practice. You’ll work with laboratory tools, learn core safety procedures, and take part in activities that show how experiments are designed, carried out, and evaluated. The program walks you through how researchers form questions, test ideas, and interpret evidence. Demonstrations of medical and bioengineering technologies add depth by showing how innovation supports diagnosis, treatment, and research. Faculty sessions also frame these activities within larger healthcare challenges, which helps you understand why biomedical research matters beyond the lab.
9. North Carolina State University – VetCAMP
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 40 students per week for in-person camps and 250 students for the virtual camp
Location: NC State University, Raleigh, NC, or virtual
Cost: $750 for day campers; an additional $250 for overnight campers + $28 application fee for each week you apply to
Dates: Week 1: July 6 – 10 | Week 2: July 13 – 17 | Virtual: June 22 – 26
Application Deadline: April 6
Eligibility: U.S or U.S Territories Residents; Rising high school sophomore, junior, or senior (rising college freshmen are also accepted); Must be 15 years old by July 1; Students who have previously attended in-person VetCAMP are not eligible to apply for in-person VetCAMP but may still apply to Virtual VetCAMP
VetCAMP gives you a broad introduction to veterinary medicine by combining animal care activities, technical labs, and exposure to the college environment. Throughout the program, you’ll explore both small-animal clinical basics and large-animal care, which helps you understand the range of settings veterinarians may work in. Hands-on sessions with horses, sheep, and pigs expand the experience beyond household pets and show how veterinary training applies across species. Lab components such as suturing and dissection add another dimension by connecting animal health to anatomy, clinical skill, and scientific observation. Tours and college-focused sessions also help you see how veterinary interests fit into larger academic pathways at NC State.
10. Purdue University – Senior Boiler Vet Camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, West Lafayette, IN
Cost: $1,600
Dates: June 21–27
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10–12
Senior Boiler Vet Camp stands out because it organizes the week around the ongoing care of a single rescue dog, giving the experience a more continuous clinical structure. In this camp, you’ll follow one animal’s wellness journey while learning about behavior, physical exams, parasitology, anesthesia, surgery preparation, and emergency care. This case-based format helps you understand veterinary medicine as a process involving observation, decision-making, treatment, and follow-up. Industry visits, humane society exposure, and hospital tours further show how veterinary care operates across shelter and clinical environments. This science camp for high school students also includes presentation work, which encourages you to organize what you learn and communicate it clearly.
11. Camp CHLA – Health Care Career Exploration Camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; Small cohort
Location: Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Session 1: June 15 – 19 | Session 2: July 27 – 31
Application Deadline: January 19
Eligibility: Freshmen, sophomores, or juniors living in Los Angeles County
Camp CHLA introduces healthcare careers from within a major pediatric hospital, which gives the program a strong clinical and professional context from the start. Over the course of the camp, you will gain exposure to how healthcare teams function across specialties and how different roles contribute to patient care. Interactive training in areas such as CPR, first aid, and health promotion adds a practical component to the experience. Presentations from doctors, nurses, and other professionals help you understand both day-to-day responsibilities and the different educational paths that lead into healthcare. The program also focuses on communication, teamwork, and decision-making, which are essential to how hospital environments operate.
12. Heads Up – Behavioral Health Careers Camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Numerous sites across Montana
Cost: $500; Multiple scholarships available
Dates: Helena: July 12–16 | Billings: August 2–6
Application Deadline: Typically in May
Eligibility: Current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors
Heads Up introduces behavioral health through a mix of simulations, workshops, and professional perspectives that highlight both clinical care and community support. The program focuses on issues such as trauma, stress, substance use, and mental health access, helping you understand the range of challenges professionals in the field address. The camp emphasizes applied learning and asks you to consider how people are supported in real-world situations. One of its strongest components is the Teen Mental Health First Aid certification, which provides practical tools for recognizing and responding to concerns among peers. Discussions with professionals also bring attention to rural and underserved communities. As you move through the program, you’ll gain exposure to pathways such as counseling, social work, psychiatry, and related support roles.
13. NC State Summer Engineering Residential Camps
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Cost: $1,550; need-based aid is available for qualifying families with limited funds
Dates: Week 1: June 14–19; Week 2: June 21–26; Week 3: July 5–10; Week 4: July 12–17
Application Deadline: February 27
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th-grade high school students; open to international students
NC State’s Summer Engineering Residential Camps let you spend a week immersed in a specific engineering field while also experiencing campus life in a residential setting. The program covers a wide range of engineering disciplines, and each workshop is designed to give you a deeper look at one area through focused hands-on work. Depending on the topic, you might build prototypes, program robotic systems, analyze data, or conduct experiments tied to real engineering problems. Faculty and current students guide the experience, which means you are learning how engineering is studied at the college level. The camp format encourages sustained attention to one subject, which is especially useful if you want more than a general overview. Research facility tours, collaborative challenges, and a final showcase help tie together the technical, academic, and communication sides of the experience.
14. Kode with Klossy Summer Camps
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not selective; eligible applicants accepted on a first-come, first-served basis
Location: Multiple locations across the country
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Multiple two-week sessions from June to August
Application Deadline: April 7
Eligibility: Open to girls, gender nonconforming, and trans students between the ages of 13 and 18
Kode With Klossy Summer Camps introduce computer science through intensive, project-based learning designed for students from underrepresented genders in tech. Depending on the track, you may focus on web development, mobile app development, data science, or artificial intelligence and machine learning. Each pathway emphasizes building rather than just observing, so you’ll apply programming languages and technical tools to create a final product such as a website, app, chatbot, or data visualization. The curriculum also includes broader discussions around accessibility, user experience, and algorithmic bias, which helps you think more critically about how technology is built and used. Mentors and guest speakers add career context by showing how technical skills connect to different roles across the industry. By the end of the camp, you leave with a completed project.
15. Rice University NeuroCamp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: July 19 – 20
Application deadline: Applications open in March and are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis
Eligibility: All high school students
RNS NeuroCamp introduces high school students to neuroscience through a combination of academic learning, research exposure, and career-focused guidance. Throughout the program, you’ll engage with core topics such as neuron function, neurotransmission, brain anatomy, and neurological disorders through interactive sessions and demonstrations. The curriculum also extends into more specialized areas, including computational neuroscience and questions around the philosophy of mind, offering a broader perspective on the field. Alongside the theoretical components, you’ll build practical skills by independently carrying out guided experiments. The program also integrates professional development, with sessions supported by the Rice University Center for Career Development and discussions featuring neuroscientists and college students.
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Questions Students Often Ask About These Programs
1. Most of these camps only last a week or two. Is that really enough time to learn anything useful?
Yes, these camps are intentionally designed around short, focused activities rather than covering a full curriculum, so you're doing hands-on work like labs, simulations, or design challenges from day one instead of sitting through lectures for weeks before getting to the practical part. The goal is less about mastering a subject and more about getting a clear, realistic sense of what a field actually involves, which can help you decide if it's worth pursuing further through a longer program or coursework later on.
2. A few camps, like VetCAMP and Camp CHLA, only accept a small number of students. How can I make my application stand out for the more selective ones?
For competitive camps, showing genuine, specific interest in the subject matters more than a long list of activities. If you've taken relevant coursework, volunteered in a related setting, or can speak clearly about why a particular field interests you, that tends to stand out more than general enthusiasm. It's also worth applying early where possible, since several of these camps, like Camp CHLA, review applications well before their stated deadline and can fill up ahead of time.
3. Several of these camps are restricted to a specific city or region, like Tuscaloosa or Los Angeles County. What if I don't live nearby?
A good number of camps on this list have no location restriction and are open to students nationally or even internationally, including Camp SOAR, NC State's VetCAMP and Engineering camps, and Kode with Klossy, which runs sessions across multiple cities. If a camp you're interested in does have a residency requirement, like the Alabama cybersecurity camp or Camp CHLA, it's worth checking whether nearby universities or hospitals run a similar program in your own area, since several of these formats (health science exploration, engineering design, veterinary camps) are fairly common across different regions.