Internships for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 481 internships for high school students. Of these, 287 are free to participate in and 153 offer virtual participation. Examples include AAJA JCamp, AAN Neuroscience Research Prize, and Access Sacramento Podcast Producer Training.
- 481
- listed
- 287
- free
- 153
- virtual
- 471
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are internships for high school students?
- Internships for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- When are the application deadlines?
- 471 of the 481 internships listed here have a specific deadline month noted. Deadlines vary by program, so check each listing for exact dates.
- Are any of these internships free?
- Yes — 287 of the 481 internships listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 153 of the 481 internships listed here offer virtual or online participation.
Related Categories
481 activities found·Browse by category
AAJA JCamp
Free 6-day multicultural journalism camp for sophomores/juniors, fully covered.
AAN Neuroscience Research Prize
Submit a research paper on a neuroscience topic. Winners present at the American Academy of Neurology conference.
Access Sacramento Podcast Producer Training
An in-person, two-session podcast production workshop at Access Sacramento's community media center, covering technical and editorial podcast production from setup through final delivery. Open to community members, including teens, with cohorts running throughout the year.
ACS Project SEED
Paid summer research internship in chemistry and biochemistry labs for economically disadvantaged students with a $4,000 stipend.
ACS Project SEED - Northern California Sites
National, highly structured chemistry internship placing low-income HS students into real chemistry labs; many placements in Bay Area universities and companies.
AFRL Scholars Program
A paid eight-week summer research internship that places upper-level high schoolers directly with Air Force Research Laboratory scientists and engineers at sites across the U.S. to work on real research and technology projects.
AGU Bright STaRS
American Geophysical Union program inviting middle and high schoolers worldwide to present original Earth and space science research, including earthquake and seismology topics, as a poster at AGU's Annual Meeting, with complimentary conference registration included.
AI Scholar
Advanced AI/ML research program where students work 1-on-1 with graduate student mentors to complete original research projects and publish papers.
Alameda County High School Student Election Worker Program
Alameda County's Registrar of Voters allows eligible high school students to serve as paid Election Workers on Election Day, helping run polling places while earning money and gaining hands-on experience in how elections are administered.
Alameda County Science & Engineering Fair
County science fair leading to CSEF and ISEF qualification.
Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair (ACSEF)
If you live in Alameda county, this is your regional fair. Essential for qualifying for state/national genetics competitions.
Algoverse AI Research Program
A 12-week online AI research program pairing high school and college students in small teams with mentors from institutions like Stanford, OpenAI, Meta FAIR, and Google DeepMind to develop LLM-reasoning research submitted to venues such as NeurIPS and ICLR; requires Python experience and a $3,325 fee with need-based and merit scholarships.
Amache Community Archaeology High School Internship
Competitive internship at the Amache National Historic Site with professional archaeologists.
American Academy of Neurology Neuroscience Research Prize
National competition co-sponsored with the Child Neurology Society for original high school research on the brain and nervous system, judged on relevance, creativity, and data interpretation.
American Anthropological Association Virtual High School Internship
A four-week virtual spring internship run by the American Anthropological Association in which high school students research contemporary anthropological scholarship and adapt it into public-facing content for a 6th-12th grade audience, alongside a rotating secondary project focused on accessibility or public education.
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
An international nonprofit organization that trains and supports amateur and student astronomers in observing and reporting variable star brightness data used in real astrophysics research. AAVSO offers free beginner tutorials (including a no-equipment-needed 10-Star Tutorial), webinars, mentorship, and community forums for students starting in observational astrophysics.
American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive — California
ABT's intermediate/advanced training at Cal State Long Beach (day program).
American Cancer Society High School Cancer Research Program
A two-week virtual summer program (part of ACS's CICRT initiative) in which rising sophomores through seniors interested in cancer research or health professions complete case studies with the eCLOSE Institute, receive career-development support, and earn a $500 stipend.
AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP)
A year-long (August-June) paid research program for NYC 10th and 11th graders at the American Museum of Natural History, beginning with a 4-week summer institute followed by mentored research with museum scientists in fields including anthropology, astrophysics, and biology, totaling 260 hours.
Archaeological Research Institute (ARI) Internship
Semester-based internships at the Archaeological Research Institute open to high school, college, and vocational students in departments including archaeology, land stewardship, historic preservation, and education, offered as both paid and unpaid positions with academic advisor coordination available for school credit.
Archaeology Summer Scholars (Notre Dame)
Selective 1-week course doing fieldwork/lab analysis on Notre Dame's own archaeological sites.
Arete: An Introduction to the Classics (University of Dallas)
A two-week residential summer program on the University of Dallas campus for rising juniors, seniors, and recent grads to explore the Classics through readings, museum visits, and cultural excursions such as Shakespeare in the Park, earning 3 college credit hours.
ASDRP - Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program
Nonprofit research institute where HS students work on year-round or summer research projects (chemistry, materials, bio, etc.), often publishing or presenting at conferences.
ASDRP - Computational Neuroscience Track
Apply specifically to the Computational Neuroscience or Molecular Neurobiology labs. Located in Fremont.
ASDRP - Summer Research Fellowship
Formalized summer fellowship branch of ASDRP where students conduct intensive research in chemistry, materials, or related fields and often present or publish.
ASDRP (Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program)
A non-profit research institute in Fremont. You join a research group for a semester or summer. Look for the "Genetics & Genomics" department projects.
Asian Art Museum ArtSpeak Internship
Paid HS interns learn Asian art traditions, collaborate with local artists, interview museum staff on arts careers, and design/teach visitor art activities.
Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program (ASDRP)
A 3-month research program in Fremont where students conduct novel research in biology, biochemistry, and life sciences with mentorship from scientists.
Audubon Youth Leaders (California)
Paid internship where CA high schoolers develop leadership skills, do hands-on native-habitat restoration, and complete a youth-led conservation action project at an Audubon center.
Bank of America Student Leaders
Juniors/seniors work a paid 6-8 week summer internship at a local nonprofit, then attend a Leadership Summit in Washington, DC alongside Bank of America leaders.
Bar Association of San Francisco Law Academy
Yearlong legal curriculum leading into a paid six-week summer internship at law firms/public interest orgs.
BAVC Media Next Gen
Next Gen is a free semester-long after-school media program at BAVC Media in San Francisco for youth ages 14-17, distinct from BAVC's other youth offerings like Climate Warriors. Students choose a track in DSLR video production/cinematography (Factory) or frame/stop-motion animation, meet twice weekly, and can earn a $300 completion incentive while building a college-application portfolio.
Bay Area BioGENEius Challenge
The most rigorous biotechnology project competition. You must have original research (e.g., from a science fair project) to enter.
Bay Area BioGENEius Challenge (Applied Math Track)
A high-level research competition. Winning projects often use bioinformatics (statistical analysis of genetic data).
Baylor College of Medicine SMS Summer Research Program
An eight-week Houston-based lab internship for students who completed Baylor's Saturday Morning Science program, giving them full-time mentored research experience in an active BCM laboratory plus weekly professional-development sessions.
Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR) High School Summer Program
Free 1-week program at UC Berkeley covering machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, robotics, and AI ethics. Mentored by Berkeley graduate students.
Berkeley Community Media Youth Internship Program
A free, hands-on media internship for teens 13 and older at Berkeley Community Media's public-access studio, where interns learn producing, directing, camera operation, lighting, and sound while completing three studio productions over a 20-week commitment.
Berkeley Lab ALSP Chemistry Programs
Summer research opportunities at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab for high school students interested in chemistry, materials science, and energy research.
Berkeley Lab Director's Apprenticeship Program (BLDAP)
A project-based high school STEM program designed to help grades 10-11 develop 21st century skills at Berkeley Lab.
Berkeley Lab Experiences in Research (EinR)
Research placements at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab with many projects involving modeling, computation, and data analysis in scientific contexts.
BioGENEius Challenge
Biotechnology research competition for original projects in healthcare, sustainability, and environment.
Biotech Partners (East Bay)
A vocational program for Berkeley/Oakland students that places you in paid internships at companies like Bayer or Grifols.
BMES High School Poster Expo
A competitive poster presentation event at the BMES (Biomedical Engineering Society) Annual Meeting where juniors and seniors submit abstracts on biomedical engineering research, innovation, or ideas (no lab experience required) and, if accepted, present in person and receive feedback from professors, industry professionals, and admissions directors.
Boston University RISE (Research in Science & Engineering)
6-week lab immersion placing seniors with faculty in biomedical/electrical/mechanical engineering.
Boston University RISE Internship/Practicum
A six-week residential BU summer program where rising seniors either intern full-time in a university research lab or take an intensive practicum in a field such as computational neurobiology, culminating in hands-on research experience and possible science-fair-quality projects.
Broad Summer Scholars Program
A highly selective, tuition-free six-week Broad Institute program pairing Boston-area rising seniors with genomics scientists to conduct original research in areas like cancer biology, computational biology, and infectious disease.
Brookhaven National Laboratory High School Research Program (HSRP)
A competitive six-week commuter research program at Brookhaven National Lab where students who have completed 11th grade work directly with scientific and engineering staff on real DOE-mission research projects.
Buck Institute for Research on Aging (Summer Scholars)
Located in Novato. Research focuses on molecular biology of aging. Projects involve significant genetics work (CRISPR, gene expression).
C-SPAN StudentCam
A national documentary competition where students make a short film on an annual civic/political theme incorporating C-SPAN footage, with $100,000 in total prizes across 150 winners.
Calder Classics
A classics education organization offering short study-abroad immersion programs for students entering grades 10-12 (such as a week-long Latin and Roman-history program in Rome requiring at least one prior year of Latin), plus online classics courses, tutoring, and one-on-one mentorships.
California Academy of Sciences - Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program
Multi-year, paid internship where students do authentic research or environmental projects and science communication; very selective for SF youth.
California Academy of Sciences Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program
Paid multi-year internship for SF students conducting fieldwork with Academy scientists.
California Highway Patrol Explorer Program
A statewide CHP program (with posts including San Jose) for teens ages 15-20 with a 2.0+ GPA who train alongside officers in traffic safety, community outreach, and law-enforcement procedures, including ride-alongs and a regional Explorer Academy.
California Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF)
State-level science fair; qualify through county/regional fairs for prizes totaling over $30,000.
California State Assembly Student Internship Program
Students work in an Assemblymember's district office on constituent services, outreach, and civic events.
CalMatters Youth Journalism Initiative
CalMatters' Youth Journalism Initiative prepares California middle and high school students for journalism careers through in-person workshops, teacher training, and student opportunities like the JCal Student Reporter Summer Camp, which pairs a small cohort of California high schoolers with professional reporters for mentorship, legislator interviews, reporting projects, and newsroom field trips. The initiative, based at the nonprofit Sacramento newsroom CalMatters, also runs occasional video contests with cash prizes.
Caltech Earthquake Fellows
A selective Caltech Seismological Laboratory program pairing Pasadena/Alhambra-area 10th and 11th graders with earthquake scientists for roughly 130 hours across spring Saturdays and a summer weekday block. Fellows build their own Raspberry Shake seismometer, analyze real earthquake data, take field trips, and present findings at a culminating event.
Caltech Summer Research Connection (ZTF track)
6-week research placement for Pasadena USD students analyzing real Caltech telescope survey data.
Caltech YESS (Young Engineering and Science Scholars)
Intensive 6-week summer program for underrepresented students in STEM; includes physics research and mentorship.
Camp Cronkite (ASU Summer Journalism Institute)
2-week media camp rotating through writing, interviewing, visual storytelling, and electives.
Canopy Teen Urban Foresters (TUF)
Paid internship for East Palo Alto/Menlo Park high schoolers doing tree planting, pruning, and care, leading volunteer groups, and building urban-forestry career skills.
Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program
Multi-year paid internship for SF high schoolers underrepresented in STEM; interns rotate through Academy science departments, engage in citizen science and public science communication, culminating in an independent research/outreach project.
CaseCatalyst
A fully virtual four-week case competition in which high school teams solve real challenges submitted by partner startups, mentored by university students and consulting professionals, with top teams earning startup internships.
Catholic University of America Ancient Languages Online Summer Program
Live, synchronous online summer courses in Greek or Latin (plus Hebrew and other ancient languages) offered by Catholic University's Department of Ancient and Medieval Languages and Cultures. High school students are explicitly welcomed alongside undergraduates and adult learners, with courses offering up to four semesters of college-level study.
Center for American Archaeology High School Field School
A hands-on residential archaeological field school in Kampsville, Illinois, where students ages 13-17 join real excavation, laboratory analysis, and artifact identification alongside professional archaeologists across one-to-four-week sessions; no prior experience is required.
CERN High School Student Programme
3-week summer internship at CERN (Geneva) for students 16+; work with particle physicists on cutting-edge experiments.
CFI Education Young Curators Program (Mill Valley Film Festival)
A free, four-week online program for grades 9-12 held on Fridays in July, where students watch short films from around the world, engage in critical discussion, and collaborate as a jury to curate the youth-produced shorts program presented at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Chapman University Henley Lab Social Science Summer Pre-College Research Experience
A pre-college research fellowship at Chapman University's Henley Social Science Research Lab where high schoolers with a 3.5+ GPA conduct real social science research projects, developing skills in data analysis (including SPSS), academic writing, research poster design, and public presentation.
Chapman University Pharmacy Summer Research Program
Hybrid summer research program where small cohorts of high schoolers work with pharmacy faculty advisors on health-science/chemistry research projects.
Chapman University Social Science Summer Pre-College Research Experience
3.5-week research program with sociology/poli-sci faculty on real survey projects.
Chemistry-Focused Summer Youth Internship Program (SYIP)
Intensive research program described as a 9-month remote mentorship plus 4-week on-site summer internship in chemistry/biochem/materials; very structured and rigorous.
CHOP Neurology High School Scholars Program
A paid five-week internship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia pairing sophomores through seniors with a neurologist or neuroscientist mentor for a research project, clinical shadowing, and a final poster presentation. Program is paused for 2026, set to resume July 2027.
CIRM SPARK Program
Statewide, paid six-week California stem cell and regenerative medicine research internship for high schoolers, run at eleven partner institutions across CA.
Cleaver Magazine Editorial Internship
A literary magazine internship in which student editors read and vote on fiction, poetry, and nonfiction submissions, help proofread issues before publication, and write a book review, working 5-10 hours per week.
Climate Corps Leadership Institute (Watsonville Wetlands Watch)
A year-long paid internship for Watsonville high school students that builds climate action leadership through hands-on watershed and wetland work. Interns gain experience in urban forestry, habitat restoration, community science monitoring, and climate justice advocacy in the Pajaro Valley, presented in partnership with local schools.
Code For Fun – Internship and Volunteer
Organization teaching kids to code; HS students can intern or volunteer as teaching assistants and outreach helpers.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Partners for the Future
A prestigious Long Island program that pairs students, nominated during junior year, with CSHL scientist mentors for original biomedical research from September through March, sometimes leading to co-authorship on published papers.
Colonial Williamsburg Public Archaeology Institute
A free, highly selective one-week summer program (two sessions, 10 students each) for students entering grades 9-12, working alongside Colonial Williamsburg archaeologists excavating Custis Square, learning artifact identification, site recording, and interpretation, and concluding with a guided public site tour.
Columbia Zuckerman Institute BRAINYAC
Places NYC high schoolers in Columbia neuroscience labs to work one-on-one with scientist mentors on ongoing research, entered via partner-organization nomination.
Conservation Colorado Internship
Internship at Conservation Colorado, the state's largest environmental advocacy organization, for high schoolers and college students with interests spanning political science, sociology, sustainability science, and environmental science. Interns develop persuasive writing and policy-research skills supporting Colorado conservation campaigns.
Coriell Institute Summer Experience for High School Students
A paid four-week internship in Camden, NJ where high schoolers rotate through Coriell Institute's biobanking, stem cell, and molecular biology labs, learning techniques like karyotyping and DNA extraction before presenting their work.
Cornell Precollege Studies: Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1101)
A credit-bearing online Cornell University course for high school juniors and seniors providing a broad introduction to sociological perspectives, theories, and research methods, offered in multiple summer sessions through Cornell's Precollege Studies Online program.
Coro Northern California – Exploring Leadership
Transformative 6‑week summer civic leadership fellowship in San Francisco with leadership training, an internship placement at a nonprofit, business, or government agency, and a community action project; Fellows receive a stipend and work on real community issues.
COSMOS UC Davis - Cluster: Future Mobility on Ground and Air
A residential four-week COSMOS (California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science) cluster at UC Davis where students work with aerospace and mechanical engineering faculty on how ground and air vehicles are designed, including analyzing aerodynamic performance and designing quadcopters for Earth, Moon, Mars, and Titan.
COSMOS UC Davis - Cluster: Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
A residential four-week COSMOS cluster at UC Davis (5:1 student-to-faculty ratio) that introduces students to engineering mechanics through hands-on labs, field activities, and lectures taught by UC faculty researchers.
COSMOS UC Davis - Cluster: Sustainable Transportation
A residential four-week COSMOS cluster at UC Davis focused on sustainable transportation engineering, giving students hands-on labs and field activities exploring civil and environmental engineering approaches to transportation systems, taught by UC Davis faculty researchers.
CS@Mines High School Summer Internship & Programming Project
Colorado School of Mines hosts high school students for summer computer science research internships (scholarship-funded at $20/hour for selected applicants, with topics including AI, robotics, cybersecurity) and a 5-week virtual computer programming project program ($200) where students build a CS project in teams. Priority application deadline April 10.
CSPA Summer Journalism Workshop (Columbia University)
Reporting, editorial leadership, digital media, design, and broadcast journalism; in-person or virtual.
CSSSA Film Program
Month-long pre-professional filmmaking program at Cal Poly Pomona; students shoot two short films.
CU Anschutz Department of Pediatrics Summer Research
Summer research opportunity for high school seniors (must be 18+ at start of program) at Children's Hospital Colorado and the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, working in faculty labs on developmental biology and pediatric medicine projects. Application typically due February 1.
CU Boulder Science Discovery – STEM Research Experience
Seven-week summer program at the University of Colorado Boulder where high school students work 15-20 hours per week alongside graduate students and faculty on real research projects in biology, engineering, neuroscience, and other STEM fields, plus a research methods class on finding and evaluating scientific articles. Concludes with a STEM Research EXPO where students present their poster.
CURYJ Homies 4 Justice (H4J)
A 15-week paid internship in Oakland for youth ages 14-18 impacted by incarceration, immigration, or foster care systems, providing political education, healing-centered leadership development, and training in community organizing for alternatives to incarceration.
Dance Academy Summer Intensive — Colburn School
2-week ballet-focused intensive in downtown LA for intermediate/advanced dancers.
Data Science Institute Summer Lab (University of Chicago)
A paid eight-week summer research program in which Chicago-area high school students are paired with a UChicago Data Science Institute mentor to conduct applied data-science research across domains such as public policy, climate, and biomedicine.
Dauphin Island Sea Lab Residential Marine Science Class
A four-week residential marine science immersion on Alabama's Gulf Coast for rising 9th-12th graders, combining over 160 hours of fieldwork, labs, and lectures in oceanography and marine ecology, with need- and merit-based scholarships available.
Davidson Fellows (Science)
Prestigious scholarship program awarding up to $50,000 for significant original research projects in biology and science fields.
Davis Media Access Production Internship
A six-month internship for high school juniors and seniors at Davis Media Access, learning to capture and edit footage for cable programming and social media; typically completed for school credit through a partnership with Davis Joint Unified School District.
Debbie Allen Dance Academy Summer Intensive
4-week LA dance intensive across ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, African, musical theater.
Delaware BioGENEius Challenge
A state-affiliate biotechnology research competition run by the Delaware Biotechnology Institute at the University of Delaware, feeding into the International BioGENEius Challenge with original biotech/genetics research.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science – Teen Science Scholars
Selective paid internship that places 20 high schoolers from underserved or underrepresented backgrounds into the Museum's Science Division each year, doing real scientific work alongside Museum scientists and exploring museum and STEM careers. Includes a stipend of about $1,800 per session plus professional development in public speaking and college planning.
Design Your Life with Philosophy (Stanford Pre-Collegiate)
2-week live-online course crafting a personal "life philosophy."
Dickinson College Commentaries High School Online Internship
A six-week unpaid virtual internship for rising high school juniors and seniors who have completed Latin 3, contributing to the Dickinson College Commentaries website by editing vocabulary and notes, adding media, and creating content for classical Latin and Greek texts (Catullus, Vergil, Augustine, and others) alongside professional classicists.
Dow Jones News Fund Multimedia Journalism Workshop at LMU
11-day residential broadcast workshop producing a live news broadcast, aimed at students facing career-access barriers.
Duke Cell Biology Academy (CeBA)
Paid 6-week summer research program for Research Triangle-area high schoolers to conduct mentored cell and molecular biology research in Duke University labs.
Duke Clinical Research Institute STAR Program
A summer program at the Duke Clinical Research Institute that exposes high school and college students to clinical research methods and the operations behind large-scale medical studies.
Duke University Neuroscience Experience (DUNE)
A full-time paid summer neuroscience research internship at Duke University for Durham-area sophomores and juniors, pairing students with faculty mentors in active Duke neuroscience labs plus professional-development workshops.
EarthCache
A free, worldwide geology-focused offshoot of geocaching, developed with the Geological Society of America. Participants use GPS coordinates to visit geologically significant real-world sites, answer earth-science questions about what they observe, and can complete self-paced EarthCache Academy lessons on topics like geologic time, fossils, and earthquakes.
EarthEcho Water Challenge
Global citizen-science initiative empowering students to test local water quality (turbidity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen) and submit findings to a public database that informs local water-protection projects.
Earthwatch Ignite
Earthwatch program offering 12-14 day field research expeditions across the U.S. that pair high school students from underserved schools and communities with practicing scientists on live conservation research projects.
Earthwatch Teen Expeditions (Ignite Fellowship)
Fully-funded field research expeditions run by the nonprofit Earthwatch Institute that place high schoolers alongside professional scientists studying conservation topics like wildlife, climate, and habitat protection.
Ecology Project International (EPI)
Nonprofit that runs 5-14 day field ecology expeditions in biodiverse ecosystems (Yellowstone, Costa Rica, Baja, the Galápagos) where high school students conduct hands-on conservation research alongside professional scientists and local land managers.
Economics for Leaders Virtual (Foundation for Teaching Economics)
The remote version of FTE's Economics for Leaders program for current high school sophomores and juniors, delivering the same economic-reasoning and leadership curriculum online for students unable to attend an in-person site, with optional college credit.
EDIT AI Summer Internship Program
A hybrid computational research internship where high school students with prior machine learning exposure use Python and AI/ML techniques to analyze biomedical data such as pathology images and genomic sequences, mentored by researchers at partner sites including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Elmseed Consulting High School Fellowship
A virtual fellowship for students in grades 9-12 with a 3.0+ GPA and demonstrated interest in consulting, combining weekly instructional sessions, pre-session readings, and small-group case discussions with a capstone case competition where teams present business solutions to judges.
Emerging Filmmakers: Digital Filmmaking Summer Institute — UCLA
3-week intensive writing/shooting/editing a short narrative film on UCLA's campus.
Emerson College Pre-College Journalism Institute
1-5 week sessions for students building/improving a school publication.
Enterprise for Youth: Job Readiness Training
A San Francisco nonprofit workshop series that prepares high school students for the workforce through interview practice, resume building, and workplace-readiness training; it serves as the entry point into Enterprise for Youth's paid internship placements, and students earn a completion stipend.
Enterprise for Youth: Paid Internship Program
A San Francisco nonprofit's paid internship placement program for high school juniors and seniors, offering roles across industries such as tech, retail, healthcare, and small business. Interns complete 75 hours (about 12 hours/week) with weekly professional development workshops and job coach support.
Exoplanet Watch (NASA)
A NASA citizen-science project in which volunteers, including complete beginners, observe exoplanet transits with their own telescope or request free archival/robotic-telescope data, analyze the resulting light curves with NASA's free EXOTIC software, and submit results to a shared scientific database.
FACES for the Future at San Francisco
A school-year academic program at John O'Connell and Mission High Schools pairing SFUSD juniors and seniors with public-health and clinical internship placements (Health Scholars and Public Health Youth Corps pathways), workshops, and professional certifications to build a pipeline into healthcare careers.
FACES Summer Medical Academy (Samuel Merritt University)
A two-week, in-person summer program at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland exposing high schoolers (15+) to medicine, nursing, and allied health through clinical skills training, anatomy workshops, and patient simulations, with certifications in Stop the Bleed and opioid overdose intervention.
Fermilab Friends Summer Internship
Summer research internship at Fermilab for students interested in particle physics and accelerator science.
FIRST Global Challenge
An international robotics olympics-style event with typically one team per country tackling a global-challenge-themed game each year, emphasizing international collaboration on grand challenges.
Foodwise Teens
A free youth development program from the San Francisco nonprofit Foodwise (formerly CUESA) that trains SFUSD high school students in sustainable food systems through three tracks: Seed (foundational after-school learning), Grow (teen-led projects), and Cultivate (paid summer job placements with mentorship in gardens, kitchens, and farmers markets).
Foothill College Independent Study in Astronomy (ASTR 70R–73R)
A student-designed independent research option within Foothill College's astronomy department that lets dual-enrolled high schoolers contract with an instructor to carry out their own astronomy research project for transferable college credit.
Foundation for Teaching Economics: Environment & the Economy
A residential FTE summer program held at university campuses nationwide for high school sophomores and juniors, using lectures, hands-on classroom activities, case studies, and a field trip to teach a rational, economics-based approach to environmental issues alongside leadership skills.
Fox Chase Cancer Center Immersion Science Program
Free Philadelphia-based laboratory training program for high schoolers 16+, including a hands-on molecular biology training lab and an advanced Summer Fellows research track.
Fred Hutch Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP)
A paid eight-week Seattle-based cancer research internship for 11th-12th graders with little to no prior research experience, opening with two weeks of lab-technique training before mentored work in a Fred Hutch research group.
Freedom Archives Internships
Nonprofit archive in San Francisco focused on social-justice and radical-history media. Internships help with archival research and digitization.
Galaxy Zoo (Zooniverse)
A Zooniverse citizen-science project, active since 2018, in which volunteers classify the shapes of distant galaxies from telescope images, including new imagery from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, to help astronomers study how galaxies form and evolve.
Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces - Summer Research
7-week paid research at Stony Brook University; polymer physics and materials science projects for HS students.
Garcia Summer Scholars Program
7-week Stony Brook materials/mechanical engineering research at the Garcia Center.
GeneLab for High Schools (NASA Ames)
Summer program at NASA Ames analyzing spaceflight genomics data with a capstone symposium competition.
Generation Human Rights (GenHR) Student Internship
A remote internship with the nonprofit Generation Human Rights in which high school and university students help develop human rights education curricula, conduct research, and support organizational projects.
Genesys Works Bay Area
A nonprofit connecting underserved Bay Area high school juniors and seniors with eight weeks of business-technology and professional-development training followed by a paid, year-long internship at a partner company plus 60+ hours of college and career coaching.
Genetics Immersion Program (University of Michigan)
A free six-week summer research program in which high schoolers are paired with a Ph.D. or postdoctoral mentor in the University of Michigan Department of Human Genetics to design and run an original genetics research project, with a stipend, free transportation, and daily meals provided.
Genome Science Camp (Cold Spring Harbor DNA Learning Center)
An advanced hands-on genomics camp at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's DNA Learning Center for students entering grades 11-12 with a genetics or AP Biology background, who manufacture Taq DNA polymerase and use it in PCR-based genomic analysis of several organisms.
Genspace Biorocket Youth Research Internship
A community-lab internship teaching genetic-engineering and biology lab skills plus science communication, with scientific mentors, lab tours, and field trips.
Georgetown Law Academy
Two-week residential law/government program with Supreme Court visits.
Getty Museum Teen Gallery Guides
Paid interns learn to research and lead gallery talks/tours at the Getty Center/Villa, building public speaking and art-history skills with museum professionals.
Glisten National Student Council
A national youth leadership program run by Glisten (formerly GLSEN) for LGBTQ+ and ally high schoolers in grades 9-12 to build advocacy and leadership skills and help shape the organization's programs addressing school climate, racial justice, gender justice, and disability justice. Selected students receive a $1,000 stipend for their year of service on the council.
GLOBE Program (NASA)
Free international citizen-science program in which students collect and submit standardized environmental observations on atmosphere, water, soil, and land cover that feed a global database used by researchers and scientists worldwide.
GLSEN National Student Council
A paid national leadership program in which LGBTQ+ and allied high school students advise GLSEN on its programs, resources, and school-safety strategy. Members meet regularly, give feedback on GLSEN's work, and lead advocacy projects in their own communities.
Gnomon Digital Arts Summer Camp – Animation
A five-day high school summer camp at Gnomon School of VFX, Games & Animation in North Hollywood where students (grades 10-12) learn 3D character animation and visual effects in Autodesk Maya from working industry artists.
Golden Gate STEM Fair
Regional science fair pathway to CSEF and ISEF for Bay Area high school students.
Golden Gate STEM Fair (GGSF)
The ISEF-affiliated fair for the SF Bay Area. You must enter the "Biological Sciences" category with a genetics project.
GRAMMY Camp – Los Angeles
A seven-day, non-residential music industry intensive run by the GRAMMY Museum Foundation at Westlake Studios in Los Angeles. High schoolers with existing skills apply to a Music Production track (plus Songwriting, Performance, or Music Business) and work with industry professionals on real recording projects.
GRAMMY Museum Songwriting Sessions
A free five-day non-residential songwriting workshop for currently enrolled high schoolers, hosted by the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. Students build foundational songwriting, production, and music-business skills through hands-on sessions led by music industry professionals.
GRIPS at Stanford
GRIPS is a roughly 8-week research-intensive program placing HS students in Stanford labs; similar rigor to SIP/SIMR.
GSPA Summer Media Academy
A one-week in-person academy at the University of Georgia (run by the Georgia Scholastic Press Association) where high schoolers choose a track in Broadcast Journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Entertainment and Media Studies, or Advertising and PR, producing broadcast shows, news pieces, and short films.
Hands-On Health (Ridgeline Pathways)
A free four-day, in-person healthcare exploration program for low-income 11th and 12th graders in Contra Costa County focused on nuclear medicine and medical imaging, culminating in a $400 completion stipend and held partly at the Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences.
HEAL Internship Program (Alameda Health System HealthPATH)
A clinical-rotation workforce internship for Oakland high schoolers at Alameda Health System's Highland Hospital, exposing students to fields like emergency medicine, pediatrics, and nursing, with elective school credit and a stipend or scholarship for successful completers via the OUSD partnership.
Heal the Bay – MPA Watch Internship
Ten-week summer internship at Heal the Bay's Science, Policy, and Outreach Department in Santa Monica, California. Interns conduct field surveys at Marine Protected Areas, contribute to coastal conservation research, and gain experience in environmental social science and policy. Unpaid with a transportation stipend; runs early June through early August.
HealthX Fellowship (Ridgeline Pathways)
A free six-month, out-of-school healthcare career pathway for Contra Costa County 11th and 12th graders (priority to Richmond residents), combining weekly afterschool sessions, BLS certification, mentorship, and a completion stipend, with no GPA or prior healthcare experience required.
High School Archaeology Camp (Crow Canyon)
Residential camp excavating an actual Ancestral Pueblo site in Colorado.
High School Fed Challenge
Teams research an assigned economic theme (2025-26: "economics of music") and write podcast scripts, with top entries published in the Fed's Journal of Future Economists.
High School Field School (Center for American Archeology)
Multi-week residential real excavation/lab work in Kampsville, Illinois.
High School Health Research Challenge (HSHRC)
A virtual competition run by the High School Health Research Forum in which full-time students in grades 9-12 worldwide submit original, evidence-based proposals addressing a societal health issue; the 2026 season was listed as forthcoming as of this research.
History Unfolded: US Newspapers and the Holocaust
A nationwide citizen-history project from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum inviting students to research how local U.S. newspapers reported on Holocaust-era events and upload articles to a national database.
Hoover Institution Student Fellowship
Selective fellowship at Stanford's Hoover Institution where students work with scholars on economic policy research projects.
Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program
An eight-week paid summer mentorship sponsored by the American Fisheries Society that pairs high school students with local fisheries professionals for hands-on aquatic and fisheries science fieldwork.
IceCube Masterclass
A one-day international program for high school seniors with a strong interest in physics, held at host research institutions, combining lectures on particle astrophysics with hands-on analysis of real data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole and a virtual session connecting with student groups at other host sites worldwide.
iCLEM (Introductory College Level Experience in Microbiology)
6-8 week paid biotech internship in Emeryville labs, heavy wet-lab work (chemistry + microbiology + biofuels); very selective and supports low-income students.
iD Tech – Digital Music and Beats
A live, virtual private-lesson course from iD Tech where teens (ages 10-19) learn beat-making and digital music production software one-on-one with an instructor from home, a flexible remote option for students who can't attend an in-person studio program.
iGEM High School Competition
International synthetic biology team competition where students design and build biological systems.
Immerse Education: Entrepreneurship Summer School – San Francisco
A two-week residential 'Career Insights Pathway' program for students ages 15-18, based at UC Berkeley with excursions across the San Francisco Bay Area, featuring 45 hours of project-based entrepreneurship teaching, weekly 1:1 coaching, industry visits, and a personal project for college/CV applications, in small classes of 7-10 students.
Immerse Education: Psychology Summer Program
A pre-university psychology summer course for students aged 13-18, held on campuses in Cambridge, Oxford, and other global locations (with an online option), offering small-group, university-style teaching in psychology and an optional academic reference letter.
INSIGHT High School Program (Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center)
A four-week virtual summer program from the University of Washington's Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center introducing students entering grades 10-12 to public health, biomedical research, and medicine through an injury/violence-prevention research capstone project.
Inspirit AI Research Program
1:1 mentorship completing an independent AI research project through experimentation.
InStAR Astronomy Research Seminar
Virtual team-based research reducing real telescope data, co-authoring a peer-reviewed paper.
Interlochen Arts Camp – Animation
A three-week residential program at Interlochen Center for the Arts (Michigan) where high schoolers (grades 9-12) create digital animated shorts using industry-standard software in the 26,000-square-foot DeRoy Center for Film Studies, ending in a public screening.
Interlochen Arts Camp – Music Production & Engineering
A three-week residential program at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan where high schoolers (grades 9-12) record, mix, and produce music in professional studios using Pro Tools and Logic Pro, working on live recording sessions with expert faculty.
International / USA Brain Bee
Live Q&A neuroscience competition for high schoolers testing knowledge of the brain, neuroanatomy, histology, MRI, and patient-diagnosis skills, running through local, regional, national, and international levels.
International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC)
A free citizen-science program in which student teams analyze real telescope imaging data using Astrometrica software to search for and report new asteroids. Month-long campaigns run several times a year and student discoveries can result in official credit and provisional asteroid designations.
International BioGENEius Challenge
The most prestigious high school biotech research competition, entered via 13 state partner competitions or an At-Large virtual track with original research in drug discovery, genetic engineering, or environmental sustainability.
International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) - U.S. Teams
One of the 12 International Science Olympiads, with the U.S. sending two four-student teams selected via top NACLO performance to compete in individual and team analytical linguistics contests.
International Neuroscience Olympiad (INO)
Global brain-science competition using exams, events, and collaborative learning to make neuroscience accessible to students worldwide.
International Public Policy Forum (IPPF)
Teams of 3-6 research and write a policy debate brief on a global issue, advancing through written elimination rounds to live oral debates in NYC.
Iowa Lyceum
Free week-long virtual philosophy camp from the University of Iowa.
IRIS Seismographs in Schools Program
An NSF-funded program (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology) that places real educational seismometers in classrooms so students can access and analyze real-time seismic data from around the world. Several Northern California schools, including in the Sacramento area, participate by hosting a seismometer and using it in coursework.
Irish Weather Rescue
Zooniverse citizen-science project run by Met Éireann (Ireland's national meteorological service) with the Adler Planetarium, University of Minnesota, and University of Oxford. Volunteers transcribe handwritten historical rainfall ledgers online to digitize over 3.5 million observations and help reconstruct Ireland's historical climate record.
Island School Summer Term (Cape Eleuthera Institute)
Six-week residential marine and human ecology program in The Bahamas for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, including PADI scuba certification and field research on mangroves, reefs, and sustainable systems.
JA All About Cars
A single-session Junior Achievement of Northern California learning experience that teaches high schoolers to be smart consumers when purchasing a first car, covering true ownership costs, financing versus leasing, and evaluating whether a dream car fits their budget.
JA Career Success
A Junior Achievement of Northern California learning experience in which high school students act as interns in a simulated company, Orbit Boom, rotating through departments to practice workplace skills like goal-setting, collaboration, and problem-solving.
JA Job Shadow
A Junior Achievement of Northern California experience that uses design-thinking activities to help high schoolers explore career paths and connect with local business professionals, culminating in a self-designed individualized career plan.
JA Marketing Principles 1
A one-semester Junior Achievement of Northern California course introducing high schoolers to marketing fundamentals through guest speakers, coaching, and project-based case studies; the course has received UC A-G articulation approval.
JA Personal Finance
A Junior Achievement of Northern California course covering earning, budgeting, saving, credit, debt, and investing across eight core sessions plus three optional modules, helping high schoolers connect today's financial decisions to their future financial well-being.
Jackson Hole Science Expedition (Teton Science Schools)
A 26-day field ecology expedition for students in grades 10-12 based at Teton Science Schools' Kelly Campus in Grand Teton National Park, combining wildlife and ecosystem study with an independent field research project, a Yellowstone camping trip, and a capstone backcountry backpacking expedition.
JBEI iCLEM (Introductory College Level Experience in Microbiology)
Held at the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville. Focuses on synthetic biology and microbial genetics. Paid stipend provided.
JBEI iCLEM Program (Berkeley Lab)
Paid summer microbiology/biotechnology intensive for underrepresented students featuring hands-on biofuels research with a $3,000 stipend.
Jefferson Lab High School Summer Honors Program
A paid six-week research internship at Jefferson Lab where local high schoolers conduct mentored physics and engineering research alongside lab scientists.
Joffrey West Summer Intensive
LA summer intensive blending concert and commercial dance styles, audition-based.
John Muir Health Young Healers High School Internship Program
A job-shadowing and career-exploration internship for high school juniors and seniors from partner Contra Costa school districts, offered as a 6-week spring session or 2-week summer session at John Muir Health facilities.
Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Science (JHIBS)
An eight-week Johns Hopkins summer internship placing high schoolers in neuroscience labs to work on projects related to brain imaging and neurological disease under faculty and postdoc mentorship.
Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS)
An eight-week paid summer research internship for Baltimore high school juniors/seniors in neuroscience and mental health medicine.
Johns Hopkins Summer Academic Research Experience (SARE)
An eight-week paid biomedical research internship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine designed for high schoolers from low-income and under-resourced backgrounds, combining lab research with coursework in scientific writing, data analysis, and bioethics.
JSHS (Junior Science & Humanities Symposium) - NorCal
Research presentation competition. You must submit an original neuroscience research paper to compete.
JTA Teen Journalism Fellowship
A free, remote fellowship from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency for U.S. Jewish high schoolers ages 15-18 to pitch and report a 750-1,000 word article examining their community through a Jewish teen lens, with training and virtual mentorship meetings.
Judith River Dinosaur Institute Dinosaur Digs
6-day campout excavating real Jurassic dinosaur bones in Montana.
Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (JSHS) - Northern California
Research paper competition at SF State where top presenters win scholarships and advance to nationals.
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) - Northern California Region
Selective research paper and presentation competition; NorCal regional winners advance to nationals; strong chemistry category.
Kaiser Permanente KP LAUNCH
Paid summer internship. You must apply to the "Laboratory" or "Research" tracks to get exposure to medical genetics/pathology.
KALW Teen Podcasting Institute
KALW public radio's Teen Podcasting Institute is a paid summer fellowship where San Francisco Bay Area high school students learn reporting, interviewing, scriptwriting, and audio production to create episodes of 'tbh: by, about, and for teenagers,' a podcast broadcast on KALW. Fellows attend in-person workshops at KALW's San Francisco studio four days a week over six weeks and receive a stipend.
KIDS FIRST! Youth Film Critics Team
A national program where kids and teens who love film join KIDS FIRST!'s film critics team to write reviews and produce on-camera video critiques of children's and family entertainment, with their reviews and ratings published on the organization's platforms.
L.A. Times High School Insider
CA students get their own WordPress account to publish under the LA Times banner.
LA Conservation Corps — Clean & Green
Paid crew-based program where LA teens do community beautification: tree/garden maintenance, graffiti removal, and recycling collection, building job and environmental-stewardship skills.
La Jolla Playhouse Conservatory (Senior)
3-week pre-professional acting intensive with Playhouse artist mentoring.
Ladder Internships
Tech internship matching platform connecting high school students with Bay Area startups for data science and analytics roles.
Las Cumbres Observatory – 100 Global High School Teams
A Las Cumbres Observatory education program that gives high school student teams free access to LCO's global network of 0.4-meter robotic telescopes to observe galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters, with online training in astronomical data-analysis tools such as SalsaJ and TopCAT.
Lawrence Berkeley Lab - Experiences in Research (EinR)
A 6-week paid summer internship at Berkeley Lab where students work on cutting-edge STEM projects alongside expert mentors, earning $500/week.
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - Experiences in Research (EinR)
6-week, selective internship placing students in LBNL research groups (chemistry, materials, energy, etc.) with a weekly stipend.
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab High School Internship
Paid summer research internship at Berkeley Lab. CS students work on data analysis, machine learning for scientific computing, and visualization.
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab: Experiences in Research
Paid 6-week internship for Northern CA students on data science/computational research.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - High School Internship
Summer research internship at Berkeley Lab; projects in physics, materials science, and computation.
Lawrence Hall of Science - Teen Research Programs
Summer research programs exploring cutting-edge science at UC Berkeley.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - Biotech Summer Experience
Two-week intensive biotech/experimental biology program with substantial lab work and molecular techniques, drawing on chemistry fundamentals.
LBNL Computing Sciences Summer Internships
Summer research internships at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab focused on scientific computing, data science, and computational mathematics.
Leadership in Civic Engagement – Monterey County Elections High School Summer Internship
Week-long summer internship at the Monterey County Elections Department. Students receive professional training, learn about election administration and civic engagement, and design youth outreach activities.
LegiSchool Civics Virtual Institute (Sacramento State & California State Legislature)
Four-week online summer institute for California high school students exploring state policy issues and the three branches of government. Includes discussions with officials, research on CA policy, and professional skills workshops; students receive a stipend upon completion.
Lily McKee High School Fellowship (Folger Shakespeare Library)
A spring fellowship for DC-metro-area high school students to conduct original literary research at the Folger Shakespeare Library, using its rare books, manuscripts, and digital collections under guidance from Folger scholars, centered on a different Shakespeare play each year.
LiMPETS Citizen Science Program
CA program monitoring rocky intertidal/sandy beach ecosystems with real conservation data.
LINC Summer High School Program — SEJI (Science & Environmental Justice Intensive)
3-week intensive where SF Bay Area teens study environmental justice and climate science at a Marin County field station and in San Francisco, earning a completion stipend.
LINC Summer High School Program — SOL (Summer of Outdoor Leadership)
6-week paid summer program where Bay Area teens build outdoor leadership and environmental education skills across Golden Gate National Parks sites.
LLNL Biotechnology Summer Experience
A free two-week program engaging students in an authentic molecular-biology/bioinformatics research project isolating, characterizing, and sequencing duckweed genes.
Local Summer Archaeological Field School (Foothill College)
Free 10-day field school teaching survey/excavation at Clear Lake, CA sites.
Lockheed Martin High School Internship Program
A paid 9+ week summer internship at Lockheed Martin Space's Sunnyvale, CA facility where students at least 16 years old work alongside aerospace scientists and engineers on real projects, plus mentoring, professional development workshops, and facility tours; applications open November through early January.
Los Angeles Center of Photography Summer Camp Certificate for Teens
An in-person certificate program at the Los Angeles Center of Photography for students ages 12-18 with no prior experience required, consisting of one foundational course plus two elective courses in photography completed within a single summer term.
LSU Virtual Math Circle
A virtual research-oriented course where high schoolers study material beyond the standard curriculum with a research focus.
Lumiere Education – Economics Research Mentorship
Selective 1:1 mentorship program where you design and execute an original research project in economics and produce a paper or similar output.
Lumiere Education – Linguistics Research Mentorship
A selective, fully virtual research program pairing high schoolers with a PhD mentor in linguistics for a 12-week, one-on-one independent research project culminating in an original paper.
Lumiere Research Scholar Program
12-week 1-on-1 research program where students work with PhD mentors from top universities to conduct original CS research and write research papers.
Manovill Seminar (JFCS Holocaust Center of San Francisco)
A high school seminar run by the JFCS Holocaust Center in San Francisco that examines the Holocaust and the Cambodian genocide, exploring patterns of genocide, Jewish identity, and antisemitism through survivor testimony, archival research, and guided discussion. Students complete a culminating project applying seminar themes and can continue into the Center's Conversation Circle, meeting Holocaust survivors directly through the William J. Lowenberg Speakers Bureau.
Marine Science Careers + Internship Academy
Weeklong (and multi-week) academy where teens explore intertidal ecology, animal husbandry, lab investigations, and shipboard research aboard Ocean Institute vessels.
Max Planck Florida Institute (MPFI) Summer Research Internship
A six-week full-time paid internship in neuroscience (also scientific-programming and mechanical-engineering tracks) with hands-on wet-lab work including genetic engineering, histology, and microscopy.
Mayo Clinic HERO (Healthcare Experience and Research in Oncology)
A two-week virtual Mayo Clinic program where Midwest high school students collaborate with peers on a genetics-based cancer research project and a patient case study to explore oncology and clinical care.
MediaWise Teen Creator Network (Poynter)
A free virtual newsroom run by the Poynter Institute where teens ages 13-20 research and produce social-media fact-checks and media-literacy content for platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube; it evolved in 2026 from the original Teen Fact-Checking Network.
Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute (Cherubs)
4-week residential institute for rising seniors covering reporting/writing/multimedia under working journalists.
MGH Youth Neurology Education and Research Program (YNERP)
A paid summer research internship at Massachusetts General Hospital's Department of Neurology, pairing high schoolers with neurologist mentors on projects in brain imaging, cognitive neuroscience, and neurological disorders. Open only to students living or studying in Massachusetts.
Missouri University Journalism Workshop
A one-week residential summer workshop at the University of Missouri School of Journalism where high schoolers learn 'The Missouri Method' through hands-on instruction in writing, interviewing, audio, podcasting, video, and investigative reporting, culminating in original reporting projects with instructor coaching.
MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute – Serious Games Development with AI
A selective four-week in-person MIT summer program (following an online prerequisite) where high school students with Python proficiency build an AI-driven disease-outbreak simulation game, learning software development practices, UI design, and AI's role in game mechanics.
MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
Prestigious 4-week STEM program at MIT with courses in AI, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles, and quantum computing. Requires online prerequisite courses.
MIT PRIMES-USA
A free, year-long remote mentored research program from MIT's math department in which high school juniors and sophomores from outside the Boston area work on original, unsolved math problems with guidance from MIT researchers.
MIT Research Science Institute (RSI)
Extremely selective 6-week residential research program; many students do physics/astrophysics projects with mentors.
MOCA Teens
A paid, cohort-based program at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles in which high school juniors and seniors learn about contemporary art and museum work by collaborating on projects with artists, planning public teen events, and meeting museum professionals.
Modus Ponens Institute Intro to Philosophy Camp
4-day live online camp for beginners, no background required.
Mosaic Journalism Workshop
Mosaic is a free youth journalism training program based at San Jose State University serving greater San Jose area high school and community college students. It runs an intensive two-week summer workshop covering reporting, writing, photography, videography, and podcasting, plus paid fall/spring internships and boot camps for student newspaper staff.
Mountain Rain or Snow
NASA- and Desert Research Institute-backed citizen science project (started as Tahoe Rain or Snow) where volunteers text or use a web app during winter storms to report whether precipitation is rain, snow, or a mix, helping researchers improve mountain precipitation forecasting models used across the Sierra Nevada and other US mountain regions.
MSEFCU Student-Run Branches (Merced, CA)
Merced School Employees Federal Credit Union operates student-staffed teller branches inside four Merced-area high schools, where enrolled students ages 14-17 handle real deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and loan payments under supervision while creating financial-education social media content.
MSK HOPP Summer Student Program
A highly selective eight-week paid lab internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for NYC-area high school juniors, where students conduct an independent, mentor-supported cancer research project in a translational oncology lab.
MSU Denver Art + Action Lab High School Internship
Paid internship at MSU Denver's Center for Visual Art that gives Denver-area high school students an inside look at careers across the arts (curation, installation, programming, education) through hands-on work alongside professional museum staff.
MTC Bay Area High School Internship Program
A paid summer internship placing Bay Area high schoolers with regional transportation, city planning, and public works agencies across nine counties, where students gain hands-on experience in transportation and urban planning and present a capstone project.
Music Production Boot Camp (Music for All)
A hands-on residential music production camp at Ball State University where high schoolers learn Pro Tools, Ableton, professional recording sessions, and game-audio design in a 10,000-square-foot studio facility, run by the nonprofit Music for All.
NABJ JSHOP (High School Journalism Workshop)
Free multi-day workshop at NABJ's annual convention city with professional mentors.
NASA Ames (Moffett Field) - OSTEM High School Internships
Competitive NASA internships in research areas including materials and atmospheric science, which are chemistry-heavy; located in Silicon Valley.
NASA L'SPACE Mission Concept Academy (MCA)
Virtual 15-week program where students work in teams to develop mission concepts for NASA. Focuses on systems engineering, project management, and technical design.
NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) Internships
Paid internships across NASA centers (incl. JPL, Ames in CA) on engineering/aerospace projects.
NASA SEES (STEM Enhancement in Earth Science)
A competitive NASA-affiliated internship hosted by UT Austin's Center for Space Research for high school sophomores and juniors, combining online coursework with a two-week on-site research experience analyzing NASA satellite and mission data.
NASA SEES (STEM Enhancement in Earth Science) Internship
Free virtual NASA internship where students use real NASA satellite data and computational tools to study Earth science phenomena.
National Academy Foundation – Academy of Finance
Career academy within participating high schools teaching finance, banking, and entrepreneurship, requiring an 80+ hour internship and earning NAFTrack Certification.
National Student Leadership Conference: Law & Advocacy
A selective 9-day residential pre-college program at Georgetown University or the University of Michigan where students step into the role of trial attorney, examining evidence and arguing a simulated case from start to finish alongside practicing attorneys.
National Youth Leadership Forum: Law & CSI
Explores both sides of the criminal justice system via simulations and legal/forensic mentorship.
Native Biodiversity Corps (NBC)
High schoolers throughout San Diego design and implement native-wildlife gardens on their home campuses, gaining inquiry- and critical-thinking skills through nature-based fieldwork.
Naturalists in Training
HS interns train in science communication and conservation, then engage Museum visitors through interpretive activities and independent natural-history projects.
Navy DoD STEM Applied Mathematics Research
Summer research program with Naval Research Lab focusing on applied mathematics, modeling, and computational science for high school students.
NCAR Pre-College Internship Program (PRECIP)
Six-week summer internship at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado where high school students work on real research projects in atmospheric, climate, and earth-system science with scientists, plus workshops on writing scientific abstracts. Out-of-area students must have a parent/guardian/chaperone with them for the duration.
NEURO-RocHS
A paid six-week neuroscience research program pairing Rochester high schoolers with University of Rochester Del Monte Institute lab mentors for hands-on research and career-pathway exposure. Currently limited to Rochester City School District partner schools.
News Decoder
A global nonprofit journalism education platform where students draft, revise, and publish news and opinion stories with mentorship from professional journalists through its 'Get Published' pipeline, plus a 'Youth Voices' section showcasing student work and contest winners.
NexGeneGirls
A San Francisco (Bayview Hunters Point)-based nonprofit offering hands-on biotech bootcamps and paid internships for high school girls of color from underserved SF neighborhoods, teaching lab techniques like pipetting, DNA extraction, and cloning with mentorship from CCSF and SFSU scientists.
NextGen High School Internship Program (Emory Human Genetics)
A paid summer internship in Emory University's Department of Human Genetics for rising high school juniors and seniors age 16+, combining foundational lectures with lab and clinical rotations to expose students from diverse backgrounds to genetics and biomedical careers.
NIH / NINDS High School Summer Internship Program (HS-SIP)
A highly competitive 8-10 week paid internship placing students in NIH labs, with NINDS focusing on the nervous system, neurodegeneration, stroke, and brain cancer, culminating in a Summer Poster Day.
NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP)
A paid summer research internship placing graduating high school seniors and older students directly in NIH labs across the country, working alongside NIH scientists on biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research projects.
NIST Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP)
Prestigious federal research internship where high school juniors/seniors near NIST's Boulder, CO or Gaithersburg, MD campuses conduct hands-on chemistry research.
Non-Trivial Research Fellows
An 8-week online summer research fellowship for students ages 14-20 to develop an original research or policy project on high-impact issues including AI safety, with $1,000 in project grants available and no program fees; one of the most selective teen programs by application volume.
Non-Trivial Research Scholars
The advanced tier of Non-Trivial's research pathway, offering high-achieving students ages 14-20 ongoing custom mentorship, publication support, and career guidance, with top projects earning up to $10,000 and other Scholars receiving at least $2,000.
Norman Mineta Bay Area High School Summer Academy (MTC / ABAG)
Paid regional program introducing Bay Area high school students to public sector careers in transportation, planning, and regional policy (e.g., housing, climate). Legally more "public policy / urban governance" than pure civics, but very political science adjacent.
Northern California Public Media (KRCB) Student Internship Program
NorCal Public Media, operator of public TV/radio station KRCB, offers a paid internship for high school, technical school, and college students interested in news, journalism, digital media, and environmental storytelling, providing hands-on newsroom and production experience.
NSA Stokes Educational Scholarship Program
A competitive scholarship with summer internships for U.S. high school juniors intending to study cyber, computer science, engineering, or math. Covers full tuition plus stipend and requires service commitment after college. Includes NSA internships in later summers.
NSHSS Foundation Logistics & Supply Chain Management Scholarship
A $1,500 scholarship for National Society of High School Scholars members interested in logistics and supply chain careers. Applicants submit a 500-800 word essay on industry innovation and sustainability along with a resume, transcript, and educator recommendation.
NYFA 3-Week 3D Animation Summer Camp for Teens
A three-week intensive at the New York Film Academy's Los Angeles campus where teens (ages 14-17) learn 3D animation fundamentals — drawing, storyboarding, sculpting, and character animation — from professional animators and VFX artists, with optional residential housing.
NYFA 3-Week Screenwriting Summer Camp for Teens
A three-week screenwriting intensive at the New York Film Academy's Los Angeles campus where teens (ages 14-17) learn story structure, character development, and script formatting from professional screenwriters, culminating in a completed short script.
NYU Langone High School Bioethics Project Internship
An NYU Langone Medical Ethics internship where high schoolers work with faculty on real bioethics issues like genetic testing, transplant ethics, and clinical consent, producing case studies and lesson materials.
Oakland University Philosophy Camp
5-day residential camp with lectures, discussions, ethics-bowl-style activities.
Oakland Zoo Teen Summer Internship (California Trail Interpretation)
A selective seven-week, roughly 200-hour summer internship at Oakland Zoo for rising 10th-12th graders focused on wildlife education and guest interpretation along the California Trail exhibit.
Pacific McGeorge Law Summer Camp
University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law offers a two-week immersive high school course, 'Lawyers and the Rule of Law,' in Sacramento, where students learn legal analysis, argue mock cases, mediate disputes, and draft contracts alongside law faculty and JD students, with courtroom field trips.
Paideia Institute: Living Greek in Greece (High School)
A two-week immersive introductory Ancient Greek program for high schoolers with no prior Greek required, spending one week in Athens and one in Nafplio with classroom instruction plus in-situ learning at sites like Corinth, Epidaurus, and Delphi.
Paideia Institute: Living Latin in Rome (High School)
A two-week immersive Latin program in Rome for high schoolers who have completed at least one year of Latin, combining classroom instruction with visits to archaeological sites, museums, and monuments including Horace's Villa and the Baths of Diocletian.
Paideia Institute: Living Latin Online (High School)
A virtual small-group Latin immersion course for high schoolers with at least one year of Latin experience, meeting daily over Zoom for two-hour sessions across ten total meetings scheduled by time zone.
Pathways to Health Careers Academy (Charles R. Drew University)
Year-long LA pipeline program starting with a 4-week summer academy plus community internship.
PBS News Student Reporting Labs Summer Academy
Free, all-expenses-paid week near D.C. reporting real community stories with PBS/WETA mentors.
Perspectives Photo School – Youth Photography Program
A Bay Area photography school in Emeryville offering teens (ages 12-18) studio-based technical training plus field shoots across Bay Area locations like Golden Gate Park and Tilden Regional Park, with an advanced Photography Intensive + Exhibition track for building a portfolio.
PG&E Powering Scholars Program
An in-person day program at PG&E's Oakland headquarters where up to 40 students in grades 10-11 from Bay Area counties spend two weeks in hands-on energy explorations, field trips to local energy sites, and networking with PG&E professionals, earning a $500 stipend and an iPad upon completion.
Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology Volunteer & Internship Program
Volunteer and internship placements at UC Berkeley's Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology supporting exhibitions, education and public programs, conservation, registration, and collections management under staff supervision; open to Bay Area community members, with capacity currently limited.
Photosprouts Teen Photography Camp
Small-group teen photography camps (ages 12-19) in San Francisco and Palo Alto where all camera equipment (Canon R50 mirrorless, lenses) is provided; students shoot on location around the Bay Area and learn editing in Adobe Lightroom.
Pioneer Academics
Online research program pairing students with university professors for 2-3 month research projects. Computer science track covers AI, algorithms, and theoretical CS.
Pioneer Academics – Global Problem-Solving Institute: Analyzing AI
A college-accredited virtual research program where high school students in grades 9-12 tackle a predefined 'Analyzing AI' challenge exploring how to steer AI toward safer, more ethical outcomes, combining artificial intelligence, economics, and science-technology-society perspectives under university faculty mentorship.
Pioneer Academics — Astronomy Research Program
Accredited online 1:1 research program culminating in an original paper for college credit.
Pioneer Academics — Psychology Research Program
A fully accredited, virtual research institute in which high school students write an original psychology research paper over several months, starting in small international seminar groups before moving to one-on-one mentorship with a professor; credit is offered through Oberlin College & Conservatory.
Placer County Criminal Justice Pathways Summer Workshop
A District Attorney's Office program that introduces Placer County high schoolers to the criminal justice system through presentations, tours of the Santucci Justice Center, and hands-on activities with prosecutors and investigators.
Planet Hunters TESS (Zooniverse)
A free online citizen-science project where volunteers examine light-curve data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to help identify signals of possible exoplanets. Participant identifications have contributed to real peer-reviewed exoplanet discoveries, and an educator guide supports classroom or independent use.
Political Science Internships for High School Students in California – Ladder Internships Guide
Article compiling 15 real political internships in California (e.g., USC Center for the Political Future, state legislative offices, local government programs). Many are exactly the kind of public policy placements you're looking for.
Polygence - Computer Science Research
1-on-1 mentorship with graduate students and PhDs to conduct original computer science research over 10-20 sessions.
Polygence - Neuroscience Research
1-on-1 research mentorship. You can request a mentor specifically in Neurobiology or Cognitive Science.
Polygence – Artificial Intelligence Research
A 1-on-1 mentorship program pairing high school students with expert or PhD mentors to design and complete an original AI/machine learning research project of their choosing, culminating in a paper, GitHub portfolio, or conference-style presentation.
Polygence – Economics Projects
Online mentorship program where you choose an econ topic (e.g., inequality, macro, development) and build a project such as a paper, data analysis, or policy brief.
Polygence – Environmental & Earth Science Research
One-on-one research mentorship pairing high schoolers with a PhD mentor to design and complete an original environmental or earth science project, spanning topics like geology, natural hazards, and sustainability, culminating in a paper, presentation, or other deliverable.
Polygence – Linguistics Research Projects
A one-on-one online research mentorship matching high schoolers with a linguistics-focused mentor (covering topics like applied, cognitive, and sociolinguistics) to design and complete an independent research project resulting in a paper, website, or podcast.
Polygence – Psychology & Sociology Research Projects
A personalized, one-on-one online mentorship program pairing high school students with PhD mentors in social psychology, clinical psychology, sociology, or public policy to complete an original research project, paper, or creative output over roughly 3-6 months.
Pre-College Program in American History (William & Mary / Colonial Williamsburg NIAHD)
Three-week residential summer program where high schoolers earn William & Mary college credit while studying American history on-site at Colonial Williamsburg.
Project Pull – San Francisco Paid Summer Government Internship
Paid summer internship for SF high school and college students in city departments. Many placements relate to public policy, community engagement, city planning, or legislative work.
Project SEED ACS Summer Research
Paid summer research program by American Chemical Society placing economically disadvantaged students in university and industry chemistry labs nationwide.
Project SEED Summer Research Program (CS Track)
ACS-sponsored paid summer research program for economically disadvantaged students. Some labs focus on computational chemistry and bioinformatics.
Project TRUE (Wildlife Conservation Society / Fordham University)
A paid summer and fall urban ecology research internship at the Bronx Zoo where NYC high school sophomores and juniors conduct field research alongside Wildlife Conservation Society scientists and Fordham University students.
Public Health Solutions (PHS) - Contra Costa Health
A training-and-internship model run by Contra Costa Health that teaches youth ages 14-19 from underserved communities the principles of public health, social determinants of health, and health equity, with successful completers matched to paid public health internships.
Pulsar Science Collaboratory (NANOGrav)
An out-of-school-time citizen-science research program in which students age 13 and up receive training and then analyze real radio-astronomy data from the Green Bank and Arecibo-affiliated telescopes to search for new pulsars; several student participants have been credited as co-discoverers of real pulsars.
Quarknet - Cosmic Ray Studies
National program connecting HS teachers and students with particle physics researchers; includes cosmic ray detector projects.
Radio Bilingüe – Alza tu Voz / Speak Out Youth Radio Program
A free youth radio production training program based in Salinas, California, where teens learn basic radio production and produce a weekly bilingual music and talk show broadcast live on KHDC 90.9 FM to Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.
Reason & Rationality High School Foundation Program
2-week residential "intellectual salon" at Princeton Theological Seminary.
ReData
Zooniverse citizen-science project led by the Meteonetwork Association with the University of Milan and Politecnico di Milano to digitize historical Italian meteorological data (1879-1940) from the former Royal Central Meteorological Office archives, creating an open dataset for climate research.
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
The world's largest pre-college science competition; qualify through affiliated regional/state fairs with over $9 million in awards.
Regeneron ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) - Physics Category
Global science fair with physics & astronomy category; winners receive scholarships and recognition.
Regeneron Science Talent Search
America's oldest and most prestigious science competition for high school seniors, offering up to $250,000 in top prizes for original research.
Regeneron Science Talent Search (Physics Projects)
Prestigious national competition where students submit original research; many winners do physics/astrophysics projects.
Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS)
Widely considered the top U.S. science research competition for high school seniors; requires a completed original research paper, including chem/biochem.
Regeneron STS / ISEF (Computer Science Category)
Nation's most prestigious pre-college science competitions with dedicated computer science categories for original research projects.
Research Mentorship Program (RMP)
Six-week university-level summer research program pairing top HS students with UCSB faculty/grad mentors across disciplines, including environmental science and environmental policy.
Research Science Institute (RSI)
Free, fully-funded six-week MIT research program with mentors across all fields including cognitive/behavioral science.
Richmond Pulse Youth Voices
A Richmond, California community journalism program that trains young people in multimedia reporting and storytelling as youth reporters for the local outlet Richmond Pulse, with participants paid for their published work.
RISE Research – Machine Learning Research Mentorship
A 10-week 1-on-1 research mentorship program pairing high school students with PhD mentors from institutions like MIT, Oxford, and Carnegie Mellon to produce original, publishable machine learning research, with a stated 90% publication success rate.
RJOY Youth Internship Program
A paid restorative-justice internship in Oakland for ages 15-19. Interns learn to facilitate community-building circles and develop leadership, public speaking, and life-planning skills over a 10-week cohort that meets three afternoons a week, including an overnight trip to RJOY's Ubuntu Healing Farm.
Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program (SSRP)
An ultra-selective, tuition-free seven-week research program where NY/NJ/CT high school juniors and seniors join lab teams at Rockefeller University, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and Weill Cornell for hands-on biomedical research under scientist mentors.
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory High School Course
Two-week residential field biology course in Gothic, Colorado where students design and carry out independent ecological research projects on topics like plant biology, stream ecology, and animal behavior, with optional college credit.
RSI - Research Science Institute (MIT)
One of the most selective global research programs; 6-week residential at MIT with original research in many fields including chemistry.
Rubin Comet Catchers (Zooniverse)
A Zooniverse citizen-science project launched in 2025 in which volunteers examine images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time to spot comets and active asteroids showing tails or comae, helping scientists understand how planetary systems, including our own, formed and evolved.
Sacramento County DA Criminal Justice Youth Shadow Day
A one-day job-shadowing event held by the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office where current or incoming Sacramento County high schoolers are paired with prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, investigators, and judges to see the criminal justice system firsthand.
Salk Institute Heithoff-Brody High School Summer Scholars
A prestigious, paid eight-week internship at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies where high schoolers work one-on-one with Salk scientists, including in neuroscience labs, on original research. Open to San Diego County residents.
San Diego Natural History Museum High School Internship
School-credit internship rotating through Paleontology, Entomology, and Botany departments.
San Francisco Ballet School Summer Session
Pre-professional summer ballet intensive, audition-based.
San Francisco Historical Society Internship
SFHS internship roles for high school students to support the Museum of San Francisco, archives, and educational programming.
San Jose Conservation Corps + Climate Corps Youth Climate Corps
Paid internship for Santa Clara County high schoolers working on local climate and environmental improvement projects with the San Jose Conservation Corps.
Sandia National Laboratories High School Internships - Livermore
Highly selective paid internships in engineering, physics, chemistry and related fields at Sandia's California site.
Save Ancient Studies Alliance Mentoring Team Internship
Remote unpaid internship mentoring younger students interested in ancient studies/archaeology.
Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge
A prestigious international screenplay competition based on the popular Save the Cat! story methodology; writers under 18 may enter features or TV pilots with parent/guardian permission. Every entrant receives a full professional script analysis, and the grand prize includes a trip to Los Angeles and a live table read at the Lee Strasberg Institute.
SCA Bay Area Urban Green
Paid, after-school/weekend conservation jobs for Bay Area high schoolers restoring parks and green spaces across Vallejo, Oakland, Hayward, SF, and the Peninsula.
Scripps Research Alcohol Research Center – HS Mentorship Program
A neuroscience-focused mentorship program offering both a virtual Summer Journal Club and an in-person lab research track exploring how alcohol and drugs affect the brain.
Sea Education Association (SEA) High School/Pre-College Programs
Pre-college marine science and oceanography courses offered either on land at SEA's Woods Hole, Massachusetts campus or aboard a tall-ship research vessel at sea, open to current high schoolers and graduating seniors.
Seattle Children's Research Institute Research Training Program
Free, paid four-week lab immersion for Seattle-area 10th/11th graders covering biochemistry, immunotherapy, gene editing, and infectious disease research.
Senator Ben Allen High School Internship Program
A California State Senate district-office internship for high school students in Senator Ben Allen's office, giving interns direct exposure to constituent services and the legislative process; the Spring 2026 cycle ran through the office's El Segundo district office.
Service Learning in Public Policy (SLiPP)
A week-long immersive summer program at Founding Forward's Valley Forge, PA campus for students entering 9th-11th grade, combining public-policy coursework, hands-on service-learning projects, and college-prep workshops across four tracks: Environment & STEM Policy, Healthcare Policy, Legal Policy, and Media & Communications Policy. The 2026 session runs July 26-31.
SF Bay Area Urban Green SCA
SCA's Bay Area Urban Green program provides year-round paid opportunities for high school students to work on urban environmental projects, some involving historic sites.
SF YouthWorks – Paid City Government Internships
Paid part‑time internships for high school students in San Francisco city departments with job‑readiness workshops, mentoring, and a Youth Leadership Team for returning interns.
SFFILM Youth FilmHouse Residency
Bay Area BIPOC students attend a biweekly Saturday residency learning production and filmmaking technique from industry professionals over a full academic year.
SFMOMA Paid Summer Internships
Paid summer internships at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art across departments like education, curatorial, and design; some roles suitable for older teens close to graduation.
SHTEM Summer Internships
Paid summer research internships at Stanford focusing on computational modeling, data science, and applied mathematics projects with faculty mentors.
Simons Summer Research Program
A highly selective six-week residential research program at Stony Brook University pairing rising high school seniors with faculty mentors for hands-on original research in science, math, or engineering, culminating in a poster symposium.
Simons Summer Research Program (Stony Brook)
Free 7-week program pairing juniors with faculty mentors across science/engineering, including Physics & Astronomy.
SIMR - Bioengineering Track
8-week paid internship. The Bioengineering/Bioinformatics track is heavy on computational modeling of biological data.
SIREN Youth Leadership Internship
A paid year-long internship with SIREN (Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network) in which youth ages 16-25 organize alongside immigrant and refugee communities in the Bay Area (San Jose) or Central Valley (Fresno), building leadership and community-organizing skills. Interns support SIREN's Youth Leadership Institute programming and civic engagement campaigns.
SKILLS (School Kids Investigating Language in Life and Society) – UCSB
A social-justice-centered linguistics outreach program run by UC Santa Barbara faculty and graduate students in partnership with Santa Barbara County high schools, where students conduct original linguistic research and language-activism projects in their own communities over a 20-week curriculum.
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Summer Internship
Paid research internship at Stanford's SLAC for HS students interested in particle physics and accelerator science.
Smithsonian NMNH Summer High School Internship Program
A paid summer internship at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History where students ages 15-18 work 24 hours a week on museum projects, go behind the scenes, and explore both science and non-science museum careers.
Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation High School Summer Programs
College-credit-bearing summer field courses at the Smithsonian's conservation research campus in Virginia, where high schoolers learn hands-on conservation ecology field methods from Smithsonian and George Mason University researchers.
SMUD High School Internship Program
A paid six-week summer internship with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District for juniors and seniors (2.5+ GPA) attending schools in SMUD's rotating service-area districts, offering placements including engineering alongside IT, vehicle mechanics, and other utility career tracks at 36 hours per week.
SOCAPA Los Angeles
A precollege summer intensive held at Occidental College in Los Angeles offering 2- and 3-week courses in filmmaking, screenwriting, and photography for students ages 14-18, with both residential and day-student options.
Southern Exposure (SoEx) Internships
Internships in a nonprofit visual arts organization supporting exhibitions, education, and community art projects; strong exposure to curatorial and gallery operations.
Speaker of the Assembly – District Office Student Internship Program (California)
Unpaid internship in a California State Assembly district office, performing constituent services, legislative research, event support, and community outreach—excellent direct exposure to state politics.
SPICE – Summer Program in Computational Psychiatry Education
A free eight-week NYC program at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai introducing high schoolers, especially from underrepresented STEM backgrounds, to computational psychiatry and neuroscience research.
SSP (Summer Science Program) Astrophysics
Renowned 6-week residential program where students do hands-on astrophysics research (asteroid orbit determination).
St. Jude High School Research Immersion Program
A paid eight-week summer research program at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for Memphis-area rising seniors, who pair with a mentor on a lab, epidemiology, clinical, or data-science project related to childhood cancer.
Stanford Chemistry IFSS Summer Research
Intensive 8-week research program where high school students work in Stanford chemistry labs on cutting-edge research projects with graduate student mentors.
Stanford GRIPS (Genomics Research Internship Program)
The "Gold Standard" for high school genetics. You work in a lab for 8 weeks on computational genetics and genomics projects.
Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
8-week full-time biomedical/chem research internship with Stanford faculty; extremely competitive, strong track record for top colleges.
Stanford K-12 Programs – Quantitative/Data Components
Directory of multiple Stanford K-12 programs including summer research and internships with quantitative and data science components for high school students.
Stanford K-12 Programs with Quantitative Components
Directory of multiple Stanford K-12 programs including summer research and internships with quantitative and data science components for high school students.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes – Business Strategy
A Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes course where high schoolers analyze strategic decision-making at the global, industry, corporate, and functional levels, applying core business strategy concepts to real-world case examples in a live online classroom.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes – Introduction to International Relations
This two-week virtual course from Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes analyzes the causes of war and peace, global trade and protectionism, and international inequality through faculty lectures, small-group discussion sections, a public-opinion data analysis exercise, and a policy memo.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes: Legal Studies
Legal reasoning tools from law, education, and business faculty, capped by a mock trial.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes: Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
A two-week live-online Stanford Pre-Collegiate philosophy course examining the ethics and metaphysics of artificial intelligence, including questions of machine consciousness, algorithmic fairness, accountability, and potential machine rights, through readings, discussion, and projects.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes: Sociology of Inequality
A two-week live-online Stanford Pre-Collegiate course examining the causes and consequences of social and economic inequality through sociological frameworks, discussion, and short analytical writing, culminating in a group presentation.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes: The Nature of Evil
A two-week live-online Stanford Pre-Collegiate course exploring philosophical, psychological, and historical conceptions of evil, from individual wrongdoing to bureaucratic and systemic harm, culminating in a comparative-analysis group presentation.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes: Topics in Neuroscience
A two-week live-online Stanford Pre-Collegiate course introducing high schoolers to core neuroscience concepts spanning brain structure, cognition, and behavior, through discussion-based sessions and a culminating project.
Stanford SIMR - Genetics & Genomics Track
A selective eight-week paid internship where juniors/seniors do full-time lab research under Stanford mentors, with a dedicated Genetics & Genomics track alongside Bioinformatics, Stem Cell, and Cancer Biology.
Stanford SIMR - Neurobiology Track
You must select the "Neurobiology" institute on your application. This matches you with a faculty mentor for 8 weeks of hands-on research. Extremely competitive (<5% acceptance).
Stanford SIMR (Institutes of Medicine Summer Research)
An 8-week summer research internship for high school juniors and seniors, providing hands-on biomedical research experience at Stanford with a stipend of at least $500.
Stanford Summer Session: Introduction to Cultural and Social Anthropology
An eight-week Stanford Summer Session course open to current high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors that introduces core anthropological concepts and methods through ethnographic case studies on gender, power, and immigration, plus hands-on field-observation exercises in Bay Area communities.
Stanford Tech-X: Mental Health + Technology Immersion Experience
A one-week Stanford Department of Psychiatry summer program where high school students explore digital mental health tools and the impact of social media and AI on mental health through interactive seminars with Stanford faculty and experts.
Stanford Young Investigators Program
Summer research program at Stanford where high school students work with faculty on economics and social science research projects.
STARS at Cold Spring Harbor
While based in NY, they offer virtual bioinformatics training where you use algorithms to analyze DNA sequences.
Stockholm Junior Water Prize (US/CA)
Students conduct an original water-related research project, competing through state and national judging; the US winner receives a cash prize and represents the US at the international finals in Sweden.
Stony Brook Pre-College Computational Linguistics Course
A tuition-based pre-college summer course at Stony Brook University where high schoolers work with linguistics faculty and graduate students on morphology, syntax, phonetics, and language-technology projects like speech recognition and parsing.
Student Historian Internship Program – New-York Historical
A paid academic-year internship for high school students entering grades 10-12 in the NYC metro area, who conduct original historical research using New-York Historical's archives, produce a digital project, and lead gallery tours under historian mentors.
Student Voice Journalism Fellowship
A free, yearlong national fellowship for U.S. high schoolers -- especially those without access to a school newspaper -- to build education-justice reporting skills across print, podcast, photo essay, and video formats, with published work appearing in Student Voice's Schooled magazine and outlets like The Washington Post and Teen Vogue.
Summer Acting Workshop — South Coast Repertory
Two-week open-enrollment acting camp culminating in a family showcase.
Summer Science Program (SSP) — Astrophysics
5-week residential program calculating a near-Earth asteroid's orbit from original telescope data.
SVA Pre-College Program
The School of Visual Arts' pre-college program in New York City offers high schoolers ages 14-18 intensive summer, fall, and spring coursework in disciplines including animation, cartooning, and film taught by SVA faculty, with summer participants earning three college credits.
Synopsys Championship - Santa Clara Valley Science & Engineering Fair
Very competitive ISEF-affiliated fair for Santa Clara County; many high-level chemistry projects.
Synopsys Championship (Santa Clara Valley Science & Engineering Fair)
Students design and present independent research projects in categories including Environmental Science at this regional fair for Santa Clara County middle/high schoolers.
Synopsys Science Fair (Santa Clara County)
Regional science fair for Santa Clara County serving as pathway to California State Fair and ISEF.
Tar Teens Internship (La Brea Tar Pits / NHMLAC)
Tar Teens is a paid internship for high school juniors and seniors who live in or attend school in Boyle Heights or Hancock Park, run by the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County at La Brea Tar Pits. Interns develop and present an original paleoscience project to museum visitors while gaining hands-on exposure to fossil research, collections, and public science communication across a spring-into-summer program.
TCR History Camp
An immersive online or in-person workshop in which secondary students choose their own historical research topic and, guided by instructors, transform it into a first draft of a historical research paper over a two-week session.
Teach Me Wall Street: Investing & Trading Summer Program
A live virtual summer program for grades 9-12 covering stock market fundamentals, technical analysis, risk management, and portfolio management across two-hour live Zoom sessions in small breakout groups, with multiple weekly session times offered June through August.
Tech companies - High School Intern Programs
Companies like Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Amazon offer select high school internship programs. Extremely competitive but provide real-world software engineering experience.
Texas Photographic Society International Student Competition
An international student photography competition open to all current high school, middle, and elementary students, with six categories including Documentary/Photojournalism, Portraits, and Fine Art/Abstract. Winners receive a complimentary TPS student membership and recognition.
The Jackson Laboratory (JAX)
Famous for mouse genetics. They occasionally offer virtual high school programs or remote bioinformatics internships.
The Nature Conservancy LEAF Program
Paid summer conservation internships for urban high school students, offering hands-on stewardship work and career exposure with The Nature Conservancy at sites across the country.
Theatre Arts Cherub Program — Northwestern NHSI
Highly selective 5-week theatre intensive culminating in a fully produced play.
ThinkNeuro Virtual Research Internship
A fee-based, 10-week virtual neuroscience research program pairing high schoolers with mentors from institutions including Harvard and Stanford Medicine to complete an independent research project.
Touro University California High School Summer Program
6-week hybrid program for Northern CA students exploring healthcare careers; earns college credit.
Turn Up Youth Activism – Remote Internship
Remote civic-engagement internship doing voter registration, advocacy, social-media campaigns, and organizing.
UC Berkeley DAGRS Greek & Latin Summer Workshops
Intensive UC Berkeley summer language workshops in Ancient Greek or Latin, open to high school students through adults, covering grammar fundamentals in the first weeks and extensive reading of ancient poetry and prose in the second half; tuition rebates are available.
UC Berkeley Pre-College Scholars – Political Science & Government Courses
High school students who have completed 10th or 11th grade can enroll in lower-division UC Berkeley Summer Sessions courses, including political science and government offerings, through the Commuter Track for Bay Area residents, earning official UC Berkeley transcript credit alongside undergraduates.
UC Davis COSMOS Cluster 13: Future Foods - Aquaculture & Aquaponics
A four-week residential COSMOS cluster at UC Davis where CA high schoolers study aquaculture, aquaponics, and sustainable food-production science through coursework, greenhouse work, and farm field trips around the Sacramento region.
UC Davis COSMOS Cluster 7: Introduction to Plant Microbiology
A four-week residential COSMOS cluster at UC Davis introducing high schoolers to plant-microbe interactions and agricultural plant science through coursework and lab research alongside UC Davis faculty.
UC Davis Department of Anthropology Museum Outreach Program
UC Davis's Anthropology Museum invites elementary and high school students, especially from the greater Sacramento area, for group visits, private viewings of its artifact collections, and introductions to anthropology; the department also offers a hands-on museum internship for interested students.
UC Davis Health Summer VolunTEEN Program
An 8-week summer volunteer program (6-week minimum commitment) placing high school students in UC Davis Health hospital and outpatient departments such as Patient Transportation, Radiology, and Neuroscience Specialties to explore healthcare careers.
UC Davis Young Scholars Program
A selective 6-week residential summer research program in biological, agricultural, and environmental sciences with only 40 students accepted.
UC Davis Young Scholars Program (UCD-YSP)
6-week residential research. You can request placement in the Center for Neuroscience or Mind Institute.
UC Davis Young Scholars Program (YSP)
A 6-week residential research program. You must request the Biology/Genetics projects, which often involve plant genomics or molecular biology.
UC San Diego Research Scholars Program — Marine Science
Tiered Scripps Institution of Oceanography program from coursework to hands-on research.
UC Santa Barbara Summer Research Academies
Four-week university-credit research program where high schoolers choose a discipline-specific track, including chemistry, to design and complete an independent research project.
UC Santa Cruz Science Internship Program (SIP)
10-week mentored research placement in UCSC labs; many projects in chemistry, biochemistry, materials, or related fields.
UC Santa Cruz Science Internship Program (SIP) – Astronomy & Astrophysics Track
A 9-week summer research internship at UC Santa Cruz that pairs high school students (ages 14-17) one-on-one with UCSC astronomy faculty and graduate mentors on real astrophysics projects, such as mapping galaxy environments with James Webb Space Telescope data or studying stellar populations in M31/M33.
UCLA Brain Research Institute – CELL Scholars
A paid, school-year research position at UCLA for high school juniors and seniors from underrepresented backgrounds, working in UCLA labs, including neuroscience, with graduate mentors on technical and coding skills.
UCLA BrainSPORT Summer High School Internship
An in-person clinical research internship with pediatric neurologist Dr. Christopher Giza's team, where students assist with concussion and traumatic brain injury research through neuroimaging, cognitive testing, and patient recruitment.
UCLA Neuroscience High School Scholars Program
A free UCLA program (Easton Center for Alzheimer's Research and Care) with virtual "Grand Rounds" seminars, an Alzheimer's-awareness peer club, and a selective Virtual Summer Program pairing students with mentored research.
UCLA Summer Sessions Greek & Latin Intensive Language Courses
Eight-week, in-person intensive Greek or Latin courses at UCLA that compress a full year of language study, preparing students to read authors like Homer or Cicero in the original. Language Intensives are on UCLA's pre-approved course list for high schoolers age 15+, so no petition is required.
UCSC Science Internship Program (SIP)
A 9-week internship at UC Santa Cruz. You are matched with a faculty mentor. You must specifically apply for the Biomolecular Engineering or Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology tracks.
UCSC Science Internship Program (SIP) - Neuroscience Projects
10-week research internship. In the application, you select specific research areas; usually 15+ projects are in Neuroscience (e.g., "Neural Circuitry," "Cognitive Modeling").
UCSF AI4ALL
10-week SF-based summer research internship applying AI to biomedical research.
UCSF CURE High School Internship
Summer research internship at UCSF where students work on biomedical and chemistry research projects in university labs with faculty mentorship.
UCSF Fresno / SJV PRIME Summer Biomedical Internship (SBI)
A free 6-7 week summer research internship for Central San Joaquin Valley high school juniors, pairing students with faculty mentors at Fresno-area hospitals, clinics, and Fresno State for independent research culminating in a project presentation.
UCSF Fresno Doctors Academy & Junior Doctors Academy
A multi-week summer healthcare career-exploration program run by UCSF Fresno for Central Valley high school seniors from partner school districts, combining mentorship from health professionals, hospital and clinic shadowing at VA and community facilities, and personal-development workshops.
UCSF High School Intern Program (HIP)
Selective 8-week program at UCSF labs via Science & Health Education Partnership; includes bench research and seminars.
UCSF High School Intern Program (SEP)
Paid 8-week SF summer internship conducting original biomedical/health research.
UCSF PITCH Program
A three-week summer immersive program (Program for the Investigation and Training in Careers in Health) for first-generation and low-income rising 10th and 11th graders, pairing them with UCSF mentors to investigate health issues and present at a closing health symposium.
UCSF Science & Health Education Partnership High School Intern Program (HIP)
An 8-week paid summer research internship for SFUSD high school juniors, matching each student with a UCSF scientist mentor to conduct an original biomedical research project, plus college-counseling workshops and professional development.
UCSF SEP High School Intern Program
A highly competitive 8-week paid internship. You are placed in a UCSF research lab. Approximately 30-40% of placements are in Neuroscience or Neurology departments.
UCSF Summer Research Experiences in Neuroscience (SREN)
Specifically for students underrepresented in the sciences to gain authentic research experience in UCSF neuroscience labs.
UCSF Summer Student Research Program
Formerly CHORI, this is a rigorous 9-week program in Oakland. It focuses heavily on biomedical research, including genetic diseases (e.g., sickle cell, thalassemia).
UNCSA Animation Summer Intensive
A rigorous introductory-to-advanced animation intensive at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, open to rising high school freshmen through incoming college freshmen, covering animation fundamentals and advanced technique.
Unearthing Ancient History in Tuscany (Earthwatch)
Teen expedition excavating a Roman-Etruscan site in Populonia, Italy.
United States Senate Page Program
A highly selective program in which junior-year high schoolers, sponsored and appointed by a U.S. senator, work full-time delivering documents and assisting with Senate floor operations in the Capitol while attending an accredited early-morning school.
University at Albany RNA Institute High School Bioinformatics Summer Camp
A competitive virtual camp training students to analyze RNA-sequencing data through live lectures and mentorship, with an independent bioinformatics project based in neurodegenerative-disease research.
University of Dallas Summer Institute in Classical Languages
A fully online summer program offering intensive first-year Latin or Greek language courses for college credit. High school students who have completed their junior year and are at least 16 by July 1 are explicitly encouraged to apply, alongside undergraduates and teachers.
University of Michigan BioMed Focus
An eight-week paid biomedical research internship at Michigan Medicine for Michigan high school juniors and seniors, combining full-time lab research with science-communication training and college-prep support.
University of Michigan Genetics Immersion Program (GIP)
A six-week paid in-person experience working in active genetics/genomics labs with graduate-student mentors, with training in DNA analysis, genetic screening, and molecular biology.
University of the Pacific Pre-College: Business of Esports
A pre-college summer course at University of the Pacific examining the business model of competitive gaming, covering sponsorships, tournaments, media rights, digital marketing, finance, and data analytics within the esports industry.
Urban Barcode Research Program (UBRP)
A Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center mentorship program where NYC-area high schoolers use DNA barcoding lab techniques to study local biodiversity over the school year, presenting their findings at a research symposium.
USC Bridge Institute BUGS Jr. Program
Paid summer research program pairing high schoolers with USC faculty labs across biological disciplines, culminating in a poster symposium.
USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future High School Summer Internship
A fully virtual USC summer research internship in which competitively selected high schoolers analyze environmental and sustainability legislation, attend speaker sessions, and produce a published policy assignment.
USC Gould Pre-Law Summer Program
A USC Gould School of Law course dissecting case law, practicing oral advocacy, attending real federal appellate proceedings.
USC Pre-College: Digital Marketing – From Content Creation to Strategic Planning
A fully online, self-paced USC Pre-College course where high schoolers learn digital marketing strategy, brand development, content creation, social media platforms, and data analytics through recorded lectures and real campaign analysis.
USC School of Cinematic Arts Summer Program (Animation & Screenwriting Tracks)
A six-week pre-college summer program on USC's campus where students age 16+ choose hands-on cinematic storytelling courses in either animation/storyboarding or screenwriting, taught by industry professionals.
USGS Volunteer for Science Program
Federal volunteer program placing supervised volunteers directly on USGS research projects.
Vacaville Fire Explorers Program
A hands-on Explorer post for Vacaville-area youth ages 15-18 interested in fire service careers, offering training alongside Vacaville Fire Department personnel in equipment, procedures, physical conditioning, and emergency response fundamentals.
Van Andel Institute High School Graduate Research Program
8-week paid research experience for recent Grand Rapids-area high school graduates working in Van Andel Institute labs spanning genetics, epigenetics, and molecular biology.
Vanderbilt Aspirnaut Summer Research Internship
A six-week residential biomedical research internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center for high schoolers nationwide, who work full-time in a lab on projects ranging from kidney disease to cancer alongside paid room, board, and stipend.
Vanderbilt Research Experience for High School Students (REHSS)
A six-week immersive research internship that embeds rising seniors full-time in a Vanderbilt University or Vanderbilt University Medical Center research lab under a faculty mentor.
Veritas AI Fellowship
12-15 week 1:1 mentorship building an original AI model.
Veterans History Project (Library of Congress)
A Library of Congress American Folklife Center program that collects and preserves firsthand veteran narratives, with students in grade 10+ conducting and submitting oral-history interviews with veterans.
Vindolanda Trust Work Experience Placement
A structured work-experience placement for students aged 16-17 at the Vindolanda Trust's Roman Army Museum and Vindolanda Fort and Museum in Northumberland, England, including hands-on excavation assistance, post-excavation and artifact preservation work, and a final project, with opportunities to observe live digs.
Waksman Student Scholars Program (Rutgers)
A year-long program at Rutgers University in which high school students and their teachers conduct authentic genomic sequence analysis research on the duckweed species Landoltia punctata, beginning with a summer institute and continuing as a class or club project through the school year.
Weather Archive Africa (Zooniverse Citizen Science)
A virtual citizen-science project where volunteers help digitize and quality-check historical African weather station records from paper archives, supporting climate change research across 43 African countries. Students transcribe station names, dates, and readings, and flag damaged documents.
Wolfram Physics & Computation Summer Camp
2.5-week program where students use computational tools (Mathematica) to explore physics problems.
WPI Bioinformatics & Computational Biology (BCB) Summer Research Experience
A program where high schoolers apply math and CS to biological/medical problems through lectures, journal clubs, and lab work.
Write the World Screenwriting Competition
An online screenwriting competition from the global teen writing platform Write the World, open to writers ages 13-19 to submit an original short screenplay for peer and professional feedback and judging, part of Write the World's monthly competition series.
Yale Neuroscience Summer Scholars (YNSS)
An eight-week summer program covering neuroscience, neurodegeneration, and neuroinflammation, with didactic education, lab-technique training, and a supervised research project for New Haven Public Schools students.
Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics (YSPA)
6-week residential program; 32 seniors nationally do original research at Yale's observatory.
Yale YCAS Young Scholars Program in Biostatistics and Clinical Research
An intensive two-week Yale School of Public Health summer program where Connecticut high schoolers strong in math learn biostatistics and R programming by analyzing real health science data in teams.
Yale Young Global Scholars – Politics, Law & Economics
A highly selective two-week residential summer program at Yale (14,000+ applicants for the full program) in which high schoolers take the Politics of Law & Economics (PLE) academic track alongside Innovations in Science & Technology and Solving Global Challenges tracks, across three summer sessions.
YIS CYIA™ Designation Program
A highly selective credential from the Young Investors Society, earned by fewer than 10% of members, requiring completed coursework, a 3.0+ GPA, participation in a Stock Pitch Competition, a savings/investing challenge, a recommendation letter, community service hours, and a passing score on a quarterly 60-question timed exam based on investment analysis material.
Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP)
4-week paid summer internship where high school juniors and seniors work with companies on real business projects combining economics, marketing, finance, and engineering with mentorship and scholarship.
Young Founders Lab – SF Economics Internships (real roles)
Compilation of specific, real San Francisco economics internships, many of which are paid.
Young Scientists Program (YSP)
Ocean-loving high schoolers conduct hands-on research projects in conjunction with the Aquarium's Aquatic Nursery, exploring marine biology through original investigation.
Youth Art Exchange – Teaching Assistant / Alumni Intern
Year-round or session-based paid roles where advanced teens assist teaching artists, support classes, and mentor younger students.
Youth Art Exchange (YAX) Summer Internship
Summer internship assisting teaching artists, supporting classes, and working with media like painting, collage, sculpture; strong focus on arts education and community engagement.
Youth for Human Rights International Essay Competition
An annual international essay competition open to students age 18 and under who study the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and write about "What Are Human Rights?", with standout essays featured on Human Rights Day.
Youth Leadership Institute: K-12 Behavioral Health Services Campaign
A statewide, three-year youth advocacy program in which teams across California counties (including Marin, San Mateo, and Sacramento) research and advocate for improvements to California's Behavioral Health Services Act, presenting findings to local and state legislators.
Youth Leadership Institute: Youth Alcohol Prevention Coalition (YAPC)
A 12-month San Francisco program in which youth leaders and adult allies design and implement underage-drinking prevention projects, including educational campaigns and peer outreach; applicants must be SF residents who have completed the CMCA curriculum.
Youth Radio (Oakland)
Oakland nonprofit training teens in journalism/audio storytelling, with paid pathway after training.
Youth Radio (YR Media)
Youth Radio is an Oakland, California nonprofit that trains young people ages 14-24 as journalists, podcast producers, and media makers, pairing them with professional editors to produce real published audio and media work. Relaunched in 2026 after a hiatus, the program requires no prior experience and centers youth voice on current events and culture.
Zero Robotics High School Program (Astrobee on ISS)
Robotics programming competition using real robots aboard the International Space Station, focused on autonomous behavior. Extremely strong prestige.
ECFinder provides links to outside extracurricular opportunities for informational purposes only. Students and families should research each program before applying. ECFinder does not operate or control the listed organizations and is not responsible for their actions or policies.