Physics Programs for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 71 physics programs for high school students. Of these, 40 are free to participate in and 18 offer virtual participation. Examples include Advanced Space Academy (U.S. Space & Rocket Center), AFRL Scholars Program, and American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) High School Physics Photo Contest.
- 71
- listed
- 40
- free
- 18
- virtual
- 71
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are physics programs for high school students?
- Physics Programs for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in physics. 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.
- Are any of these programs free?
- Yes — 40 of the 71 programs listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 18 of the 71 programs listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are physics programs good for a college application?
- Yes — physics programs are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in physics on college applications.
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71 activities found·Browse by category
Advanced Space Academy (U.S. Space & Rocket Center)
A six-day immersive residential astronaut-training and engineering program for ages 15-18 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, including rocket design and launch, an underwater astronaut trainer, engineering challenges, and a simulated space mission.
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.
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) High School Physics Photo Contest
Annual contest where students submit photos illustrating physics principles with written explanations.
American Rocketry Challenge (formerly TARC)
The world's largest student rocketry contest, where teams design, build, and launch a rocket to hit precise altitude and duration targets carrying an egg payload, competing for over $100,000 in prizes.
APS (American Physical Society) High School Teacher-Student Workshops
Regional workshops where students work with physicists on current research topics and experiments.
Botball
An autonomous robotics competition where middle and high school teams design, build, and program fully autonomous robots — no remote controls allowed — using standardized kits and real programming languages.
BPhO (British Physics Olympiad) Round 1
UK-based but open globally; challenging problem set with calculus-level physics; can lead to IPhO selection for UK students.
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.
Caltech IQIM K-12 Programs
Caltech's Institute for Quantum Information and Matter runs on-campus quantum science outreach for K-12 students, including hands-on demonstrations, quantum gaming, and classroom visits from physics researchers.
Caltech YESS (Young Engineering and Science Scholars)
Intensive 6-week summer program for underrepresented students in STEM; includes physics research and mentorship.
Camp SOAR (Texas A&M Aerospace Engineering)
A six-day residential Texas A&M summer camp for rising juniors and seniors exploring aircraft, rotorcraft, space mission design, and space robotics tracks through technical lectures, hands-on design projects, and facility tours, with need-based scholarships available.
CERN High School Student Programme
3-week summer internship at CERN (Geneva) for students 16+; work with particle physicists on cutting-edge experiments.
Chabot Space & Science Center – Galaxy Explorers
A Northern California teen volunteer program at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland where high schoolers lead public astronomy and physics demonstrations, operate telescopes, and build job and public-speaking skills.
Columbia Science Honors Program
Saturday enrichment program at Columbia University for NYC-area students; includes advanced physics courses.
Conrad Challenge
A global STEM innovation and entrepreneurship competition where student teams design original solutions in categories like Aerospace & Aviation or Energy & Environment, culminating in an Innovation Summit at Space Center Houston.
Coursera / edX Physics MOOCs (e.g., MIT 8.01x)
Online university-level physics courses from top institutions; free to audit, fee for certificate.
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.
F=ma Exam (AAPT)
First round of Physics Olympiad qualification; focuses on mechanics and problem-solving, open to any HS student.
Fermilab Friends Summer Internship
Summer research internship at Fermilab for students interested in particle physics and accelerator science.
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
Flagship varsity high school robotics competition where teams build 120 lb robots to play a new game each year. Most prestigious robotics competition with pathways to substantial scholarships.
FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC)
A robotics competition for middle and high schoolers who build smaller-scale robots to compete in a new game released each September, emphasizing engineering design and teamwork.
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.
Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program (Physics/Comp Focus)
2-week free program introducing coding and computational physics concepts to young women.
GoPhysics! Online Workshops
Free online physics workshops from Perimeter Institute where high schoolers dive into modern topics like gravity and black holes, or exoplanets and cosmology, guided by working physicists.
Inspiring Future Women in Science
An annual half-day conference at Perimeter Institute connecting high schoolers with women scientists to discuss careers, challenges, and opportunities in physics and science; recordings available online.
International Physics Olympiad (IPhO)
Invitation-only global competition for top national teams; experimental and theoretical exams.
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.
Johns Hopkins CTY Online Physics
Rigorous online physics courses (AP Physics, intro to quantum) for gifted students.
Khan Academy Physics
Free online physics courses (AP Physics 1, 2, C) with videos, practice, and mastery tracking.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - High School Internship
Summer research internship at Berkeley Lab; projects in physics, materials science, and computation.
LLNL SAGE (Science Accelerating Growth & Engagement)
A free, one-week day camp at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where Northern California high schoolers do hands-on STEM projects and meet LLNL scientists and engineers.
MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute – Quantum Software
A rigorous MIT program combining an online prerequisite course with a four-week in-person summer session where students implement real quantum algorithms in Qiskit.
MIT BWSI (Beaver Works Summer Institute) - Autonomous Systems
4-week residential program at MIT; combines physics (sensors, dynamics) with coding for autonomous systems.
MIT MITES Summer
Free, six-week residential STEM program at MIT for rising high school seniors (11th graders) from underrepresented or underserved backgrounds. Students take rigorous math, science, and humanities courses, complete a project, and live in MIT dorms. Highly selective; all costs covered.
MIT Research Science Institute (RSI)
Extremely selective 6-week residential research program; many students do physics/astrophysics projects with mentors.
NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC)
A nine-month NASA engineering challenge in which student teams design and build human-powered or remote-controlled rovers to navigate a simulated lunar/Martian obstacle course at a culminating event at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
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.
National Science Bowl (Physics Rounds)
National academic competition with physics-focused rounds; teams compete regionally then nationally.
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.
Notre Dame Introduction to Engineering Program (IEP)
A two-week residential Notre Dame summer program for students between their junior and senior year that surveys multiple engineering disciplines through hands-on projects, faculty talks, and campus life.
NSBP/HGS Dream + Inspire Mentoring Program
A mentoring program pairing National Society of Black Physicists collegiate members with middle and high schoolers for weekly conversations, STEAM kit projects, and monthly seminars with professional physicists.
Physics Bowl)
National team-based physics competition with multiple-choice questions spanning mechanics, E&M, modern physics, etc.
Physics by Inquiry - Coursera / University Partners
Inquiry-based physics learning programs; good for self-directed study and conceptual understanding.
Physics Olympiad Summer Training Camp (MOP equivalent for Physics)
Invitation-only training camp for top USAPhO performers; preparation for International Physics Olympiad team.
Physics Unlimited - UC Berkeley Splash
Weekend program where HS students take short, fun physics classes taught by Berkeley undergrads and grad students.
PhysicsBowl Online
Online version of Physics Bowl for remote participation; same content and scoring.
PREFACE: Rensselaer Summer Engineering Design Program
A two-week RPI summer program for rising juniors and seniors that introduces the different branches of engineering through hands-on design projects; recent cohorts have focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning applications.
Princeton University Physics Competition (PUPC)
Student-run online physics competition with both individual and team rounds; conceptual and problem-solving focus.
Quarknet - Cosmic Ray Studies
National program connecting HS teachers and students with particle physics researchers; includes cosmic ray detector projects.
QubitxQubit – Introduction to Quantum Computing
A free, two-semester quantum computing course from The Coding School, built with Google Quantum AI, teaching linear algebra, Python/Qiskit coding, and quantum physics fundamentals with access to real quantum hardware.
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 (Physics Projects)
Prestigious national competition where students submit original research; many winners do physics/astrophysics projects.
Science Olympiad (Physics Events)
Team-based competition with multiple physics-related events (e.g., Mousetrap Vehicle, Circuit Lab, Detector Building).
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.
Sir Isaac Newton Exam (SIN)
University of Waterloo Canadian physics contest; algebra-based, open to international students.
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Summer Internship
Paid research internship at Stanford's SLAC for HS students interested in particle physics and accelerator science.
Solar Car Challenge
A 15-month educational program culminating in a national race where high school teams design, engineer, and build road-worthy, solar-powered cars from scratch, then compete on a closed track or in a cross-country event.
SSP (Summer Science Program) Astrophysics
Renowned 6-week residential program where students do hands-on astrophysics research (asteroid orbit determination).
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes (Physics / Astrophysics)
3-week intensive physics or astrophysics course at Stanford for advanced HS students.
Summer@Rensselaer: Aerospace Engineering & STEAMM Inventor's Studio
One- and two-week RPI summer courses where high schoolers tour aerospace research labs, run wind-tunnel experiments and build radio-controlled aircraft, or pursue interdisciplinary invention projects spanning science, technology, engineering, art, math, and medicine.
SUMMET – Summer Mines Engineering and Training
Free residential program at Colorado School of Mines for rising high school seniors who are prospective first-generation college students, providing a college-life preview through engineering, science, and technology workshops on the Mines campus in Golden, Colorado.
Syracuse University Pre-College: Aerospace Engineering
A two-week Syracuse University pre-college course where students build and test airplane and rocket models while learning aerospace engineering fundamentals from faculty and industry guest speakers.
TryEngineering Summer Institute (IEEE)
An IEEE-run residential engineering summer camp held at university campuses nationwide where high schoolers choose a track -- aerospace, general engineering, AI, biotechnology, or cybersecurity -- for hands-on projects and career exploration.
U.S. Air Force Academy Summer Seminar
Selective free week-long program at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs where high school juniors live in cadet dorms, eat at the cadet dining facility, tour academic and research labs, and participate in admissions and leadership workshops. 2026 sessions: June 2-6, June 8-12, June 15-19. Applications open December 1 and close January 15.
USA Biolympiad (Physics-Heavy Biophysics Track)
While primarily biology, some students with physics background excel in the biophysics/biochemistry sections.
USA Physics Olympiad (USAPhO)
National exam leading to International Physics Olympiad (IPhO); challenging conceptual and calculus-based problems.
USIYPT (US Invitational Young Physicists Tournament)
A national "physics fight" tournament where student teams spend months investigating open-ended physics research problems, then defend their findings against rival teams before a panel of judges.
VEX V5 Robotics Competition
The largest and fastest-growing middle/high school robotics program globally, where student teams build robots for a new annual engineering challenge and compete in tournaments up through a World Championship.
Wolfram Physics & Computation Summer Camp
2.5-week program where students use computational tools (Mathematica) to explore physics problems.
Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) - Frontiers of Science & Technology
2-week summer program with lectures and seminars on advanced topics including physics and engineering.
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.