Spend your summer on something that counts.

Fully funded immersion abroad in critical languages (Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Russian, and more) with host families.

Cost

Free· Fully funded merit scholarship, including travel

Typical deadline

Early Nov

Format

Residential · 6–8 weeks abroad

Interdisciplinary sessions with a huge international cohort. Selective on paper but large; the global network is the real draw.

Cost

Over $6k· Substantial need-based aid, including full scholarships

Typical deadline

Nov (EA) / Jan (regular)

Format

Residential · 2 weeks

Fully funded leadership institute on the Princeton campus, plus year-round college guidance through the LEDA Scholars network.

Cost

Free

Typical deadline

Dec – Jan

Format

Residential · 7 weeks

Eligibility

High-achieving juniors from low-income backgrounds

Wharton's flagship pre-college: business fundamentals, leadership labs, and a team venture pitch.

Cost

Over $6k· Need-based aid available

Typical deadline

Jan

Format

Residential · 3 weeks

Eligibility

Rising seniors

Highly selective, fully funded seminars on global issues — one of the few free-with-credit programs anywhere.

Cost

Free· All expenses covered; college credit awarded

Typical deadline

Jan

Format

Residential · ~10 days

Eligibility

Rising seniors

The most selective research program in the country: original STEM research under academic mentors, capped by conference-style presentations. Entirely free.

Cost

Free

Typical deadline

Mid Dec – mid Jan

Format

Residential · 6 weeks

Eligibility

Rising seniors

Paid internship at a local nonprofit plus a national leadership summit in Washington, DC.

Cost

Free + stipend· Paid nonprofit internship

Typical deadline

Jan – Feb

Format

Hybrid · 8 weeks

Eligibility

Juniors and seniors

Biomedical research in themed team "tracks" at one of the world's top research institutions, mentored by Rockefeller scientists.

Cost

Free

Typical deadline

Early Jan

Format

Commuter · 7 weeks

Genetics and genomics research with a defined project of your own at JAX campuses in Maine and Connecticut. Stipend covers the summer.

Cost

Free + stipend

Typical deadline

Late Jan

Format

Residential · 10 weeks

Seminar-style critical study of Black and ethnic studies with democratic self-governance. Completely free, famously selective.

Cost

Free· Free including travel

Typical deadline

Dec – early Jan

Format

Residential · 6 weeks

Eligibility

Sophomores and juniors

Elite classical-music training alongside the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home at Tanglewood.

Cost

Over $6k· Merit and need-based aid

Typical deadline

Winter (audition-based)

Format

Residential · 2–6 weeks

Tiny cohort (~12 students) doing intensive one-on-one research with faculty in any discipline, not just STEM. Free with a stipend.

Cost

Free + stipend

Typical deadline

Mid Feb

Format

Residential · 7 weeks

Eligibility

17+ by program start

Cluster-based STEM intensives at UC campuses (Davis, Irvine, San Diego, Santa Cruz, and LA), from astrophysics to biomedical sciences.

Cost

$2k–$6k· California-resident pricing; financial aid available

Typical deadline

Early Feb

Format

Residential · 4 weeks

Paid NIH summer enrichment focused on science skills, career exploration, and college readiness.

Cost

Free + stipend

Typical deadline

Feb

Format

Commuter · 5 weeks

Eligibility

Rising seniors near NIH Bethesda from schools with significant financial need

The storied arts camp for serious young musicians, actors, dancers, filmmakers, writers, and visual artists.

Cost

Over $6k· Substantial need- and merit-based aid

Typical deadline

Winter priority; rolling after

Format

Residential · 1–6 weeks

Admission by writing sample to the high-school arm of the most famous creative-writing university in the country.

Cost

$2k–$6k· Some scholarships available

Typical deadline

Early Feb

Format

Residential · 2 weeks

Free multicultural journalism training with veteran reporters and executives; open to students of all backgrounds.

Cost

Free· Free including travel

Typical deadline

Winter

Format

Residential · 6 days

Rigorous MIT coursework in math, science, and humanities with project-based electives. Free including room and board.

Cost

Free

Typical deadline

Early Feb

Format

Residential · 6 weeks

Eligibility

Rising seniors; strong focus on underserved and underrepresented students

Free journalism bootcamp with top editors and reporters, plus a full year of college-application support.

Cost

Free

Typical deadline

Feb

Format

Hybrid · 10 days on campus + school-year college counseling

Eligibility

Low-income juniors

Choose an Internship track (research in a BU lab) or Practicum track (guided group research) across the sciences and engineering.

Cost

Over $6k· Need-based aid available

Typical deadline

Feb

Format

Residential · 6 weeks

Eligibility

Rising seniors

Hands-on research in a Stony Brook faculty lab, ending with a research abstract and poster. Participants receive a stipend award.

Cost

Free + stipend

Typical deadline

Early Feb

Format

Varies · 7 weeks

Eligibility

Rising seniors

Research-driven humanities seminars with Stanford professors, ending in an original paper.

Cost

Over $6k· Financial aid available

Typical deadline

Feb

Format

Residential · 3 weeks

Abstract algebra & number theory or algebraic topology, taught proof-first in residential and online formats.

Cost

Over $6k· Financial aid available; online option costs less

Typical deadline

Feb – Mar

Format

Varies · 4 weeks

Paid, mentored cancer-research internship pairing students with Fred Hutch labs.

Cost

Free + stipend

Typical deadline

Winter (varies)

Format

Commuter · 8 weeks

Eligibility

Rising seniors; Seattle area; prioritizes students underrepresented in biomedical science

AI fundamentals plus a mentored group project at university host sites, aimed at broadening who builds AI.

Cost

Free· Free at most host sites

Typical deadline

Winter – spring (varies by site)

Format

Varies · 2–3 weeks

Eligibility

Focus on students underrepresented in AI

Workshops plus placement in an NYU faculty lab, with a stipend for participants.

Cost

Free + stipend

Typical deadline

Mar

Format

Commuter · 10 weeks

Eligibility

NYC students, rising juniors/seniors

Project-based engineering: autonomous racecars, UAVs, cybersecurity, assistive tech. Free, with self-paced prerequisites in the spring.

Cost

Free

Typical deadline

Mar – Apr (after prerequisite online courses)

Format

Varies · 4 weeks

Admission by a famously fun qualifying quiz; five weeks of student-driven advanced mathematics with visiting mathematicians.

Cost

$2k–$6k· Full need-based aid; free for lower-income families

Typical deadline

Mar (qualifying quiz)

Format

Residential · 5 weeks

Generative writing workshop run by one of the leading literary magazines.

Cost

$2k–$6k· Need-based scholarships

Typical deadline

Winter – spring (rolling rounds)

Format

Residential · 2 weeks

Free two-week camps in web, mobile, data science, or machine learning.

Cost

Free

Typical deadline

Spring

Format

Varies · 2 weeks

Eligibility

Girls and gender-expansive teens 13–18

Start a real startup with a team of peers, from customer research to launch.

Cost

Over $6k· Aid available; online options cost less

Typical deadline

Rolling rounds through spring

Format

Varies · 4 weeks

Free two-week MIT math intensive focused on creative problem-solving techniques.

Cost

Free

Typical deadline

Mar

Format

Residential · 2 weeks

Eligibility

High-potential students from underrepresented backgrounds or underserved communities

The classic pre-college journalism intensive at Medill, running since 1934.

Cost

$2k–$6k· Scholarships available

Typical deadline

Mar

Format

Residential · ~1 month

Eligibility

Rising seniors

Deep immersion in number theory through daily problem sets — one of the storied trio of proof-based summer math programs.

Cost

$2k–$6k· Full need-based aid; free for eligible families

Typical deadline

Mar

Format

Residential · 6 weeks

"Think deeply of simple things": six weeks inside number theory, writing proofs from first principles.

Cost

$2k–$6k· Financial aid available

Typical deadline

Mar – early Apr

Format

Residential · 6 weeks

Eight weeks of biomedical research in Stanford Medicine labs across immunology, neuroscience, cancer biology, bioengineering, and more.

Cost

Free + stipend

Typical deadline

Late Feb

Format

Commuter · 8 weeks

Eligibility

Juniors and seniors; Bay Area presence required

Single-subject intensives with an application review — more selective than open pre-college programs, but still primarily an enrichment experience.

Cost

Over $6k· Financial aid available

Typical deadline

Winter – spring

Format

Varies · 2–3 weeks

Free two-week intro to CS careers with industry partner companies.

Cost

Free

Typical deadline

Spring

Format

Virtual · 2 weeks

Eligibility

Girls and non-binary students

One-on-one mentorship with an established poet or prose writer; a launching pad for many nationally awarded teen writers.

Cost

Under $2k· Fee waivers available

Typical deadline

Spring

Format

Virtual · ~6 weeks

Teams do real research in astrophysics, biochemistry, genomics, or synthetic chemistry at university campuses. One of the oldest and most respected programs.

Cost

Varies· Need-based aid down to $0

Typical deadline

Late Feb

Format

Residential · 5 weeks

Eligibility

Rising seniors (some juniors)

Individual research projects in biological and environmental sciences with UC Davis research faculty.

Cost

$2k–$6k· Some scholarships available

Typical deadline

Mar

Format

Residential · 6 weeks

Long-running civic leadership program where students build and run a model state government.

Cost

Free· Usually sponsored; selection typically via your school

Typical deadline

Spring (via school/Legion post nomination)

Format

Residential · ~1 week

Eligibility

Rising seniors

Short intensives on the Columbia campus or online across dozens of subjects. An experience of NYC college life more than an admissions differentiator.

Cost

Over $6k· Some scholarships

Typical deadline

Spring (rolling until full)

Format

Varies · 1–3 weeks

Six weeks of "Interesting Mathematics" — playful, proof-heavy workshops with a devoted alumni cult following.

Cost

$2k–$6k· Financial aid available

Typical deadline

Spring (rolling)

Format

Residential · 6 weeks

Real college courses for credit on the Harvard campus. Excellent teaching and independence practice — but enrollment is largely open, so treat it as academic exploration, not a selectivity spike.

Cost

Over $6k· Some aid available

Typical deadline

Spring (rolling until full)

Format

Varies · 4 or 7 weeks

Research alongside scientists at a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory on Long Island.

Cost

Free

Typical deadline

Spring (varies)

Format

Commuter · 6 weeks

Serious mathematics with inquiry-based, improvisational instruction ("...and serious fun").

Cost

$2k–$6k· Need-based aid available

Typical deadline

Apr

Format

Residential · 5 weeks

Art-school schedule and critique culture, ending in a college-ready portfolio project.

Cost

Over $6k· Scholarships available; online option costs less

Typical deadline

Spring

Format

Varies · 5 weeks

Hundreds of non-credit courses in Brown's open curriculum spirit. Great for exploring interests; admission is near-open, so colleges read it as enrichment.

Cost

Over $6k· Need-based scholarships

Typical deadline

Spring (rolling until full)

Format

Varies · 1–6 weeks

Yale College courses for credit alongside undergrads, residential or online. Valuable coursework; not a selectivity signal by itself.

Cost

Over $6k· Limited aid

Typical deadline

Spring

Format

Varies · 5 weeks

Accelerated courses for students who qualify by above-grade-level testing, on campuses nationwide and online.

Cost

$2k–$6k· Need-based aid; qualifying test scores required

Typical deadline

Rolling (test-in)

Format

Varies · 3 weeks