Engineering programs for high school students.
Summer programs, robotics, design contests and lab research for future engineers.
40 opportunities, 23 free · Links and programs checked October 18, 2026 · By Lokesh Pampatti, founder of Clarity Prep
40 of 40 shown
ScholarshipFreeOnline
Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship
Amazon
Scholarship and internship for students pursuing computer science.
Our take: $40,000 over four years plus a guaranteed paid Amazon internship after freshman year. For low-income seniors planning to major in CS or engineering.
Research & internshipsFreeBrooklyn, NY
NYU Tandon School of Engineering ARISE
NYU Tandon School of Engineering
Ten-week research program with a stipend for NYC students.
Our take: Free, paid research in NYU labs for New York City public and charter school students.
Research & internshipsFreeLaurel, MD
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory ASPIRE
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Mentored STEM internship at APL for juniors and seniors.
Our take: Unpaid mentorship in a national lab, during the school year or summer. Commuting distance to Laurel, MD is the real requirement.
ProgramFreeCambridge, MA (some tracks online)
Beaver Works Summer Institute
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Project-based engineering program for rising seniors. Admission runs through an online course you complete in spring.
Our take: Free and hands-on: autonomous cars, drones, cybersecurity. You have to finish an online prerequisite course first, so start in winter.
Research & internshipsFreeLubbock, TX
Clark Scholars Program
Texas Tech University
Seven-week intensive research program with Texas Tech faculty. Free with a stipend.
Our take: Twelve students a year, a $750 stipend, any field including humanities. Age 17 by the start date.
ScholarshipFreeOnline
Davidson Fellows Scholarship
Davidson Institute
Scholarships for students 18 and under who have completed a significant piece of work in their field.
Our take: $10,000 to $50,000 for a significant completed project. Only worth it if you have graduate-level work; if you do, few things read better.
Research & internshipsFreeUniversity and Army labs nationwide
High School Apprenticeships
Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP)
Stipend-paid summer apprenticeships in Army-sponsored labs.
Our take: Paid research placements funded by the Army, many at universities near you. Less famous than NIH or NASA, which helps your odds.
CompetitionFreeRegional symposia → national
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
JSHS / Department of Defense
Research presentation competition with regional symposia in every state and a national finale.
Our take: Present original research as a talk, not a poster. Fewer entrants than the science fair circuit, real scholarship money.
Research & internshipsFreePrinceton, NJ
Laboratory Learning Program
Princeton University
Unpaid research placement with Princeton faculty in engineering and natural sciences.
Our take: Free, full-time research in a Princeton lab. No housing, so it is realistic only if you can commute. Age 16 and up.
CompetitionFreeOnline
MathWorks Math Modeling (M3) Challenge
SIAM
Teams of 3–5 juniors and seniors solve an open modeling problem in 14 hours.
Our take: Free, team-based, and the finalists win real scholarship money. Applied math, not olympiad math; good for engineers.
ProgramFreeCambridge, MA
MITES Summer
MIT
Rigorous STEM coursework and projects at MIT for rising seniors. MITES Semester (online) and MITES Saturdays (Boston area) are the sibling tracks.
Our take: One of the few free MIT-run programs. For students from underrepresented or under-resourced backgrounds; if that is you, apply.
Research & internshipsFreeNASA centers + virtual
OSTEM Internships
NASA
Paid internships at NASA centers for high school and college students.
Our take: Paid, and NASA on a résumé speaks for itself. Age 16 and up; apply to several projects, not one.
CompetitionFreeOnline
Regeneron Science Talent Search
Society for Science
Nationwide competition for original research by high school seniors; 300 scholars, 40 finalists.
Our take: The oldest and most prestigious research competition for seniors. You need completed original research by November of senior year, which means starting as a sophomore or junior.
Research & internshipsFreeCambridge, MA
Center for Excellence in Education / MIT Research Science Institute (RSI)
Center for Excellence in Education / MIT
Six weeks of original STEM research with MIT and Broad Institute mentors, entirely free.
Our take: The most selective summer program in the country, about 100 students worldwide. If you have research already, apply; if not, this is not the place to start.
Research & internshipsFreeNavy laboratories nationwide
Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
U.S. Navy / Office of Naval Research
Navy research apprenticeship for students who have finished at least 9th grade.
Our take: Paid eight weeks in a Navy lab. Deadline is November 1, far earlier than most; U.S. citizenship required.
Research & internshipsFreeAustin, TX + remote work
SEES High School Summer Intern Program
NASA / UT Austin Center for Space Research
Earth and space research internship for rising juniors and seniors.
Our take: Free NASA-funded earth and space science research. Most of the work is remote; the two weeks in Austin are covered.
Research & internshipsFreeStony Brook, NY
Simons Summer Research Program
Stony Brook University
Hands-on research with Stony Brook faculty for rising seniors, with a stipend.
Our take: Real lab, real stipend, a poster at the end. You need a teacher nomination; ask in December.
Research & internshipsFreeStanford, CA
Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
Stanford School of Medicine
Eight weeks of hands-on medical research with a stipend.
Our take: Paid biomedical research at Stanford Medicine. No housing is provided, so Bay Area students have a practical edge.
ProgramFreePittsburgh, PA
Carnegie Mellon University Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS)
Carnegie Mellon University
College-level math and science coursework with CMU faculty, plus a project. Fully funded.
Our take: Free and genuinely rigorous. Built for students without easy access to advanced STEM; the application asks you to show that.
Research & internshipsFreeOnline
THINK Scholars
MIT THINK
Student-run program that funds and mentors high school STEM projects.
Our take: You propose a project; MIT students mentor it and fund up to $1,000. The proposal is a real piece of writing; give it weeks.
CompetitionUnder $1kRegional → state → international
Regeneron ISEF (via your regional fair)
Society for Science
The world's largest pre-college science competition, fed by affiliated fairs.
Our take: You get there by winning your regional and state fair. Even a state-level award is a real line; ISEF itself is a big one.
Program$1k–5kUC Davis, Irvine, San Diego, Santa Cruz, LA
COSMOS — California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science
University of California
Four-week residential STEM program across UC campuses, with clusters in specific topics.
Our take: For California students this is the one to get. Out-of-state applicants are admitted at a higher cost and lower odds.
Program$1k–5kEast Lansing, MI
High School Honors Science, Math and Engineering Program
Michigan State University
Full-time research placement for rising seniors, with a final presentation.
Our take: Seven weeks in a real lab with an MSU researcher, small cohort, long track record. Underrated.
CompetitionFreeOnline
Diamond Challenge
University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship
Global business and social venture pitch competition for high school students.
Our take: Free pitch competition with $100,000 in total prizes. A real venture idea beats a clever one.
CompetitionFreeSchool team, teacher-led
Solve for Tomorrow
Samsung
STEM competition for public school teams solving a local community problem.
Our take: A teacher has to enter your school. State winners get technology packages; national finalists get real money and press.
CompetitionFreeState → national → Stockholm
Stockholm Junior Water Prize (U.S.)
Water Environment Federation
Research competition for water-related science and engineering projects.
Our take: For a water-related research project, the state round is very winnable. The national winner goes to Sweden.
CompetitionUnder $1kTeam; national finals near Washington, DC
American Rocketry Challenge
Aerospace Industries Association
The world's largest student rocketry competition.
Our take: Design, build, and fly a rocket to a target altitude with a raw egg aboard. Top 100 teams go to finals; a small team can do this without a school program.
CompetitionUnder $1kOnline
Conrad Challenge
Conrad Foundation
Multi-phase innovation and entrepreneurship competition for ages 13–18.
Our take: Invent a product in aerospace, energy, health, or cyber and defend the business case. Finalists pitch at the Innovation Summit.
CompetitionUnder $1kOnline
Air & Space Forces Association CyberPatriot
Air & Space Forces Association
National youth cyber defense competition.
Our take: Cybersecurity in teams, online rounds through the fall and winter. Platinum tier and national finals are the lines that count.
CompetitionUnder $1kSchool or community team
FIRST Tech Challenge
FIRST
Smaller-scale robotics competition for grades 7–12.
Our take: Smaller and cheaper than FRC, so it is realistic to start a team yourself. Founding one is a stronger story than joining one.
CompetitionUnder $1kAthens, GA
Georgia Science and Engineering Fair
University of Georgia
Georgia's state science fair, an ISEF-affiliated competition.
Our take: Georgia's path to ISEF. You qualify through your regional fair first; ask your science teacher in the fall which one your school uses.
CompetitionUnder $1kSchool team → regional → state → national
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad Inc.
Twenty-three events spanning biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and earth science.
Our take: Team-based and school-run, so the signal is medals at state or national, plus any leadership you take on.
CompetitionUnder $1kSchool or community team
VEX Robotics Competition
Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
Robotics competition with a world championship each spring.
Our take: Same story as FIRST: role and results, not membership. Worlds qualification is the line.
CompetitionCost variesSchool or community team
FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST
Build a 120-pound robot in six weeks and compete regionally and at the championship.
Our take: The team exists at your school or it does not. If it does, what matters is your role: lead a subsystem, run outreach, mentor rookies. Dean's List is the individual honor.
Research & internships$1k–5kStony Brook, NY
Garcia Summer Scholars
Stony Brook University Garcia Center
Seven-week research program in materials science with an optional year-round continuation.
Our take: Polymer and materials research that often continues through the school year and into science fairs. There is a fee.
ProgramOver $5kCampus sessions + online
LaunchX
LaunchX
Entrepreneurship program where teams start a real business over the summer.
Our take: You actually build a company. Selective enough to mean something; expensive. Worth most if you keep the venture running after.
ProgramOver $5kBoston, MA
RISE — Research in Science & Engineering
Boston University
Six weeks of university lab research (Internship track) or a research-methods course (Practicum track).
Our take: Real lab placement and a poster session. You pay for it, which readers know, but the work can stand on its own.
ProgramOver $5kIowa City, IA
Secondary Student Training Program
University of Iowa
Six weeks of mentored university research ending in a poster and paper.
Our take: Real research placement with a faculty mentor. Costly, but the output is a project you can talk about.
ProgramUnder $1kAtlanta, GA
Georgia Tech CEISMC Summer P.E.A.K.S.
Georgia Tech CEISMC
Georgia Tech's K-12 outreach center runs week-long summer STEM programs for metro Atlanta students.
Our take: Week-long STEM camps on the Georgia Tech campus, priced for local families. Good exposure for younger students, not a résumé item.
Program$1k–5kHuntsville, AL
U.S. Space & Rocket Center Space Camp
U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Week-long space and aviation camps, including Advanced Space Academy for ages 15–18.
Our take: Formative for a lot of engineers, and a good story in an essay. Not a credential.
“Helps an application” is our read on how much an admissions reader is likely to weigh it: Strong means getting in or placing is a real achievement, Solid means it shows real interest and effort, and Light usually means most students who apply and pay can attend. It’s our opinion, not a ranking from any college, and a light one can still be a great summer.
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Clarity Prep members get opportunities matched to their grade, interests and state in the app, plus a mentor who helps them decide what’s worth applying to and checks in every week until the applications are in.
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Every program here is real and links to its own official site. Dates, costs and rules change every year, so check the official page before you apply. Deadlines are shown as the months they usually close. Spot something out of date? Email sessions@joinclarityprep.com.