Physics and chemistry programs for high school students.
Science olympiads, research and summer programs for students who love physics, chemistry or earth and space science.
35 opportunities, 18 free · Links and programs checked October 18, 2026 · By Lokesh Pampatti, founder of Clarity Prep
35 of 35 shown
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.
CompetitionFreeOnline
Breakthrough Junior Challenge
Breakthrough Prize Foundation
Global video competition for ages 13–18.
Our take: A three-minute video explaining a scientific idea. The winner gets a $250,000 scholarship; finalists are a real distinction. Thousands enter, so make it genuinely good.
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.
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.
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 & internshipsFreeNew York, NY
The Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program
The Rockefeller University
Seven weeks of mentored research for students 16 and up.
Our take: Team-based research at one of the top biomedical institutions. Free, commuter, early deadline.
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 $1kAt your school
American Association of Physics Teachers F=ma → USAPhO
American Association of Physics Teachers
The U.S. physics olympiad sequence.
Our take: Qualifying for USAPhO from F=ma is the meaningful step. Needs a teacher willing to proctor.
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.
CompetitionUnder $1kThrough your local ACS section
U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad
American Chemical Society
Two-stage chemistry olympiad run by ACS local sections.
Our take: Local exam, then the national exam for top scorers. Reaching the national exam is the line worth having.
Research & internshipsCost variesNew Mexico, Colorado, Indiana, and others
Summer Science Program (SSP)
Summer Science Program
Immersive team research program with a 60-year track record.
Our take: Need-blind admission and a sliding-scale fee down to zero. Astrophysics, biochemistry, genomics, or synthetic chemistry, in a team, at full intensity.
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.
CompetitionFreeRegional → national finals in Washington, DC
National Science Bowl
U.S. Department of Energy
Team quiz competition for high school students.
Our take: Fast-buzzer science trivia at a high level. Winning your regional is the achievement; nationals is all-expenses-paid.
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 $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.
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.
Program$1k–5kAnn Arbor, MI
Michigan Math and Science Scholars
University of Michigan
Intensive courses in math and science taught by university faculty.
Our take: Two-week deep dives taught by Michigan faculty. Reasonable cost for the category; scholarships exist.
ProgramOver $5kSanta Barbara, CA
UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program
UC Santa Barbara
Six-week mentored research program ending in a technical paper and symposium.
Our take: University research with a graduate-student mentor. Expensive; some aid. The paper you write is the takeaway.
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.
ProgramOver $5kNew Haven, CT
Yale Young Global Scholars
Yale University
Two-week interdisciplinary sessions with students from 150+ countries.
Our take: Selective and well-run with a real international cohort. Does not move your Yale application; need-based aid is generous.
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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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.