Start exploring Free summer programs for 11th graders

Dates:

Not confirmed for 2027

Length:

6–7 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

Abroad (Arabic, Chinese, Korean, or Russian language host countries)

Grades:

U.S. high school students ages 15–18; U.S. citizens (completed grades 9–12)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Nov 12, 2026

Fully funded six-to-seven-week summer language immersion abroad from the U.S. Department of State, where high school students study Arabic, Chinese, Korean, or Russian for at least 120 hours, live with host families or in monitored housing, and take part in cultural activities.

Dates:

Jun 20–Jul 31, 2027

Length:

6 weeks (42 days)

Cost:

$0

Location:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Grades:

Current high school juniors (one year left before graduation), at least 16 by July 1, 2027

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Dec 11, 2026

Six-week, cost-free summer research program at MIT that opens with a week of intensive STEM seminars taught by professors, followed by a five-week individual research internship with a scientist mentor and a final research paper and symposium presentation.

Dates:

Jun 27–Aug 7, 2027

Length:

6 weeks (42 days)

Cost:

$0

Location:

Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Grades:

Current high school juniors (one year left before graduation), at least 16 by July 1, 2027

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Dec 11, 2026

Six-week, cost-free summer research program at Stanford that opens with a week of intensive STEM seminars taught by professors, followed by a five-week individual research internship with a scientist mentor and a final research paper and symposium presentation.

Dates:

Jun 13–18, 2027

Length:

6 days

Cost:

$0

Location:

University of Texas at Austin (Gates Dell Complex), Austin, TX

Grades:

Entering 11th–12th grade (fall 2027), U.S.-based (completed grades 10–11)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Dec 20, 2026

Free one-week residential machine learning academy at UT Austin Computer Science where students learn Python, train their own machine learning model, and explore the social impacts of AI; all skill levels welcome.

Dates:

May 30–Jun 5, 2027

Length:

7 days

Cost:

$0

Location:

University of Texas at Austin (Gates Dell Complex), Austin, TX

Grades:

Entering 11th–12th grade (fall 2027), U.S.-based (completed grades 10–11)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Dec 20, 2026

Free one-week residential coding academy at UT Austin Computer Science where students program Arduino microcontrollers in C++ to build LED light shows, meet faculty and tech companies, and get UT admissions advice; all skill levels welcome.

Dates:

Jun 6–12, 2027

Length:

7 days

Cost:

$0

Location:

University of Texas at Austin (Gates Dell Complex), Austin, TX

Grades:

Entering 11th–12th grade (fall 2027), U.S.-based (completed grades 10–11)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Dec 20, 2026

Free one-week residential coding academy at UT Austin Computer Science focused on women in tech, where students program Arduino microcontrollers in C++, work on team projects, and meet faculty and industry representatives; all skill levels welcome.

Dates:

Jun 28–Aug 6, 2027

Length:

6 weeks (full-time, 40 hours/week)

Cost:

$0

Location:

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY

Grades:

Current high school juniors (class of 2028) in Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, or Chautauqua County, NY

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Jan 1, 2027

Six-week, full-time cancer research internship at Roswell Park in Buffalo where Western New York high school juniors work on a mentored lab, population-health, or computational project, attend cancer biology lectures and professional development sessions, and present a scientific poster at a closing symposium.

Residency restriction: Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, or Chautauqua County, NY students only

Dates:

Jun 7–Jul 9, 2027

Length:

About 5 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

Cook Children's Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX

Grades:

Texas high school students, including homeschoolers, at least 16 years old (completed grades 10–12)

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Jan 4, 2027

Paid summer research program at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, part of Duke's STAR program, where a small cohort of Texas high school students joins an active pediatric study with a mentor, takes short courses on research methods, scientific writing, and professional development, and finishes with a capstone presentation or research poster.

Residency restriction: TX residents

Dates:

Jun 21–Aug 5, 2027

Length:

7 weeks (full-time, about 35 hours/week)

Cost:

$0

Location:

The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

Grades:

Current high school juniors and seniors, at least 16 at program start

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Jan 4, 2027

Seven-week, full-time research program at The Rockefeller University in Manhattan where 32 high school scholars work in teams of 8–10 with team leaders and mentors, learning lab techniques, developing their own research question, analyzing data, and presenting a poster at a closing symposium.

Dates:

Jun 14–Aug 6, 2027

Length:

8 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI

Grades:

Michigan high school students within commuting distance of Ann Arbor (ideal: rising juniors and seniors)

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Interest form closes Jan 8, 2027

Eight-week paid biomedical research program at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor where Michigan high school students complete an independent lab project with a research mentor and take courses in science communication and college preparation, presenting a research talk at the end.

Residency restriction: MI residents

Dates:

Not confirmed for 2027

Length:

10 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX

Grades:

Local high school students entering senior year in fall 2027, age 18 by June 7, 2027; economically or educationally disadvantaged, with disabilities, or first-generation (completed grade 11)

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Jan 13, 2027

Ten-week, full-time paid cancer research experience at MD Anderson in Houston where up to 10 local high school students are matched with a faculty mentor for lab research, coursework, and seminars, finishing with a poster session.

Dates:

Jun 28–Jul 30, 2027

Length:

About 5 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

Marshall Health Network sites in Huntington, Point Pleasant, and Logan, WV

Grades:

Rising 11th-12th graders in West Virginia, including homeschoolers (completed grades 10–11)

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Jan 15, 2027

Paid summer research program for West Virginia high school students at Marshall Health Network sites, part of Duke's STAR program, where a cohort of four does hands-on research with Marshall faculty, takes short courses in research methods and medical writing, and, where appropriate, shadows in clinical settings.

Residency restriction: WV residents

Dates:

Jul 22–31, 2027

Length:

10 days

Cost:

$0

Location:

Charlottesville, VA (University of Virginia)

Grades:

High school sophomores and juniors (at time of application)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Jan 19, 2027

Fully funded cultural exchange at the University of Virginia pairing 20 American high schoolers with 20 Japanese students as roommates, with daily Japanese language classes, seminar-style discussions, cultural presentations, and activities like a Japanese summer festival and karaoke night.

Dates:

2 sessions between Jun 19–Jul 21, 2027 (10-day seminar (12 days on campus) options)

Length:

10-day seminar (12 days on campus)

Cost:

$0

Location:

Notre Dame, IN (University of Notre Dame)

Grades:

Completed 11th grade

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Jan 20, 2027

Credit:

1 transferable Notre Dame credit (on satisfactory completion)

Students live in Notre Dame residence halls and spend the session in one seminar taught by Notre Dame faculty, with activities outside class.

Dates:

Jul 6–Aug 13, 2027

Length:

6 weeks (weekdays, 9am–5pm)

Cost:

$0

Location:

Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA (Kendall Square)

Grades:

Rising 12th graders at Massachusetts high schools (completed grade 11)

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Jan 20, 2027

Paid six-week research program in which Massachusetts high school juniors work full-time alongside Broad Institute scientists on an original project in areas such as cancer biology, psychiatric disease, or computational biology, with a staff tutor, scientific talks, career exploration, and a closing poster session.

Residency restriction: Massachusetts high school students only

Dates:

Not confirmed for 2027

Length:

8 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

Grades:

Current high school juniors in North Texas, age 16 by June 1, 2027; no prior biomedical research experience

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Jan 22, 2027

Eight-week paid research program at UT Southwestern in Dallas where North Texas high school juniors work in a biomedical research lab, present their results at the end of the summer, and share their experience at their home schools.

Residency restriction: North Texas students only

Dates:

Jun 7–Aug 6, 2027

Length:

8 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

Houston Methodist Hospital, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX

Grades:

Current high school juniors and seniors, age 16+; minimum 3.5 GPA

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Jan 29, 2027

Eight-week, full-time paid translational research internship at Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center where high school juniors and seniors work on a mentor-selected lab project, take a career and college-preparation curriculum, and present a poster at a closing research symposium.

Dates:

Jun 26–Jul 24, 2027

Length:

4 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Grades:

Rising 12th graders (in 11th grade when applying), age 16 by June 26, 2027; U.S. citizens or permanent residents

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Feb 1, 2027

Fully funded, merit-based four-week residential program at Carnegie Mellon for rising seniors exploring artificial intelligence through classroom instruction, research projects, faculty lectures, and industry experiences.

Dates:

Jun 26–Aug 7, 2027 (virtual jumpstart Jun 21–22)

Length:

6 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA

Grades:

Students between 11th and 12th grade, age 16 by June 26, 2027; U.S. citizens and permanent residents (completed grade 11)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Feb 1, 2027

Credit:

Yes (credit-bearing Student to Scholar course)

Fully funded six-week residential math and science program at Carnegie Mellon for rising seniors from groups underrepresented in STEM, combining college-level math and lab science courses, a faculty-advised research project, a credit-bearing college transition course, and college application workshops.

Dates:

Jun 29–Aug 20, 2027

Length:

8 weeks (full-time, 40 hours/week)

Cost:

$0

Location:

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Main Campus, New York, NY

Grades:

Current high school juniors living within 25 miles of MSK in Manhattan

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Feb 5, 2027

Eight-week, full-time paid research internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan where about 20 high school juniors each complete a self-directed lab project with a mentor and attend lab meetings and professional development events.

Residency restriction: Within 25 miles of MSK in Manhattan only

Dates:

Jun 14–Aug 6, 2027

Length:

8 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

UCSF, San Francisco, CA

Grades:

Current 11th graders living in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, or San Mateo County; age 16+ by program start; minimum 2.5 GPA

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Feb 7, 2027

Eight-week, full-time research internship in a UCSF laboratory for Bay Area high school juniors, mentored by UCSF faculty, postdocs, and graduate students, with a weekly college seminar, college and career advising, and a closing research showcase.

Residency restriction: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, or San Mateo County students only

Dates:

Jun 20 – Aug 5, 2027

Length:

7 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

Lubbock, TX (Texas Tech University)

Grades:

Rising seniors and graduating seniors, age 17+ by the program start (completed grades 11–12)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Feb 15, 2027

Twelve scholars spend seven weeks doing hands-on research with a Texas Tech faculty mentor, with weekly seminars and social activities, and earn a $750 stipend on completing a research project report.

Dates:

Jun 14–Aug 6, 2027

Length:

8 weeks

Cost:

$0

Location:

Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA

Grades:

San Diego County high school students, at least 16 by June 14, 2027; minimum 2.75 GPA and one high school biology class (completed grades 10–12)

Format:

Commuter

Deadline:

Feb 15, 2027

Eight-week paid research internship at the Salk Institute in La Jolla where San Diego County high school students work one-on-one with a Salk scientist on a research project, attend seminars, career workshops, and biotech site visits, and present at a closing symposium.

Residency restriction: San Diego County students only

Dates:

Jun 27 – Aug 7, 2027

Length:

6 weeks

Cost:

$0–$8,000

Location:

Boston, MA (Boston University campus)

Grades:

Completed 9th grade or higher; ages 14–18 at program start (not yet a full-time college student)

Format:

Residential

Deadline:

Due Feb 26, 2027 (tentative)

Six weeks of intensive mathematical exploration for about 80 high school students. First-year participants work through daily Number Theory problem sets, discovering results for themselves, with a morning lecture and daily feedback from undergraduate math-major counselors; returning students take advanced seminars, and lab projects are optional.