Building science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills at an early age can not only introduce young students to different career prospects at an early age but also help them gain skills like critical thinking and problem-solving, and teaches them how to think out-of-the-box and innovate. 

Many top U.S. universities recognize the importance of introducing STEM early to help mold the next generation of scientists and engineers and have created special programs aimed at K-12 students. 

If you’re a middle school student interested in STEM, here are 10 highly rated summer programs you should consider:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s summer programs 

MIT holds multiple programs for K-12 students that range from one day to a year. A good option for beginners is the dynaMIT program. Current MIT students host dynaMIT, a free STEM outreach summer program for middle school students from the Boston area. The program engages STEM students through engaging activities covering topics like electromagnetism, programming, and forensics. At the end of the week, students present a capstone project. 

Note: the program is non-residential and students must make their own lodging arrangements, if needed.

Location: MIT campus

Duration: One week. The program will run from August 14 to August 18, 2024, for rising grade 6 and 7 students, and from August 21 to 25 for rising grade 8 and 9 students 

Cost: None! The program is free

Eligibility: Rising grade 6-9 students from the Boston area

2. University of California - Berkeley’s Girls in Engineering program

Recognizing the gender bias in STEM, UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering introduced Girls in Engineering, an outreach program that runs a week-long summer camp to inspire middle school girls to study STEM by introducing them to engineering and design. Activities include wiring a paper circuit with LED, building an origami robot, designing and testing a water filter, and designing accessible products for people with disabilities. 

Location: Berkeley campus

Duration: One week. Tentatively, the camp will have three sessions that will run in June and July

Cost: $600 (2023 fees). Financial aid is available.

Eligibility: Rising grade 6-8 students living in the San Francisco Bay Area

3. Purdue University’s Physics Inside Out Program

The Physics Inside Out program runs for one week in the summer to introduce students to experimental procedures. For example, past years’ experiments include spin coating an aluminum plate on which students place a drop of water and then pass an electric current to learn about how an electric charge can affect different fluids. Students have also fabricated electric motors and conducted laser experiments to measure refraction. 

The camp also includes interactions with scientists and professors who talk about what made them pursue a career in STEM. 

Location: Purdue campus

Duration: One week. Tentatively, the camp will be held in June 2024

Cost: Free

Eligibility: For 2024, rising grade 7 and 8 students can apply (student eligibility rotates each year; grade 9-12 students attended the camp in 2023)

4. Carnegie Mellon’s Summer Engineering Experience

The Summer Engineering Experience (SEE) runs for one week and covers engineering and design. Based on the program’s theme, students will complete both a group and individual project during the week. For example, the 2023 program’s theme was “Making and Engineering.” Previous group project activities include building bridge models. 

Note: Carnegie Mellon holds a separate SEE program for high school students.

Location: Carnegie Mellon campus

Duration: One week. Tentatively, the camp will be held in July 2024

Cost: TBA. Details on the program’s cost were unavailable at the time of writing

Eligibility: Rising grade 8-9 students

5. Georgia Institute of Technology’s Summer P.E.A.K.S. 

The Summer P.E.A.K.S. (Programs for Enrichment and Accelerated Knowledge in STEAM) is aimed at students in grades 4-12 to increase their STEAM (STEM + arts) knowledge through accessible and engaging activities. For middle school students, Georgia offers a week-long program with experiential activities. Students can build functioning LEGO robots for an introduction to robotics and electrical engineering, visit Six Flags to understand the physics of roller coasters, and learn coding by hacking Minecraft using a Raspberry Pi computer. 

Location: Georgia Tech Atlanta campus

Duration: One week. The camp will be held in June-July 2024

Cost: $450-$650. Financial aid is available

Eligibility: Rising grade 6-8 students

6. Texas A&M University’s Exploring STEM Summer Camp

This week-long summer camp is designed to give middle school students an introduction to STEM topics like robotics, aerospace engineering, computer science, and engineering design. Students can tour STEM labs during the program. A typical day includes lectures, panel discussions, and dedicated mathematics classes.  

Location: Texas A&M campus

Duration: One week 

Cost: TBA

Eligibility: Rising grade 6-8 students

7. John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth’s Summer Programs

The Center for Talented Youth (CTY) holds multiple STEM-focused summer programs on college campuses around the U.S. Students can study body anatomy and physiology through Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, study astrophysics by investigating how the universe expands, biotechnology through the Human Genome Project, mathematics through cryptology and codebreaking, and much more. Students complete a course-specific project by the end of the program.

Location: Multiple universities across the U.S.

Duration: 1-3 weeks

Cost: From $3,099 to $6,819

Eligibility: All middle school students

8. Summer Discovery’s Middle School Summer Enrichment Programs

Summer Discovery, a private organization that offers pre-collegiate courses to students, offers middle school learners a variety of programs that mix academic rigor with fun engaging activities. Students can explore statistics and mathematics through fantasy football simulations, forensics through crime-solving, engineering design by working in campus aerospace labs, and more courses that introduce robotics, medicine, and computer science. 

Location: Georgetown and UCLA campuses

Duration: 2-4 weeks

Cost: From $6,000 to $11,000 

Eligibility: Middle school students aged 11-13

9. Wildcat Science Camp at Northwestern University

Wildcat’s program focuses on engineering, biology, and ecology. Students can choose from between two sessions: insect and pollinator behavior and engineering rockets. Students have access to Northwestern laboratories and conduct hands-on experiments that include making water bottle rockets, examining flowers under microscopes to learn about their properties (why they smell, what attracts insects to them), and learning about bugs.  

Location: Northwestern University’s Evanston campus

Duration: Each session lasts one week

Cost: TBC 

Eligibility: Rising grade 6-8 students

10. NYU’s Summer STEM Programs for Middle School Students

NYU offers middle school students a variety of programs to introduce them to STEM. 

a. Students can opt for the College and Career Lab, a three-week intensive summer program where students “try on” college-level courses and attend lectures and laboratory workshops led by NYU faculty. Students can choose classes that include engineering, CS, AI, medicine, neuroscience, and more. 

Location: NYU campus

Duration: Three weeks

Cost: Free

Eligibility: Rising grade 6-8 students living in New York City

b. In the Sounds of New York program, students work directly with researchers to understand the science of sound. Through field trips across NYC, students learn about how sound waves transmit in urban areas, devices that monitor noise pollution, and how sounds can affect people’s wellbeing

Location: NYU campus and NYC

Duration: Two weeks

Cost: Free

Eligibility: NYC middle school students aged 12-14

c. The Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) is an intensive pre-college program for talented students (you need an 80+ in Math and Science to qualify for the program) that includes “enrichment classes” that focus on secondary school curriculum and reinforce students’ understanding of essential concepts, and project-based learning that connects STEM to real-world technologies. High school students part of the program have additional college prep classes.

Location: NYU campus

Duration: Four weeks

Cost: $350

Eligibility: NYC students in grades 7-12

Bonus!

Lumiere Junior Explorer Program

Location: Remote 

Cost: $1990 (financial aid is available) 

Application deadline: Upcoming spring deadline - 18 February, 2024

Program dates: March 11, 2024

Eligibility: Middle school students

The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is a 1-on-1 research program designed particularly for middle school students. Through the program, students will get a chance to work with PhD mentors from top universities like Harvard, Yale, MIT, and more to write research papers in their field of interest. You can pick from a wide range of subjects and topics including engineering, business, psychology, and social science. This is a great opportunity for students interested in interdisciplinary research and want to gain in depth knowledge of a subject. 

To be better prepared before you pursue STEM, consider joining a Veritas AI program! 

Veritas AI is founded by Harvard graduate students. Through the programs, you get a chance to work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn AI & ML with us. You can apply here!

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