As a middle school student, summer opportunities at prestigious institutes like Ivy League colleges can offer you a chance to enhance your academic learning. Attending even a brief program at an Ivy League college will provide you with an unparalleled experience early on in your life and you will get to interact with brilliant researchers and academic experts. 

The Ivy League represents a group of eight prestigious, world-renowned universities in the United States, known for their academic rigor and distinguished faculty. They provide some exceptional summer programs tailored for young learners. These programs will help you advance your skills, discover new interests, and gain early exposure to college-level experiences. 

If this sounds interesting, stay with us as we have curated a list of eight Ivy League summer programs specifically designed for middle school students in this blog!

1. Penn GEMS at the University of Pennsylvania

Penn GEMS at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania is a day camp lasting one week aimed at middle schoolers in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades, concentrating on areas such as bioengineering, nanotechnology, materials science, graphics, and computing. The camp is committed to engaging students in hands-on activities within applied sciences, technology, and engineering.

It's important to note that GEMS is a day camp and no residential option is available as of now. The camp focuses on introducing engineering concepts to students via fields like nanotechnology, materials science, bioengineering, environmental engineering, chemical engineering, robotics, graphics, and computing. Additionally, with faculty from around the world, there is a focus on solving real-world problems through collaboration, teamwork, and enhancing self-belief.

Location: University of Pennsylvania campus, Philadelphia, PA

Cost: $650

Program Dates: June 24 - June 28, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Application Deadline: March 4, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Eligibility: Current 6th to 8th-grade students in the Philadelphia area.

2. The Ulysses G. Grant Foundation at Yale University

The Ulysses G. Grant Foundation at Yale University is an intensive 6-week summer program for highly motivated middle schoolers eager to explore the academic rigor offered by an Ivy League college. Selected students must take a humanities class, an investigations class, and an elective of their choice. Classes offered in previous years were about topics such as psychology, astronomy, and climate change. 

The program also offers other activities that expose students to different parts of New Haven, such as City Hall, where students were hosted by Mayor Justin Elicker one summer. You will also have access to Yale resources, like brain research labs and the Yale New-Haven Hospital. 

Location: Yale University campus, New Haven, CT 

Cost: $75 (scholarships available)

Program Dates: June 2025 to August 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Application Deadline: March 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Eligibility: Rising 6th to 9th grade students currently studying in New Haven.

3. Summer Science Week - The Harvard Museum of Natural History

Harvard University has an extensive high school summer program, but opportunities for middle schoolers are limited. Nonetheless, the Summer Science Week program organized by the Harvard Museum of Natural History has some sessions designed specifically for students currently between 6-8 grades. All programs run from Monday to Friday, from 9:30 am to 12 noon. 

For 2024, Exploring Life on a Page is the only program for middle schoolers, in which participants created a compilation of artwork created from close examination of living creatures in the classroom, the museum, and the wilds of the Harvard campus. The session also includes an expedition of creatures like pseudoscorpions, and they also learn about the classification of species in brief. 

You can pursue Summer Explorations at Harvard University, which offers middle school students the opportunity to go beyond the classroom and challenge themselves academically through collaboration, hands-on activities, and design thinking. You must sign up for the Ed Portal to apply for the Summer Explorations, which offers a free membership! Ed Portal members are also eligible to apply for scholarships for the Summer Science Week. Read more about the Ed Portal here. 

Location: Harvard University campus, Cambridge, MA

Cost: $210 for museum members and $235 for others

Program Dates: Various programs every year in July and August

Application Deadline: March 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 sessions)

Eligibility: Open to all. Each program is designed for specific grades; details are released every year.

4. Yale Summer Debate Program (YSDP)

This unique program held during the summer helps students gain valuable debating experience that helps them become better thinkers and speakers. The selected students are trained in the parliamentary debate style, the most popular in the world, used by the Yale Invitational. This is a commuter program, which runs between 10 a.m. and 4.15 p.m., and students are provided with a light breakfast upon early arrival. 

Yale debaters and UDL coaches act as the faculty for the program, with an instructor-to-student ratio between 1:8 and 1:10. Debates are centered around topics related to international relations, moral philosophy, education, and criminal justice, ensuring a holistic learning experience. 

Partial and full scholarships are available for students in need, and they should send an email to yalesummerdebateprogram@gmail.com to apply for financial aid as soon as possible.

Location: Yale University campus, New Haven, CT 

Cost: Free for New Haven school students and those with the UDL (Urban Debate League) program at their schools. $599 for others (scholarships available)

Program Dates: August 19-23, 2024

Application Deadline: Rolling basis

Eligibility: Rising 6th to 12th grade students. Local students are preferred, but students from all over the U.S. are eligible.

5. Scientific Enrichment Month Program

The Scientific Enrichment Month Program is conducted by YES in THE HEIGHTS at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), Columbia University. The program aims to prepare youth for a career in biomedical research. This is a free, virtual program that requires students to attend 90-minute long online lectures and professional development sessions thrice a week. 

The program is inclined towards cancer research and sessions might deal with topics like cancer health equity and environmental equity in your community and cancer prevention and risk reduction through behavior changes. Sessions are also held for you to gain skills like resume writing, personal statements, interviewing skills, and public speaking.

Location: Virtual via Zoom

Cost: None

Program Dates: July 1 to July 31, 2024 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays

Application Deadline: June 24, 2024. Applications accepted on a rolling basis

Eligibility: Open to middle school, high school, and recently enrolled undergraduate students.

6. STEM for Rising 9th and 10th Graders at Brown University

The STEM for Rising 9th and 10th Graders at Brown University is a great opportunity for you to gain insights into STEM disciplines from esteemed Brown faculty. The program is designed to give you exposure to hands-on team research projects, experiments, and design-build challenges. Courses are offered across STEM disciplines and the curriculum is designed to include rigorous academic content and laboratory or field exercises. 

As a part of this program, you will have the chance to interact with current Brown students and learn from the work that they are doing. At the end of the program, you’ll give a final presentation that showcases your project for your peers, families, and instructors.

Location: Brown University campus, Providence, RI

Cost: $5,498, scholarships are available

Program Dates: July 14 to 26, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Application Deadline: May 10, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Eligibility: Open to rising 9th and 10th graders. Middle school students currently in eighth grade aged 13-15 are eligible.

7. NYS 4-H Animal Science Programs at Cornell University

The NYS 4-H Animal Science Programs are run by the Cornell University Department of Animal Science in Ithaca, NY. The mission of the program is to connect the youth to hands-on learning opportunities within biology and veterinary studies. 

They are expected to provide care to various animal species while also gaining academic knowledge in biology, physiology, agriculture, production systems, veterinary medicine, and nutrition. Programs for livestock species, such as dairy, horses, and goats, as well as companion species, such as dogs, cats, and rabbits, are available for students to choose from while applying. 

By participating in this program, you will have an opportunity to connect with youth from diverse backgrounds and learn from esteemed educators. 

Location: Cornell University campus, Ithaca, NY

Cost: None

Program Dates: June 2025

Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis

Eligibility: Current middle school students.

8. State Pre-College Enrichment Program (S-PREP) at Columbia University

The State Pre-College Enrichment Program (S-PREP) at Columbia University is tailored for students interested in medicine and STEM fields. Supported by the New York State Education Department, the program aims to increase the representation of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students in STEM professions. 

S-PREP is inclined toward students interested in pursuing a career in medicine with courses like brain & cognitive science, anatomy, biochemistry, and ready for PreMed offered to students. But, general STEM topics like chemistry, organic cheSmistry, physics, psychology, algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, calculus, and statistics are also offered. 

Additionally, participation in S-PREP makes students eligible for future programs such as the Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia (BRAINYAC) and the HICCC Cure Program!

Location: Columbia University campus

Cost: None

Program Dates: July to August 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Application Deadline: May 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)

Eligibility: Students must be enrolled in Grades 7 to 12, reside in New York State, and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds with at least an 80% grade average in math and science will be given preference.

If you are interested in research-based programs, you should check out the Junior AI Fellowship Program by Veritas AI! 

The AI Trailblazers program by Veritas AI is a virtual program for middle school students to work 1-1 with expert mentors. Through the 12 week program, students build unique, personalized projects in a field of their interest at the intersection of AI. Here is the program brochure with more details!

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