10 Free College Programs for High School Students in 2024-2025
If you’re a high school student applying to college, you’re probably trying to decide what you would want to major in. Once you’ve identified a few interests, ensuring your college application demonstrates them is crucial. One way to do this is to participate in pre-college programs offered by universities. Pre-college programs are a way to gain exposure to the field of your choice, get practical experience, and learn from university faculty.
However, such programs can often be expensive and inaccessible to students with limited resources. There are several free college programs that you can participate in to explore your area of interest. The network you build there and the knowledge and skills you develop can be valuable for your college life and career. Moreover, fully funded programs add a layer of prestige to your college application because they are usually competitive. Getting selected for one of them helps your profile stand out from the crowd.
In this blog, we have shortlisted 10 free college programs for high school students in 2024-2025!
1. MITES Summer
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Deadline: February 1, 2025
Duration: 6 weeks
Eligibility: High school juniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
At the six-week MITES program, you will take five courses in STEM and the humanities (one math course, one life sciences course, one physics course, a humanities course, and one project-based elective course). These courses include high-level math and science and electives that delve into real-world applications of STEM topics, such as machine learning, architecture, and genomics. A semester of college is condensed into this program so you can prepare for life at college. You will also get the opportunity to attend lab tours and social events and benefit from college admissions counseling. This program’s students go on to attend some of the top colleges in the country. At the end of the program, you will also receive a written evaluation from your instructor detailing your strengths, growth areas, and contributions to the class. To learn more about this program, check out our full guide here.
Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Deadline: February 15, 2025 (tentative, based on the previous year)
Duration: June 16 – August 1, 2025 (tentative, based on the previous year)
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 17 years old by the start of the program and who will graduate in 2025 or 2026; applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Twelve highly qualified high school juniors and seniors will get to participate in this seven-week research program offered by Texas Tech University. Because only 12 students are selected, you can expect admissions to be highly competitive. Your research, guided by experienced faculty, can be conducted in any of the following fields: nutritional sciences, biology/cellular and microbiology, computer science, neurobiology, mechanical engineering, history, chemistry, and electrical and computer engineering. In addition to research, you will attend weekly seminars, social activities, discussions, and field trips. Upon successful completion, you will receive a stipend of $750. To learn more, check out our full blog here.
Location: Hybrid (online and Princeton University, Princeton, NJ)
Deadline: Typically early February (2025 application opens in December)
Duration: The summer intensive will run from mid-July to early-August
Eligibility: Juniors at the time of application who are living in the U.S. and intend to attend college there. You must have a minimum unweighted grade point average equivalent to 3.5 out of 4.0 and meet at least one socioeconomic condition listed here
Princeton University offers a prestigious summer journalism program hosted over several weeks in the summer and culminating in a 10-day residential journalism institute. Because the program only accepts 40 students, it is competitive and selective. In addition to providing networking and community-building experiences, the program offers guidance on college applications and selections through the end of your senior year.
At the start of the course, you will attend virtual workshops and report remotely. Lectures and workshops taught by Princeton faculty and journalists cover a range of topics like food journalism, feature reporting, the use of social media for reporting, and more. Group discussions are organized with counselors to talk about the program content, current events, college life, and applications. You will also report stories and learn how to conduct interviews, write stories and cover different topics, all while getting feedback and guidance on your work. The stories you report will be published in the annual Princeton Summer Journal. To learn more about PSJP, read our full review here.
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Deadline: Applications will open in mid-December 2024Duration: June 23 – July 25, 2025
Eligibility: First-generation and low-income high school juniors in Northern California
The Stanford Youth Medical Program is a five-week program in science and medicine. Selecting 24 students each year, this competitive program aims to encourage first-generation and low-income students to become health leaders. During the program, you can expect to be mentored by medical professionals, faculty, and students.
The course involves faculty lectures, professional development workshops, Stanford Medicine networking events and a public health disparities research project. The hospital internship will have you participate in hands-on laboratory and departmental activities, shadowing experiences, and observation and patient interaction. This will be further enhanced by community-building events, weekly guest lectures, tours, and demonstrations from the Stanford medical community. To learn more about this program, check out our guide here.
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Deadline: The preferred deadline is February 1, 2025, and the final deadline is March 1, 2025
Duration: 6 weeks from June 21 – August 2, 2025
Eligibility: Students who are in 11th grade at the time of applying and will be at least 16 years old by the start of the program; must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply
An intense and rigorous program, SAMS will facilitate a deeper understanding of STEM subjects. You will learn through classroom instruction, hands-on projects, and interaction with faculty and staff. The course is split into two parts. In the first, you will participate in a mandatory online session to prepare you for the in-person part of the program. In the second part, you will attend full-time classes and meetings on campus. These components include quantitative and computing skills seminars in STEM subjects, weekly writing workshops that focus on college applications and the Student to Scholar credit-bearing research course. The program ends with the SAMS Symposium that lasts for a day and includes an award ceremony and STEM project student presentations. To learn more, check out our full review here.
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Deadline: April 15, 2025 (tentative)
Duration: 5 weeks from July 1 – August 2, 2025 (tentative)
Eligibility: Students in grades 9, 10, or 11 residing in NYC who have basic knowledge of physics and coding
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the Science of Smart Cities is a free program offered by New York University. It aims to teach students through practical guidance in coding, microcontrollers, circuit deployment, and sensor integration. For the entrepreneurship aspect, you will learn about economics, project management, pitch presentation, and navigating patenting and copyrights.
You will work in teams on a final project that will demonstrate the impact of your prototypes on the advancement of smart cities. This will be held in a Shark Tank-style event. You will also attend a mandatory program by theater teaching artists to develop your communication and public speaking skills. To learn more about this program, check out our full guide here.
Location: Tufts University, Medford, MA
Deadline: Applications for 2024 are closed. Visit the official website for updates
Duration: 6 weeks
Eligibility: Students who will be at least 16 years old by the start of the program
To conduct biomedical research, investigate questions related to the biomedical field, and develop new methods to understand cells, tissues, and organs, the TUBERS program invites students to spend their summer at the Biomedical Engineering labs at Tufts. You will not only explore the biomedical field in depth but also gain practical experience in research techniques by learning experimental protocols, making predictions, and testing hypotheses. You will be encouraged to enter your project in local and national science competitions that award honors and scholarship money to winners. Although the program is free, do note that housing is not available for out-of-state students, so you will have to arrange your own transportation. To learn more about this program, check out our full guide here.
8. Hk Maker Lab
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Deadline: February 2, 2025 (tentative; applications for 2025 will open in December 2024)
Duration: 5 weeks from July 8 – August 13, 2025 (tentative, based on the previous year)
Eligibility: 10th or 11th-grade high school students graduating in 2025 or 2026 and attending a NYCDOE public or charter high school; you must have an academic or professional interest in pursuing STEM and can demonstrate educational and/or economic disadvantage
Organized in collaboration with Columbia University, the Hk Maker Lab is a summer program focused on engineering design. During the 5 weeks of the course, you will be taught the fundamentals of engineering, get practical know-how in design and innovation, and be mentored by instructors. This program will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, from weeks 1 to 3, you will complete a course, such as biomedical engineering, design, or innovation, taught by Columbia Engineering’s faculty. In weeks 4 and 5, you will work on interdisciplinary group projects. The project brief is to create digital media to address global health disparity. If you successfully complete the program, you will receive the opportunity to participate in a paid internship in research labs or healthcare institutions the following summer. To learn more, check out our review of this program here.
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Deadline: February 7, 2025 (tentative, based on the previous year)
Duration: June 30 – August 8, 2025
Eligibility: Students who are in their junior year at the time of submitting the application, are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and will be at least 16 years old by the start of the program
In this outreach program, students are paired with mentors to work on a research project. You will join a research team in fields like applied mathematics, cell biology, computer science, geosciences, and more. Additionally, you will attend weekly faculty research talks, special workshops, tours, and events. By the end of the program, you will develop a research abstract and poster. The poster will be presented at the closing poster symposium, where you will be awarded stipends. Transportation and residential costs are not covered by the program. To learn more, check out our full guide here.
Location: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Deadline: January 22, 2025
Duration: 10 days from July 19 – 30, 2025
Eligibility: Students entering their senior year in fall 2025 and planning to attend college immediately after graduation; you must be at least 16 years old by August 1, 2025; you must have held leadership positions at school or another organization; you must be in the top 10% of the class
If you have demonstrated leadership within your community, this 10-day program may be a good choice for you. Some of the fields this program covers are business, global issues, the environment, investing, and inequality in America. You will earn one transferable college credit upon successful completion of the program. On a typical day during the course, you will attend classes and develop skills in critical thinking, research, and presentation, work with an organization in community service, and participate in community events. To read more about this program, check out our full guide here.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.