8 College Courses for Middle School Students
In today’s competitive world, middle school students have more opportunities than ever before to get ahead academically. Taking courses or earning certifications before high school can give you a strong foundation and a competitive boost when it comes to high school applications or future college plans.
These courses span various fields—from coding to entrepreneurship and the arts. By getting early exposure to these topics, you can discover your interests and gain valuable skills. This prepares you for more advanced high school coursework. Beyond academics, early learning can spark creativity within you. Whether you decide to launch a research project, start a business, or develop an app, you have the knowledge to think innovatively.
Here’s our list of 8 courses offered by universities for middle school students.
Location: Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Cost: $800
Application Deadline: February 9, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Dates: June 3 – 28, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: Rising 5th-8th graders who have regular school attendance
The STEAM Academy Summer Program is a 4-week program designed for middle school students to explore various fields of science, technology, engineering, and arts. You’ll learn to relate the course curriculum to your daily life through exploratory studies and inquiry-based activities.
In addition to the regular instruction and routine dissections, this program also offers weekly TED Talks with healthcare professionals for career exploration, virtual field trips to science museums abroad (China, Japan, and Germany), and an application development course that aims to help you develop health science-affiliated mobile applications. The program ends with presentations of the science projects developed to your family, faculty, and staff of MSM.
Location: Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Cost: $60-$320, depending on the camp selected. Need-based scholarships are available
Application Deadline: Information about the 2025 camps will be available after January 1, 2025
Dates: Vary depending on the camp selected. The program typically runs in June and July
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
Oregon State University’s STEM Academy offers middle school students the opportunity to participate in camps that focus on various fields like physics, engineering, robotics, physical computing, and coding. The Physics Camp is a one-day workshop that focuses on understanding core concepts through practical experiments, whereas the Engineering Camp is a week-long program that focuses on teamwork and problem-solving through activities like designing solar cars, 3-D printing, and reverse engineering. You can click here to learn more about the other camps in the program. Each camp typically runs for 1-5 days on the OSU campus.
Location: University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Cost: Non-sponsored programs cost $700/week for day students and $1,350/week for residential students
Application Deadline: May 1, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Dates: Vary depending on the type of program selected. Programs typically run in July
Eligibility: Students in grades 5-12
Tech Camp is organized by the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of New Hampshire. It provides access to state-of-the-art facilities, advanced technology, and university faculty. Through collaborative, hands-on activities and a project-based learning approach, Tech Camp helps you explore various fields in STEM. You get the chance to address real-world challenges through programs like TechSplorers, which covers topics like forensic science, computer coding, circuit building, and freshwater ecology.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: March 29, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Dates:
Summer Program: July 8 – 26, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Fall Semester Meetings: August 26 – December 13, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: Low-income students in grades 6 or 7 who reside in and attend school in the United States
Stanford’s Middle School Scholars Program is an online program that prepares middle school students for a rigorous high school curriculum. It comprises a 3-week online summer course (which covers topics like democracy, social movements, media literacy, and real-life math applications) and weekly online meetings from mid-August to December. The school-year meetings include instructor-led course discussions and focused workshops on topics such as exploring options for high school, academic writing, math enrichment, and the growth mindset. Through live virtual classes, you will get to participate in interactions and discussions with faculty and fellow students. The program currently accepts 12 students and is free of cost.
Location: Harvard University, Boston, MA
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: TBA for 2025
Dates: July 22 – 26, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: Harvard Ed Portal members (or Ed Portal eligible) who meet the age/grade requirements
The Summer Explorations program at Harvard University is designed to bring out academic curiosity and develop skill-building in students of grades 1-8. The “Harvard Museum of Natural History: Exploring Life on a Page” program is curated specifically for 6-8 graders to explore the natural world through the lens of artists and scientists. You will get to compile artwork created after a thorough examination of living creatures in the classroom, the museum, and the Harvard campus. Interested students can participate in as many programs within their grade range as they’d like. However, space is limited and varies for each program. To apply, students must be Harvard EdPortal members.
Location: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: May 2025
Dates: Dates for 2025 are TBA
Eligibility: Students in grades 7-8
Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Michigan State University is a summer program that allows students to take up three advanced STEM classes for one week. The program offers both commuter and residential options. The focus is on establishing conceptual clarity and providing an application-based understanding of mathematics, science, and technology. You will engage in active problem-solving and interdisciplinary research, applying mathematical, scientific, and technological tools to explore real-world issues. This program encourages you to explore career fields in STEM through intensive studies.
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Cost: $75, financial aid is available
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in mid/late February
Dates: June 24 – August 2, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: Rising 6th to 9th-grade students currently studying in New Haven public and parochial schools
This is a 6-week program facilitated by Yale undergraduate instructors that offers classes on humanities, scientific investigations, and creative electives. Throughout the program, you will participate in small, interactive classes of 8-15 students. During the Humanities classes, you will learn history, write speeches, read and discuss poetry, and engage in creative writing. In Investigations classes, you will get the chance to hone your problem-solving skills through hands-on projects in the natural and social sciences. You will also participate in electives and clubs that allow you to learn in a relaxed environment with students from other grades. The program takes place at Dwight Hall on Yale’s old campus.
Location: Multiple campuses across the country
Cost: $3,099–$6,819 depending on the program. Specific program costs can be found in the course descriptions of their catalogs
Application Deadline: Applications will open in Fall 2025
Dates: Varies according to program and location chosen
Eligibility: Students in grades 5-12
The Center for Talented Youth’s On-Campus Summer programs run for 3-weeks and are available as day programs or residential programs across various college campuses in the U.S. The sessions are designed to allow students to engage in interdisciplinary study through hands-on projects, group discussions, and instruction in topics like science, technology, humanities, and advanced math. The Academic Explorations program offers a broad look at subjects that aren’t typically covered in the school curriculum, such as physiology, anatomy, biotechnology, fiction, and poetry. The Intensive Studies program provides college-level learning for advanced learners in fields like astrophysics, cognitive psychology, cryptology, data structures, and algorithms.
One more option—The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is a program for middle school students to work one-on-one with a mentor to explore their academic interests and build a project they are passionate about. Our mentors are scholars from top research universities such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and LSE.
The program was founded by a Harvard & Oxford PhD who met as undergraduates at Harvard. The program is rigorous and fully virtual. We offer need-based financial aid for students who qualify. You can find the application in the brochure!
To learn more, you can reach out to our Head of Partnerships, Maya, at maya.novak-herzog@lumiere.education or go to our website.
Multiple rolling deadlines for JEP cohorts across the year, you can apply using this application link! If you'd like to take a look at the cohorts + deadlines for 2024, you can refer to this page!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. 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.