Programs for High School Students
Advanced Science Exploratory Program
Advanced Science Exploratory Program is a non-profit 501(c)(3) offering educational seminars aimed to ignite excitement about science, scientific research, and scientific career paths. Each series offered aims to equip students with the knowledge to incite their curiosity, and make informed decisions as they take their next steps in their education towards their career pursuits. A number of different types of seminars are currently open for enrollment, including 1) Mentorship Series such as "think like a scientist" (equip students with the knowledge, insight and skills required for success in their career pursuits); 2) Foundations Series such as "how scientists study the brain" (inspire interest, and both inform and expand student’s scope of career opportunities through exposure to various fields) 3) Focused Series such as "understanding emotion and its relationship with the brain" (use specific topics as a vehicle to exemplify the range of methods and approaches one can use to study within a field).
See available seminars here! https://www.asciencepro.org/upcomingseminars
A significant part of our mission is to actively diversify the field of scientific research by extending opportunities to students whom wouldn’t otherwise have the resources required to pursue transformative scientific opportunities. Please contact us if you are interested in an income-based scholarships for one of our seminars.
Campus Walking Tours
The Stanford Visitor Center offers a range of no-cost tours, exploring the highlights of Stanford’s beautiful campus.
Cardiothoracic Surgical Skills Summer Internship
This two-week course (offered multiple times in the summer) is for students considering careers in a variety of procedure-based medical fields, such as surgery, dental surgery, and nursing. It may also be of interest to students who intend to study biomedical engineering, occupational or physical therapy, sports medicine, or to become EMTs/paramedics. Housing on campus is an option: there is a fee to participate.
Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience (CNI-X)
The Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience (CNI-X) at Stanford University is an intensive summer program that generally follows a student’s sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school. During either a one-week or two-week session, participants are exposed to the breadth of research found in the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Two sessions are offered: the introductory 1-week session (July 6-10, 2020) with tuition of $1,295 and a more advanced 2-week session (July 13-24) with tuition of $2,500. Financial assistance is available for applicants in need.
Educational Studies Program/Splash!
ESP/Splash! offers a Saturday or Sunday on campus full of academic and non-academic classes taught by Stanford students. ESP invites students to attend classes that could vary from completely “non-academic” stuff like cookie baking and origami, to complicated and challenging classes on machine theory or quantum mechanics. The Splash! program fee is $40, but generous need-based financial aid is available.
Girls Teaching Girls to Code
Stanford women teach and inspire Bay Area high school girls to explore Computer Science and Engineering. Students learn coding basics, build exciting projects, and develop strong relationships with mentors in the field. The group hosts Code Camp and several smaller events throughout the year, including workshops and company tours. No cost to participate.
High School Chemistry Outreach
Beginning in 2009, the Stanford Chemistry department teamed up with American High School in Fremont to bring in novel hands-on guided inquiry lab experiences. In these labs, students work together in small groups to carry out an exciting activity that would otherwise not be possible with the minimal equipment and supplies available to most high schools. The lab topics fit within the California Curriculum Standards, presented with an emphasis on how these concepts apply in the real world.
Inspiring Future Scientists through Shadowing (IFSS)
IFSS is a two-week program (mornings only) hosted each summer by the chemistry department to give rising juniors and seniors in high school an opportunity to experience cutting edge chemical research while shadowing a graduate student mentor as they work in the laboratory. There is no cost to participate.
Inspiring Future Scientists: K-12 Science Classroom Visits
This program arranges classroom visits by Chemistry graduate students to local high school and K-5 classrooms. Stanford undergraduate and graduate researchers give hour-long science lessons showcasing various scientific principles. The demonstrations will be hands-on, and the students will be actively engaged with questions posed throughout the lesson.
Introduction to Logic High School Summer Camp
The Introduction to Logic High School Summer Camp is a two-week, non-residential program offering an introduction to logic from a computational perspective. With applications in mathematics, science, engineering, business, law, a Stanford Computer Science professor and logician and an award-winning high school instructor jointly teach this workshop. Two sessions are being offered this Summer. Tuition is $2,000 - scholarships are available.
Menlo-Atherton Ecology Research Outdoors (MERO)
Menlo-Atherton Ecology Research Outdoors (MERO) is a free, after-school environmental education program for high school English Language Learners. This year-round program engages students in real, hands-on ecological research in an outdoor setting. Through regular field trips and long-term mentorship, MERO provides a fun and supportive community for underserved teens while helping them gain the academic, communication, and life skills needed to excel in high school and beyond. More info at: www.meroscience.org
MRS Outreach Ambassadors
MRS Outreach Ambassadors are graduate students in the Stanford Chapter of the Materials Research Society who offer in-class demonstrations and lectures on the materials of our world, materials of the future, and careers in science and engineering. Teachers may request a school visit at no charge.
Pediatrics Internship Program @ Stanford (PIPS)
The Pediatrics Internship Program @ Stanford (PIPS) is a 5-week program in which high school students from diverse backgrounds are invited to learn about science, medicine, and research with Stanford faculty, postdoctoral fellows, students and researchers on a medically-oriented project. The goals of the program include increasing interest in biological sciences and medicine in Bay Area high school students, helping students to understand how scientific research is performed, and increasing diversity of students and researchers in the sciences. Students will spend 20 hours per week in the program (15 hours on a research project, 5 hours in workshops). There is no cost associated with participation in this program – priority will go towards students underrepresented in medicine (racial/ethnic minority, first-generation college, low-income, etc)
Pre-Collegiate University-Level Online Math & Physics Courses
These online courses are designed for motivated and academically-talented high school students to explore their intellectual passions, develop analytic reasoning and creative thinking, and study directly with expert instructors. Courses are offered for credit throughout the year and give students the opportunity to take a broad offering of math and physics courses not typically offered in secondary schools. Tuition is charged.
RISE Summer Internship Program
The RISE (Raising Interest in Science and Engineering) Summer Internship Program for High School Students is sponsored by Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies. It’s an intensive 7-week summer program for students interested in science, engineering, math, computer science and psychology. Students work six hours a day, five days a week on the Stanford campus, working in an active research lab under the guidance of a mentor from the lab (typically a graduate student), and attending weekly group sessions that include field trips, presentations, hands-on science activities, and lab tours. RISE is designed for bright low-income students and those who will be the first in their family to attend college. Students must be at least 16 years old to participate.
Science in the City
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Science, Technology, and Medicine (STM) Summer Program
This program is designed for high school (rising juniors and seniors) and pre-medical undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in medicine, STEM, medical research and development, or health care design, with a specific focus on Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine. Three sessions will be offered in 2020: Session 1 June 15-26, 2020, Session 2 July 27-August 7, 2020, Session 3 (Advanced) July 6-17. Tuition for Sessions 1 and 2 is $4,500. Tuiton for Session 3 is $5,995.
Science, Technology, and Reconstructive Surgery (STaRS) Summer Internship Program
Each year, the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery hosts 15-30 talented high school and undergraduate students in our research laboratories. The program is free to participants. STARS interns spend 7 weeks mastering basic lab techniques, participating in research projects, and presenting their work all under the mentorship of experienced researchers. Typically the internship begins in late June and extends to the first week in August, exact dates to be determined.
Seeds of Change
Seeds of Change partners Stanford undergraduates in technology disciplines with high school students interested in advancing the participation of women and girls in STEM, and provides an integrated curriculum of mentoring, training and skills development. The program’s goal is to establish and retain young women in technology fields, and create future women STEM leaders.
SIMR - Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program
SIMR is for high school juniors and seniors interested in hands-on research in immunology, stem cell, cancer, neuroscience, bioinformatics or cardiovascular medicine. This eight week program enables students to take part in research, attend introductory lectures and present their work at a poster session open to the Stanford community. There is no cost to participate; interns earn at least a $500 stipend.
SIMR Bioengineering Internship
Stanford Institutes of Medicine Research Bioengineering Internship is an eight-week hands-on design and engineering experience for high school students from diverse backgrounds. Students are exposed to exciting and novel bioengineering research topics through lectures given by Stanford researchers. There is no cost to participate other than an application fee.
SMASH Academy on Stanford Campus
SMASH is a state of the art Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) summer enrichment program for high school students at Stanford, and other colleges. High potential Black, Latino/a, Native American, Southeast Asian or Pacific Islander high school students participate in this three-year 5-week summer math and science enrichment program. There is no cost to participate.
Stanford High School Summer College
High School Summer College allows high-achieving students between 16-19 years to access undergraduate courses at Stanford University. This eight- or nine-week experience provides academic, social, and intellectual opportunities not found in a high school classroom. Tuition is charged but the Horizon Scholars Program offers low-income, high-achieving Bay Area students the opportunity to attend at little to no cost.
Stanford Bioinformatics and Cloud Computing Workshop
Big Data is radically transforming healthcare. To provide real-time personalized healthcare, we need hardware and software solutions that can efficiently store and process large-scale biomedical datasets. In this 3-week workshop, high school students and undergraduates will learn the concepts of cloud computing and parallel systems architecture, how to design parallel programs for computationally intensive medical applications, and how to run these applications on computing frameworks such as Cloud Computing and High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems. Cost is $5,000.
Stanford Earth Young Investigators
High school students spend the summer working in research laboratories within the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. They become involved in existing research projects and are supervised directly by graduate students, post docs and lab managers. The program offers several different options, with different areas of focus and time commitments. There is no cost to participate; some diversity honoraria available for eligible students.
Stanford EXPLORE: A Lecture Series on Biomedical Research
Stanford Explore covers the basic fundamentals and current research areas in Immunology, Neuroscience, Cardiovascular Medicine, Regenerative and Stem Cell Medicine, Cancer Biology, Bioengineering and Genetics. Students must be in 9th-12th grade at the time of registration. Participants may sign up for all 4 weeks or for just 1, 2 or 3 weeks. Cost is $750 per week.
Stanford Math Circle
Math circles are weekly gatherings of high school, middle school, and elementary school students working on problems involving complex and advanced mathematical topics, guided by mathematicians and educators. Fee of $275 per quarter; some financial aid available.
Stanford Medical Youth Science Program
The Stanford Medical Youth Science Program offers five weeks of intensive science and health training each summer. Participants live together at Stanford, attend scientific lectures, complete anatomy laboratory practicums, intern at Stanford Hospital & Clinics and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System hospital, and learn about college entrance requirements, application procedures and financial aid. There is no cost to participate. The program is open to low-income, underrepresented high school sophomores and juniors who live in Northern and Central California.
Stanford Medicine Clinical Summer Internship (MEDCSI)
MEDCSI is a rigorous 2 week program in Medicine that is open to highly motivated high school and premed students. Workshops and sessions are taught by Stanford faculty and include hands-on experiences such as performing bedside ultrasounds, dissections, suturing, splinting and visits to the Stanford emergency life flight station and free clinics. There are two identical sessions each summer. There is a fee to participate.
Stanford Online
Stanford Online offers free online courses taught by Stanford faculty to lifelong learners worldwide, and a variety of professional education opportunities in conjunction with many of the University’s schools and departments.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies (SPCS)
NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) INFORMATION. Although the university has not made any broader decisions about its summer activities, SPCS has come to the difficult decision that we cannot host students on campus for programs this summer. We will continue to provide updates about summer programs and more information about Stanford's response to the developing situation here.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies offers online classes for academically talented youth, residential programs on campus during the summer for high school students, and a fully accredited online high school.
Stanford Science Circles
The Stanford Middle School and High School Science Circles are academic enrichment programs for students in the Stanford area who are interested in the sciences. Activities take place in the evening during the academic year. Tuition is $300.
Stanford Science Penpals
Stanford Science Penpals connects 6th-12th graders across the U.S. to Stanford scientists. The goal is to expose kids to diverse scientific careers, answer science questions, and share a love of science! Penpal exchanges start in September and end in June. We encourage students to get in touch with us.
Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)
SUMaC is designed for high school students who will be juniors and seniors in the fall and have exceptional interest and ability in mathematics. SUMaC is for those who seek to be challenged in mathematics and those who would enjoy four weeks of intensive, in-depth, mathematical pursuits. Tuition for the SUMaC program (including room and board) is $7,000.
Stanford ValleyCare Clinical Academy Program
The Stanford ValleyCare Clinical Academy Program is a two-week program in Pleasanton, CA for high school juniors and seniors with a strong interest in medicine as a career. Students will participate in an enriched curriculum consisting of hands-on activities, interactive lectures, and simulation experiences. Students must be 16 years old to participate. There is a $50.00 application fee and a $3,500 fee to participate.
STEM to SHTEM Summer Internship Program
The Stanford Compression Forum hosts its annual internship program STEM to SHTEM every summer. There is no fee to participate, but students must commit to attending the duration of the program.
Unpaid Internships for High School Students
In addition to formal internship programs for high school students, Stanford labs sometimes host high school interns on an informal basis, usually in unpaid internships. The Office of Science Outreach is not able to help individual students identify a host lab or project but if you click on the red title above, you will find some information and tips. Please do not contact the Office of Science Outreach for advice or guidance.