Chemistry Summer Programs for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 38 chemistry summer programs for high school students. Of these, 22 are free to participate in and 6 offer virtual participation. Examples include ACS National Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp, ACS Project SEED - Northern California Sites, and ASDRP - Summer Research Fellowship.
- 38
- listed
- 22
- free
- 6
- virtual
- 38
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are chemistry summer programs for high school students?
- Chemistry Summer Programs for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in chemistry. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- Are any of these summer programs free?
- Yes — 22 of the 38 summer programs listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 6 of the 38 summer programs listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are chemistry summer programs good for a college application?
- Yes — chemistry summer programs are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in chemistry on college applications.
Related Categories
38 activities found·Browse by category
ACS National Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp
Invitation-only training camp for top USNCO performers preparing for International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).
ACS Project SEED - Northern California Sites
National, highly structured chemistry internship placing low-income HS students into real chemistry labs; many placements in Bay Area universities and companies.
ASDRP - Summer Research Fellowship
Formalized summer fellowship branch of ASDRP where students conduct intensive research in chemistry, materials, or related fields and often present or publish.
Berkeley Lab ALSP Chemistry Programs
Summer research opportunities at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab for high school students interested in chemistry, materials science, and energy research.
Brookhaven National Laboratory High School Research Program (HSRP)
A competitive six-week commuter research program at Brookhaven National Lab where students who have completed 11th grade work directly with scientific and engineering staff on real DOE-mission research projects.
Chapman University Pharmacy Summer Research Program
Hybrid summer research program where small cohorts of high schoolers work with pharmacy faculty advisors on health-science/chemistry research projects.
COSMOS (California State Summer School for Math & Science)
A 4-week residential STEM program at four UC campuses. Students enroll in specific clusters – some are chemistry-focused (e.g. Nanochemistry, Chemical Engineering).
Denver Museum of Nature & Science – Teen Science Scholars
Selective paid internship that places 20 high schoolers from underserved or underrepresented backgrounds into the Museum's Science Division each year, doing real scientific work alongside Museum scientists and exploring museum and STEM careers. Includes a stipend of about $1,800 per session plus professional development in public speaking and college planning.
GRIPS at Stanford
GRIPS is a roughly 8-week research-intensive program placing HS students in Stanford labs; similar rigor to SIP/SIMR.
iCLEM (Introductory College Level Experience in Microbiology)
6-8 week paid biotech internship in Emeryville labs, heavy wet-lab work (chemistry + microbiology + biofuels); very selective and supports low-income students.
JHU CTY Fast-Paced High School Chemistry
Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth's advanced three-week residential chemistry course covering roughly a year of high school chemistry through lab-based instruction.
JPH Chemistry Olympiad Summer Camp
Intensive chemistry Olympiad training program (organic chemistry classes and hands-on lab camps) run by a coach whose students have repeatedly medaled at IChO.
Lamar University ChemE Summer Camp
Free week-long day camp introducing students who've completed chemistry and Algebra II to chemical engineering through labs, plant tours, and the ChemE Car competition.
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - Experiences in Research (EinR)
6-week, selective internship placing students in LBNL research groups (chemistry, materials, energy, etc.) with a weekly stipend.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - Biotech Summer Experience
Two-week intensive biotech/experimental biology program with substantial lab work and molecular techniques, drawing on chemistry fundamentals.
MIT MITES Summer
Free, six-week residential STEM program at MIT for rising high school seniors (11th graders) from underrepresented or underserved backgrounds. Students take rigorous math, science, and humanities courses, complete a project, and live in MIT dorms. Highly selective; all costs covered.
NASA Ames (Moffett Field) - OSTEM High School Internships
Competitive NASA internships in research areas including materials and atmospheric science, which are chemistry-heavy; located in Silicon Valley.
NIST Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP)
Prestigious federal research internship where high school juniors/seniors near NIST's Boulder, CO or Gaithersburg, MD campuses conduct hands-on chemistry research.
Ohio State Marion STEM Summer Camp
Affordable week-long day camp combining hands-on chemistry and biology experiments with other STEM activities.
Penn Summer Science Initiative (PSSI)
Free, four-week materials-science-and-chemistry research course at the University of Pennsylvania's NSF-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.
Project SEED ACS Summer Research
Paid summer research program by American Chemical Society placing economically disadvantaged students in university and industry chemistry labs nationwide.
Quinnipiac Forensic Sciences: Crime Scene Investigation
Pre-college program where high schoolers learn forensic chemistry, fingerprint analysis, and evidence collection through mock crime scene investigations.
Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research - Molecular Medicine Workshops
One- to two-week intensive camps (e.g., Cancer, Molecular Neuroscience) held at UC Berkeley and other sites; substantial biochemistry/molecular biology and journal-level content.
RSI - Research Science Institute (MIT)
One of the most selective global research programs; 6-week residential at MIT with original research in many fields including chemistry.
SAGE Camp - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Science Accelerating Girls Engagement (SAGE) is a free, 1-week residential camp at LLNL for NorCal public high-school girls with rigorous STEM exposure.
Saint Francis High School Summer Chemistry
Intensive summer chemistry course at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View covering honors or AP chemistry in compressed format for credit.
Simons Summer Research Program
A highly selective six-week residential research program at Stony Brook University pairing rising high school seniors with faculty mentors for hands-on original research in science, math, or engineering, culminating in a poster symposium.
Stanford Chemistry IFSS Summer Research
Intensive 8-week research program where high school students work in Stanford chemistry labs on cutting-edge research projects with graduate student mentors.
Stanford IFSS - Inspiring Future Scientists Through Shadowing (Dept. of Chemistry)
Two-week, intensive program shadowing Stanford chemistry researchers; includes lab tours, seminars, and small projects, considered quite rigorous for short duration.
Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
8-week full-time biomedical/chem research internship with Stanford faculty; extremely competitive, strong track record for top colleges.
SUMMET – Summer Mines Engineering and Training
Free residential program at Colorado School of Mines for rising high school seniors who are prospective first-generation college students, providing a college-life preview through engineering, science, and technology workshops on the Mines campus in Golden, Colorado.
Tilden Preparatory School Summer AP Chemistry
Fast-paced AP Chemistry course at Tilden Prep in Walnut Creek designed to prepare students for AP exam and advanced college chemistry.
UC Santa Barbara Summer Research Academies
Four-week university-credit research program where high schoolers choose a discipline-specific track, including chemistry, to design and complete an independent research project.
UC Santa Cruz Science Internship Program (SIP)
10-week mentored research placement in UCSC labs; many projects in chemistry, biochemistry, materials, or related fields.
UCSF CURE High School Internship
Summer research internship at UCSF where students work on biomedical and chemistry research projects in university labs with faculty mentorship.
UCSF High School Intern Program (HIP)
Selective 8-week program at UCSF labs via Science & Health Education Partnership; includes bench research and seminars.
UW ASM Materials Camp
Free day camp at the University of Washington introducing Seattle-area rising juniors to materials science and chemistry through hands-on lab work and field trips.
WVU Forensic Science Summer Camp
Residential camp at West Virginia University where students entering 11th-12th grade study forensic chemistry, biology, and crime scene investigation.
ECFinder provides links to outside extracurricular opportunities for informational purposes only. Students and families should research each program before applying. ECFinder does not operate or control the listed organizations and is not responsible for their actions or policies.