Research programs in Washington, D.C..
18 local programs run in Washington, D.C., 13 of them free or paid, and 5 explicitly prioritize under-resourced or first-generation students. Plus 232 nationwide programs open to anyone in the US.
Local to Washington, D.C.
- SelectiveFreedom ForumAl Neuharth Free Spirit Conference
All-expenses-paid journalism conference + $1,000 scholarship for 51 students.
⏱ 1 week📅 February🎓 11 - Highly SelectiveAmerican UniversityAmerican University Discover the World of Communication
Pre-college program in journalism, film, PR, and digital media.
⏱ 1-3 weeks📅 May🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveDC DOESDC Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment
Free paid summer jobs for DC youth 14-24. Wide range of placements.
⏱ 6 weeks📅 Feb-Mar🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - ModerateGeorgetown UniversityGeorgetown Summer College
Earn college credit in IR, politics, business, and more.
⏱ 3-5 weeks📅 May🎓 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveUS House (historical)House Page Program (alumni network)
Historical House page-style programs and current House internship opportunities.
⏱ 1 semester📅 Spring🎓 11, 12 - ModerateJSAJunior State of America Summer School
Three-week residential programs in government, politics, and leadership at Princeton, Georgetown, Stanford.
⏱ 3 weeks📅 Spring🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterNASA Goddard High School Internship (OSTEM)
A paid summer internship for DC/Maryland area high school students focusing on physical sciences and earth observation.
⏱ 8 weeks📅 January 31🎓 11, 12 - ModerateScrippsNational Spelling Bee
Premier US K-8 spelling competition culminating in nationals.
⏱ 1 week📅 Spring🎓 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - SelectiveNational Institutes of HealthNIH HiSTEP
NIH program specifically for students from underserved DC-area communities.
⏱ 5 weeks (summer)📅 Early February🎓 11 - SelectivePossePosse Foundation
Full-tuition leadership scholarships nominated by partner cities. High schoolers from cities like New York, Chicago, LA, Atlanta nominate by August of senior year.
⏱ Senior year📅 August🎓 12 - ModeratePrinceton UniversityPrinceton Model Congress
Four-day high school simulation of Congress run by Princeton students in DC.
⏱ 4 days📅 Fall🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveUS SenateSenate Page Program
Selective program where high school juniors serve as pages for US senators in DC.
⏱ 1 semester📅 Rolling🎓 11 - SelectiveSmithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian Youth Engagement
Internships across Smithsonian museums and research centers.
⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveStreet LawSupreme Court Summer Institute
Teacher and student programs on constitutional law and the Court.
⏱ 1 week📅 Summer🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveUS HouseUS House Page Program (alumni network)
Visit programs and learning resources from the US House of Representatives.
⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveUS SenateUS Senate Page Program
Live in DC and serve as a US Senate page; sponsored by a senator.
⏱ 1 semester📅 Varies🎓 11 - SelectiveCenter for Civic EducationWe the People Constitution Competition
National constitutional knowledge competition for classroom teams.
⏱ Academic year📅 Fall🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveCenter for Civic EducationWe the People Constitutional Competition
National civics competition on the Constitution and Bill of Rights for high schoolers.
⏱ 3 days📅 Spring🎓 9, 10, 11, 12
Nationwide programs open to Washington, D.C. students
- Selective/dev/color官方/dev/color Youth Network
A community for tech-interested black professionals and students to connect.
⏱ Ongoing📅 Rolling🎓 11, 12 - SelectiveArmy Educational Outreach Program (AEOP)AEOP High School Apprenticeship Program
Students work alongside Army scientists and engineers on cutting-edge research projects in world-class laboratories.
⏱ 8 weeks📅 Early March🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveAmerican Foreign Service Association (AFSA)AFSA National High School Essay Contest
An essay contest designed to engage students in thinking about peace and conflict resolution.
⏱ N/A📅 February 15🎓 11, 12 - SelectiveCarnegie Mellon UniversityAI Scholars at CMU
Free AI-focused summer program for rising seniors underrepresented in computing.
⏱ 3 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 11 - SelectiveAI4ALLAI4ALL Open Learning
Girls in grades 6-12 learn AI and Python through interactive virtual classes.
⏱ 2 weeks📅 March 1🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveMathematical Association of AmericaAIME
Invitational round for top AMC scorers. 15-question, 3-hour exam that gates the USAMO. No fee for invited students.
⏱ 3 hours📅 February🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveFreedom ForumAl Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference
An all-expenses-paid journalism conference for one student from every US state and DC.
⏱ 1 week📅 February 15🎓 11 - SelectiveAmazonAmazon Future Engineer Scholarship
Scholarship for high school seniors planning to study computer science in college.
⏱ 4 years scholarship📅 December 1🎓 12 - ModerateMathematical Association of AmericaAMC 10/12
The entry-level American Mathematics Competition. Top scorers qualify for AIME and the path to the USAMO. Open to all US high schoolers; school registration required.
⏱ 75 minutes📅 November🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - ModerateACSLAmerican Computer Science League (ACSL)
A multi-division computer science competition covering both theory and programming.
⏱ School year📅 November 30🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveAmgen FoundationAmgen Scholars Future Track
Free online biotech simulations and pipeline programs preparing high schoolers for biomedical research.
⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveApple Inc.Apple Swift Student Challenge
Swift coding competition hosted by Apple to showcase creativity and app development skills.
⏱ 1 month📅 April 15🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - ModerateBerklee College of MusicAspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive
The world's premier summer performance program for contemporary music, including jazz, rock, and pop.
⏱ 5 weeks📅 March 1🎓 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveNCWITAward for Aspirations in Computing (AiC)
Award for girls and non-binary students in computing, providing recognition and a cash prize.
⏱ One-time📅 April 15🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveBank of AmericaBank of America Student Leaders
Paid internship at a local nonprofit + week-long DC leadership summit.
⏱ 8 weeks (summer)📅 Mid-January🎓 11, 12 - ModerateBard College at Simon's RockBard College at Simon's Rock Young Writers Workshop
A 3-week residential program where students engage in creative and analytical thinking through literature and history.
⏱ 3 weeks📅 April 1🎓 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveMIT Lincoln LabBeaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
Free MIT-led project-based courses in AI, robotics, cybersecurity.
⏱ 4 weeks (summer)📅 Early February🎓 11 - SelectiveELASH / Bebras USBebras Computing Challenge (US)
An international computational thinking and informatics competition. Students can take the test remotely or through a local school coordinator.
⏱ 45 minutes📅 Early February🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveBennington CollegeBennington Young Writers Awards
A prestigious creative writing competition for students to win cash prizes and publication.
⏱ N/A📅 January 12🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveBlack Girls CODEBlack Girls CODE Workshops
Program that provides coding workshops and tech exposure to young girls of color.
⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 9, 10, 11, 12
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