Research programs in Illinois.
15 local programs run in Illinois, 8 of them free or paid, and 6 explicitly prioritize under-resourced or first-generation students. Plus 232 nationwide programs open to anyone in the US.
Local to Illinois
- SelectiveArgonne National LaboratoryArgonne Exemplary Student Research Program
Chicago-area students conduct year-long research mentored by Argonne scientists.
⏱ School year📅 October🎓 11, 12 - ModerateNorthwestern CTDCivic Leadership Institute
Service-learning summer program for civic-minded teens.
⏱ 3 weeks📅 March🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - ModerateLaunchXLaunchX Entrepreneurship Summer Program
Four-week intensive where students launch a real startup; held at Northwestern, Michigan, or virtual.
⏱ 4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - ModerateNorthwestern MedillMedill-Northwestern Journalism Institute
Five-week premier high school journalism program.
⏱ 5 weeks📅 February🎓 11 - SelectiveCity of ChicagoOne Summer Chicago
Free paid summer jobs and internships for Chicago youth ages 14-24.
⏱ 6 weeks📅 February🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - 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 - ModerateSchool of the Art Institute of ChicagoSAIC Early College Program
Intensive summer studio program for high schoolers earning college credit.
⏱ 4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 10, 11, 12 - ModerateSAICSchool of the Art Institute Early College
Summer art and design intensives for high schoolers.
⏱ 1-4 weeks📅 April🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - SelectiveFermilab (Department of Energy)TARGET Program
Students engage in cutting-edge research in high-energy physics and accelerator science at a national laboratory.
⏱ 6 weeks📅 January 31🎓 11, 12 - SelectiveUniversity of ChicagoUChicago DATA High School Program
Computational science and modeling fellowship for underrepresented high school students.
⏱ 6 weeks📅 January 15🎓 11 - Highly SelectiveUniversity of ChicagoUChicago Financial Markets Program
Summer immersion in financial markets and economics.
⏱ 3 weeks📅 April🎓 10, 11, 12 - Highly SelectiveUniversity of ChicagoUChicago Pre-College Courses
Pre-College academic courses offered by the University of Chicago.
⏱ 📅 Applications are closed for this summer and will reopen in Spring 2026🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - Highly SelectiveUniversity of ChicagoUChicago Pre-College Programs
Learn about the various pre-college programs offered at the University of Chicago.
⏱ 📅 🎓 9, 10, 11, 12 - ModerateUniversity of ChicagoUChicago Summer Session Pre-College
Three and four-week pre-college programs at UChicago across humanities and sciences.
⏱ 3-4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 10, 11, 12 - Highly SelectiveUniversity of Illinois Chicago / NCI-Cancer CenterUIC High School Summer Research Program (ResearcHStart)
High school students in Illinois work in University of Illinois Chicago labs on health-related research.
⏱ 6 weeks📅 March 15🎓 11, 12
Nationwide programs open to Illinois 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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