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§ PA

Research programs in Pennsylvania.

41 local programs run in Pennsylvania, 14 of them free or paid, and 2 explicitly prioritize under-resourced or first-generation students. Plus 46 nationwide programs open to anyone in the US.

Local to Pennsylvania

  1. Susquehanna University
    Actors Institute

    Theater, acting pre-college institute.

    🎓 Grades 10, 12
    Moderate
  2. Community College of Philadelphia
    Advance at College

    Earn college credits while still enrolled in high school.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Moderate
  3. Community College of Philadelphia
    Advance College Experience — ACE

    Summer credit-bearing college classes for motivated Philadelphia high-school students.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Moderate
  4. Carnegie Mellon University
    AI Scholars

    Artificial intelligence, computer science and societal applications.

    🎓 Grade 12
    Moderate
  5. Pennsylvania 4-H
    Allen L. & Richard H. Baker 4-H Scholarship

    Postsecondary scholarship for qualifying PA 4-H youth.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Moderate
  6. Carnegie Mellon University
    Architecture

    Pre-College Architecture program at Carnegie Mellon University.

    📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Highly Selective
  7. Temple University
    Architecture Institute

    College-level architecture/design experience.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Moderate
  8. Carnegie Mellon University
    Art

    Pre-College Art program at Carnegie Mellon University.

    📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Highly Selective
  9. Pennsylvania College of Technology
    Automotive Technology

    High-school summer camp, automotive engineering/repair.

    🎓 Grades 10, 12
    Moderate
  10. Pennsylvania College of Technology
    Aviation

    High-school summer camp, aircraft and aviation careers.

    🎓 Grades 10, 12
    Moderate
  11. Temple University
    B4USoar

    Free Temple college classes and mentoring for Philadelphia students.

    🎓 Grades 11–12
    Selective
  12. Drexel University
    BIOMED Summer Academy

    Biomedical engineering, medicine and laboratory activities.

    🎓 Grades 10, 12
    Moderate
  13. University of Pennsylvania
    Biomedical Research Academy

    The Biomedical Research Academy, for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors, provides an unparalleled opportunity to conduct high-level research in the life sciences. Students receive intensive laboratory training by immersing themselves in one of three areas of concentration: Molecular Biosciences, Neuroscience, or Cancer Biology.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Highly Selective
  14. Bucknell University
    Bucknell Academy Summer Experience — BASE

    Interdisciplinary one-week residential pre-college experience.

    🎓 Grades 10, 12
    Moderate
  15. Gettysburg College
    Camp Psych

    Residential psychology institute involving experiments, research and college-level psychology.

    🎓 Grades 10, 12
    Moderate
  16. Carnegie Mellon
    Carnegie Mellon AI Scholars

    Free three-week residential AI program for underrepresented students.

    ⏱ 3 weeks📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11
    Selective
  17. Carnegie Mellon
    Carnegie Mellon SAMS

    Free six-week residential STEM program for underrepresented students.

    ⏱ 6 weeks📅 February🎓 Grade 11
    Selective
  18. Carnegie Mellon
    Carnegie Mellon Summer Pre-College Programs

    Six-week pre-college programs in architecture, art, design, drama, CS, music, and more.

    ⏱ 6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 11–12
    Moderate
  19. Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
    Carnegie Museum of Art Youth Art Initiative

    Student-driven high-school internship connecting Pittsburgh teens with museum staff, contemporary art and public programming.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Moderate
  20. Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
    Carnegie Museum Teen Volunteer Assistants

    Teen placements across Carnegie Museum of Art, Natural History and Powdermill programs.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Selective
  21. Temple University
    Cecil B. Moore Scholarship Pathway

    Selected North Philadelphia students can progress from free dual enrollment to full tuition at Temple.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Moderate
  22. University of Pennsylvania
    Chemistry Research Academy

    Delve into modern chemistry through a blend of classroom instruction and hands-on laboratory experience. Work on research projects under the guidance of Penn faculty and graduate students.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Selective
  23. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
    CHOP-RISES

    Multi-summer research pipeline pairing Philadelphia students with CHOP scientists and mentors.

    🎓 Grade 11
    Moderate
  24. Susquehanna University
    Choral Institute

    Vocal music pre-college institute.

    🎓 Grades 10, 12
    Moderate
  25. Penn State Extension / 4-H
    Citizenship Washington Focus — PA

    Civic-engagement experience in Washington with government, leadership and policy activities.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Moderate
  26. Carnegie Museum of Natural History
    CMNH Teen Advisory Board

    Teens advise museum staff and help shape youth programming.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Selective
  27. Carnegie Mellon University
    Computational Biology

    Pre-College Computational Biology program at Carnegie Mellon University.

    📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Highly Selective
  28. Temple University
    Creative Scholars

    Year-long full-scholarship Saturday art/design program for Philadelphia students with financial need.

    🎓 Grades 10, 12
    Selective
  29. Carnegie Mellon University
    CS Scholars

    Pre-College CS Scholars program at Carnegie Mellon University.

    📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Highly Selective
  30. Dairy Excellence Foundation
    Dairy Excellence Foundation Student Leader Scholarship

    Recent award $3,000 for Pennsylvania students pursuing dairy/agriculture-related fields.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Moderate
  31. Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation
    Dairy Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

    Two recent $3,000 awards for graduating students completing qualifying dairy curriculum.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Moderate
  32. UPenn Wharton Global Youth
    Data Science Academy

    On-campus academy focused on data science principles and applications.

    📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  33. DVSF
    Delaware Valley Science Fairs

    ISEF-affiliated research competition with awards/scholarships.

    🎓 Grades 9, 12
    Moderate
  34. Carnegie Mellon University
    Design

    Pre-College Design program at Carnegie Mellon University.

    📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Highly Selective
  35. Pennsylvania College of Technology
    Design, Build & Grow

    High-school summer camp, landscape/horticulture.

    🎓 Grades 9, 12
    Moderate
  36. Pennsylvania College of Technology
    Diesel Truck & Heavy Equipment

    High-school summer camp, diesel/heavy machinery.

    🎓 Grades 10, 12
    Moderate
  37. Wilkes University
    Discover Pharmacy

    Two-day pharmacy-career and hands-on lab program.

    🎓 Grades 11–12
    Moderate
  38. Drexel University
    Dornsife Public Health Summer Institute

    Epidemiology, health policy and public-health careers.

    🎓 Grades 11–12
    Moderate
  39. Carnegie Mellon University
    Drama

    Conservatory-style acting/theatre training.

    🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
    Moderate
  40. Penn State
    Dual Enrollment

    Take PSU undergraduate courses before high-school graduation; up to eight credits per semester in standard framework.

    🎓 Grades 11–12
    Moderate
  41. Penn State
    Early College Enrollment

    Early college enrollment pathway after grade 11 for students ready for university study.

    🎓 Grade 12
    Highly Selective

Nationwide programs open to Pennsylvania students

  1. Army 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🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  2. American Foreign Service Association (AFSA)
    AFSA National High School Essay Contest

    An essay contest designed to engage students in thinking about peace and conflict resolution.

    📅 February 15🎓 Grades 11–12
    Selective
  3. Carnegie Mellon University
    AI Scholars at CMU

    Free AI-focused summer program for rising seniors underrepresented in computing.

    ⏱ 4 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grade 11
    Selective
  4. AI4ALL
    AI4ALL Open Learning

    Girls in grades 6-12 learn AI and Python through interactive virtual classes.

    ⏱ 2 weeks📅 March 1🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  5. Mathematical Association of America
    AIME

    Invitational round for top AMC scorers. 15-question, 3-hour exam that gates the USAMO. No fee for invited students.

    ⏱ 3 hours📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  6. Freedom Forum
    Al 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🎓 Grade 11
    Selective
  7. Amazon
    Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship

    Scholarship for high school seniors planning to study computer science in college.

    ⏱ 4 years scholarship📅 December 1🎓 Grade 12
    Selective
  8. Mathematical Association of America
    AMC 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🎓 Grades 9–12
    Moderate
  9. ACSL
    American Computer Science League (ACSL)

    A multi-division computer science competition covering both theory and programming.

    ⏱ School year📅 November 30🎓 Grades 9–12
    Moderate
  10. Amgen Foundation
    Amgen Scholars Future Track

    Free online biotech simulations and pipeline programs preparing high schoolers for biomedical research.

    ⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  11. Apple Inc.
    Apple Swift Student Challenge

    Swift coding competition hosted by Apple to showcase creativity and app development skills.

    ⏱ 1 month📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  12. Berklee College of Music
    Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive

    The world's premier summer performance program for contemporary music, including jazz, rock, and pop.

    ⏱ 5 weeks📅 March 1🎓 Grades 10–12
    Moderate
  13. NCWIT
    Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC)

    Award for girls and non-binary students in computing, providing recognition and a cash prize.

    ⏱ One-time📅 April 15🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  14. Bard College at Simon's Rock
    Bard 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🎓 Grades 10–12
    Moderate
  15. MIT Lincoln Lab
    Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)

    Free MIT-led project-based courses in AI, robotics, cybersecurity.

    ⏱ 4 weeks (summer)📅 Early February🎓 Grade 11
    Selective
  16. ELASH / Bebras US
    Bebras 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🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  17. Bennington College
    Bennington Young Writers Awards

    A prestigious creative writing competition for students to win cash prizes and publication.

    📅 January 12🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  18. Black Girls CODE
    Black Girls CODE Workshops

    Program that provides coding workshops and tech exposure to young girls of color.

    ⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  19. Blue Ocean Strategy / various
    Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneurship Competition

    Free global pitch competition with cash prizes. Teams pitch a novel business idea via video; finalists present live.

    ⏱ 3 months📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
    Selective
  20. Breakthrough
    Breakthrough Collaborative

    Free summer and school-year academic program for first-generation, low-income middle schoolers; high schoolers can serve as teaching fellows.

    ⏱ Multi-year📅 Spring🎓 Grades 6–12
    Selective

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