Extracurriculars & Programs in California for High School Students

California pairs Stanford, Caltech, and UC pre-college and research programs with Silicon Valley tech internships and entertainment-industry opportunities in Los Angeles.

91 verified programs match this page; 16 of the featured listings are completely free; 2 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• Caltech Signature Award for Innovation — California Institute of Technology: Earn recognition for your groundbreaking ideas in science with this free high school research award. Boost your college applications and showcase your
• Stanford AI4ALL — Stanford University: Discover a free summer program empowering high school juniors with hands-on AI experience, skill-building for college applications, and diversity-focu
• Scripps Research High School Internship Program — Scripps Research: Gain hands-on biomedical research experience in this free high school internship for grades 11-12. Build STEM skills and boost college applications th
• Stanford Medical Youth Science Program (SMYSP) — Stanford University: Explore medicine, public health, and research in this free, equity-focused summer program for high school juniors. Build skills and strengthen college
• Caltech YESS Summer Program — Caltech: Explore a 1-week summer program with STEM workshops and lab tours at Caltech. Perfect for high school students to gain hands-on experience and boost c
• Stanford University High School Summer College — Stanford University: Take Stanford courses alongside Stanford undergraduates. Full Stanford academic experience.
• Genomics Research Internship Program (GRIP) — Stanford University Department of Genetics: Paid summer research internship in Stanford genetics labs for local high school students underrepresented in biomedical science.
• Cal Grant Program — California Student Aid Commission: Cal Grant is California's largest college financial aid program, awarding up to $16,000 per year to California residents attending in-state colleges.
• Silicon Valley Math Tournament — Silicon Valley Math Initiative: Compete in the Silicon Valley Math Tournament to sharpen problem-solving skills, boost your college applications, and connect with like-minded high sc
• UC San Diego Research Scholars — University of California San Diego: Join a hybrid STEM summer program for high schoolers (grades 9-12) to gain hands-on research experience, build college-ready skills, and present at a
• UC Berkeley COSMOS — University of California, Berkeley: 4-week residential STEM program at UC campuses for California students.
• UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program — University of California, Santa Barbara: Explore STEM fields in a 6-week summer research program at UCSB. High school juniors gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and a boost for college app
• Stanford SPARK Summer Research Program (High School) — Stanford SPARK / Pediatrics: Explore translational medicine in this free summer program for high school students. Gain hands-on research experience, build skills, and enhance your
• UCSF High School Biomedical Research Internship — University of California, San Francisco: Biomedical research at top medical research university.
• Stanford Clinical Summer Internship (CSI) — Stanford Medicine: Gain hands-on clinical experience with this free summer program for high school juniors and seniors. Shadow doctors, build pre-med skills, and boost y
• Technovation Girls — Technovation: Empower your future through this global competition for grades 6-12. Build apps, solve real-world problems with AI, and gain hands-on STEM and leaders
• Stanford Institute of Medicine Summer Research — Stanford University School of Medicine: An 8-week paid summer research internship in biomedical science at Stanford Medicine for current high school juniors and seniors.
• Caltech InnoWorks Academy — Caltech: Free hands-on STEM program at Caltech. Engineering projects and science exploration.
• UC Berkeley ATDP — UC Berkeley: Academic Talent Development Program for gifted students.
• Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy — City of Hope: Gain hands-on lab experience in biomedical research, genomics, and ethics through this free summer program for high school juniors and seniors. Boost
• Victory Briefs Institute — Victory Briefs: Elite Lincoln-Douglas debate camp known for producing national champions. Top-tier instruction from successful competitors and coaches.
• UCLA Math Open (UMO) — UCLA: Challenge your math skills in this student-run competition featuring proof and short-answer rounds. Boost your college applications and stand out in S
• SPUR (Stanford Pre-Collegiate University Program) Research — Stanford University: Conduct original research with Stanford faculty. Highly competitive.
• Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute (ASPIRE) — Stanford University School of Medicine: Explore a hands-on summer program blending medicine, technology, and design. Ideal for high schoolers seeking STEM skills, clinical insights, and a co
• Stanford Compression Forum Summer Internship — Stanford University: Data compression research internship at Stanford. Work with researchers on multimedia compression.
• Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Student Leadership Program — Reagan Foundation: Leadership program at Reagan Presidential Library.
• California Science & Engineering Fair — California Science Center: Showcase your STEM skills at California's premier science competition for high schoolers. Gain hands-on research experience and boost your college app
• Haas School of Business Summer Entrepreneurship Program — UC Berkeley Haas: Entrepreneurship program at Berkeley Haas. Develop startup ideas with Silicon Valley-style mentorship.
• Berkeley Changemaker Design Lab — UC Berkeley Jacobs Institute: Master design thinking and human-centered innovation at this in-person summer program for high school students. Build skills for college and future ca
• Caltech Harvey Mudd Math Competition — Caltech & Harvey Mudd: Compete in a top-tier high school math competition with individual and team events. Boost problem-solving skills, enhance college applications, and co

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