Extracurricular Deadlines in January — Programs to Apply to

January is peak season for summer-program applications — most selective summer research and pre-college programs close between now and March.

Most programs listed here run on annual cycles, so this month's deadline pattern repeats every year — check each listing for the exact current date.

185 verified programs match this page; 22 of the featured listings are completely free; 13 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• Presidential AI Challenge — White House Office of Science and Technology Policy: National K-12 AI competition where students build real-world AI solutions for community challenges, with finals at the White House.
• Ron Brown Scholar Program — Ron Brown Scholar Fund: Elite scholarship for Black high school seniors excelling in academics and leadership. Earn $40k to fund college while building leadership skills for
• Juilliard Pre-College — The Juilliard School: Elite music program for high schoolers in grades 10-12 offering hands-on performance training and skill development. Boosts college applications and a
• Harvard Business Conference — Harvard HBS: Elite in-person business competition for grades 10-12 at Harvard. Solve real-world cases, network with Fortune 500 leaders, and strengthen college app
• Women's Technology Program at MIT — MIT: Empower your STEM journey with a free four-week summer program for high school women at MIT. Gain hands-on engineering skills and boost your college a
• USA Physics Olympiad — AAPT: Compete in the elite USA Physics Olympiad to sharpen problem-solving skills, enhance college applications, and aim for the International Physics Olymp
• Young Playwrights Festival — Young Playwrights Inc.: Showcase your talent in this free playwriting competition for high schoolers (Grades 10-12). Develop creative skills, gain theater experience, and boo
• National Japan Bowl — Japan-America Society of Washington DC: Compete in the National Japan Bowl to showcase your Japanese language and cultural knowledge. Build key skills, earn scholarships, and enhance your co
• EAA Ray Aviation Scholarship — Experimental Aircraft Association: Earn up to $12,000 for flight training toward a Private Pilot Certificate. Perfect for high school students seeking hands-on STEM experience and colle
• Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences — PA PGSS: Transform your STEM skills with this free, 5-week summer program at Carnegie Mellon. Gain hands-on experience and boost your college applications thro
• Microsoft AI for Good Challenge — Microsoft: Empower global impact by joining this free AI competition for high schoolers. Develop machine learning skills, boost college applications, and tackle
• UWC USA National Committee Selection — UWC USA: Compete for scholarships to study abroad at United World Colleges. Build global leadership skills, boost college applications, and earn an IB diploma.
• Presidential Scholar in the Arts — U.S. Department of Education: 20 students selected annually via YoungArts. One of highest honors for young artists.
• MIT THINK Scholars Program — MIT TechX: Empower your STEM journey with this free high school research program. Get grants, mentorship, and hands-on experience to elevate college applications
• AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows — American Association for the Advancement of Science: Science communication internships at major media outlets.
• Simons Summer Research Fellowship at Rockefeller — Rockefeller University: Summer research at world-class biomedical research university.
• English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition — English-Speaking Union: Showcase your acting skills in a hybrid Shakespeare competition for grades 9-12. Gain performance experience, enhance college applications, and compet
• NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassador — NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries: Empower ocean conservation as a NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassador. Gain leadership skills, build your college resume, and make a difference—all onl
• Yale Model Government — Yale University: Join a competitive high school government simulation to enhance debate, policy, and leadership skills. Perfect for college prep and hands-on civic exp
• Distinguished Young Women — Distinguished Young Women: Empower your leadership skills and compete for scholarships in this hybrid program for high school junior girls. Build confidence and enhance your col
• Carnegie Mellon Informatics & Mathematics Competition (CMIMC) — Carnegie Mellon University: Challenging hybrid contest spanning math and computer science.
• Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) Distinguished Honor Roll — Art of Problem Solving: Recognition for top performance in AoPS advanced math courses
• National Security Language Initiative for Youth Creative Content Fellowship — U.S. Department of State: Fellowship creating digital content about language learning experiences. Alumni of NSLI-Y eligible. Combines language skills with creative communicati
• Taco Bell Foundation Live Más Scholarship — Taco Bell Foundation: The Live Más Scholarship awards $5,000–$25,000 to young people ages 16–26 who are driven by a passion. Unlike traditional scholarships, this one focus
• GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program — GE Foundation / Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation: A prestigious $10,000 scholarship for high school seniors who demonstrate leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship. Up to 20 scholars selected na
• Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association Essay Competition — Harvard College: International essay competition on economics topics. Winners published in Harvard Economic Review and receive prizes.
• North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Summer Ventures — NCSSM: Free summer research program at elite NCSSM. NC students conduct original research with faculty mentors.
• Sony World Photography Awards Youth Competition — World Photography Organisation: Showcase your creativity in this free international photography competition for grades 7-12. Build your portfolio, gain recognition, and strengthen co
• Yale Young Global Scholars - Biology & Biomedical Sciences — Yale University: 2-week intensive in biology and biomedical sciences at Yale.
• National Student Playwriting Competition — Kennedy Center: National playwriting competition for high school students. Develop theater skills, boost college applications, and see your work produced at the Kenne

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