Mentorship Programs for High School Students

These programs pair you with a working researcher, engineer, or founder — the shortcut past the biggest gap in most applications: an adult in the field who can vouch for your work.

A mentor's recommendation letter carries different weight than a teacher's; programs with built-in mentorship are how you earn one before senior fall.

45 verified programs match this page; 24 of the featured listings are completely free; 12 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• Google Summer of Code (Pre-University Contributor) — Google: Paid stipend for contributing to open source projects. Work with mentors on real software. Demonstrates professional-level coding and collaboration sk
• Harvard Radcliffe Science Research Program — Harvard Radcliffe Institute: Summer research fellowship working with Harvard faculty on cutting-edge research
• Lumiere Research Scholar Program — Lumiere Education: 1-on-1 research mentorship with Harvard/Oxford PhD researchers; publication opportunity
• Global STEM Alliance Virtual STEM Academy — New York Academy of Sciences: Free virtual STEM challenges and mentorship from industry experts
• Texas Tech Clark Scholars Program — Texas Tech University: Elite seven-week, fully funded research across disciplines.
• KIPP Through College Leadership Program — KIPP Foundation: Leadership development for KIPP network students and alumni. College access support and career development.
• Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship — Jackie Robinson Foundation: Transform your college applications with a 4-year scholarship and mentorship for minority high school seniors. Gain leadership skills and up to $30,00
• Polygence Research Program — Polygence: 1-on-1 research mentorship program; opportunity to publish or present research
• Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship — The Adroit Journal: Highly competitive writing mentorship. Work 1-on-1 with published authors. ~10% acceptance.
• 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
• NYU GSTEM Summer Program — New York University (Courant Institute): Gain hands-on STEM research experience in NYU’s prestigious summer program. Perfect for high school juniors seeking mentorship, data science skills, a
• Research Mentorship Program (RMP) at UC Santa Barbara — UC Santa Barbara: 6-week research program. Students conduct original research. Competitive admission.
• BRAINYAC Youth Science Council — Columbia University Zuckerman Institute: Gain hands-on neuroscience research experience in a paid NYC apprenticeship for high school students. Build skills, work with mentors, and boost your
• HOBY State Leadership Seminar — Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership: Empower your leadership skills at this transformative high school seminar. Gain mentorship, hands-on experience, and a boost for college applications
• SAGE Camp at SLAC — SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory: Explore STEM careers and labs at this free in-person summer program for high school students. Gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and boost your col
• Harvard-Westlake Summer Research Internship — Harvard-Westlake School: 8-week research internship placing students with university professors and industry researchers. Students complete publishable research projects.
• MITES Semester — MIT Office of Engineering Outreach Programs: Explore advanced STEM topics in this free virtual semester program for high school students. Build skills, gain mentorship, and boost your college app
• NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center Programs — NASDAQ: Develop entrepreneurial skills through hybrid programs offering mentorship, hands-on experience, and resources. Perfect for high schoolers boosting co
• JPMorgan Chase Scholars Program — JPMorgan Chase: Earn a $10k scholarship while gaining finance and business skills through this virtual mentorship program for high school seniors. Boost your college
• Sundance Ignite Fellowship — Sundance Institute: Transform your passion for filmmaking with this free fellowship for high school students. Gain mentorship, funding, and hands-on experience to boost c
• AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program — American Museum of Natural History: Explore hands-on biology research through a free, year-long high school mentorship program at AMNH. Build STEM skills and boost your college applicati
• Young Scientist Program (YSP) at UT Austin — University of Texas at Austin: 8-week summer research program. Students conduct independent research with UT faculty. Free for Texas residents.
• Yale Pathways to Science — Yale University: Explore free STEM labs, lectures, and master classes at Yale, gaining hands-on research experience and mentorship to boost college applications. Perfe
• Built by Girls WAVE Program — BUILT BY GIRLS: Empowering mentorship program for high school girls & nonbinary students to explore tech careers, build leadership skills, and strengthen college appl
• High School Research for Credit Programs — Various Universities: Gain hands-on research experience with university faculty in this high school research program. Build skills, earn credit, and strengthen your college
• EAA Young Eagles Program — Experimental Aircraft Association: Experience free introductory flights through this unique STEM program for grades 3-12. Build aviation skills, gain mentorship, and enhance your colleg
• The Junior Academy — New York Academy of Sciences: Join global R&D teams solving real-world challenges in this free virtual high school STEM program. Gain mentorship, research skills, and boost your co
• Pioneer Research Program — Pioneer Academics: Research mentorship with college professors; graded transcript included
• Ladder Internships — Ladder Internships: Virtual internship program connecting high school students with startup and organizational work experiences.
• Lumiere Education Research Program — Lumiere Education: One-on-one research mentorship with PhD researchers for high school students developing original research projects.

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