# 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 free; 12 can be done online.

## Programs (45 total, first 30 shown — full list on the canonical page)

| Program | Organization | Cost | Format | Grades | Deadline |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Google Summer of Code (Pre-University Contributor)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/google-summer-of-code-pre-university-contributor) | Google | Free | virtual | Grades 11–12 | 2027-04-05 |
| [Harvard Radcliffe Science Research Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/harvard-radcliffe-science-research-program) | Harvard Radcliffe Institute | Free | in_person | Grades 11–12 | Rolling |
| [Lumiere Research Scholar Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/lumiere-research-scholar-program) | Lumiere Education | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-08-23 |
| [Global STEM Alliance Virtual STEM Academy](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/global-stem-alliance-virtual-stem-academy) | New York Academy of Sciences | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-07-09 |
| [Texas Tech Clark Scholars Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/texas-tech-clark-scholars-program) | Texas Tech University | Free | in_person | Grades 11–12 | 2027-02-16 |
| [KIPP Through College Leadership Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/kipp-through-college-leadership-program) | KIPP Foundation | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-02-28 |
| [Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/jackie-robinson-foundation-scholarship) | Jackie Robinson Foundation | Free | hybrid | Grade 12 | 2027-01-06 |
| [Polygence Research Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/polygence-research-program) | Polygence | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-07-15 |
| [Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/adroit-journal-summer-mentorship) | The Adroit Journal | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-01 |
| [UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/ucsb-research-mentorship-program) | University of California, Santa Barbara | $3,500 | in_person | Grade 11 | 2027-03-09 |
| [NYU GSTEM Summer Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nyu-gstem) | New York University (Courant Institute) | $5,900 | in_person | Grade 11 | 2027-03-02 |
| [Research Mentorship Program (RMP) at UC Santa Barbara](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/research-mentorship-program-rmp-at-uc-santa-barbara) | UC Santa Barbara | $5,000 | in_person | Grades 11–12 | 2027-03-09 |
| [BRAINYAC Youth Science Council](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/brainyac) | Columbia University Zuckerman Institute | Free | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2026-11-30 |
| [HOBY State Leadership Seminar](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/hoby-state-leadership-seminar) | Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership | $225 | in_person | Grade 10 | 2027-03-01 |
| [SAGE Camp at SLAC](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/sage-camp-at-slac) | SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-17 |
| [Harvard-Westlake Summer Research Internship](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/harvard-westlake-summer-research-internship) | Harvard-Westlake School | Free | in_person | Grades 11–12 | 2027-03-01 |
| [MITES Semester](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/mites-semester) | MIT Office of Engineering Outreach Programs | Free | virtual | Grades 10–11 | 2027-02-01 |
| [NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center Programs](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasdaq-entrepreneurial-center) | NASDAQ | $100 | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [JPMorgan Chase Scholars Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/jpmc-scholars) | JPMorgan Chase | Free | virtual | Grade 12 | 2027-01-13 |
| [Sundance Ignite Fellowship](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/sundance-ignite) | Sundance Institute | Free | hybrid | Grades 12–18 | 2027-02-19 |
| [AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/american-museum-natural-history) | American Museum of Natural History | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-01 |
| [Young Scientist Program (YSP) at UT Austin](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/young-scientist-program-ysp-at-ut-austin) | University of Texas at Austin | Free | in_person | Grade 11 | Rolling |
| [Yale Pathways to Science](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/yale-pathways-to-science) | Yale University | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2027-06-30 |
| [Built by Girls WAVE Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/built-by-girls-wave) | BUILT BY GIRLS | Free | virtual | Grades 10–12 | Rolling |
| [High School Research for Credit Programs](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/research-for-credit-programs) | Various Universities | $500 | hybrid | Grades 10–12 | 2027-04-01 |
| [EAA Young Eagles Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/eaa-young-eagles) | Experimental Aircraft Association | Free | in_person | Grades 3–12 | Rolling |
| [The Junior Academy](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/the-junior-academy) | New York Academy of Sciences | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-07-09 |
| [Pioneer Research Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/pioneer-research-program) | Pioneer Academics | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-01 |
| [Ladder Internships](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/ladder-internships) | Ladder Internships | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-08-23 |
| [Lumiere Education Research Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/lumiere-education-research) | Lumiere Education | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-08-23 |

## Frequently asked questions

### How many mentorship programs are listed for high school students?

ExtracurricularHub currently lists 45 verified mentorship opportunities for high school students, each with cost, eligibility, deadline, and an official application link.

### Are any of these mentorship programs free?

Yes — 24 of the programs featured on this page charge no participation fee. Free programs are often funded and can be more selective, so apply early.

### Which deadlines are coming up soonest?

The next deadlines: Global STEM Alliance Virtual STEM Academy (July 9, 2026); The Junior Academy (July 9, 2026); Polygence Research Program (July 15, 2026). Deadlines change every cycle — always confirm on the program's official site.

### Do mentorship extracurriculars help with college admissions?

Yes — sustained, escalating involvement in mentorship (participation → awards or leadership → independent work) reads far stronger than scattered one-off activities. Pick one or two programs from this page and go deep.

## Related pages

- [Research for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/research)
- [Women in STEM Programs & Competitions for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/women-in-stem)
- [Internships for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/internships)
- [Prestigious & Highly Selective Programs & Competitions for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/prestigious)
- [Browse all extracurriculars](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars)
- [Find My Fit — 3-minute matching quiz](https://extracurricularhub.com/find-my-fit)

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Source: ExtracurricularHub (https://extracurricularhub.com) — a free directory of 1,826 verified extracurricular programs for high school students. Cite the canonical page above; always confirm binding details on each program's official site.