Extracurricular Programs for Underrepresented Students

Colleges actively seek students who bring perspectives their applicant pools lack — and dozens of programs exist specifically to fund and support that talent.

This page gathers opportunities built for underrepresented, first-generation, and low-income students, where the cost barrier is removed and mentorship is part of the design.

44 verified programs match this page; 30 of the featured listings are completely free; 17 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• 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
• Dartmouth Bound — Dartmouth College: Explore this free Ivy League summer program for high school juniors from diverse backgrounds. Enhance skills, boost college applications, and gain han
• 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
• Telluride Association Summer Seminars (TASS) — Telluride Association: Explore a free in-person summer program for high school students in grades 10-11. Build leadership skills, study humanities, and boost your college ap
• Girls Who Invest Summer Intensive Program — Girls Who Invest: Highly selective free 4-week summer program placing high school girls and nonbinary students at top investment management firms for training in financ
• Goldman Sachs Possibilities Summit — Goldman Sachs: Selective multi-day career exploration program at Goldman Sachs headquarters for high school juniors from underrepresented groups interested in financ
• Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) — Google: Competitive free 3-week Google-hosted summer program in computer science for graduating high school seniors from underrepresented groups, including co
• American Foundation for the Blind Scholarship — American Council of the Blind / American Foundation for the Blind: AFB/ACB Scholarships support legally blind and visually impaired students pursuing higher education. Awards range from $1,000 to $3,500, helping blind
• Association on American Indian Affairs Scholarship — Association on American Indian Affairs: AAIA awards $1,500–$3,500 scholarships to Native American and Alaska Native students pursuing higher education. One of the oldest Native American advo
• Hagan Scholarship — Hagan Scholarship Foundation: The Hagan Scholarship awards up to $60,000 over 4 years (up to $7,500/year + stipends) to high-achieving rural students attending college away from ho
• Generation Google Scholarship — Google LLC: Google awards $10,000 scholarships to high school seniors from underrepresented groups planning to study computer science or a related field. Recipien
• Point Foundation LGBTQ+ Scholarship — Point Foundation: Point Foundation is the nation's largest LGBTQ+ scholarship-granting organization, awarding $13,000+ per year to LGBTQ+ students. Point Scholars recei
• Jack and Jill of America Foundation Scholarship — Jack and Jill of America Foundation: The Jack and Jill of America Foundation awards scholarships to academically talented Black youth, supporting their higher education goals. Administere
• NSBE Pre-College Scholarship — National Society of Black Engineers: NSBE's pre-college scholarships support Black high school students pursuing STEM education. Awards ranging from $500–$15,000 recognize academic excell
• SHPE Foundation ScholarSHPE Program — Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Foundation: SHPE Foundation ScholarSHPE awards scholarships to Hispanic STEM students from high school through graduate school. One of the premier engineering org
• NAACP Agnes Jones Jackson Scholarship — NAACP: The NAACP Agnes Jones Jackson Scholarship awards $2,000 to NAACP members pursuing higher education. Named after a longtime NAACP champion for youth, t
• McDonald's HACER National Scholarship — Ronald McDonald House Charities: The HACER National Scholarship supports Hispanic American high school seniors with up to $100,000 in total funding over 4 years. One of the most valua
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Scholarships — United Negro College Fund: UNCF offers 400+ scholarship programs totaling $100 million annually for Black students. Programs range from need-based awards to merit scholarships,
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund High School Scholarship — Hispanic Scholarship Fund: HSF awards $500–$5,000 scholarships to Hispanic and Latino high school seniors pursuing higher education. One of the largest Hispanic scholarship orga
• Carnegie Hall NYO2 — Carnegie Hall: National training ensemble (ages 14-16) with full scholarship and residency.
• Jane Street INSIGHT Program — Jane Street: Highly selective program at elite quantitative trading firm for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Fully funded exposure to quantitative trad
• AI4ALL Summer Program — AI4ALL: Free AI education for underrepresented groups. Programs at Stanford, CMU, etc.
• Amazon Women in Innovation Scholarship — Amazon: $10,000 scholarship for women pursuing computer science.
• MITES Summer — MIT Office of Engineering Outreach Programs: Six-week, residential MIT program for underrepresented rising seniors in STEM.
• Morgan Stanley Early Insights Program — Morgan Stanley: Selective program introducing underrepresented students to investment banking. Workshops, networking, and mentorship. Strong pathway to finance career
• Sphinx Competition Laureate — Sphinx Organization: Competition for Black and Latinx string players. Cash prizes + performance opportunities.
• Thurgood Marshall College Fund Scholarships — Thurgood Marshall College Fund: Earn scholarships for attending HBCUs while advancing leadership and diversity skills. Perfect for high school seniors preparing for college applicati
• Duolingo Thrive Scholarship — Duolingo: Empower your college journey with the Duolingo Thrive Scholarship, rewarding English learners for academic excellence and resilience. Free, virtual, a
• Hispanic Heritage Foundation Youth Awards — Hispanic Heritage Foundation: Celebrate Latino excellence with this virtual competition for high school seniors. Earn scholarships, boost college applications, and showcase leaders
• College Board National Recognition Program Awards — College Board: Gain national recognition as a high-achieving, underrepresented high school student. Strengthen college applications with this free academic award for

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