# NASA Programs for High School Students NASA runs real research and engineering programs for high school students — internships at its centers, citizen-science projects with flight data, and app and design challenges judged by working engineers. These are among the strongest aerospace credentials a student can earn before college, and they're free: NASA programs select on curiosity and persistence, and many are open to students nationwide. 15 verified NASA programs, 15 free. Official site: https://www.nasa.gov ## Programs (15 total) | Program | Organization | Cost | Format | Grades | Deadline | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [NASA Student Launch](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasa-student-launch) | NASA | Free | in_person | Grades 6–12 | 2026-09-22 | | [NASA HUNCH (High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasa-hunch) | NASA | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2026-09-30 | | [NASA International Space Apps Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasa-space-apps-challenge) | NASA | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2026-10-01 | | [Texas High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/texas-high-school-aerospace-scholars-has) | NASA Johnson Space Center | Free | hybrid | Grade 11 | 2026-09-16 | | [International Observe the Moon Night](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/international-observe-the-moon-night) | NASA | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2026-09-19 | | [NASA Internships - High School](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasa-high-school-internships) | NASA | Free | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2026-09-14 | | [NASA High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasa-high-school-aerospace-scholars-has) | NASA Johnson Space Center | Free | hybrid | Grade 11 | 2026-09-16 | | [NASA Lunabotics Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasas-lunabotics-competition) | NASA | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-10-07 | | [NASA GeneLab for High Schools (GL4HS)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasa-genelab-for-high-schools-gl4hs) | NASA GeneLab | Free | virtual | Grades 10–12 | 2027-03-15 | | [NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasa-cubesat-launch-initiative) | NASA | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-11-15 | | [SEES High School Summer Intern Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/sees-high-school-summer-intern-program) | The University of Texas at Austin / NASA | Free | hybrid | Grades 10–12 | 2027-02-22 | | [Zero Robotics Competition (MIT/NASA)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/zero-robotics-competition-mitnasa) | MIT / NASA | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2026-11-21 | | [NASA Astrobiology Research Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/astrobiology-competition) | NASA | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2027-04-01 | | [NASA App Development Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasa-app-development-challenge) | NASA | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2027-04-01 | | [STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Summer Intern Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nasa-sees-summer-intern-program) | University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research / NASA | Free | virtual | Grades 10–11 | Rolling | ## Frequently asked questions ### Does NASA offer programs for high school students? Yes — ExtracurricularHub lists 15 verified NASA programs open to high school students, each with cost, eligibility, deadline, and an official application link. NASA runs real research and engineering programs for high school students — internships at its centers, citizen-science projects with flight data, and app and design challenges judged by working engineers. ### Are any NASA high school programs free? Yes — 15 of the NASA programs featured on this page charge no participation fee. Funded programs are often the most selective, so apply early and to more than one. ### Which NASA deadlines are coming up soonest? The next deadlines: NASA Internships - High School (September 14, 2026); Texas High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) (September 16, 2026); NASA High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) (September 16, 2026). Deadlines change every cycle — always confirm on the official NASA page. ### How competitive are NASA programs? It varies widely within one organization — flagship selective programs sit alongside broad-access options. Read each listing's eligibility, and treat the selective ones as reach applications: apply to several programs across organizations rather than betting a summer on one. ## Related pages - [Aerospace & Space Programs & Competitions for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/aerospace) - [Stem for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/stem) - [Internships for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/internships) - [Research for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/research) - [All organizations](https://extracurricularhub.com/providers) - [Browse all extracurriculars](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars) --- Canonical page: https://extracurricularhub.com/providers/nasa 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.