Astrophysics blends theoretical physics with the scale of the universe. If you’re into stars, galaxies, and how the cosmos works, summer programs offer real observational and computational experience. Here are ten of the top astrophysics-related summer programs for high schoolers. Dates and costs change year to year, so confirm the current details with each.
1. Experimental Physics Research Academy
- Host: University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
- Deadline: mid-February
- Cost: paid program (around $9,700)
- About: an immersive look at physics, including astrophysics, through lectures, hands-on labs, and panel discussions spanning mechanics to quantum dynamics.
2. The Summer Science Program (SSP)
- Host: independent, held at universities including UC Boulder, New Mexico State, and others
- Deadline: mid-February
- Cost: paid program (around $8,400); financial aid available
- About: an interdisciplinary astrophysics program blending math, scientific programming, and practical work like determining an asteroid’s orbit from your own observations.
3. NASA High School Aerospace Scholars
- Host: NASA (Houston, TX)
- Deadline: in the fall (around October)
- Cost: free
- About: for Texas high school juniors, with interactive aerospace activities, hands-on challenges, and interactions with NASA scientists.
4. Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics (YSPA)
- Host: Yale University (New Haven, CT)
- Deadline: early March
- Cost: paid program (around $7,500)
- About: online self-study plus an intensive residential program using Yale’s telescopes and data analysis, ending in hands-on astrophysics research.
5. Research Science Institute (RSI)
- Host: MIT, with the Center for Excellence in Education (Cambridge, MA)
- Deadline: mid-December
- Cost: free
- About: a highly selective program pairing rigorous academics with hands-on research, including astrophysics, mentored by MIT faculty.
Once you’re done here, check out our longer list of the 50 best STEM summer programs for high schoolers.
6. Physics of Atomic Nuclei (PAN)
- Host: Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
- Deadline: late March
- Cost: free
- About: a look at nuclear astrophysics and cosmology at one of the world’s leading rare-isotope laboratories.
7. Anson L. Clark Scholars Program
- Host: Texas Tech (Lubbock, TX)
- Deadline: mid-February
- Cost: free; stipend provided
- About: a selective, research-driven program where you can work on physics and astrophysics research alongside faculty.
8. Introduction to Astronomy
- Host: Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Deadline: around early March
- Cost: paid program (around $6,700)
- About: a beginner-friendly course covering the basics of astronomy, good for students without a technical background.
9. Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences
- Host: Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Deadline: late January
- Cost: free
- About: an intensive program across many sciences, with courses and lab research, good for students with a broad interest including astrophysics.
10. California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS)
- Host: University of California (Irvine, Davis, San Diego, Santa Cruz)
- Deadline: early February
- Cost: paid program (around $5,000); financial aid available
- About: a four-week residential program at UC campuses covering astrophysics topics like star and planet formation and stellar evolution.
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For help with scholarships, see Rishab’s free scholarship guide, with tips and strategies for winning competitive merit-based scholarships.
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