Best NASA and Space Programs for High School Students

Author: ExtracurricularHub Editorial Team (Editorial Team) · Reviewed by Parker, Founder — editorial policy

Article Summary

NASA internships, Aerospace Scholars, rocketry and satellite competitions: the best space programs for high school students, ranked — almost all free.

Full Article

"Work with NASA" sounds like a college-and-beyond dream, but NASA runs a surprising number of programs that put actual high school students inside actual missions — and unlike most prestige programs, nearly all of them are free. Here's the field, organized by what you have to give and what you get back. (See every verified listing on our [NASA programs page](/providers/nasa) and the broader [aerospace vertical](/extracurriculars/aerospace).) ## The direct-pipeline programs **[NASA OSTEM Internships](/extracurriculars/nasa-ostem-internships-high-school)** — the real thing: paid placements at NASA centers working under NASA mentors. Sessions run summer, fall, and spring; the applicant pool is national and the bar is high, but high schoolers genuinely get selected. Deadlines repeat every cycle — verify the current one on the listing. **[NASA High School Aerospace Scholars](/extracurriculars/texas-high-school-aerospace-scholars-has)** — Texas juniors complete an online curriculum for the chance at an on-site experience at Johnson Space Center. If you're in Texas, this is the highest-value line available to you; other states have analogous programs listed on the [aerospace page](/extracurriculars/aerospace). **[SEES High School Summer Intern Program](/extracurriculars/nasa-sees-high-school-summer-intern-program)** — a national remote-plus-residential research internship run with the University of Texas Center for Space Research using real NASA data. Free, selective, and one of the strongest space credentials a rising senior can hold. **[NASA GeneLab for High Schools](/extracurriculars/nasa-genelab-for-high-schools-gl4hs)** — a fully virtual space-biology research training program using NASA's omics data. The rare bioscience-flavored NASA line, and a perfect fit for pre-med students who also love space. ## The competitions (open to everyone, no selection to enter) **[Zero Robotics](/extracurriculars/zero-robotics)** — write code that runs on robots aboard the International Space Station. Free, virtual, team-based, run with MIT. **[The American Rocketry Challenge](/extracurriculars/the-american-rocketry-challenge-tarc)** — the country's flagship student rocketry contest. Team-based, hands-on, and beloved by engineering admissions readers because the engineering is real. **[NASA Student Launch](/extracurriculars/nasa-student-launch)** and **[NASA Lunabotics](/extracurriculars/nasa-lunabotics)** — season-long build programs with NASA review panels; the closest a team project gets to a real flight program. **[NASA Space Apps Challenge](/extracurriculars/nasa-space-apps)** — a global weekend hackathon on real NASA problem statements. The lowest-commitment entry point on this list: one weekend, zero cost, a project artifact at the end. **[USA Astronomy & Astrophysics Olympiad](/extracurriculars/usa-astronomy-astrophysics-olympiad-usaaao)** — the olympiad track for space-minded students; strong scores put you on the international team pathway. ## How to build a space profile that reads as real 1. **Enter one competition this year.** Space Apps or TARC if you want a team artifact fast; USAAAO if you're an exam athlete. Everything on this list is listed with deadlines on the [competitions hub](/extracurriculars/competitions). 2. **Apply to one selective program per cycle.** SEES and OSTEM internships are annual; missing one deadline costs a year, so track them from fall. 3. **Show the work.** A GitHub repo from Zero Robotics, a flight log from TARC, a research abstract from SEES — artifacts are what make "interested in space" believable. ## Methodology Drawn from the verified NASA and aerospace listings in the ExtracurricularHub catalog (July 2026) — see the [full NASA list](/providers/nasa) with live deadlines, costs, and official application links. Deadlines repeat annually; always confirm the current date on each listing's official site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does NASA have programs for high school students?

Yes — NASA runs real programs for high schoolers, including OSTEM internships at its centers, High School Aerospace Scholars, the SEES summer intern program, and GeneLab's space-biology research course. Almost all are free, and several are open to students nationwide.

How hard is it to get a NASA internship in high school?

Competitive but not mysterious: NASA selects on demonstrated interest (projects, clubs, competitions) and a clear application essay, not perfect grades. Applying to several NASA pathways in the same cycle — internships, Aerospace Scholars, and a competition like TARC — meaningfully raises your odds of landing one.

Are NASA high school programs free?

Nearly all of them. NASA's internships are paid, Aerospace Scholars and SEES are free (SEES covers most costs for the on-site portion), and the big competitions — Space Apps, Student Launch, TARC, Zero Robotics — charge nothing or only small team fees.

What space programs exist for students who can't travel?

Zero Robotics (program satellites on the ISS), NASA GeneLab for High Schools, the Space Apps hackathon, and USAAAO (the astronomy olympiad) are all virtual or hybrid — you can build a serious aerospace profile from home.

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