Extracurricular Deadlines in April — Programs to Apply to

April deadlines skew toward late-cycle summer programs, essay competitions, and community-service grants — a real second chance if you missed the winter rush.

Most programs listed here run on annual cycles, so the April deadline pattern repeats every year — check each listing for the exact current date.

120 verified programs match this page; 19 of the featured listings are completely free; 8 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• MIT Global AI Hackathon — MIT RAISE & App Inventor Foundation: Join a free virtual AI hackathon for high schoolers to develop apps tackling global challenges. Gain hands-on STEM experience and boost your college a
• National High School Musical Theatre Awards (Jimmy Awards) — Broadway League: Compete in a prestigious national musical theatre competition in NYC! Showcase your talent, gain performance skills, and boost your college applicatio
• Yau Science Awards (Asia) — Tsinghua University / Harvard University: Showcase your scientific research skills in this prestigious high school competition. Gain hands-on experience, boost college applications, and connec
• Tournament of Champions Debate — Various: Compete in the elite Tournament of Champions Debate, the most prestigious high school competition. Build critical thinking skills and strengthen colle
• Weill Cornell Medicine Gateway to Medicine Program — Weill Cornell Medicine: Prestigious summer clinical immersion program at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City for high school students exploring medicine, including hospit
• National English Honor Society Writing Contests — NEHS: Writing competitions for NEHS members. Poetry, prose, creative nonfiction.
• TrigStar Competition — National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS): National trigonometry competition applying math to real-world surveying problems. Winners receive scholarships. Demonstrates practical STEM applicatio
• NASA App Development Challenge — NASA: Build apps for NASA missions. Winners present at NASA center.
• Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition — Oberlin Conservatory of Music: An international concerto competition for outstanding young violinists and pianists, culminating in finals with The Cleveland Orchestra.
• Mediterranean Mathematics Competition — Mathematical Society of South-Eastern Europe (MASSEE): An international math contest for high school students from Mediterranean and MASSEE member countries.
• JASON Student Challenge — JASON Learning: Explore STEM through hands-on projects and hybrid competitions for grades 9-12. Build skills, enhance college applications, and uncover science-driven
• Vanderbilt Program for Talented Youth Summer Academy — Vanderbilt University: Transform your summer with a 3-week residential program for gifted students in grades 7-12. Develop advanced skills, explore academics, and boost your
• CodeCombat Championship — CodeCombat: Compete in a free online coding competition for grades 6-12. Build game AI, enhance programming skills, and boost your college applications with hands
• ANS High School Scholarship — American Nuclear Society: Explore nuclear engineering with this free scholarship for high school seniors. Boost your STEM skills and strengthen college applications in a growin
• Business Professionals of America National Competition — Business Professionals of America: Compete in a national business competition to build leadership, career, and entrepreneurship skills. Perfect for high school students preparing for co
• Washington Workshops Seminars — Washington Workshops Foundation: Explore Washington Workshops Seminars, an in-person leadership program in DC for grades 10-12. Build skills in government, diplomacy, and law—perfect
• International Thespian Festival — Educational Theatre Association: Showcase your theater talents at the International Thespian Festival! Compete, attend workshops, and gain hands-on experience to enhance your skills a
• Code Nation Summer Labs — Code Nation: Free hybrid summer program for high schoolers in grades 9-11. Gain hands-on coding experience, build apps, and enhance college applications. Perfect f
• MIT Sloan Business Analytics Program — MIT Sloan: Master data analytics and strategy in this hands-on summer program for high school students. Develop Python skills and boost college applications with
• Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior — Microsoft: Join a global competition to design apps or games tackling real-world issues. Perfect for high school students to build coding skills and enhance coll
• AEOP GEMS (Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science) — U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program: Explore hands-on STEM modules at Army research labs nationwide in this free high school summer program. Gain real-world skills and boost your college
• U.S. Coast Guard Academy AIM — U.S. Coast Guard Academy: Explore leadership, service, and engineering in this selective summer program for high school juniors. Gain hands-on experience and boost your college
• Le Grand Concours National Gold Medal — American Association of Teachers of French: Top national performers in National French Contest. Highest recognition for French language achievement.
• Michigan Ross Summer Business Academy (SBA) — University of Michigan Ross School of Business: Transform your future with this in-person summer program for high schoolers. Build business skills, tackle case competitions, and enhance college appl
• New York Times Student Editorial Contest — The New York Times Learning Network: Craft a compelling editorial for a national writing competition. Open to high school students, this free opportunity builds writing skills for college
• Le Grand Concours - National French Contest — American Association of Teachers of French: National French language competition. 5 levels from elementary to AP.
• School of The New York Times - Summer Academy — The New York Times: Explore a free summer program in journalism, writing, and media for high school students. Build hands-on skills, boost college applications, and learn
• Princeton AI4ALL — Princeton University: Transform your summer with a free AI program for high schoolers. Build Python, machine learning, and ethics skills while boosting college applications
• American Legion Boys State — The American Legion: Premier week-long government simulation program where high school juniors create a mock state government. Free, highly selective, and one of the most
• Academic WorldQuest National Competition — World Affairs Councils of America: Flagship quiz-bowl on global affairs for high school teams with national finals in Washington, DC.

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