Extracurriculars & Programs in Pennsylvania for High School Students

Pennsylvania's opportunities center on Penn and Carnegie Mellon pre-college programs, CHOP-affiliated medical research, and Pittsburgh's growing tech scene.

48 verified programs match this page; 15 of the featured listings are completely free; 2 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• PennApps Hackathon — University of Pennsylvania: Compete in the nation’s largest student-run hackathon for high schoolers. Build coding skills, innovate in tech, and boost your college applications.
• UPenn Summer Academies — UPenn: Transform your summer with a 3-week in-person program exploring business, STEM, or medicine. Gain hands-on experience to boost skills and strengthen c
• Wharton Global High School Investment Competition — Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania: Test your investment acumen in this prestigious global competition. Teams manage a $100,000 virtual portfolio and compete against schools worldwide.
• Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences — PA PGSS: Transform your STEM skills with this free, 5-week summer program at Carnegie Mellon. Gain hands-on experience and boost your college applications thro
• Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) Civics & Global Affairs Programs — Foreign Policy Research Institute: Philadelphia-based think tank offering students access to foreign policy analysis, teacher workshops, and global affairs educational resources. Free p
• Penn State Science-U STEM Camps — Penn State University: Immersive residential STEM camps at Penn State for middle and high school students covering robotics, cybersecurity, engineering, and life sciences on
• Lehigh University Pre-College Programs — Lehigh University: Pre-college programs at Lehigh University covering engineering, business, arts, and sciences.
• Penn Chemistry Research Academy — University of Pennsylvania College of Arts & Sciences: Dive into modern chemistry with Penn faculty and research labs.
• Carnegie Mellon Informatics & Mathematics Competition (CMIMC) — Carnegie Mellon University: Challenging hybrid contest spanning math and computer science.
• Penn Experimental Physics Research Academy — University of Pennsylvania College of Arts & Sciences: Hands-on physics experiments and data analysis at Penn.
• Wharton Moneyball Academy — Wharton Global Youth Program, University of Pennsylvania: Data analytics in sports with Wharton faculty; coding, stats, and modeling.
• University of Pennsylvania Management & Technology Summer Institute — University of Pennsylvania: Combined Wharton business and Penn Engineering program. Interdisciplinary summer experience at Penn.
• Wharton Global High School Investment Competition National Finalist — Wharton School: Top 10 teams present at Wharton. Build and defend investment portfolio strategy.
• Wharton Leadership in the Business World (LBW) — Wharton Global Youth Program (University of Pennsylvania): Four-week business immersion with Wharton faculty, cases, and company visits.
• ILMUNC (Ivy League Model United Nations Conference) — University of Pennsylvania International Affairs Association: Excel in diplomacy and debate at ILMUNC, a prestigious Model UN competition for high school students. Build leadership skills and boost college applic
• Penn Model Congress (PennMC) — University of Pennsylvania International Affairs Association: Explore Penn Model Congress, a free in-person leadership program for high schoolers to debate policy, build negotiation skills, and boost college appl
• Penn Summer Program in Management & Technology — University of Pennsylvania: Boost college applications with Penn’s summer program in management & technology. Gain hands-on business and engineering skills, perfect for future en
• Penn Summer Academies — University of Pennsylvania: Immerse yourself in a hands-on summer program for high school students, exploring advanced STEM fields, gaining research experience, and boosting your
• Wharton Summer High School Program — University of Pennsylvania: Master business fundamentals in Wharton's summer program for grades 10-11. Build skills in marketing, finance, and management to boost college applica
• Engineering Summer Academy at Penn (ESAP) — University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science: Explore cutting-edge STEM fields in this in-person summer program for high schoolers. Gain hands-on engineering experience, boost college applications
• Penn Biomedical Research Academy — University of Pennsylvania College of Arts & Sciences: Explore hands-on biomedical research in this summer program for grades 10-12. Gain lab skills, enhance college applications, and dive deep into molecu
• Wistar High School Fellowship in Biomedical Research — The Wistar Institute: Explore biomedical research in this free, hands-on summer program for high school juniors and seniors. Build skills in molecular biology and boost you
• Penn Data Science Academy — Wharton Global Youth Program: Master Python, statistics, and business analytics in this hands-on summer program for grades 10-12. Build data science skills and boost college applic
• Penn Chemistry Olympiad Summer Camp (PENNCHEM outreach) — University of Pennsylvania Chemistry Outreach: Boost problem-solving skills and shine on college applications with this free online chemistry summer program for high schoolers. Perfect for Olympiad
• Rx Experience — Wilkes University: Virtual pharmacy camp at Wilkes University introducing high school students to pharmaceutical sciences.
• Penn Summer High School Programs — University of Pennsylvania: Ivy League summer programs at the University of Pennsylvania with college courses and credits.
• Drexel Summer Institutes — Drexel University: Pre-college program at Drexel University for high school students focusing on arts, science, biomed, engineering, arts and design, hospitality.
• Bucknell Academy Summer Experience (BASE) — Bucknell University: Pre-college program at Bucknell University for high school students focusing on various - liberal arts, problem solving, current issues.
• Young Civil War Historians Conference — Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College: Week-long residential history camp on the Gettysburg battlefield for rising high school juniors and seniors, run by Gettysburg College's Civil War Ins
• UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Academy — UPMC Hillman Cancer Center / University of Pittsburgh: Free 7-week summer research internship in Pittsburgh pairing high school students (15+) with University of Pittsburgh mentors for 30-35 hours a week o

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