Imagine spending part of your summer walking through a university quad, joining a studio session in Paris, or sitting in on a seminar in London where the conversations feel bigger than anything you’ve had in school. Enrichment programs for high school students give you a glimpse into a world that blends learning with independence, new friendships, and the first real taste of what life beyond school can look like.

At these programs, you’ll not just attend classes. You’ll navigate a campus, meet students from around the world, and discover how it feels to live and think in a setting built for curiosity.

These experiences stay with you. Maybe you’ll engage in heated discussions with peers on globally relevant finance topics over lunch, or work till midnight on a group project you actually care about, or land on a niche subject area you otherwise never could have during high school. Additionally, you are accountable for your time, learn to adapt to new work environments, and develop the skills needed to succeed in new, unfamiliar spaces. This personal growth is just as important as the academic skills you gain.

What are the types of enrichment programs for high school students?

We can see what you might be worried about. Some enrichment programs can feel too expensive, too basic, or they might just not offer enough exposure to university life. That’s why it’s important to get the right information, so you can identify the enrichment programs that are best for you.

Numerous institutions and universities across the world offer enrichment programs in STEM, business, the arts, the social sciences, and the humanities. Some include lectures and seminars modelled on undergraduate classes. Others focus on research, design, performance, or hands-on problem-solving.

Once the programs start, you’ll have to work hard. To make things easier, we’ve compiled a list of 15 enrichment programs for high school students. There are programs ranging from summer schools to research experiences and vocational training, each one with its own mix of challenge and insight into what your future education could hold.

15 Enrichment Programs For High School Students 

1. London School of Economics and Political Science Summer School

Location: London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, UK
Cost: Fees vary by course and sessions; accommodation is extra. Check here
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrolment
Dates: June 22nd – July 10th; July 13th – 31st;  August 3rd – August 21st
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; early application recommended until classes fill
Eligibility: Advanced high school students (16+) all over the world with strong academic performance; English language proficiency required

LSE Summer School offers a range of intensive, credit-bearing courses in data science, economics, business, finance, law, and politics. Taught by LSE faculty, you’ll attend a mix of lectures and small-group seminars. The program is structured to mirror the undergraduate experience at LSE.

Whatever subject area you choose, you’ll tackle case studies, work with real data, and strengthen your analytical and quantitative skills. The program also features SPARK, a professional skills series that encourages you to participate in activities designed to build career readiness.

Why it stands out: You’ll learn in an international academic setting, studying alongside peers and professionals from over 100 countries.

2. Immerse Education’s Pre-University Summer School

Location: Boston, Cambridge, London, Oxford, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, and Toronto
Cost: Varies; summer school scholarship available through our bursary programme
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrolment; Average of 7 participants per class
Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts with rolling admissions.
Eligibility: Students around the world aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school

The Academic Insights Program provides school students with an opportunity to take undergraduate-level classes at universities around the world and is widely recognized as one of the most immersive enrichment programs for high school students. Participants work with academics from universities like Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard in classes of 4-10 students. They attend university-style lectures and 1:1 weekly sessions with their tutor.

The program includes practical experiences such as dissections in medicine, robotic arm building in engineering, or moot courts for law. You can choose from over 20 subjects, including architecture, artificial intelligence, business management, computer science, economics, medicine, philosophy, and more. By the end of the program, you will complete a personal project and receive written feedback and a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.

Why it stands out: You’ll get an early start at university life and academics because the program includes an independent project, discussion-based classes, and living at a college campus.

3. GTE Summer School – Global Technology & Entrepreneurship Program

Location: Chōsei-gun, Chiba Prefecture (near Tokyo), Japan
Cost/Stipend: Fee is 99,000 JPY(includes accommodation, meals, certificate of completion, textbook production, recreation, venue rental, and transportation to the contest venue on the last day
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 50
Dates:  July 29th – August 1st (last year’s dates)
Application Deadline: June 27th
Eligibility: High school students from Japan, Spain, India, the U.S., Singapore, and more have participated in the past. Check here

During the Global Technology and Entrepreneurship Program, you’ll be exposed to a blend of startup thinking, business planning, and cultural immersion over four summer days in Japan. Here, you’ll work in a small team under the guidance of mentors to develop a business plan. You’ll present the same at Tokyo’s Global Business Hub on the final day.

Apart from working on the business pitch, you’ll engage in cultural activities, such as Yosakoi dance workshops, beach BBQs, and networking events with global students. You’ll attend lectures on finance, ideation, and customer insight. Staying on campus with peers will help you build leadership and communication skills in a live environment. 

Why it stands out: Its ties to industry professionals and entrepreneurs allow you to learn from experience and establish valuable connections.

4. Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC) 

Location: Virtual and residential sessions available
Cost/Stipend: Online: $3,750, Residential: $8,950; need-based financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective. Residential – 40 participants, Online – 64 participants
Dates: Session One: Online June 15th – July 3rd, Session One: Residential June 21st – July 17th, Session Two: Online July 6th – 24th
Application Deadline: February 2nd
Eligibility: Open to rising juniors and seniors with a strong interest in mathematics; international students accepted

The Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC) is a three- to four-week program and one of the most challenging enrichment programs for high school students interested in pursuing advanced mathematics. You can choose one of the two tracks: Abstract Algebra and Number Theory, or Algebraic Topology. Whatever you choose, you’ll attend lectures and solve problem sets focused on proof-based thinking.

Students who choose the residential track also join co-curricular activities and go on weekend field trips with peers. The online track follows an academic structure similar to the residential track, and is supplemented by virtual events with students from around the world.

Why it stands out: You’ll learn proof-based mathematics here, following a curriculum that is on par with the graduate-level curriculum at Stanford, something not many high school students have access to.

5. King’s College London: Pre-University Summer School

Location: King’s College London, Strand Campus, London, UK
Cost: £3,195 for one week; £6,180 for two weeks; £9,375 for three weeks; £1,200–£2,400 for English Language & Culture courses; Application fee: £65(non refundable)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrolment
Dates: July 6-10;  July 13-17; July  20-24; July 27-31
Application Deadline: April 10th
Eligibility: Students worldwide aged 16-17 in their final three years of high school; must meet English proficiency requirements

King’s College London’s Pre-University Summer School is an academic program for students in their final three years of high school. As a participant, you can choose from subjects such as Psychology, STEM, Law, Business Management, Marketing, Politics, and Medical Science. Here, you can choose to enrol in multiple courses over two or three-week periods.

There are scheduled lectures, seminars, and university-level assignments. You’ll also join discussion groups, engage in simulation games, and attend Q&A sessions with guest speakers. All participants receive a King’s Certificate of Completion upon completing the program.

Why it stands out: King’s College is a highly renowned institution and thus ensures a series of guest lectures, sessions, and interactions with experts from the NHS, the British Parliament, and the Royal Courts of Justice.

6. University of Toronto Summer Psychology Research Initiative (SPRINT) 

Location: University of Toronto, St. George Campus, Ontario
Cost: Free
Cohort size: 57 high school participants (40 Research Stream and 17 Lecture Stream)
Dates: July 14-25
Application Deadline: Applications open in April
Eligibility: High school students in Ontario; special preference given to Indigenous, Black, and racialized (IBR) students entering grades 11 and 12 

The Summer Psychology Research Initiative at the University of Toronto is a ten-day program designed for high school students interested in psychology. Based on your experience and areas of interest, you are placed in one of two streams: Lecture or Research. You will explore psychology as a scientific research discipline in the Lecture Stream.

Meanwhile, in the Research Stream, you are guided by postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate mentors as you develop a research proposal in a team. Finally, you share your research proposal at the concluding Presentation Day. You can check past presentations here.

Why it stands out: You’ll explore a range of topics in the field under the mentorship of graduate students and post-doctoral researchers, further supported by undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral volunteers, faculty, and staff. 

7. Quantum School for Young Students (QSYS)

Location: Virtual + optional in-person lab day at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
Cost: Free
Cohort size: Up to 200 students
Dates: August 4-13 + optional in-person day: August 17th
Application Deadline: May 1st
Eligibility: Canadian high school students with strong math skills and an interest in quantum science

The Quantum School for Young Students is a virtual, ten-day program designed for high school students interested in quantum information, technology, and research. If selected, you’ll engage with researchers across topics such as quantum superposition and entanglement, and the impact of quantum technology on computing, imaging, and cryptography. You’ll also learn quantum cryptography, complex numbers, experimental physics, and quantum optics.

For high school students based in Waterloo, the program includes an in-person laboratory day. Here you get to work with real quantum equipment. The Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo hosts the program.

Why it stands out: At QSYS, you are exposed to a mathematical background which prepares you to take up quantum information, one of the largest topics in modern physics.

8. NUCB International College – Summer School at Nisshin Campus

Location: Nagoya University of Commerce & Business (NUCB), Nisshin-shi, Aichi Prefecture
Cost/Stipend: ¥140,000 JPY(covering tuition, accommodation, food, excursions, etc.)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 25
Dates: TBA
Application Deadline: Not explicitly listed
Eligibility: Students enrolled in Grades 10-13 at the time of the program, with at least conversational English proficiency. All nationalities welcome

The Summer School at NUCB International College offers a residential academic experience blended with cultural immersion for high school students in Japan. During the program, you participate in Harvard-style case-method workshops, take Japanese language classes, and engage in team-based problem-solving tasks.

A small cohort size means you get adequate personal attention from faculty. Topics in the curriculum include digital economy, risk, talent, innovation and sustainability. Apart from solving real problem sets, you will explore Japanese culture through planned excursions.

Why it stands out: The case method classes at a global business university offer the unique combination of experienced faculty and a cross-cultural experience.

9. NASA GeneLab for High Schools (GL4HS)

Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 800 students(estimated)
Dates: June 2nd – August 29th
Application Deadline: April 9th
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, rising high school juniors and seniors with a GPA ≥ 3.0; must be at least 16 by December 31st and have taken a high school biology course

The GeneLab for High Schools (GL4HS) by NASA is a twelve-week, virtual summer program designed to introduce high school students to space biology and computational research. You are offered the opportunity to analyze real data from spaceflight experiments, with the focus areas being bioinformatics, proteomics, genomics, and transcriptomics.

On completion of the coursework, you might participate in a capstone project where you’ll work in a team to analyze bioinformatics datasets. Further, the best student teams are invited to prepare written proposals for an additional run-off competition. If you reach the top three here, you’ll attend an all-expense-paid trip to the annual American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) conference. 

Why it stands out: Run by NASA, the program is highly prestigious, and you are encouraged to network with peers and your instructors during the live sessions.

10. Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Summer Schools

Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Cost: Varies by program
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrolment
Application Deadline: Varies by program
Dates: Varies, but typically multiple sessions between June and August
Eligibility: For students across the world aged 5-18 years

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) runs multiple in-person and online summer programs for high school students interested in the performing arts. You could choose theatre, film, music, production, dance or musical drama.

You have the option to go for beginner-level courses in the performing arts, along with advanced courses if you’re an experienced learner. You’ll be taught by experienced instructors and have the opportunity to work with students from across the world. 

Why it stands out: You will have the chance to be connected to the UK’s theatre, film, and music scene, thereby allowing you to interact and learn directly from people working in major productions, well-known orchestras, and even film sets.

11. RBC Summer Tech Labs

Location: Ontario; virtual/in-person hybrid depending on the year
Cost/Stipend: Paid internship experience; hourly rate will be outlined in the offer letter
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 2nd – August 20th
Application Deadline: Applications open in spring; the date varies each year
Eligibility: Grade 11 and 12 students enrolled in an Ontario high school

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Summer Tech Labs Program is an eight-week internship hosted by RBC’s Future Launch to prepare high school students for successful careers ahead. If chosen as an intern, you’ll build prototypes for RBC’s business units, working in teams of four.

For this, you will use tools like JavaScript, GitHub, and React.js. Senior RBC leaders might give you feedback and help you learn to effectively pitch ideas as well.

Why it stands out: The program can give you clear insights into the operations of a large financial company.

12. Oxford Future Climate Innovators

Location: Oxford University, Oxford, England
Cost/Stipend: From £8,995
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not provided
Dates: July 19th – August 1st
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students aged 16-18 with a proper visa

The Future Climate Tech Innovators Summer School at Oxford University is a two-week, residential experience and one of the most forward-looking enrichment programs for high school students focused on sustainability and climate change. Topics you’ll study include extreme weather, AI and climate change, and ecosystems.

You will work towards a sustainable business proposal culminating in a final project and a presentation at the Oxford Climate Innovation Conference. Apart from classes, you’ll participate in social networking events, go on campus tours, and take field trips to the Oxford Botanic Garden, along with an off-site industry visit. There are scheduled workshops on professional and academic development, and group discussions on launching a successful startup. You will also get nine months’ access to the  University’s online Entrepreneurship School.

Why it stands out: You’ll learn on campus at one of the world’s leading academic institutions, working on relevant climate issues, under mentorship from Oxford faculty.

13. University of Notre Dame – London: Knowledge and Power

Location: Fischer Hall (near Trafalgar Square) & Conway Hall, London, UK
Cost: $8,750
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrolment
Dates: July 5-19
Application Deadline: January 21st
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who are at least 16 years of age by or on August 1st; international students accepted

The Study Abroad: London Program at the University of Notre Dame is a two-week summer program for high school students in the UK. As a participant in a globally diverse cohort, you will visit historic sites in London and explore its history.

You will attend lectures led by the Notre Dame London faculty, interact with guest lecturers, engage in academic and extracurricular activities, and go on theatre tours. You could be eligible to receive one transferable college credit upon completion of the program.  

Why it stands out: As a participant at Notre Dame, you’ll have ease of access to its partner museums, theatres, and archives, thus increasing your chances of observing and learning from the behind-the-scenes of these institutions.

14. Parsons Paris: Summer Pre-college

Location: Parsons Paris Saint-Roch campus, Paris, France
Cost: $9,999 (three college credits)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrolment
Dates: June 27th – July 18th
Application Deadline: April 10th
Eligibility: High school students all over the world aged 16-18 entering their junior or senior year, or recent graduates

Parsons Paris offers a three-week, for-credit summer experience and stands out among enrichment programs for high school students interested in design, painting, drawing, and photography in the culturally rich background of Paris.

You can select one intensive course from options such as Introduction to A.I. Design, Explorations in Drawing, Fashion Design Process, Introduction to Design and Management, Photography in Paris, or Portfolio Development for Art and Design Schools. The program is structured to combine classroom instruction, studio practice, and field excursions across the city.

Why it stands out: You’ll have immense cultural, historical, and touristic opportunities being in the heart of Paris, and your coursework adds strong experience to your portfolio.

15. The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Vocational Scholarship  

Location: Multiple locations in Germany
Cost: Free; small stipend provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 25 students selected
Dates: August – June the following year
Application Deadline: December 15th
Eligibility: Current high school seniors; Minimum GPA of 2.5; Must be a U.S. citizen; Some knowledge of German is preferred but not required

The Congress–Bundestag Youth Exchange Vocational Scholarship is a fully funded year-long program for high school seniors interested in work-based learning and vocational training in Germany. Once in Germany, you’ll live with a host family, enroll in a vocational program in your chosen field, and complete one or more internships.

You’ll also meet with both U.S. and German government officials, take a course on Weimar, and wrap up the year with a seminar in Berlin focused on German politics, culture, and history. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors the program, and it is jointly supported and funded by the United States Congress and the German Bundestag. 

Why it stands out: You are a part of the top 25 students selected for this gap-year program in Germany, with a unique combination of intercultural and educational opportunities.

Turning New Experiences Into Lasting Self-Belief

Enrichment experiences often leave a deeper mark than expected, shaping how you see yourself long after the program ends in unexpected, meaningful ways overall.

Through these enrichment programs for high school students, you step into unfamiliar settings that challenge your thinking, independence, and confidence inside and outside classrooms globally.

Each new environment, conversation, and responsibility helps transform uncertainty into self-belief built through action, reflection, and personal growth that lasts beyond school years.

If you want to keep developing that confidence, our Personal Development blogs share relatable stories and guidance to help you grow beyond each experience at your own pace, confidently.