If you’re a high school student in Amherst, local summer programs are a great opportunity to explore your interests while building advanced skills. From research immersions to pre-college courses, these experiences help you grow intellectually. You can collaborate with experts, create innovative projects, and build a foundation for future academic and career success.
Whether you're interested in STEM, the arts, social sciences, or interdisciplinary studies, Amherst offers a range of programs for high schoolers. You can sharpen your problem-solving, develop research skills, and enhance critical thinking through these experiences. In this list, we’ve included programs offered by local universities like Amherst College and a few virtual options worth checking out.
Here is a curated list of 7 Amherst summer programs for high school students in 2024-2025!
UMass Amherst’s six-week Research Intensives program is designed for high school students eager to gain experience in professional research settings. You will work alongside faculty and graduate and undergraduate students in state-of-the-art labs. Available research areas include biology, psychology, food science, environmental conservation, and biochemistry. Hosted on the UMass Amherst campus, the program introduces you to college life, including residence hall living and dining.
Subject Areas: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biochemistry, Food Science, Environmental Conservation, Biology, Psychology, and Microbiology
Location: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Program Dates: June 30 – August 10, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost: Residential $11,350 | Commuter $6,767
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Application Deadline: To be announced for the Summer 2025 program
The Summer iD Tech Camp at Amherst College allows high school students to explore STEM fields. The program combines hands-on tech learning with fun traditions, balancing skill-building and recreation. Guided by STEM professionals, you will work on app development, game design, AI bot creation, and video production projects. You will also connect with peers and improve your creativity, collaboration, and innovation skills.
Subject Areas: STEM, Coding, Robotics, Game Development
Location: Amherst College, Amherst, MA
Program Dates: Typically runs for a week in the summer
Cost: Starts at $899
Eligibility: High school students
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
This UMass Amherst course introduces artistic techniques, combining hands-on exploration with theory for a well-rounded artistic foundation. You will work with media like pencil, charcoal, ink, and digital tools to discover your creative style. This credit-bearing program emphasizes skill development and encourages individual expression through projects. You will also receive guidance in preparing professional portfolios for college admissions, with sessions for self-reflection and improvement.
Subject Areas: Drawing, Portfolio Preparation, Design Principles, Art
Location: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Program Dates: June 30 – July 13, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost: In-Person: $3,636 | Commuter: $2,167
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Application Deadline: To be announced for the Summer 2025 program
The Writer's Workshop at Amherst College offers a program for novice and experienced high school writers. Under the guidance of professional authors and university instructors, you will refine your writing skills and build a portfolio. Through creative writing prompts and exercises, the workshop aims to make exploring new techniques enjoyable. Additionally, the program draws inspiration from Amherst’s rich literary heritage, inviting you to explore the spaces frequented by Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost.
Subject Areas: Creative Writing
Location: Amherst College, Amherst, MA
Program Dates: July 13 – 19, 2025
Cost: The cost ranges from $1,595 to $2,970, depending on residential or commuter
Eligibility: Rising 9-12 graders
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Apply here!
UMass Amherst’s Summer Pre-College Programs offer college-level academics and the opportunity to live in a college dorm. You can choose from various subjects, including art, business, and STEM. Courses include business ethics, applications of Python, anthropology, engineering, entrepreneurship, design, and veterinary medicine, all taught by university faculty. Most courses are worth 2 college credits. Evenings and weekends involve activities and events to help you connect with fellow students.
Subject Areas: STEM, Biology, Sustainability, Energy and Climate, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality & Tourism Management, Python, Sport Management, Business, Astronomy, Medicine, Social Media, and more
Location: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Program Dates: Dates vary according to program chosen; typically two weeks in June, July, and August
Cost: The cost ranges from $1,425 to $11,350, depending on the program chosen and residential or commuter options. See the full cost breakdown here
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Application Deadline: To be announced for the Summer 2025 program
HCSSiM is an intensive six-week program for high school students focused on college-level mathematics. You will solve mathematical problems, attend four hours of classes daily, and participate in evening problem-solving sessions. The program provides access to professors, graduate students, and guest lecturers, such as recent winners of the Siemens Competition and Intel Science Talent Search. You’ll explore topics like combinatorics, number theory, fractals, and topology, with a focus on mathematical inquiry and patterns. A weekly program of math films will further stimulate learning.
Subject Areas: Mathematics
Location: Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
Program Dates: June 30 – August 10, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost: $5,882; some need-based financial aid is available
Eligibility: High school students
Application Deadline: April 17, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
The Common Young Writers Program is a two-week virtual intensive focused on fiction. Through a blend of live and self-paced sessions, you will explore the fundamentals of fiction—scene, character, plot, and imagery—while drafting and revising your short stories. Analyzing works published in The Common through peer discussions will teach you to read critically and refine your writing craft.
The program, taught by editors and editorial assistants from Amherst College’s literary magazine, offers two levels. Level I, ideal for beginners, introduces the process of crafting a short story through daily assignments, interactive workshops, and one-on-one feedback sessions. You'll also gain insight into the role of literary magazines, access additional writing prompts, and receive a subscription to The Common.
Subject Areas: Creative Writing
Location: Virtual program organized by Amherst College
Program Dates: July 21 – August 1, 2025
Cost: $849; some need-based financial aid is available
Eligibility: High school students
Application Deadline: Applications for the Summer 2025 program will open on March 10, 2025
Bonus!
These virtual programs are also good options for high school students in Amherst. They cover topics ranging from physics to entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence.
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, public health and safety, social psychology, and medicine. It is one of the very few research programs for high school students that offers a choice between quantitative and qualitative research!
Once you select a particular subject track and type of research, you’ll be paired with a professor or PhD scholar from a top university who will mentor you throughout your research journey. You’ll work to create a 20-page, university-level research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student. The program includes a letter of recommendation for every student, plus comprehensive feedback on projects that can assist with future work and college applications. Apply here!
Location: Virtual
Program Dates: Vary according to cohort:
- Spring: March 3, 2025 onwards
- Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply 4 weeks in advance
Application Deadline: February 16, 2025, for the upcoming spring cohort
Subject Areas: Data Science, Biology, Chemistry, Political Theory, Psychology, and more
Eligibility: High school students, typically in 10th or 11th grade, with a 3.67+ GPA. Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
2. Veritas AI
Run by Harvard graduates, Veritas AI is a program designed to teach ambitious high school students about artificial intelligence. In the AI + Medicine Deep Dive, you will learn how AI is used in the healthcare and medical industry. You will get to work on real-world projects using AI & ML models to diagnose diseases, sharpen medical scans, and explain their outcomes to aid doctors and patients in the larger context of public health and wellbeing. Here is the program brochure and the application form.
Location: Virtual
Duration: 10 sessions, 2.5 hours per session
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: January 5, 2025, for the upcoming spring cohort
Subject Areas: Data science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Science, Finance, Medicine
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python
Cost:
- $2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program
- $5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase
- $6,900 for both
Need-based financial aid is available for AI Scholars. You can apply here
Subject Areas: STEM, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Location: Remote
Eligibility: High school students with a minimum 3.3 out of 4 GPA
Application Deadline: December 29, 2024 for the upcoming winter cohort
Program Dates: Vary according to cohort
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program, founded by Harvard and Oxford researchers, offers high school students the opportunity to work one-on-one with PhD mentors to develop an independent research project in their subject area. Selected students will undergo immersive sessions with their mentors, who will help them produce a college-level research paper based on their projects. Support from writing coaches will also be provided. You can choose your subject track in the application form as well as a specific area of focus!
Subject areas: Technology, Business, Finance, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare and Medicine, Software Engineering, and more
Cost: $2,490 (financial aid available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort; December 10, 2024, for the upcoming winter cohort
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including in the summer
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships, founded by Harvard alumni, connects high school students with startups and nonprofits worldwide for virtual internships. Participants engage in data collection, analysis, and interpretation and also receive personalized training in communication, time management, and other essential skills. Each intern is paired with a research manager and a Ladder coach for mentorship throughout the program.
Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. Past founders have included YCombinator alums, founders raising over 30 million dollars, or founders who previously worked at Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company.
Subject Areas: Business, Entrepreneurship, Technology
Cost: The total cost to attend the 3-week program is $2,900. There is need-based financial aid
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
Program Dates: Multiple, year-round cohorts. March 3, 2025, onwards for the upcoming spring cohort
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. February 9, 2025, for the upcoming spring cohort. You can access the application link here!
The Young Founder’s Lab is a startup boot camp founded by Harvard entrepreneurs designed to help students build revenue-generating startups that solve real-world problems. You will be mentored by entrepreneurs and professionals from companies like Google, Microsoft, and X, gaining valuable industry insights. In addition to developing your startup, the program includes interactive classes on business fundamentals, ideation workshops, skill-building sessions, case studies, and panel discussions. This hands-on experience equips you with the tools and knowledge to launch and grow your own business.
David Wilkinson is a freelance writer for Horizon and currently resides in the United States