Do summer program scholarships exist for high school students?

I've been thinking a lot about applying for a summer program next year, but I'm a bit stressed about the costs. I've heard that some summer programs have scholarships available, but I'm not sure where to look or how common these scholarships are. Does anyone have experience with applying to summer programs and getting scholarships for them? Are they need-based or merit-based usually? Any help would be appreciated, especially any recommendations for programs that offer financial aid to students!

Absolutely, summer program scholarships do exist for high school students. Many established summer programs offer scholarships based on financial need, academic merit, or a combination of both. Generally, the application process for these scholarships requires filling out an application form, providing your family's financial information, and sometimes, writing essays.

Some programs use a sliding scale for their tuition according to a family's income, potentially reducing the cost significantly for lower-income families. Others offer full scholarships to students based on academic achievement or unique personal qualities. They may ask for a transcript, letters of recommendation, or other documents showing your merit.

As an example, the competitive Telluride Association Summer Program offers full scholarships covering tuition, housing, and meals for all accepted students. It seeks intellectually curious sophomores to participate in a challenging, rigorous summer seminar.

Remember, the earlier you start looking into scholarships, the better. Some programs have early deadlines for scholarship applications, so it's important to start researching and organizing your application materials as soon as possible.

While CollegeVine doesn't have a scholarship database, you can use resources like Appily, or other online databases specializing in scholarships and grants to get a comprehensive view of what's available.

Start with the programs you're interested in and explore their websites thoroughly as most of them usually include explicit information about financial aid and scholarships. However, if the information is not clear, don’t hesitate to reach out to the program organizers for details.