STEM Competitions and Pre-College Online Courses for High School Students

Summary:

Seeking a potential future in STEM is an exciting time for any high school student. By bolstering your college application with STEM competitions and pre-college online courses in STEM, you’re inching closer to the career of your dreams. 

Key Points:

• The top 3 highest-paying college majors in the U.S. are STEM fields: electrical engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering.
• STEM competitions offer a much-needed structure for students interested in pursuing careers in engineering, science, math, and technology.
• STEM competitions are available nationwide and focus on various fields, including robotics, cybersecurity, aerospace, 3D printing, and app development. 

STEM, the intersection of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, yields so much more than the sum of its parts. STEM education has a national and global impact. For high school students, studying STEM is a natural part of the high school experience. Studying STEM subjects offers significant advantages, including preparing you for your professional future, fostering problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and developing a deeper understanding of mathematics and science. STEM education also encourages innovation, creativity, and the ability to tackle real-world challenges. 

But if you’re a student with an interest in a future in STEM, there are ways to expand your knowledge and boost your college application while in high school. 

In this article, you’ll discover statistics about careers in the STEM industry, plus ways to bolster your college applications with extracurricular STEM activities like STEM contests for college admissions and pre-college online courses in STEM.

First, let’s review some key STEM statistics.

• STEM jobs are projected to grow 10.4% between 2023 and 2033, almost 3x faster than non-STEM jobs.
• The U.S. is expected to need to fill approximately 3.5 million jobs in 2025; however, 2 million of these positions may remain unfilled due to a skills gap.
• STEM workers earn more: the median annual wage for all STEM occupations is $101,650 compared with $46,680 for non-STEM jobs.
• Globally, women comprise only 29.2% of the STEM workforce in 146 nations evaluated, compared to nearly 50% of the workforce in non-STEM occupations.
• The top 3 highest-paying college majors in the U.S. are STEM fields: electrical engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering.

Beyond classes available in high school, going the extra mile through STEM competitions and pre-college online courses shows your keen interest and aptitude in STEM subjects. Let’s review the benefits of competitions first.

Benefits of STEM Competitions

STEM competitions offer a much-needed structure for students interested in pursuing careers in engineering, science, math, and technology. For those already advanced, they also provide a valuable skill-building opportunity in coding, game development, robotics, investing, and numerous other fields.
The benefits of STEM competitions include opportunities for students to think critically and work independently in some instances, or, in others, to work together in teams, thereby strengthening their social and collaborative skills.

Also, for those taking their first steps in STEM, the right competition can provide a low-pressure opportunity to flex your skills. For more advanced students, there are also numerous involved, hands-on experiences available.

Additionally, most competitions offer prizes, which means a STEM competition can serve as a valuable opportunity for kids to earn money. Next is a list of notable STEM competitions across the nation. 

Prestigious Science Competitions for High School Students

The following STEM competitions offer high school students, as well as some for middle school and college students, the opportunity to expand their knowledge of STEM subjects, while also enhancing their college applications. Here are just a few.

American Mathematics Competition (AMC 10, AMC 12)

What: Math competitions with long histories of highlighting young mathematical stars. Each one lasts 75 minutes and contains 25 multiple-choice questions. The AMC 10 competition covers topics up to 10th-grade curricula, while AMC 12 goes through 12th grade (including topics like calculus and number theory). AMC 12 is also the starting point for American students interested in competing in the International Mathematical Olympiad.

National Science Bowl

What: Held annually in late winter for more than three decades, this nationwide student competition is organized and hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy. This competition tests students’ knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics. Middle and high school student teams consist of four students, one alternate, and a teacher who serves as both an advisor and a coach. These teams face off in a fast-paced question-and-answer format, being tested on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, energy, and math.

CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition

What: Hosted by the Air Force Association (AFA), this is a uniquely specialized high school competition, assessing participating teams’ abilities to identify and repair cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Teams of high school students compete online for one weekend a month and are judged based on how secure they can make each virtual operating system. The top groups over the duration of the season win a group trip to Maryland, where they compete head-to-head with other finalists for scholarships and national recognition.

VEX V5 Robotics Competition

What: One of the most interesting and challenging high school robotics competitions in the nation. Students form teams to design, build, and compete with large robots in fun and unique head-to-head matches in a game invented by VEX. The game and rules change completely from year to year, keeping things fresh and exciting.

2025 National STEM Challenge

What: Using the scientific method or engineering design process, students in grades 6-12 carry out a project that encourages responsible stewardship of the environment and its natural resources. Teams must illustrate their innovation in a 3-page PDF document to vie for the chance to represent their state/territory. Champions have the opportunity to present their projects to some of the most influential leaders in the country.

Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)

What: The largest and most competitive science and engineering fair in the world. The medical category at ISEF is divided into several subcategories:

• Cell, Organ, and Systems Physiology
• Genetics and Molecular Biology of Disease
• Immunology
• Nutrition and Natural Products
• Pathophysiology
• Other

To qualify, students must rise through affiliated local and regional science fairs by presenting their research to expert judges. 

Congressional App Challenge

What: An annual competition designed to inspire students to engage in coding and computer science by creating and submitting their own original apps. Open to students nationwide, the challenge aims to reach diverse, underserved, and rural populations, significantly impacting how Congress views computer science and STEM education.

Moving beyond STEM competitions, next, we’ll review several relevant pre-college online courses.

Prelum, Powered by Kaplan, partners with several notable universities to provide pre-college courses for STEM. The Georgetown University Pre-College Online Program offers several STEM courses, including courses in anatomy and physiology, biology, and cybersecurity. 

You’ll also want to check out the Rice University Precollege Program STEM courses in aerospace, engineering, genome engineering, medicine, and physiology. And make sure to peruse the Wake Forest Online Immersion Program bioscience course, as well as offerings from other top universities, including:

• Northwestern University’s pre-college online course in engineering.
• University of Notre Dame’s pre-college online medical research course.
• Dartmouth Precollege Online Program’s courses in biology and regenerative medicine.
• Case Western Reserve’s pre-college STEM courses in astrophysics and evolutionary biology, engineering, biomedical engineering, as well as neuroscience and medicine.

Seeking a potential future in STEM is an exciting time for any high school student. By bolstering your college application with STEM competitions and pre-college online courses in STEM, you’re inching closer to the career of your dreams. 

This was last reviewed by Ashley Simmons on 08/7/2025.