Since 2012, Yale Pathways to Science has offered year-round, STEM-themed programming and a 2-week high school summer experience in collaboration with our university and local partners.
From brain scans to magic shows, pipettes to telescopes, Pathways to Science is your one-stop-shop for all things STEM at Yale. That’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Math… and more!
Sign up for our Youth Events newsletter and get opportunities for middle and high schoolers sent directly to your inbox. Check out our calendar, too!
Pathways Scholars use microscopes to view slides they helped prepare at Pathology Day
Our Pathways Scholars are a cohort of more than 2,000 local middle and high school students. They are invited to a menu of events and program series exclusive to Scholars: day-long themed events, hands-on workshops, lab tours and lab skills training, selective research opportunities, and more. All at no cost.
As a Pathways Scholar, the power is in your hands — no fixed schedules, no report cards. Register for or apply to the programs that spark your curiosity.
Get comfortable — it’s your Yale.
Pathways Scholars prepare to build batteries in a Yale chemistry lab
Students entering grades 6-12 in New Haven, West Haven, and Orange/Amity public schools may be nominated by their math or science teacher, guidance counselor, or administrator. We work with our district partners to send nomination information directly to teachers in the spring.
Nominated students are invited to apply in June, and decisions are announced in late August. You remain part of Pathways until you graduate high school or move to an ineligible school.
Not eligible? Sign up for our Youth Events Newsletter to learn about year-round, STEM-themed programming open to other audiences.
Pathways Scholars practice intubation at the Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation
Pathways Research Interns show off the biology lab where they worked for 7 weeks. Our interns are supported every step of the way by Yale researchers dedicated to their growth and achievement.
A Pathways Scholar solves a Tower of Hanoi puzzle at the Julia Robinson Math Festival, an annual celebration of math for middle and high schoolers and their families.
Families wear holographic diffraction grating glasses to discover the visible light spectrum. The Yale Physics Department welcomed over 300 members of the local community to the Haunted Hallway.
Pathways Scholars don full PPE at the Smilow Cancer Center at Yale-New Haven Hospital. This event was hosted by the Discovery to Cure program at the School of Medicine.
Pathways Scholars use a specialized microscope to view slides they prepared at Pathology Day.
Students collaborate to design and present a community-focused public health campaign. At Public Health Day, local high schoolers are invited to attend workshops at the Yale School of Public Health.
Pathways Scholars admire a noodle they made using food chemistry concepts. At the annual West Campus Science Festival, middle schoolers rotate through hands-on activities led by scientist volunteers.
Each with a remote controller in hand, two Pathways Scholars work together to operate their robot in a cone-stacking competition. They built this robot over 6 weeks with Yale Funbotics volunteers.
Since 2012, Pathways to Science has transformed STEM education access for local students.
events and program sessions annually, offered in collaboration with our university and local partners
of Pathways Scholars attend college compared to 46% nationally
of Pathways Scholars who completed college studied a STEM field compared to 8% nationally
Yale Pathways to Science Summer Scholars is a free, two-week summer STEM program designed for 100 Pathways Scholars entering grades 10-12. Each summer, Scholars select from a variety of STEM workshops collaboratively designed and taught by Yale faculty and graduate students.
See what our Scholars did in this 2025 summer recap video!
Yale Pathways Research Internships (YPRI) connects qualified public high school students from the New Haven area with scientific research labs at Yale for a seven-week summer internship. These research experiences excite students about scientific investigation, enable them to explore new scientific fields, and increase their college preparedness.
In doing so, we aim to foster long-term relationships between Yale laboratories and accomplished high school students who are enthusiastic about pursuing research.
Yale faculty, research scientists, and graduate students support Pathways Research Interns in the lab
Yale let me conduct my own research and get hands-on experience in a real lab. It really sparked my interest in medicine, and now I’m in nursing school.
Zahra, former Pathways Scholar
Yale Class of 2029 began a journey of curiosity, courage, and community—Opening Assembly excites new students.
Yale’s Dwight/Edgewood Project celebrates 30 years of empowering New Haven’s young storytellers.
Local teens find STEM inspiration and college prep in EVOLUTIONS — a Peabody after-school program empowering leadership.
Join a community of hundreds of Yalies connecting with local students every day. Pathways makes outreach easy and effective, so you can focus on teaching, training, and mentoring.
Volunteers with Yale Open Labs give presentations at the Science Café
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