My younger sister sat across from me at the kitchen table three years ago, her chemistry textbook open and a robotics club brochure next to it. She asked me, half-joking: “Is there actually any money in this for someone like me?” She meant a girl who liked science but had no idea whether the world of STEM was actually built for her. I did not have a great answer back then.
But 2026 looks genuinely different. STEM education for girls has moved from feel-good campaigns to concrete funding, competitive schools, and real career pipelines. This guide covers the best STEM programs for girls right now, the scholarships worth applying to, and the schools leading the way, so you can give someone like my sister a much better answer.
Why Girls in STEM Still Face a Gap Worth Talking About
Here is the honest picture. Girls consistently match or outperform boys in science and math at school. But somewhere between high school and a university lab, the numbers thin out. Women earn roughly 28 percent of computer science degrees in the US, and the pattern holds across most countries.
It is not ability. It is access, encouragement, and visibility. When a girl does not see women leading STEM careers, she questions whether there is a seat at the table. That is exactly what the programs below are designed to fix, by building communities, funding education, and putting girls inside real science and engineering environments.
Best STEM Programs for Girls in 2026
Girls Who Code (United States, Global)
Girls Who Code runs free after-school clubs and a well-regarded Summer Immersion Program. In 2026 the program has expanded internationally, with cohorts now running in 28 countries. Participants spend six to eight weeks working on real software projects alongside tech professionals. The alumni network is genuinely useful. Over 300,000 girls have completed a program, and 50 percent of alumni have gone on to study computer science or a related field at university.
STEMettes (UK and Ireland)
STEMettes takes a mentorship-first approach. Girls aged 5 to 25 are matched with women working in science, technology, engineering, and math. Hackathons, panel events, and taster days run throughout the year. The program does a good job of showing the range inside STEM, from marine biology to data analytics, so participants do not get funnelled into one narrow vision of what a science career looks like.
NASA GIRLS (United States)
This one sounds impressive and it delivers. NASA GIRLS is a free virtual mentoring program that pairs middle school girls with NASA engineers and scientists over a six-week period. Sessions are project-based. Girls work on actual problem sets drawn from space exploration. The program is free, fully remote, and open to students across the US. Applications typically open in November for the following spring.
Code First Girls (UK, expanding globally)
Code First Girls started as a university outreach program and has since grown into one of the larger tech education providers targeting women and non-binary people in Europe. Their free nanodegrees cover Python, data science, and web development. Closing the gender gap in STEM is genuinely central to their mission, not just marketing language. The courses run online, which removes the geography barrier.
Women in Science Scholarships Worth Applying to in 2026
Google Women Techmakers Scholarship
Formerly the Anita Borg Scholarship, this award provides up to $10,000 for women studying computer science or related fields. Applicants must demonstrate academic achievement and show commitment to expanding the role of women in tech. The application portal opens each autumn at Google’s official scholarship page.
Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Scholarships
SWE awards more than $1.2 million annually across dozens of individual scholarships, with amounts ranging from $1,500 to $17,000. Engineering disciplines at both undergraduate and graduate level are covered. Their database is searchable by field and level, which makes it much easier to find a match than trawling through generic scholarship lists. Full details are at the Society of Women Engineers scholarship portal.
AAUW Tech Trek and Fellowships
The American Association of University Women runs two parallel programs. Tech Trek is a residential STEM summer camp for girls completing seventh grade. Fellowships target women at graduate and postdoctoral level in STEM fields, with awards up to $20,000. Both programs have strong track records. Research from AAUW’s own impact reporting shows Tech Trek participants are significantly more likely to pursue STEM majors than their peers.
Best Schools for STEM Education for Girls in 2026
A few institutions have moved beyond surface-level diversity pledges and built programs with real teeth.
MIT runs the Women’s Technology Program, a residential summer program for high school girls interested in engineering and computer science. Highly competitive but transformative for participants.
Carnegie Mellon University now sees women making up over 50 percent of its incoming computer science class, a figure that has climbed steadily since the school overhauled how it teaches and recruits. This is not accidental. It reflects deliberate curriculum and culture changes.
Harvey Mudd College took a similar approach. By reframing introductory CS courses to be less narrowly focused on programming competition culture, retention rates for women shot up. Both schools are worth serious consideration for any girl pursuing best STEM programs for girls in 2026.
Internationally, ETH Zurich, University of Edinburgh, and National University of Singapore have strong records on gender inclusion in their STEM faculties.
COMPARISON TABLE
Top STEM Programs and Scholarships at a Glance
| Program or Scholarship | Best For | Cost | Age or Level | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girls Who Code | Coding and software skills | Free | Ages 13-17 | US + 28 countries |
| STEMettes | Mentorship and STEM breadth | Free | Ages 5-25 | UK and Ireland |
| NASA GIRLS | Space science and engineering | Free | Middle school | US (remote) |
| Code First Girls | Coding and data science | Free | University+ | UK and global |
| Google Women Techmakers | CS degree funding | Up to $10,000 | Undergraduate/Grad | Global |
| SWE Scholarships | Engineering degrees | $1,500-$17,000 | UG and Grad | US-focused |
| AAUW Tech Trek | STEM exploration | Free | Grade 7 | US |
| AAUW Fellowships | Graduate STEM research | Up to $20,000 | Graduate/Post-doc | US-focused |
Our take
The gap in science technology engineering math fields is real, but it is closing, and 2026 is arguably the best year yet to take advantage of what is available. Free programs like Girls Who Code and NASA GIRLS remove the cost barrier entirely. Scholarships from SWE and AAUW create pathways at university level. And schools like Carnegie Mellon and Harvey Mudd have proven that the right environment makes an enormous difference in whether girls stay in STEM or walk away.
If you are supporting a girl who is curious about science or tech, the most useful thing you can do is show her what is actually on offer. The programs above are a solid starting point.
FAQ SECTION
What are the best STEM programs for girls in 2026?
Girls Who Code, STEMettes, and NASA GIRLS are among the strongest free programs available in 2026. All three offer structured learning, mentorship, and community. Girls Who Code has the widest geographic reach, with programs now running in 28 countries. NASA GIRLS is particularly strong for anyone interested in engineering and space science.
Are there scholarships specifically for girls studying STEM?
Yes. The Google Women Techmakers Scholarship, Society of Women Engineers scholarships, and AAUW Tech Trek and Fellowships are among the most established. Combined, these three programs distribute millions of dollars annually to women pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math degrees at undergraduate and graduate levels.
What schools are best for girls who want to study STEM?
Carnegie Mellon University and Harvey Mudd College are frequently cited for their deliberate work on gender inclusion in computer science. MIT’s Women’s Technology Program is a well-regarded entry point for high school girls. Internationally, ETH Zurich, University of Edinburgh, and National University of Singapore have strong records.
How can I encourage a girl to pursue a science career?
Visibility matters more than most people realise. Connecting a girl with women who are working in STEM fields, through programs like STEMettes, makes a bigger difference than abstract encouragement. Practical exposure through camps, clubs, and competitions also helps by making science feel tangible rather than theoretical.
Is there funding available for girls in STEM who cannot afford university?
Yes. Most of the major scholarships listed here are specifically designed to reduce financial barriers. Girls Who Code and Code First Girls offer free training at no cost. The AAUW Tech Trek program is free and residential. For university-level support, the SWE scholarship database covers a wide range of engineering disciplines and award amounts.
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Author: Written by the Lexica Routes editorial team, covering travel, education, and study abroad since 2025.
