Virginia Space Coast Scholars

Virginia Space Coast Scholars is a free STEM program from the Virginia Space Grant Consortium for high school sophomores who want to explore orbital and suborbital spaceflight. It is built around the launch facilities at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. Scholars begin with an interactive online course made up of five modules, running roughly from November through March of the 2026-27 school year. The modules cover orbital and suborbital missions, aerodynamics, physics concepts and STEM career paths, and include projects and writing assignments, with three to four weeks allowed for each module. Top performers in the online course may be invited to a seven-day residential summer academy at NASA Wallops on Wallops Island, Virginia. There, students work alongside NASA and industry professionals to develop and present a mission from concept to launch. The program is free, and students selected for the academy receive transportation to and from Wallops, housing and meals during their stay.

Applicants must be high school sophomores (10th grade) who are Virginia residents with a minimum 2.7 GPA, internet access and an email address; Maryland residents may apply if a parent is a NASA Wallops civil servant or contractor employee. U.S. citizenship is required to attend the summer academy but not for the online course. Students submit an online application, a teacher recommendation and a school counselor letter confirming enrollment, grade and GPA. Applications opened August 15 and are due October 25, 2026.