All new and returning Philadelphia-area college students are invited to visit the Science History Institute’s museum during CollegeFest, Campus Philly’s annual city-wide, weekend-long, “Welcome to Philadelphia!” celebration featuring free experiences, fun activities, contests, entertainment, giveaways, and more.

The Institute joins more than 25 of the City of Brotherly Love’s most iconic cultural organizations and attractions offering free admission exclusively to college students. Your official ticket also includes free SEPTA rides right to our front door in Old City.

Students can explore the intersections of environmentalism, education, and fun with our latest outdoor exhibition Playing Dirty, hear the voices and learn the stories of scientists and engineers who immigrated to the United States in the 20th century with our Migrating Science ExhibitLab, and discover the connections between rare earth elements and glass art with Enabling Transparency. And don’t miss our permanent exhibition, which will take you on a journey through more than five centuries of scientific inquiry into the material world.

CollegeFest is organized by Campus Philly. Registration is required.

More events

February 9, 2026
Science on Tap

From Cabinets to the Cloud: Unlocking the Research Potential of Natural History Collections

Hear from marine biologist Alejandra Martínez-Melo on the digitization and sharing of the Academy of Natural Sciences specimen collections.

Science History Institute Othmer Library
February 11, 2026
Free

Othmer Library Tour

Curious about the other half of the Science History Institute? Step into the Othmer Library of Chemical History!

BGL chemistry set
February 14, 2026
For Families

Stories of Science: We ❤︎ Chemistry!

Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!

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