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Top Summer Research Programs for High School Students
These programs place high school students in university, medical school or institute laboratories, where they complete a real project under a mentor and usually finish with a paper or presentation. Places are few and most programs are free or pay a stipend, which makes this the most competitive group of top summer programs. Many accept only US citizens or green-card holders, and several take only local students, so check eligibility before applying.
How students are chosenApplication: essays, recommendations and transcripts; some programs add a research statement or interview
- Programs listed
- 193 paused, closed or changed
- Open to international students
- 5
- Free or with a stipend
- 11
- Next deadline
- Dec 11, 2026RSI
University and Institute Research: 16 Programs Compared
The five columns show the program, citizenship requirement, cost, the most recent application deadline, and officially published size or selectivity. Select a program for its full page.
| Program | Eligibility | Cost | Deadline | Size and selectivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Science Institute (RSI) | Citizens or green-card holders | Free | Dec 11, 2026 | Under 2.5% admitted |
| Simons Summer Research Program (Simons) | Citizens or green-card holders | Stipend | Feb 5, 2026 | Under 5% admitted |
| Garcia Summer Research Program (Garcia) | Any status, must study in the US | Tuition | TBA | Not published |
| Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) | Citizens or green-card holders | Free | Feb 21, 2026 | About 50 students a year |
| Boston University Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) | Citizens or green-card holders | Tuition · aid available | Feb 3, 2027 | About 190 students in 2026 |
| Anson L. Clark Scholars Program (Clark Scholars) | Citizens or green-card holders | Stipend | Feb 15, 2027 | 12 scholars a year |
| Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program (SSRP) | Open to international students | Free | Jan 2, 2026 | 32 students a year |
| City of Hope Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy | Citizens or green-card holders | Stipend | Feb 1, 2027 | About 70 admitted a year |
| UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program (RMP) | Open to international students | Tuition · aid available | Mar 8, 2027 | Not published |
| UC Irvine Cancer Research Institute Youth Science Fellowship Program (YSFP) | Any status, must study in the USOrange County students only | Free | TBA | About 20 a year |
| Fred Hutch Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP) | Any status, must study in the USLocal students only | Stipend | Mar 13, 2026 | Not published |
| Memorial Sloan Kettering Summer Student Program (MSK) | Citizens or green-card holdersLocal students only | Stipend | Feb 6, 2026 | 2% acceptance rate |
| Princeton Laboratory Learning Program (LLP) | US citizens onlyLocal students only | Free | Mar 15, 2026 | Over 3,000 applications |
| University of Iowa Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP) | Open to international students | Tuition · aid available | Feb 16, 2027 | Aid up to 95% |
| University of Florida Student Science Training Program (SSTP) | Open to international students | Tuition · aid available | Mar 25, 2026 | Not published |
| Summer Program for Applied Rationality and Cognition (SPARC) | Open to international students | Free | Jan 24, 2026 | About 30 admitted a year |
Paused, discontinued or changed
These programs are well known and often searched, so we keep them listed and explain their current status and alternatives on each page.
| Program | Eligibility | Cost | Deadline | Size and selectivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program (JAX SSP)Eligibility changed | Citizens or green-card holders | Stipend | TBA | Not published |
| NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP)Eligibility changed | Citizens or green-card holders | Stipend | Jan 26, 2027 | Not published |
| Michigan State University High School Honors Science, Math and Engineering Program (HSHSP)Paused | Citizens or green-card holders | Tuition · aid available | TBA | Not published |
Program by Program
- Research Science Institute (RSI)Under 2.5% admittedRSI is a free six-week research program run by CEE and MIT: one week of intensive STEM classes, then five weeks of mentored research ending in a public presentation. It receives over 2,500 US and 600 international applications a year and admits fewer than 2.5%, one of the lowest rates of any US high school research program.Full details →
- Simons Summer Research Program (Simons)Under 5% admittedSimons, run by Stony Brook University, places high school juniors in faculty research groups for about six weeks of hands-on research, with no tuition and a stipend award at the end. The official admission rate is about under 5%, and every applicant needs a school nomination, at most 2 per school.Full details →
- Garcia Summer Research Program (Garcia)Garcia is a seven-week program at Stony Brook's polymer center in which high school students do polymer and interface research under center mentors. It charges a $4,000 laboratory fee, offers no aid and publishes no admission rate, which sets it apart from free, highly selective research programs.Full details →
- Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)About 50 students a yearSIMR is Stanford Medicine's eight-week biomedical research program for high school juniors and seniors, who do basic research in Stanford labs at no cost once selected. The program expects around 50 students a year and states that selection will heavily favor local Bay Area students.Full details →
- Boston University Research in Science & Engineering (RISE)About 190 students in 2026RISE is Boston University's six-week research program for juniors, who either do an individual project in a faculty lab or join a Practicum of lectures and group research. About 190 students attended in 2026 out of thousands of applicants; the program charges tuition and offers limited need-based aid.Full details →
- Anson L. Clark Scholars Program (Clark Scholars)12 scholars a yearClark Scholars, run by Texas Tech University, takes just 12 rising seniors or recent graduates a year for seven weeks of on-campus research. There are no participation fees, room and board are provided, and scholars receive a $750 stipend after completing their research report.Full details →
- Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program (SSRP)32 students a yearSSRP is Rockefeller University's free seven-week research program for high school juniors and seniors: 32 scholars work in 4 teams on laboratory research guided by scientists from three New York biomedical institutions. The program charges nothing and provides a transit card.Full details →
- City of Hope Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student AcademyAbout 70 admitted a yearCity of Hope's Roberts Summer Student Academy is a 10-week, full-time paid biomedical research internship for high school and undergraduate students 16 and older, and most participants receive a $4,500 stipend. The program typically receives 800 to 1,000 applications a year and admits about 70.Full details →
- UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program (RMP)RMP is UC Santa Barbara's summer research program in which 10th and 11th graders do interdisciplinary projects under a graduate student, postdoc or faculty mentor, with a 3.80 weighted GPA minimum. It charges tuition, $5,675 for commuters in 2026, and does not publish an admission rate.Full details →
- UC Irvine Cancer Research Institute Youth Science Fellowship Program (YSFP)About 20 a yearYSFP is a free six-week research program run by UC Irvine's Cancer Research Institute for Orange County juniors. Fellows work on cancer research with UC Irvine mentors and present a poster at the end. The program typically receives over 100 applications a year and selects about 20 students.Full details →
- The Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program (JAX SSP)JAX SSP is a ten-week genetics and genomics summer research program at The Jackson Laboratory with a $7,500 stipend plus room and board. Its admissions page now says it no longer accepts high school seniors; the program is for undergraduates only, and high school students cannot apply.Full details →
- NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP)NIH SIP is a paid summer research internship in which students do full-time research in NIH intramural labs under a PI. The former high school internship has been merged into SIP, so among high schoolers only graduating seniors who are 18 can apply, and they must be US citizens or permanent residents.Full details →
- Fred Hutch Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP)SHIP is an eight-week paid internship at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center for students between 11th and 12th grade: two weeks of lab technique training, then six weeks in a research group. It is designed for students without much research experience, but it accepts only residents of the Greater Seattle area.Full details →
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Summer Student Program (MSK)2% acceptance rateMSK's Summer Student Program, founded in 2010, places New York-area juniors in cancer research labs for an eight-week independent project. MSK says it receives over 1,000 applications a year and takes 20 students, a 2% acceptance rate, but only students living within 25 miles of its Main Campus are eligible.Full details →
- Princeton Laboratory Learning Program (LLP)Over 3,000 applicationsLLP is a free, full-time research program at Princeton University for local New Jersey high school students, who join ongoing projects with faculty and research staff for five to six weeks. The website says it received over 3,000 applications in 2026, and it accepts only US citizens from local school districts.Full details →
- Michigan State University High School Honors Science, Math and Engineering Program (HSHSP)HSHSP is a seven-week residential research program that Michigan State University founded in 1958; per its 2024 information it selected about 24 juniors a year to work in university labs. The website says it will not run in 2026, and it did not run in 2025.Full details →
- University of Iowa Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP)Aid up to 95%SSTP is a 5.5-week residential research program run by the University of Iowa's Belin-Blank Center for students in grades 10–11, who join faculty research groups and present a poster. The fee is $7,500, and admitted students can apply for aid covering up to 95%.Full details →
- University of Florida Student Science Training Program (SSTP)UF SSTP is the University of Florida's seven-week residential research program for rising seniors, who join faculty research teams and take an honors seminar. The 2026 cost was $5,500, and the program is open worldwide, with a limited number of spots for non-Florida high schools.Full details →
- Summer Program for Applied Rationality and Cognition (SPARC)About 30 admitted a yearSPARC is a free, roughly two-week program in California, run by a nonprofit, that uses decision theory, behavioral economics and statistics to train quantitative thinking and judgment. It admits about 30 students from an average pool of 500 applicants, without test scores or recommendations.Full details →
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