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Memorial Sloan Kettering Summer Student ProgramMSK

MSK'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.

Citizens or green-card holders
Local students only
Stipend

Plan your summer program applications Official website ↗

Size and selectivity2% acceptance rate

Photo: Anna Tarazevich / Pexels

Eligibility: Citizens or green-card holders · Local students only
Cost: Stipend
Latest deadline: Feb 6, 2026

MSK at a Glance

Host: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) Scientific Education & Training Programs; research takes place on the Main Campus on Manhattan's Upper East Side
Field: Biomedical and computational lab research, including cancer biology, immunology, chemical biology, computational biology and genomics, engineering and imaging, pharmacology and structural biology
Grades and age: High school juniors at the time of application with a 3.5 GPA in science subjects; for 2026, applicants had to be 14 or older by June 2026.
Citizenship and residency: Applicants must live in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut with a permanent address within 25 miles of MSK's Main Campus in Manhattan, and must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
Cost: No cost to participate; students receive a $1,200 stipend for the summer. Housing and transportation are not provided.
Dates and format: Eight weeks, full time at 40 hours a week, in an MSK lab where each student completes a self-directed project supporting the lab's research goals under a mentor, plus career and translational medicine events hosted across the hospital. The 2026 program ran June 29 to August 21.
Application dates: 2027 dates have not been announced. In the last cycle (2026), applications opened December 1, 2025 and closed at 8:00 am Eastern on February 6, 2026. Admitted students must confirm within three days.
Application materials: Online application with required short essays; a one-page resume; unofficial transcripts from every high school attended; and two confidential recommendation letters from a STEM teacher, guidance counselor or research mentor. Applicants and parents may not contact faculty during the application process, or the application is disqualified.
Size and selectivity: The official FAQ says the program enrolls 20 interns each summer, typically receives over 1,000 applications and has a 2% acceptance rate.

Verified against official pages on 2026-10-06 · mskcc.org/education-training/summer-student

About MSK

MSK’s Summer Student Program was founded by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2010 for high school juniors interested in biomedical science. Students spend eight weeks full time in a lab on the Main Campus on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, completing a self-directed project that supports the lab’s research goals under a mentor, and attend translational medicine and career events hosted across the hospital. The 2026 program ran June 29 to August 21. The web address still includes “HOPP,” but the page now calls it the Summer Student Program.

The program is very hard to get into. The official FAQ says it enrolls 20 interns each summer, typically receives over 1,000 applications and has a 2% acceptance rate. Students receive a $1,200 stipend; housing and transportation are not provided. Applicants must live in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut within 25 miles of the Main Campus, have a 3.5 GPA in science subjects, and be legally authorized to work in the United States.

The program is not open to Irvine students. Students who want cancer research experience in Southern California can look at UC Irvine’s Cancer Research Institute YSFP or the City of Hope Roberts Summer Student Academy in this library.

How to Apply to MSK

The program accepts only students whose permanent address is within 25 miles of MSK's Main Campus in Manhattan, so Irvine students are not eligible. For cancer research in Southern California, look at UC Irvine YSFP in this library.
Submit no more than two recommendation letters, from a STEM teacher, guidance counselor or research mentor who can speak specifically to your ability and interest in science, chemistry or biology.
Research done at MSK is the intellectual property of the lab head. Students who plan to enter results in a science competition need the lab head's permission first.

Application Support for MSK

EDUBUS starts with an assessment of grades, competitions and research, then decides which programs to aim for and which to hold as back-ups. We then guide each application form, essay, qualifying problem set and interview, and help turn the summer into part of the college application.

Plan your summer program applications About our summer program service →

FeatureSummer Programs Recommended by MIT AdmissionsMIT Admissions lists 23 selective summer programs on its website. Each one is in this library, with eligibility, cost and selectivity.

MSK: Frequently Asked Questions

Can Irvine students apply to MSK's Summer Student Program?

No. The website says applicants must live in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut with a permanent address within 25 miles of MSK's Main Campus in Manhattan. Irvine students can look at similar programs in Southern California, such as UC Irvine YSFP for Orange County high school students.

Can an Irvine student staying with relatives in New York for the summer apply?

No. The FAQ says only juniors with permanent addresses within 25 miles of New York City are eligible, and a summer stay does not change a permanent address.

What is the MSK summer program's acceptance rate?

The official FAQ says the program enrolls 20 interns each summer, typically receives over 1,000 applications and has a 2% acceptance rate.

Can research done at MSK be used for science competitions?

Only with the lab head's permission. MSK says research results are the intellectual property of the lab's Principal Investigator, so students need permission before submitting to a competition or school project; data under an MSK IRB protocol also requires the student to be added to that protocol.

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Sources2 sources · checked 2026-10-06

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