The Simons Summer Research Program is run by Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York, and was established in 1984 as an outreach program for local high school students. Fellows attend the summer between junior and senior year, are matched with a Stony Brook faculty mentor, and join a research group to take responsibility for a science, math or engineering project. The 2026 session ran from June 29 to August 7, with at least 4 hours of research a day.
Simons is highly selective. The official application guidelines put the admission rate at about under 5%; the number admitted and the number of applicants are not published. Every applicant needs a nomination from their high school, at most 2 per school, and the application does not take test scores or résumés. The program is limited to US citizens and permanent residents and charges no tuition, but families pay for transportation, dining or housing.
At the end, fellows submit a research abstract, present at a poster symposium and receive a stipend award. A project completed in a university research group, and its poster, can go into the activities list and application essays. EDUBUS recommends learning the school’s nomination process early, because there is no way to apply without a nomination.
