The Research Mentorship Program (RMP) is run by UC Santa Barbara Summer Sessions for high school 10th and 11th graders from around the world. Students are paired with a graduate student, postdoc or faculty mentor, choose a project from the list the program offers each year, do interdisciplinary university-level research, and attend the GRIT talks lecture series. The 2027 program runs June 14 to the end of July, with the first three days online, and students can live on campus or commute.
RMP requires a minimum 3.80 academic weighted GPA and a personal statement that proposes a research question. The admission rate and number admitted are not published, and admission rates circulating online cannot be traced to an official source. The program charges tuition: in 2026 the commuter total was $5,675 and the residential total $13,274, and limited need-based scholarships give priority to California residents. International students are accepted without English proficiency scores.
RMP admits on a rolling basis, and the 2027 window runs December 15, 2026 to March 8, 2027. EDUBUS recommends treating RMP as a selective, tuition-based research program and evaluating it separately from free programs that publish admission data; because it accepts sophomores, it can also serve as a first university research experience.
