Research Opportunities for High School Students
Hands-on laboratory-based research experiences are coveted by just about every STEM-oriented teenager on the planet. Of course, this level of demand renders research apprenticeships a valuable and rare commodity for high school students. Fortunately, there are a number of reputable summer programs run by universities, government agencies, and private research laboratories that afford young scientists this highly sought after experience. Research opportunities during the actual school year are more challenging to locate as colleges are, at that time, catering to their own students, and the rigidity of the high school calendar makes participation a further challenge.
College Transitions’ list of Research Opportunities for High School Students includes a bevy of summer program choices as well as a list of internships and apprenticeships that are indeed offered during the school year. For each entry, we list the geographic location of the program, whether there is a residential component offered, the length of the program, any associated costs or—on the other end—stipends, when the application window opens and closes, and the eligibility criteria for participation. We hope that this collection of research opportunities leads to you/your teen finding the laboratory experience of their dreams.
To view additional data columns, click the + icon to the left of the program's name
| Program | Focus | Location | Time Available | Residential | Length | Costs | App. Opens | Deadline | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Chemical Society - Project SEED Program | Chemistry | Multiple (see website) | Summer Only | No | 4 weeks | Free/Stipend | 3/31 | 5/15 | All high school students |
| Argonne National Laboratory - Exemplary Student Research Program | Engineering | Lemont, IL | All Year | No | 1 school year | Free | Summer | Prior to August | Application must be completed by participting teacher |
| Army Education Outreach Program - Apprenticeships | STEM | Various | All Year | No | 3 months | Free | 12/16 | 3/15 | Grades 10-12 in: AL, CA, IL, MD, MA, MS, NM, TX, VA |
| Baruch College STEM Research Academy | STEM | New York, NY | Spring/Summer | No | 11 weeks | Free/Stipend | October | December | All NY City public high school juniors (some 10th) |
| Baylor University CASPER High School Scholars Program | Astrophysics | Waco, TX | All Year | No | Varies | Free | N/A | N/A | Rising 11th, 12th, local |
| Boston University RISE | STEM | Boston, MA | Summer Only | Yes | 6 weeks | ~$7,700 | 12/15 | TBD | Rising 12th |
| Burke Neurological Institute - High School Opportunities | Neuroscience | White Plains, NY | All Year | No | Semester | Free | By Season | 8/1, 12/1. 4/1 | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th |
| California Academy of Sciences - Careers in Science (CIS) Intern | STEM | San Francisco, CA | All Year | No | Multiple years | Free | Early Spring | Early April | 9th or 10th, underrepresented group |
| Cedars Sinai High School Outreach Program | Pre-Health | Los Angeles, CA | All Year | No | 7 weeks | Free | Multiple | Multiple | 11th |
| Chicago EYES on Cancer | Biomedicine | Chicago, IL | All Year | No | 2 years | Free | Early Fall | Fall | 10th, 11th, 12th |
| CHORI Summer Student Research Program | Biomedicine | Oakland, CA | Summer Only | No | 8 weeks | Free/Stipend | Available | 2/7 | Rising 11th, 12th |
| City of Hope Summer Student Academy | Biomedicine | Duarte, CA | Summer Only | No | 10 weeks | Free/Stipend | Available | 3/9 | 16 years old |
| Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute | Pre-Health | Cleveland, OH | Summer Only | No | 9 weeks | Free/Stipend | 1/6 | 2/29 | Grades 10-12 |
| Columbia Zuckerman Institute - BRAINYAC Program | Neuroscience | New York, NY | Summer Only | No | 7 weeks | Free | Fall | TBD | 10th, 11th |
| Cooper Union Summer STEM | STEM | New York, NY | Summer Only | No | 3 weeks | $1,125-$1,375 | TBD | 3/3 | 10th, 11th, 12th |
| Coriell Institute for Medical Research | Biomedicine | Camden, NJ | Summer Only | No | 4 weeks | Free/Stipend | Available | 4/3 | Age 17 by July 1 |
| Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy | Biomedicine | Duarte, CA | Summer Only | No | 10 weeks | Free/Stipend | Winter | 3/15 | Age 16 by start of internship |
| Fox Chase Cancer Center - High School Research Programs | Biomedicine | Philadelphia, PA | All Year | No | 11 weeks | Free | Mid-October | Early November | Age 16, completed bio & chem |
| Garcia Scholars (Stony Brook University) | STEM | Stony Brook, NY | Summer Only | Yes | 7 weeks | ~$4,500-$10,500 | Available | 2/22 | 16 years old |
| George Mason University Aspiring Scientists Internship Program | STEM | Various (VA) | Summer Only | No | 8 weeks | Free | 12/6 | 2/2 | Age 16 by June |
| High School Honors Science, Math and Engineering (Michigan State) | STEM | East Lansing, MI | Summer Only | Yes | 7 weeks | ~$3,800 | N/A | TBD (March) | Rising 12th |
| Jackson Lab - Academic Year Fellowships | Genetics | Bar Harbor, ME | All Year | No | 1 year | Free | 5/1 | 7/1 | 11th, 12th |
| Jackson Lab Summer Student Program | Genetics | Bar Harbor, ME | Summer Only | Yes | 10 weeks | Free/Stipend | Available | 2/2 | Rising 12th |
| Jefferson Lab High School Summer Honors Program | STEM | Newport News, VA | Summer Only | No | 6 weeks | Free | N/A | 2/24 | 16 years old, within 60 miles of lab. |
| Los Alamos National Laboratory - High School Internship Program | STEM | Los Alamos, NM | All Year | No | 11 weeks | Free | 8/1, 1/1 | 11/9, 4/13 | 16 years old, Northern New Mexico |
| MDI Biological Laboratory Summer Research Fellowship | Biology | Bar Harbor, ME | Summer Only | Yes | 7 weeks | Free/Stipend | Available | 1/7 (Nominations)2/4 (Applications) | 16 years old |
| Microsoft High School Internship | Computer Science | Redmond, WA | Summer Only | No | 10 weeks | Free | February | TBD | 11th,12th grade in Western Wasihington |
| NASA Internships | Aerospace | 19 Locations (see website) | All Year | No | 4-12 weeks | Free | Varies | Varies | 16 years old |
| NIH Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research | Biomedicine | Multiple | Summer Only | No | 8 weeks | Free/Stipend | mid-November | 3/1 | Age 17 or older |
| OHSU School of Medicine - Partnership for Scientific Inquiry | STEM | Portland, OR | All Year | No | 1 year | Free | November | 1/1 | 10th, 11th in Portland area |
| Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - Work-Based Learning | STEM | Richland, WA | All Year | No | 1 year | Free | February | Varies | Age 16 or older |
| Penn State College of Medicine - Research Observation & Internships | Pre-Health | Hershey, PA | All Year | No | 1 day-several months | Free | Varies | Varies | Rising seniors |
| Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory | Physics | Princeton, NJ | All Year | No | Semester | Free | 9/25,11/22, 2/1 | 11/30, 1/31. 4/30 | Rising Seniors |
| Princeton Summer Internships for High School Students | STEM | Princeton, NJ | Summer Only | No | 5-6 weeks | Free | 2./1 | 3/20 | Age 16 by 6/15 |
| Research Science Institute (MIT) | STEM | Cambridge, MA | Summer Only | Yes | 6 weeks | Free | Available | 1/15 | Rising 12th |
| Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research | Biomedical | Multiple | Summer Only | Yes | 2 weeks | $2,780 | Available | Rolling | Ages 14-18 |
| Rutgers University Clinical Research Experience for HS Students | Biomedical | New Brunswick, NJ | All Year | No | One year | Free | TBD | TBD | Underrepresented minority or ED 11th/12th grade student in NJ |
| Sandia National Laboratories - Internships | Computer Science | Albequerque, NM & Livermore, CA | All Year | No | 10 weeks-8 months | Free | Varies | Varies | Age 16 |
| Science Internship Program (SIP) | STEM | Santa Cruz, CA | Summer Only | Yes | 8 weeks | ~$3,300-$9,100 | 3/1 | 3/21 | 14 years old (16 for some) |
| Scripps College Student Research Internship | Genetics/Biology | Claremont, CA | Summer Only | No | 8 weeks | Free | Available | 3/13 | Age 16 by start of internship |
| Seattle Children's Hospital - Research Training Program for HS Students | Biomedicine | Seattle, WA | Summer Only | No | 3 weeks | Free/Stipend | January | TBD | Underrepresented minority or ED 11th/12th grade student in WA |
| Secondary Student Training Program (University of Iowa) | STEM | Iowa City, IA | Summer Only | Yes | 6 weeks | $6,395 | Available | 1/10 | Rising 11th, 12th |
| Simons Summer Research Program (Stony Brook University) | STEM | Stony Brook, NY | Summer Only | Yes | 6 weeks | Free/Stipend | Available | 1/23 | Rising 12th |
| Sloan Kettering Summer Student Program | Biomedicine | New York, NY | Summer Only | No | 8 weeks | Free/Stipend | 12/6 | 2/7 | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th |
| Smith College Summer Science and Engineering Program | STEM | Northampton, MA | Summer Only | Yes | 4 weeks | $6,540 | 1/6 | 3/1 (Early Decision) | Rising 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th (Women only) |
| Smithsonian Museum of Natural History - YES! Program | Natural Sciences | Washington, D.C. | All Year | No | 4.5 months | Free/Stipend | November | TBD | Grades 9-11 in Washington, D.C. area |
| STEM Research Academy at City Tech | STEM | Brooklyn, NY | All Year | No | 6 months | Free | Fall | 12/20 | NYC Public HS students |
| Stony Brook University - Biotechnology Summer Scholars Program | Biotechnology | Stony Brook, NY | Summer Only | Yes | 4 weeks | $2,400 | December | 4/1 | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th |
| Student Science Training Program (University of Florida) | STEM | Gainesville, FL | Summer Only | Yes | 7 weeks | $4,800 | Available | Rolling (February) | Rising 12th, 16 years old |
| The Clark Scholars Program (Texas Tech University) | STEM | Lubbock, TX | Summer Only | Yes | 7 weeks | Free/Stipend | 1/10 | 2/10 | Rising 11th, 12th |
| The Summer Science Program | STEM | Multiple | Summer Only | Yes | 6 weeks | $7,150 | 12/15 | 2/28 | Rising 12th |
| UCSB Research Mentorship Program | STEM | Santa Barbara, CA | Summer Only | Yes | 6 weeks | ~$4,500-$10,500 | 12/15 | Rolling | Rising 11th, 12th |
| UCSB Summer Research Academies | STEM | Santa Barbara, CA | Summer Only | Yes | 4 weeks | $2,100-$7,899 | 1/15 | Rolling | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th |
| UMass Medical School - Neuroscience/Mental Health Internship | Neuroscience | Amherst, MA | Summer Only | No | 2 weeks | Free | Spring | 5/13 | All high school students |
| UMass Summer Programs - Forensic Chemistry | Chemistry | Amherst, MA | Summer Only | Yes | 2 weeks | ~$3,100 | Available | Rolling | Rising 10th, 11th, 12th |
| University of California, San Francisco - HS Intern Program | Biomedical | San Francisco, CA | Summer Only | No | 8 weeks | Free/Stipend | Nov. (nomination) | February | Rising senior in SF public school |
| University of Chicago - Research in the Biological Sciences (RIBS) | Biology | Chicago, IL | Summer Only | Yes | 4 week | $12,200 | Fall | 1/22 | Current 10th, 11th |
| University of Kansas (Edwards Campus)- Research Apprentice Program | Biology | Kansas City, Kansas | All Year | No | Semester | Free | Varies | Varies | Current 11th, 12th |
| University of Minnesota Lillehei Heart Institute Research Scholars | Pre-Health | Minneapolis, MN | Summer Only | No | 9 weeks | Free/Stipend | 12/15 | 2/15 | Rising 11th, 12th |
| University of Rochester - Summer Research Program | Physics | Rochester, NY | Summer Only | No | 8 weeks | Free/Stipend | February | MId-March | Rising 12th, Upstate NY resident |
| University of Washington GenOM Project -Programs for HS Students | STEM | Seattle, WA | Summer Only | No | 8 weeks | Free/Stipend | January | TBD | Rising 12th |
| UPenn GRASP Lab - High School Internships | Robotics | Philadelphia, PA | Summer Only | No | 6 weeks | Free/Stipend | Available | 3/1 | Rising 12th |
| Virginia Tech Fralin Life Sciences Institute - Research Experience for HS | STEM | Blacksburg, VA | All Year | No | Semester | Free | Varies | Vaires | 11th, 12th |
| Waksman Student Scholars Program | Biology | New Brunswick, NJ | All Year | No | 1 year | Free | Through School | Through School | High School biology students |
| Werner H. Kirsten Student Intern Program | Biomedicine | Frederick, MD | All Year | No | 1 year | Free/Stipend | 10/1 | 3/31 | MD/WV 16 years old |
| Yale School of Medicine - Discovery to Cure HS Internship Program | Biomedicine | New Haven, CT | Summer Only | No | 8 weeks | Free | Available | 3/1 | Rising 12th, CT students |
| Yale University Social Robotics Lab - High School Interns | Robotics | New Haven, CT | Summer Only | No | 6 weeks | Free | February | 3/31 | 11th, 12th |
| OrthoCarolina Student Shadowing Program | Healthcare | Charlotte, NC | All Year | No | 1 week | Free | Available | Multiple | Age 16 or older |
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