Summer Research Programs for High School Students

The Research List is a free, no-sign-up directory of 66 summer research programs for high schoolers. Filter by field (math, physics & space, CS & robotics, bio & medicine, engineering, humanities & writing, multidisciplinary), cost (free or paid, with or without a stipend), location (US or international), and a rough selectivity tier.

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Research Science Institute (RSI) — Multidisciplinary · MIT, Cambridge, MA · Free · Tier S+ · Deadline: Opens late fall; deadline ~early January. Arguably the most prestigious STEM program globally. Students conduct full research cycle at MIT from lit review to formal presentation.
Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) — Bio & Medicine · Stanford, CA · Free + stipend · Tier S · Deadline: Opens ~December; deadline ~late February. Hands-on research in Stanford labs (immunology, neurobiology, cancer, etc.). Massive boost for pre-meds.
Summer Science Program (SSP) — Physics & Space · Various (NMT, CU Boulder, Purdue, UNC) · Paid · Tier S · Deadline: Opens ~late December; domestic deadline ~mid-February. Historic, intense 39-day program where teams calculate asteroid orbits or sequence fungal genomes.
NIH Biomedical Research — Bio & Medicine · Bethesda, MD · Free + stipend · Tier A+ · Deadline: Opens fall; deadline late winter (~Feb–Mar). Work side-by-side with leading scientists at the National Institutes of Health. Great for aspiring biomedical researchers.
PROMYS — Math · Boston University, MA · Paid · Tier S · Deadline: Opens ~January; deadline ~mid-March. Intensive 6-week exploration into Number Theory at BU. "To think deeply of simple things".
Stanford University Mathematics Camp — Math · Stanford, CA · Paid · Tier S · Deadline: Deadline ~early February. Focuses on abstract algebra and topology. Pure math oriented and extremely highly regarded.
HOPP at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center — Bio & Medicine · New York, NY · Free + stipend · Tier A+ · Deadline: Opens ~December; deadline ~early February. Extracurricular science and lab program focusing on cancer research at a world-class facility.
SSRP at Rockefeller University — Bio & Medicine · New York, NY · Free + stipend · Tier S · Deadline: Deadline ~early January. Highly mentored biomedical research in NYC. Extremely selective; students design and conduct their own research.
Simons at Stony Brook University — Multidisciplinary · Stony Brook, NY · Free + stipend · Tier S · Deadline: Opens ~winter; deadline ~February. Elite STEM research program; students frequently win Regeneron STS with their Simons projects.
Clark Scholar Summer Program — Multidisciplinary · Texas Tech Univ, Lubbock, TX · Free + stipend · Tier S+ · Deadline: Deadline ~mid-February. Only 12 students selected globally. Highly intensive, multidisciplinary research at Texas Tech.
UPenn Management & Technology Summer Institute — Engineering · UPenn, Philadelphia, PA · Paid · Tier S · Deadline: Priority ~late January; final ~late March. Run by the Jerome Fisher M&T program. Combines tech and business; massive boost for Wharton/Engineering.
MITES (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science) — Engineering · MIT, Cambridge, MA · Free · Tier S+ · Deadline: Opens in fall; deadline ~February 1. 6-week residential program for highly driven, underrepresented students. Incredible pipeline to MIT and Ivies.
MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute — CS & Robotics · MIT, Cambridge, MA · Free · Tier A · Deadline: Deadline ~May 1. Project-based, focusing on autonomous systems, quantum software, and AI. Requires rigorous online prereqs.
Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY) — Humanities & Writing · Various Locations · Paid · Tier C · Deadline: Rolling enrollment year-round. Well-known gifted program offering fast-paced academic courses. High cost, but good early high-school experience.
Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces @ Stony Brook — Engineering · Stony Brook, NY · Paid · Tier A+. Intensive polymer and materials science research. High correlation with Regeneron STS success.
Brookhaven National Laboratories - High School Research Program — Multidisciplinary · Upton, NY · Free · Tier B+ · Deadline: Opens late winter; deadline ~spring. Hands-on STEM research at a US Department of Energy national laboratory.
Roswell Park Cancer Institute Summer Programme — Bio & Medicine · Buffalo, NY · Free · Tier A- · Deadline: Opens ~winter; deadline ~February. Immersive cancer research experience in Buffalo, NY. Great for future oncologists/researchers.
Yau Mathcamp @Tsinghua, Shanghai — Math · Tsinghua Univ, China · Free · Tier A+ · Deadline: Opens ~February; closes ~end of March. Elite math camp in China, named after Fields Medalist Shing-Tung Yau. Highly rigorous.
Ross Mathematics Program — Math · Otterbein Univ, OH / Rose-Hulman, IN · Paid · Tier S- · Deadline: Opens late winter; deadline ~April 1. Intensely focused on number theory. "Think deeply of simple things." Historic and highly respected.
COSMOS: California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science — Multidisciplinary · UC Campuses, CA · Paid · Tier B · Deadline: Deadline ~early February. Cluster-based STEM learning at UC campuses. Great for CA residents looking to boost UC admissions.
MathILy @ Bryn Mawr College, PA — Math · Bryn Mawr College, PA · Paid · Tier A · Deadline: Deadline ~late April (rolling after). Highly interactive, fast-paced discrete mathematics program. Very collaborative environment.
Hofstra University Summer Science Research Program — Multidisciplinary · Hofstra Univ, Hempstead, NY · Paid · Tier B · Deadline: Deadline ~early February. Local NY research program offering hands-on experience in biological and physical sciences.
Secondary Student Training Program at University of Iowa — Multidisciplinary · Univ of Iowa, Iowa City, IA · Paid · Tier A- · Deadline: Deadline ~mid-February. Conduct research in university labs, produce a research paper/poster. Highly respected.
The International Summer School for Young Physicists - Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada — Physics & Space · Waterloo, Ontario, Canada · Paid · Tier A. Deep dive into theoretical physics (quantum mechanics, relativity) at a world-renowned institute.
Research Experience at CIERA @ Northwestern — Physics & Space · Northwestern Univ, Evanston, IL · Paid · Tier B+ · Deadline: Opens ~winter; deadline ~early-mid March. Astronomy and astrophysics focus. Students work on data science and programming in astrophysics.
ISSOS International Summer Schools - UK and Switzerland — Humanities & Writing · St Andrews / Cambridge / Yale · Paid · Tier C · Deadline: Rolling enrollment until full. Balanced academic and cultural summer school in historic universities (St Andrews, Cambridge, Yale).
International Space School Educational Trust - UK — Physics & Space · UK / Various · Paid · Tier B-. Space-themed STEM camps often involving NASA astronauts and leading space scientists.
European Space Agency Camp - Norway — Physics & Space · Andøya Space Center, Norway · Free · Tier B · Deadline: Opens ~winter; deadline ~spring (camp in late July). Immersive space science camp at the Andøya Space Center in Norway.
UBC Future Global Leaders — Multidisciplinary · UBC, Vancouver, Canada · Paid · Tier C · Deadline: Rolling enrollment until sessions fill. Pre-college academic courses at the University of British Columbia. Good for international exposure.
Lodha Genius Program (Ashoka University, India) — Math · Ashoka University, Sonipat, India · Free · Tier A · Deadline: Deadline ~mid-January. Fully funded, highly selective program for India’s brightest students in math and science.
Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS) — Multidisciplinary · CMU, Pittsburgh, PA · Free · Tier A · Deadline: Deadline ~early February. CMU-based program focusing on building STEM skills for underrepresented students.
The Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program — Bio & Medicine · Bar Harbor, ME / Farmington, CT · Free + stipend · Tier S · Deadline: Deadline ~late January. Elite genetics and genomics research in Maine/Connecticut. Students often publish papers.
Notre Dame Leadership Seminars — Humanities & Writing · Univ of Notre Dame, IN · Free · Tier A · Deadline: Opens mid-October; deadline ~late January. Fully funded, highly competitive seminars exploring complex issues (global health, environment, religion).
Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS) — Humanities & Writing · Cornell Univ, NY / UMD, MD · Free · Tier S · Deadline: Opens mid-October; deadline ~early December. The premier humanities program. Focuses on critical Black/ethnic studies and anti-oppressive frameworks.
YUVIKA (Indian Space Research Organisation) — Physics & Space · Various ISRO centers, India · Free · Tier A · Deadline: Opens ~late February; closes ~end of March. ISRO-run program to catch young talent in space technology and science across India.
Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience (CNI-X) @ Stanford — Bio & Medicine · Stanford, CA · Paid · Tier B · Deadline: Opens ~winter; deadline ~spring. Interactive seminars in neuroscience, psychiatry, and behavioral sciences.
Seattle Children’s Research Training Program — Bio & Medicine · Seattle, WA · Free + stipend · Tier B+ · Deadline: Opens ~January; deadline ~early March. Top-tier pediatric biomedical research. Students learn lab techniques and attend clinical shadowing.
JHU Explore Engineering Innovation Pre-college Program — Engineering · Various / JHU, Baltimore, MD · Paid · Tier C+ · Deadline: Early-action ~late February (priority rounds after). Hands-on engineering projects (spaghetti bridges, etc.). Offers college credit if passed with an A or B.
MIT Women’s Technology Program — CS & Robotics · MIT, Cambridge, MA · Free · Tier A- · Deadline: Opens ~winter; deadline ~late January. Female-focused introduction to Mechanical Engineering and CS. Very collaborative, no prior experience needed.
Rose-Hulman Operation Catapult — Engineering · Rose-Hulman, Terre Haute, IN · Paid · Tier C · Deadline: Rolling; apply by ~spring. Project-based engineering camp. Great for students wanting hands-on building and design experience.
Young Technology Scholars @ Plaksha University — CS & Robotics · Plaksha Univ, Mohali, India · Paid · Tier B · Deadline: Deadline ~late March. Intensive tech and engineering bootcamp in India. Strong focus on robotics and data.
NYU Summer Program in Automation, Robotics, and Coding (SPARC) — CS & Robotics · NYU, New York, NY · Paid · Tier B. Hands-on robotics and coding at NYU Tandon. Good intro to mechatronics.
Tufts Summer Research Experience — Multidisciplinary · Tufts Univ, Medford, MA · Paid · Tier B · Deadline: Opens in fall for the following summer. Work in Tufts university labs across various disciplines. Good pre-college research exposure.
Princeton Laboratory Learning Program (Princeton LLP) — Engineering · Princeton Univ, NJ · Free · Tier A- · Deadline: Opens ~mid-February; deadline ~mid-March. Unpaid but highly prestigious research internships in Princeton faculty labs.
Harvard Student Research Institute (Harvard SRI) — Multidisciplinary · Harvard Univ, Cambridge, MA · Free · Tier B+. Student-run or affiliated research introduction (varies by year/structure).
BU RISE — Multidisciplinary · Boston University, MA · Paid · Tier A- · Deadline: Opens ~winter; deadline ~mid-February. Offers both Practicum (structured research) and Internship (lab placement) tracks. Highly respected.
Duke STAR — Bio & Medicine · Duke Univ, Durham, NC · Paid · Tier B · Deadline: Opens ~November; deadline ~early January. Focuses on pharmacology, medical research, and drug discovery.
SPARC (Quantitative Skills Development) — Multidisciplinary · Berkeley, CA · Free · Tier S-. Focuses on applied rationality, quantitative thinking, and cognitive science. Heavily sponsored/free.
USC Bridge Undergraduate Science Jr — Multidisciplinary · USC, Los Angeles, CA · Free · Tier B · Deadline: Opens ~winter; deadline ~spring. Aimed at underrepresented LA students to bridge the gap in STEM education/research.
WPI Frontiers — Humanities & Writing · WPI, Worcester, MA · Paid · Tier C+ · Deadline: Opens in winter for the following summer. Exploratory STEM and humanities pre-college program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
WPI Launch — Multidisciplinary · WPI, Worcester, MA · Paid · Tier C- · Deadline: Opens ~winter; deadline ~spring (Apr–Jun). Shorter, focused STEM workshops for younger high school students (freshmen/sophomores).
Iowa Young Writer’s Studio — Humanities & Writing · Univ of Iowa, Iowa City, IA · Paid · Tier A. One of the most prestigious creative writing programs in the country. Highly competitive.
Stanford STaRS — Bio & Medicine · Stanford, CA · Free + stipend · Tier S- · Deadline: Deadline ~February. Clinical and basic science research for local high schoolers. Massive boost for bio/med students.
National Youth Science Camp — Humanities & Writing · Camp Pocahontas, WV · Free · Tier A · Deadline: Opens ~spring; runs July. Prestigious, fully funded program in West Virginia blending STEM lectures with outdoor adventure.
Sci-mi (Science Mentorship Institute) — Multidisciplinary · Remote / Online · Free · Tier B. Remote, free mentorship program matching students with mentors to conduct literature reviews/research.
LEDA Scholars — Humanities & Writing · Princeton Univ, NJ · Free · Tier A · Deadline: Recruitment ~fall. Empowers high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with leadership and college prep at Princeton.
Berkeley Experiences in Research (EinR) — CS & Robotics · UC Berkeley, CA · Paid · Tier B · Deadline: Opens ~early February; deadline ~late March. STEM research experience utilizing UC Berkeley resources and faculty mentorship.
Pediatrics Internship Program @ Stanford (PIPS) — Bio & Medicine · Stanford, CA · Free + stipend · Tier A · Deadline: Deadline ~late February. Learn about pediatric medicine, research, and clinical care directly from Stanford faculty.
Helix Medical @ UC Berkeley — Bio & Medicine · UC Berkeley, CA · Paid · Tier B- · Deadline: Opens ~November/December; runs summer. Student-run or affiliated program introducing high schoolers to medical sciences and clinical skills.
Yale Young Global Scholars — Humanities & Writing · Yale Univ, New Haven, CT · Paid · Tier C+ · Deadline: Opens ~September; deadline ~winter. Large, diverse international cohort. Great for networking and lectures, but very high acceptance rate/cost.
IIT Kharagpur - iKites research program (6-weeks) — Engineering · IIT Kharagpur, India · Free · Tier B+ · Deadline: Deadline ~mid-April. Research exposure at one of India’s premier engineering institutes.
Yale Young Writers’ Workshop — Humanities & Writing · Yale Univ, New Haven, CT · Paid · Tier A- · Deadline: Deadline ~April 1. Excellent creative writing workshops led by working writers and Yale faculty.
ASSIP @GMU — Humanities & Writing · George Mason Univ, Fairfax, VA · Paid · Tier B · Deadline: Opens ~early December; deadline ~mid-February. George Mason Univ program pairing students with faculty for real-world research. Often leads to publications.
Stanford Molecular Imaging — Bio & Medicine · Stanford, CA · Free · Tier A · Deadline: Opens ~late February; deadline ~May 31. Highly specialized bioengineering and medical imaging research.
UCSB Research Mentorship Program — Multidisciplinary · UC Santa Barbara, CA · Paid · Tier B+ · Deadline: Opens ~mid-December; deadline ~early March. Pairing high-achieving students with UCSB researchers. High-quality output, very structured.
Standford Summer Humanities Institute — Humanities & Writing · Stanford, CA · Paid · Tier A · Deadline: Opens ~winter; deadline ~spring. Intensive humanities seminars taught by Stanford professors. Great for future humanities/law majors.