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Summer Research Programs for High Schoolers: 2027 Guide (Free, Paid and Online)
The best summer research programs for high schoolers put you in a real research group, give you a question to own and end with a poster or paper. Most of them also have deadlines between November and February, so the time to plan summer 2027 is now. This guide lists free, paid and online programs, checked on each program's official site in October 2026, plus the application calendar and what selection committees say they look for.
What counts as a research program
Many summer programs use the word "research". Only some of them involve it. Before you add a program to your list, check three things on its website:
- You work on an open question. Lab demonstrations with a known answer are useful training, but they are not research.
- A named researcher supervises you. Look for a mentor, a faculty lab or a principal investigator, not just "instructors".
- You produce something. A poster, a paper, a presentation or a public dataset entry gives you evidence to show later.
Free summer research programs (some pay you)
These programs charge no tuition. Several pay a stipend. Most are small, and several only accept students from certain states.
- Research Science Institute (RSI): free. For juniors in the U.S. and in participating countries, aged 16 by July 1. One week of STEM classes, then five weeks of individual research with a mentor scientist. Applications for RSI 2027 close at 11:59 pm on December 11, 2026.
- Simons Summer Research Program (Stony Brook University): six weeks inside a faculty research group, ending with a research poster. For juniors aged 16 or older who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and your school must nominate you. Fellows receive a stipend award. The 2027 application link goes live on November 15, 2026.
- Anson L. Clark Scholars Program (Texas Tech): seven weeks of research for twelve rising seniors and recent graduates, with a stipend and room and board. The 2027 dates are June 20 to August 5.
- Young Scholars Summer STEMM Research (University of Illinois): no cost other than travel, and students receive a fellowship payment. For rising 10th to 12th graders from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin. Six weeks, 30 to 35 hours a week. Applications open in February.
- Fred Hutch Summer High School Internship (SHIP): an eight-week paid internship in Seattle for students between 11th and 12th grade. Two weeks of lab training, then six weeks in a research group. International students are not eligible. Details for 2027 are posted in November.
- University of Utah High School Summer Research Internship: no cost, but no pay. Rising seniors spend eight weeks, 30 hours a week, in an engineering lab. Housing is not provided.
- Princeton Laboratory Learning Program: a free, full-time research experience in science or engineering for students who live in New Jersey and attend local New Jersey schools.
- MIT PRIMES-USA: free, year-long and remote, not a summer program, but it is one of the few free research programs open to students anywhere in the U.S. Sophomores and juniors work on research in mathematics or bioinformatics with a mentor. The deadline is November 2, 2026.
If you see a free program that fits, apply. The catch is that free programs receive far more applications than they can accept, so do not rely on one.
University lab programs with tuition
These programs charge tuition, and most offer financial aid. They usually take more students than the free programs.
- Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP, University of Iowa): 5.5 weeks of research with faculty mentors for students in grades 10 and 11. Applications open December 15, 2026 and close February 16, 2027. Financial aid may cover up to 95% of the cost.
- Scholar Immersion Program (SIP, UC Santa Cruz): formerly the Science Internship Program. One week of online preparation, then seven weeks of in-person research for students aged 14 to 17. The 2027 portal opens on January 15, 2027, and aid packages cover 25% to 100% of costs for students who qualify.
- Boston University RISE: six weeks for domestic students in their junior year. The internship track is 40 hours a week on a project designed by your mentor, and it ends with a poster symposium. Applications open December 17.
- Summer Science Program (SSP): five weeks on a college campus for rising seniors, working in teams of three on projects in astrophysics, biochemistry or bacterial genomics.
- High School Honors Science, Math and Engineering Program (HSHSP, Michigan State): seven weeks of residential research for students entering 12th grade. It started in 1958.
- Garcia Summer Research Program (Stony Brook University): interdisciplinary research in areas from polymers and materials to tissue engineering and medicine. Applicants for 2026 had to be at least 16. The program aims to bring student projects to the level of an abstract at the Materials Research Society Fall Meeting.
- George Mason University ASSIP: one-on-one research with faculty. Accepted interns pay tuition for three undergraduate credits, which can be waived with financial need.
Not sure which kind of program fits you? Learn how the program works →
Summer medical research programs for high schoolers
Medical research programs are some of the hardest to get into, because they are few and often local.
- Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR): eight weeks for juniors and seniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Stanford says selection heavily favors Bay Area students. Applications are due in late February 2027.
- NIH Summer Internship Program: six to eight weeks in basic and clinical research labs at the National Institutes of Health, open to high school students among others.
- Fred Hutch SHIP: listed above. It is a cancer research center, so most projects are biomedical.
- Huntsman Cancer Institute (Utah): a 10-week residential program for advanced seniors and undergraduates, plus a virtual program for students from the Mountain West.
Online and virtual research programs
Most residential programs need you on campus for five to eight weeks. If you live far away, have summer commitments or want to start sooner, look at online options:
- MIT PRIMES-USA: free, year-long, remote mentoring in math and bioinformatics.
- Rutgers vWISE: two weeks online in molecular biology and bioinformatics. Students submit their checked DNA sequence analyses to GenBank, the international DNA sequence database. You need a completed high school biology course, and applications are first come, first served.
- One-on-one mentored research: you work with a researcher on a question you choose and finish with your own paper. Our guide on how to find a research mentor in high school covers how to find one. This is the model of the STEM Research Program, described below.
Application calendar for summer 2027
- November 2, 2026: MIT PRIMES-USA deadline.
- November 15, 2026: Simons application link posted. Ask your school about nomination now.
- December 11, 2026: RSI deadline.
- December 15, 2026: SSTP applications open.
- December 17, 2026: BU RISE applications open.
- January 15, 2027: UC Santa Cruz SIP portal opens.
- February 2027: Illinois Young Scholars applications open. SSTP closes February 16. SIMR closes in late February.
- March to April 2027: most decisions.
Fred Hutch and many university programs post 2027 details in November or December. Check the official sites each month, because dates move.
How to get into a summer research program
Selection committees are unusually direct about what they want. A few examples from the programs above:
- Show what you did, not what you want to do. RSI's application FAQ says students whose research interests are "purely aspirational" are less likely to be selected. It suggests describing a personal project, a difficult book you read or an online course related to your interest.
- Get the right recommender. RSI asks applicants who did a research project of four weeks or longer to get a letter from their research supervisor. SSTP uses your references to decide which faculty mentors see your application.
- Be specific about your interest. Illinois places students into research groups based on their personal statement and recent coursework. A vague statement makes you harder to place.
- Explain your context. RSI says it considers students in the context of the opportunities available to them. If your school has no research opportunities, say so.
- Start early. Most strong applications include evidence of independent work, and that takes months to build. A sophomore who starts a project this fall will have something real to describe next winter.
If you need help choosing what to work on, start with our guide on how to choose a research topic in high school.
If you don't get in, or can't travel
The free programs are small, and many are regional: Illinois takes students from seven states, Princeton takes local New Jersey students, and SIMR favors the Bay Area. Most programs also require five to eight weeks on campus. That leaves many strong students without a place, through no fault of their own.
A summer without a residential program is not a lost summer. What matters to an admissions reader is not where the research happened but whether you asked a real question, did the work and finished something. An online project with a mentor, a paper you wrote and a mentor who can describe your work in detail is evidence of the same skills these programs look for. It also makes your next application stronger. For more on how admissions readers weigh research, see does research help college admissions.
Frequently asked questions
Are there free summer research programs for high school students? Yes. RSI, Simons, Clark, Illinois Young Scholars, Utah's engineering internship and Princeton's Laboratory Learning Program charge no tuition, and Fred Hutch SHIP is paid. Most have strict eligibility rules on grade, age, citizenship or home state.
Can 9th or 10th graders do a summer research program? Some programs accept younger students. SSTP accepts grades 10 and 11, UC Santa Cruz SIP accepts ages 14 to 17, and Illinois accepts rising 10th graders. Most of the free programs are for juniors and rising seniors.
Can international students apply? It depends on the program. RSI accepts students from participating countries through a national selection process. Simons and SIMR require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, and Fred Hutch does not accept international students. Online programs often have fewer location limits, but check each one.
Is a summer research program better than a summer class? For college applications, research usually shows more, because you leave with your own work and a mentor who knows you. A class is a good way to test a subject before you commit to research in it.
About the STEM Research Program
We look for students who are curious, self-motivated and ready for independent work. Prior research experience is not required. Each admitted student works one-on-one with a PhD mentor from a top-20 university, online, for 12 weeks, including over the summer. Students set their research question with their mentor by week four and finish with a completed research paper, a written evaluation from their mentor and a one-on-one college counseling session.
"This program was an amazing opportunity to learn about a field that I was interested in but unfamiliar with." — learnSTEM student
Admission deadlines
Early Admission – August 16, 2026
Regular Admission – September 20, 2026
Late Admission – October 18, 2026
The Program runs four times per year: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
