15 STEM Research Opportunities for High School Students
Participating in STEM research opportunities for high school students is a great way to develop practical experience and useful connections without excessive financial burdens. They typically involve working on projects and applying classroom concepts learned at school to real, innovative, and impact-generating projects.
STEM research opportunities for high school students will give you the chance to explore scientific methods, work with professionals, and lay a solid foundation for your future career in STEM. Many prestigious organizations offer In-person and virtual programs, making STEM research opportunities for high school students accessible to students of different interests and skill levels.
In this blog, we have highlighted 15 of the best STEM research opportunities for high school students to help you find a good fit. These programs provide a unique opportunity to develop advanced skills and contribute to meaningful research that opens up future academic and career opportunities.
1. Stony Brook University’s Simons Summer Research Program
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Stipend: Stipend is provided to interns
Application Deadline: February 7
Program Dates: June 30 – August 8
Eligibility: High school juniors who are at least 16 years old by the start of the program and are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
With a 5% acceptance rate, the six-week Simons Summer Research Program at Stony Brook University offers great STEM research opportunities for high school students. During the program, you will be matched with faculty mentors at Stony Brook, who will guide you through the research process—from hypothesis to data interpretation. Such intense mentorship by the faculty will give you a real peek into the way scientific research is done.
This program aims at increasing knowledge of science and furthering the technical capabilities of participants. In this concluding symposium, you will showcase your work to your mentors, peers, and academics. It is a unique opportunity for exemplary learning through intense research combined with mentorship and presentation of one's work in public.
Location: Remote
Cost: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. February 9 for the upcoming spring cohort
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year. The spring cohort starts on March 3
Eligibility: High school students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students that connects you with a high-growth start-up on an internship. These start-ups offer internships across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form.
Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. In the program, you will work closely with your managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company. Here is the application form.
The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
3. Zuckerman Institute’s Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia (BRAINYAC)
Location: New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free for all accepted participants, covering all costs, including lab materials and transportation within New York City; stipend provided
Application Deadline: Applications will open in October
Program Dates: Typically runs from July to August
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors residing in NYC who are nominated by BRAINYAC’s partner programs
The BRAINYAC program at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute provides STEM research opportunities for high school students by offering the opportunity to engage in neuroscience research. Under the direct mentorship of researchers from Columbia's laboratories, you will get hands-on experience in neuroanatomy, data analysis, and scientific communication on specified projects. This is a highly specific program that allows young minds to understand science and how research findings are developed. The combination of research experience coupled with mentorship deepens not only your knowledge of brain science but also exposes you to careers in research and medicine.
4. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program | $5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase | $6,900 for both. Need-based financial aid is available
Application Deadline: Rolling. January 19 for the upcoming spring cohort
Program Dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year. The spring cohort starts on March 3
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students from anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students passionate about artificial intelligence. If you’re looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science, you would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, you are introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects.
Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, you will get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that you have access to the in-house publication team to help you secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here.
5. MIT’s Research Science Institute
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free; though there is a $65 application fee that can be waived for need-based applicants
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in December
Program Dates: June – August
Eligibility: Juniors in high school
RSI at MIT is a prestigious summer program that offers STEM research opportunities for high school students via intellectually strenuous six-week immersions. It ensures one-on-one mentoring with independent research and college-level coursework in engineering, mathematics, physics, and biology.
In the first week, you will attend classes in STEM-related subjects taught by accomplished faculty; the rest of the time is devoted to practical projects. You will get to formulate research proposals, conduct experiments mentored by accomplished scholars, write your research and make oral presentations.
RSI admits only 70-80 of the best students annually.
6. Summer Science Program: Astrophysics
Location: SSP International, Las Cruces, NM
Cost: $8,400. Financial aid is available
Application Deadline: January 24 (international); February 21 (domestic)
Program Dates: Starts mid to late June; runs for 39 days
Eligibility: High school juniors who have completed these prereqs by the summer between 15-19
The SSP offers STEM research opportunities for high school students through a 39-day residential research experience in astrophysics. As a participant, you will work in small groups and calculate the orbits of near-Earth asteroids. You will develop substantial skills in coding, data analysis, and complex problem-solving.
The program follows an intensive six-day-a-week schedule of classes, research, and educational field trips. With so much teamwork involved, SSP maintains a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and encourages you to push yourself beyond your limits and embrace academic rigor.
7. Honors College – The Anson L. Clark Scholars Program
Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Stipend: $750 stipend + $500 meal card
Application Deadline: February 15
Program Dates: June 22 – August 7
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors older than 17 by the program’s start
The Anson L. Clark Scholar Program at Texas Tech University is a very prestigious seven-week summer internship that enrolls 12 outstanding high school students. As a participant, you will engage in research within disciplines covering the STEM areas, social sciences, and humanities, working directly with university faculty members for hands-on experience. Other activities during the program include seminars, networking, and field trips. At the end of the program, you will present the findings of your research.
8. NASA and UT Austin’s SEES High School Summer Intern Program
Location: Hybrid + on-site at the University of Texas, Austin, TX
Cost: None; transportation scholarships are available for selected students
Application Deadline: February 22
Program Dates: May – July (11th grade); May – August (10th grade)
Eligibility: U.S. sophomores and juniors
The SEES internship is a competitive opportunity for high school students who are interested in mathematics and working with NASA professionals in Earth and space research. It begins with online instruction on how to work with NASA satellite data and remote-sensing technologies.
During the program, you will experience a combination of intensive remote work and fieldwork, which will culminate in a face-to-face section at UT, Austin. This program ensures teamwork, data analysis, and interesting facts related to complicated Earth systems. You will also get to present your findings at the Virtual SEES Science Symposium and emphasize your role in helping to solve the Earth's current scientific problems.
9. MIT Lincoln Laboratory Radar Introduction for Student Engineers (LLRSE)
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA + Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Applications will open January 6
Program Dates: July 13 – 26
Eligibility: High school rising seniors; U.S. citizens
The two-week LLRISE program provides high school students with an introduction to building small radar systems, including Doppler and range radar, through problem-solving skills and hands-on methods. In this program, you will have the chance to work with MIT scientists and engineers and further develop practical engineering skills.For the duration of this program, you will stay on the MIT campus and will be driven to the Lincoln Laboratory, where you will work on the design and implementation of radar.
10. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research (SIMR)
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: $40 application fee (can be waived). Students are offered a stipend of $500 that can increase with special grants
Application Deadline: February 22
Program Dates: June 9 – July 31
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 16; U.S. citizens or permanent residents
SIMR is an eight-week STEM research opportunity for high school students. The program is relatively selective (less than 3% of all applications make it through every year). As a participant, you will work with either Stanford graduate students or postdoctoral fellows in research projects related to immunology, neurobiology, and cancer biology.
Once you’ve received your lab assignments, you will start full-scale lab work and will attend weekly meetings and a series of lectures on biomedical research. At the end of your eight weeks, you will attend a research poster presentation, where you will present your findings to the faculty and your peers.
11. Kenan Fellows High School Summer Internships at the University of Florida Health
Location: Palm Beach State College, Palm Beach Gardens, FL + Wertheim UF Scripps Institute, Jupiter, FL
Stipend: $4,480
Application Deadline: March 2
Program Dates: June 2 – August 1
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors; U.S. citizens or permanent residents; 16 years old by the first day of the program; minimum GPA of 3.0
The Kenan Fellows High School Summer Internship is a prestigious nine-week opportunity for juniors and seniors passionate about biological and chemical research. The internship begins with an intensive one-week course, equipping you with key biomedical research techniques and applications essential for success in the lab. This foundational training prepares you for the program's next phase, where you will collaborate with scientists on experimental design, data interpretation, and research planning while contributing to innovative projects. In addition to lab work, you will attend weekly seminars that broaden your understanding of scientific principles and career paths. The program concludes with a final presentation and the submission of a scientific abstract.
12. National Institute of Drug Abuse Research Intramural Research Program
Location: Johns Hopkins Bayview, Baltimore, MD
Stipend: Stipend is provided
Application Deadline: February 19
Program Dates: 8 – 10 weeks in the summer; dates unspecified
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors aged 17+; U.S. citizens or permanent residents
The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Intramural Research Program is a competitive summer research experience in the biomedical sciences designed to give students who have faced intellectual and social challenges an opportunity to conduct research pertinent to the science of drug abuse and addiction on mental health and human psychology.
Under the NIH HS-SIP program, you can present your research projects with the NIH community at the end of the summer during Summer Poster Day. It is highly competitive, considering only approximately 12% of applicants get in.
13. Barrow Neurological Institute – Summer High School Internship Program
Location: Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ
Stipend: Not mentioned
Application Deadline: February 14
Program Dates: May 30 – July 3
Eligibility: High school students 16 years or older
The Barrow Neurological Institute is one of the best institutions in the United States and is known as the world's biggest facility for treating and researching neurological diseases. Their Summer High School Internship Program is research-based, enabling you to participate in practical lab work using advanced technologies.
During the program, you will learn about progressive scientific methodologies, critical analysis of scientific literature, and how to improve your communication skills. You will get to work directly with specialists at Barrow over the summer for 20-40 hours per week and learn more about the different fields of psychology and neuroscience.
14. Biorocket Research Internship Program at Genspace
Location: Genspace, Brooklyn, NY
Stipend: $2,000Application Deadline: January 8
Program Dates: June 30 – August 15
Eligibility: High school students who are 16 and attending an NYC public/charter school located 45 minutes from Genspace
The Genspace Biorocket Research Internship is a paid, six-month internship for high school students with interests in biotechnology and genetic engineering. During this STEM research opportunity high school students, you will have the opportunity to work on advanced projects in DNA sequencing, bio-informatics, and genetic engineering.
As an intern, you will work with an experienced scientific mentor in advanced laboratories that use state-of-the-art technologies. You’ll also benefit from special opportunities like field trips and improv training that help you improve scientific communication.
Examples of projects have ranged from testing algal growth on water purification to the comparison of microbiomes within two Red Oak species.
15. Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation High School Summer Program
Location: MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Stipend: $6800 (10 weeks); $6120 (9 weeks)
Application Deadline: January 15
Program Dates: June 2 – August 8
Eligibility: Current high school seniors who are older than 18 by the start date; enrolled in a Texas public, private, or charter high school or home-school. See more info here.
The Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation High School Summer Program is a competitive 10-week summer program that targets students biased towards biomedical sciences (they take only 10 students each year). As a participant, you will have the opportunity to become deeply involved in a research project in a biomedical discipline of your choice, under the guidance of a full-time member of the MD Anderson faculty. You will be taken through the principles and processes that characterize research investigation and get firsthand experience of the different career opportunities available at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre.
During the internship, you'll attend seminars and faculty presentations on a wide variety of research topics and participate in activities that may include an abstract, poster, and elevator speech competitions. You will also have an opportunity to share your experience in a presentation and a celebration luncheon after the program.
Are you looking to start a project or research paper in the field of AI and ML? Consider applying to Veritas AI!
Veritas AI is an AI program designed for high schoolers. It’s founded and run by Harvard graduate students. The program aims to allow students to create unique projects in the field of AI. Participants will get to learn more about AI from researchers and experts and work 1-on-1 with mentors from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and more. In just the past year, we’ve had over a thousand students learn with us! You too can apply!
Image source - Stanford Logo