If you are a high school student who is looking to get into neuroscience, chances are that you’re looking for various extracurriculars that you can participate in to gain experience in the field and add to your college applications. An excellent starting point for students thinking about pursuing careers in STEM is a neuroscience program, as it provides a guided experience, which is great when learning the foundational concepts of neuroscience. 

However, one drawback is that many programs are very expensive, and the cost of attendance might be a barrier. In this blog, we provide an alternative with 9 free neuroscience programs open to high school students. All the programs on this list are either free of cost or offer financial aid that you can avail yourself of to reduce the cost of attending. 

1. Horizon Academic Research Program (HARP)

Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as neuroscience, data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, chemistry, psychology, and more! Horizon is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers you the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research. 

Once you select a particular subject track and the type of research you wish to carry out, Horizon pairs you with a professor/PhD scholar from a reputed university who acts as a mentor throughout your research journey. As a participant, you will be expected to develop a 20-page research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student. 

This program is a solid opportunity for you to pursue a research program in highly specialized fields under the guidance of a top scholar. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects. 

Apply here! Note that this program does have a cost. However, they offer need-based financial aid as well. 

Location: Virtual 

Application Date: November 2, 2024, for the Winter Cohort 

Program Dates: 

• Summer seminar - June 24, 2024 - September 2, 2024

• Fall seminar - October 23, 2024 - February 19, 2025

• Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply 4 weeks in advance.

Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.

2. Veritas AI’s Deep Dive in AI + Medicine

Veritas AI offers a 10-week course where you will attend lectures, participate in programming notebooks, and work alongside AI experts to develop a project on the applications of AI in healthcare and medicine. Throughout the program, you will understand the intersection between AI and healthcare, and you will even work on projects using AI and ML models to diagnose diseases and explain medical outcomes to help doctors (among other applications).

A key aspect of this program is the production of a final group project that you can utilize in college applications. Do note that although this program is not free of cost, they offer need-based financial aid. 

Location: Virtual

Cost: $2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program. You can apply for need-based financial aid here. 

Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Winter cohort deadline - December 1, 2024

Program dates: Various according to the cohort

Eligibility:

• Open to ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. 

• For the Deep Dive, you must have either completed the AI Scholars program exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.

3. sci-MI’s Neuroscience Mentorship Program

The Neuroscience Mentorship Program offered by sci-Mi is a research program that spans over 5-weeks, where you will utilize available resources such as open-source software and open-access papers (among others) to produce your own research project. You will additionally have the opportunity to present your research to your peers and mentors and even develop a project paper that can be used as a research supplement in college applications!

Apart from the research itself, you will also have a weekly journal club and a weekly lecture where your peers and you will present research papers that you find fascinating. An added bonus is that you will have a mentor to guide you through this process through their weekly check-ins. 

Location: Virtual 

Application Date: May 15, 2025 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)

Program Dates: July 1 - August 9, 2025 (tentatively, based on the previous year’s dates)

Eligibility: 

• Open to current high school students. 

• Note that non-traditional students are highly encouraged to apply. 

4. Rice University’s NeuroCamp

Rice University holds a 2-day summer camp on neuroscience that will cover fundamental topics in neuroscience, provide mentorship opportunities, and teach basic laboratory skills. As an attendee, you can expect to cover introductory topics in neuroscience, even covering complex topics such as computational neuroscience or the philosophy of mind. 

Apart from the instruction, you will also have the opportunity to learn about potential career paths in neuroscience through a career panel and even interact with current Rice undergraduate students to get a better understanding of the college application process or life at university! 

Do note that the virtual option is only a one-day camp, while the in-person one is a two-day camp. 

Location: In-person (Rice University Campus, Houston, TX) or Virtual

Application Date: May 17, 2025 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)

Program Dates: Dates are tentative and based on the previous year’s dates:

• Virtual: July 13 OR July 14, 2025

• In-person: August 3 - August 4, 2025

Eligibility: 

• Open to current high school students. 

• No prior experience is required.

• For the in-person program, you must reside and study in the greater Houston area.

5. Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI)'s Summer Internship

This 6-week research internship by the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience will let you delve into neuroscience research as you work alongside MPFI scientists with their research in fields such as genetic engineering, microscopy, and brain circuitry. The program will culminate with you producing a written scientific abstract and even presenting your project! 

This program is a great opportunity to experience working in a neuroscience lab where you can study the methodologies required to research neural circuits and familiarize yourself with “wet lab” techniques that include histological staining and microbiology preparations. An added bonus is that you will also be paid a stipend of $14/hour! 

Location: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL 

Application Date: Applications for 2025 will open on January 7, 2025. The deadline is not specified

Program Dates: June 23 - August 1, 2025

Eligibility: 

• Open to rising juniors or seniors (during the 2025-2026 school year).

• Must be 16 or older by June 23, 2025 (the start date of the program). 

• Must attend a Palm Beach or Martin County high school (during the 2025-2026 school year).

6. Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS)

Johns Hopkins provides an eight-week internship where you will collaborate on a research project alongside faculty, staff, and student mentors from the Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology. Additionally, you will also attend scientific seminars and even experience clinical rotations with neurologists! The program culminates in you preparing an oral or poster presentation that will summarize your key findings. 

Apart from the internship and research experience, you will additionally be able to participate in weekly career and college development sessions, where you will further learn about neurology and the career path it offers. An added bonus is that you will either earn an hourly wage (for the in-person internship) or a $500 scholarship (for the virtual internship).

Location: Johns Hopkins University East Baltimore Campus, Baltimore, MD + Virtual

Application Date: Applications for 2025 will open on December 1, 2024. They will close on March 1, 2025. 

Program Dates: Not specified, but expect it to be for eight weeks during the summer months. 

Eligibility: 

• Open to high school juniors and seniors. 

• Must attend Baltimore City public schools (only for the in-person internship).

• Must reside in the United States (only for the virtual internship).

7. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)

Stanford Institutes of Medicine offers an eight-week research program where you will be able to work on research projects within the medical sciences, all the while being mentored by Stanford faculty, postdoctoral fellows, students, and other researchers. Additionally, you will attend lectures that will expose you to scientific research and foundational concepts in medical science. 

The program will culminate in a poster session where you will present the key findings of your research project. You present your research to your family, teachers, and even Stanford's faculty, students, and staff! 

Do note that although the program itself is free, you will have to pay a $40 application fee, although this can be waived if your family income does not exceed $80,000 annually. 

Location: Stanford University Campus, Stanford, CA

Application Date: February 22, 2025

Program Dates: June 9, 2025 - July 31, 2025

Eligibility: 

• Open to current juniors and seniors (the graduating school of 2025 or 2026).

• You must be 16 years or older by June 9, 2025 (the start date of the program).

• You must be living and attending high school in the U.S.

• You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. 

Note. Although this program is open to students across the country, they will highly prioritize local students from the Bay Area. 

8. UC San Diego's Research Experience for High School Students (REHS)

The Research Experience for High School Students at UC San Diego is an eight-week volunteer program where you will work alongside a UCSD mentor to work on a research project in either a pair or small group. Although this program focuses on computational science, a number of mentors are specialized in neuroscience, so there is ample opportunity for great mentorship and guidance with your project. 

Through working on your research project, you will familiarize yourself with key aspects of research, such as hypothesis formulation, conducting experiments, and noting your observations and conclusions from the experiment.  Apart from the research project itself, you will be assigned readings and must participate in discussions with your mentor and graduate student team members! The program culminates in you developing a poster, which will be presented during an event in mid-August!

Do note that if you opt for a research project program, the fee is $1,500; however, students who qualify for free and reduced lunch are exempt. Moreover, if you opt for the non-research project program, there is no fee. 

Location: University of California, San Diego Campus, San Diego, CA

Application Date: March 15, 2024 (tentatively, based on the previous year’s dates).

Program Dates: June 17 - August 9, 2024 (tentatively, based on the previous year’s dates).

Eligibility: 

• You must be a Southern California resident and attend a school within Southern California. 

• Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. 

• You must turn at least 16 or older before June 15 of the application year.

• Must have a non-weighted minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and must be college-bound.

• Although not mandatory, REHS recommends having at least at least one year of chemistry or biology.

Note. There might be additional program-specific requirements, so please check before applying.

9. University of Pennsylvania's Neuroscience Research Academy

The Neuroscience Research Academy by UPenn is a three-week summer program where you will be taught by current undergraduate students and explore foundational topics in neuroscience, such as the cellular foundations of a neuron, to even understanding sensory systems. Throughout the program, you will attend daily lectures twice and participate in lab activities and experiments to gain hands-on experience. 

You will additionally have the opportunity to participate in a journal club where you and your peers will review neuroscience literature, develop presentations, and even debate current ethical dilemmas in neuroscience as a part of the neuroethics club. An added bonus is the field trips, including previous ones to the Franklin Institute and the Mütter Museum. 

Do note that although the course is paid, there are scholarships and financial aid for Philadelphia residents and those who attend a Philadelphia public or charter high school.

Location: University of Pennsylvania Campus,  Philadelphia, PA

Application Date: Although the application deadline is TBA, the applications for Summer 2025 open on December 1, 2024.

Program Dates: July 5, 2025 - July 26, 2025

Eligibility: 

• Open to high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. 

• You must have taken one year of high school biology and one year of high school chemistry. 

Note. If your one year of high school biology includes the course ‘Living Earth’ or ‘Living Environment,’ you will have to include the course description and transcripts in your application for the admission committee’s review.

If you’re looking to build a project/research paper in the field of AI & ML, consider applying to Veritas AI! 

Veritas AI is founded by Harvard graduate students. Through the programs, you get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn AI & ML with us. You can apply here!

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