If you're a high school student interested in enhancing your college application profile by engaging in advanced coursework, consider a research mentorship program! In this blog, we've covered 9 of the best research mentorship programs for high school students, including STEM research mentorship programs, free research mentorship programs, and online research mentorship programs for high school students!

Note: Please keep in mind the following information is for 2023, though dates tend to be similar year on year.

Why should I do a research mentorship program in high school?

Doing a research mentorship program in high school comes with a ton of benefits, some of which are summarized below!

TLDR;

• Programs from Ivy Leagues and other top colleges

• Build relationships with the best minds in research

• Programs in artificial intelligence, media, STEM, & more

• In-person and online options

• Opportunities for students from all over the world

• Opportunities to receive stipends

Here are the 10 best research mentorship programs for high school students!

1. Lumiere Research Scholar Program

Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. Main summer deadlines are March 15, April 15, and May 15

Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year

Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!

Eligibility:

• You must be currently enrolled in high school

• Students must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (Note: students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)

• No previous knowledge of your field of interest is required!

Program Dates: The summer cohort runs from June to August, the Fall cohort from September to December, the Winter cohort from December to February, Spring from March to June 

The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research mentorship program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students, across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. 

This research mentorship program pairs high-school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.

2. Regeneron’s High School Mentorship Program

Subject areas: STEM

Location: New York

Cost: Free

Application deadline: December 9, 2022

Program dates: 2 years for sophomores,1 year for juniors (6-7 weeks of mentorship, July - August)

Program selectivity: High

Eligibility: Applicants must be high school sophomores and juniors nominated by their high school teachers

Regeneron is a leading biotechnology company that invents, develops, and commercializes medicines for people with serious diseases. They facilitate a High School Mentorship Program to encourage high school students to conduct scientific research. This program aims to provide students an opportunity to work with Regeneron scientists both inside and outside the lab to develop their scientific knowledge and critical thinking skills. If you’re intrigued by industrial medicine innovation, do check out this program.  

3. Veritas AI - AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase 

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 for AI Scholars. You can apply here

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

Program dates: Varies according to the cohort

Program selectivity: Moderately selective

Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located 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 focuses on providing high school students who are passionate about the field of AI a suitable environment to explore their interests. The research mentorship programs include collaborative learning, project development, and 1-on-1 mentorship. These programs are designed and run by Harvard graduate students and alumni, and you can expect a fulfilling educational experience. Students are expected to have a basic understanding of Python or are recommended to complete the AI scholars program before pursuing the fellowship. 

The AI Fellowship research mentorship program allows students to pursue independent AI research projects. Students work on their research projects over 15 weeks and can opt to combine AI with any other field of interest. In the past, students have worked on research papers in the fields of AI & medicine, AI & finance, AI & environmental science, AI & education, and more! You can find examples of previous projects here.

4. Harvard-MIT’s Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP)

Subject areas: Astrophysics

Location: Harvard or MIT

Cost: Free; stipend paid by City of Cambridge

Application deadline: May 2023 (based on last year’s calendar)

Program dates: September - May (year-long)

Program selectivity: Extremely high

Eligibility: Applicants must be local high-school sophomores, juniors, and seniors

This program runs through the school year and gives students the opportunity to work alongside astrophysicists and climate scientists as mentors on the Harvard and MIT campuses. It includes monthly workshops with the director and guest lecturers and an end-of-the-year symposium where students will present their research in talks at Harvard.

5. Stanford's Inspiring Future Scientists through Shadowing (IFSS)

Subject areas: Chemical Research

Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Cost: Free

Application deadline: May 1, 2023

Program dates: June 20th - July 1st, 2023 (based on last year’s calendar)

Program selectivity: High

Eligibility: Applicants must be over the age of 16 by the start of the program. U.S. citizens and permanent residents - particularly women and under-represented minorities - are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to local students since this is not an on-campus housing program.

This program is hosted annually by the chemistry department at Stanford University and aims to provide access to cutting-edge chemical research to high school students. As a participant, you will shadow a graduate student mentor as they work in the laboratory. Women and under-represented minorities interested in sciences are encouraged to apply!

6. MIT’s THINK Scholar Program

Subject areas: Research & Innovation

Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA

Cost: Free; receive funding up to $1,000

Application deadline: January 1, 2023

Program dates: ~6 months

Program selectivity: High

Eligibility: Applicants must be full-time high school students & must have permanent U.S. residency during the 2022-2023 academic year. U.S. citizenship is not required.

Rather than requiring students to have completed a research project before applying, THINK caters to students who have done extensive research on the background of a potential research project and are looking for additional guidance in the early stages of their project. The program is organized by a group of undergraduates at MIT and seeks proposals in the field of science, technology, and engineering, including green technologies and practical devices for software applications. If you have experience in research, this program would be a great fit for you.

7. UC Santa Barbara’s Research Mentorship Program

Subject areas: 24 fields (e.g., biology, economics, engineering, mathematics, etc.)

Location: Mix of virtual and in-person

Cost: $4,700 (commuter option), $6,599 (residential option)

Application deadline: March 15, 2023

Program dates: June 20 - August 4, 2023

Program selectivity: Moderate

Eligibility: Applicants must currently be a high school sophomore or junior (outstanding 9th graders accepted on a case-by-case basis)

UC Santa Barbara holds a summer program each year that is focused on providing students with research opportunities. In the program, students spend 30-40 hours per week working with their research mentor and building a research presentation. The program also provides university credit with two additional courses as part of the program - research presentation techniques and introduction to research.

This program is unique because it allows students to be exposed to a wide variety of interdisciplinary research topics, and then rank a selection of projects they would like to work on. They offer programs in 24 different areas including the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. All students will choose a project and a research mentor (graduate student, postdoc, or faculty) to conduct hands-on, university-level research with.

8. Woodland Ecology Research Mentorship (WERM)

Subject areas: Ecology

Location: Wave Hill, Bronx, NY

Cost: Receive $3,900 as compensation for the 14-month program. Other benefits include earning 9 college credits and 30 hours of community service

Application deadline: Applications for 2023 are not yet open

Program dates: June 2023 - August 2024 (tentatively, based on last year’s schedule)

Program selectivity: High

Eligibility: High school student, 16 years old by June 15, 2023, and a New York City resident eligible to work in the United States

This 14-month program offers motivated high school students a unique opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of ecology and participate in hands-on fieldwork and science research. They also contribute to local efforts by participating in field research with local scientists and restoration practitioners. If you're looking to work in the grassroots of ecological New York, this program is for you.

9. Princeton University's Laboratory Learning Program

Subject areas: Engineering & Natural Sciences

Location: Princeton, NJ

Cost: Free 

Application deadline: March 23, 2023

Program dates: 5-6 weeks over the summer

Program selectivity: High

Eligibility: Applicants must be high school students between the ages of 16-18

The Laboratory Learning Program is a full-time research experience in the sciences or engineering where students take part in ongoing research programs. This program ensures that students are closely supervised by Princeton faculty and research staff. Each research opportunity has its own schedule since they are customized according to the schedules of the research mentors. Please note that this research mentorship program is not a summer camp; students who are accepted will have to find their own housing.

Are you looking for more programs? Here are some of our blogs like 15 best free summer programs for high school students and 15 Virtual Research Opportunities for High School Students.

Dhvani (the-one-e) is a program manager at Lumiere, in addition to being an entrepreneur, dialogue facilitator, and boxer. She graduated from UC Davis where she studied Design, Psychology, and Sustained Dialogue. She has a passion for all things education, inclusion, and empowerment!