11 Great Pre-Med Summer Programs for High School Students
Attending a pre-med summer program in high school is a solid idea for any aspiring pre-med students!
These programs offer a multitude of benefits that can significantly enhance your path towards a successful medical career as you can explore the world of medicine before committing to years of rigorous education and training.
By attending any of these programs below, you will gain hands-on experience through workshops, labs, and clinical simulations, giving you a taste of what a potential career in healthcare and research in medicine may entail.
The Stanford Medical Youth Science Program (SMYSP) is a free, five-week long, full-time summer program for current juniors from low-income and/or underrepresented backgrounds currently living in Northern California. While the location requirement does limit participation opportunities, this is a solid option for those living in California who are interested in pursuing medicine later in life. As a participant, you will be mentored by medical professionals, faculty, and current pre-med or STEM Stanford University students. This program would also be a great option for those who will be first-generation students, as SMYSP’s admission team focuses on increasing opportunity and access for aspiring first-generation college students from underrepresented backgrounds. This year, the SMYSP will also be hosted on Stanford’s campus in Palo Alto, California. During the duration of the program, you will intern at the Stanford Hospital every week, attend academic seminars and lectures, and create and present your own public health research project.
We have covered this opportunity in detail here!
Fees: None
Registration: The Summer 2024 application will open in December 2023
Eligibility: Current high school juniors
Location: Stanford University’s campus in Palo Alto, California
Dates: June 24 to July 26, 2024
2. Horizon
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and more! It is one of the very few research programs for high school students that offers a choice between quantitative and qualitative research!
Once you select a particular subject track and type of research you’ll be paired with a professor or Ph.D. scholar (from a top university) who will mentor you throughout your research journey. You’ll work to create a 20-page, university-level 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, as well as detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects and on college applications. Apply here!
Location: Virtual
Application Date: May 21, 2024 for the summer cohort, and September 25, 2024 for the fall 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.
The CDC Museum Disease Detective Camp, an interdisciplinary educational program organized by the CDC Museum, focuses on educating students about the CDC’s work. This academic day camp is held at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia and admission is open to high-school juniors and seniors. During camp, students are immersed in the diverse field of public health, with varying topics including: public health interventions, global health, infectious disease, chronic disease, injury prevention, data analysis, surveys, school wellness programs, violence prevention, environmental health, emergency preparedness, outbreaks, scientific communication, laboratory technology, disease surveillance, epidemiology, and public health law. With its main focus being the field of public health and the science of epidemiology, this program would be great for any students hoping to study biology or the biological sciences. This program has thirty slots available for each week-long camp and the application is competitive, with several hundred students applying to camp each year, so be sure to register early on to earn your spot. This program is not limited to U.S. citizens and would be a great option for any international high school students.
Fees: There is no cost. But campers must provide their own housing as well as transportation to and from CDC’s campus in Atlanta, GA.
Registration: Applications and application information will be shared in December of 2023.
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Dates: June 26-30 and July 24-28
This premed summer program is a great option for those looking for medical internships in high school. This one-week Medical Academy will introduce you to the field of medicine and give you a glimpse into the Georgetown University Medical Center, which includes the nationally ranked School of Medicine and School of Nursing & Health Studies, as well as the world-renowned Lombardi Cancer Center. Hosted on Georgetown’s campus in both June and July, you will have the opportunity to interact directly with current medical students, Georgetown University School of Medicine faculty, and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital physicians to learn about the path to becoming a physician, discover ways to succeed in medical school, and explore a variety of medical specialties. As a student, you'll spend your day immersed in a blend of lectures, interactive experiences, and group discussions, all led by prestigious Georgetown faculty.
Fees: $3,549 (this includes tuition, housing, and meals)
Registration: Early bird deadline dates: January 31 (Application fee waived for all applications submitted by this date). Final deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Current or rising high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors during the academic year prior to your summer program.
Location: Georgetown University’s campus in Washington, D.C.
Dates: June 9th-15th, June 23rd-29th, and July 7th-13th, 2024.
The Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego hosts a summer Medical Academy that provides high-school age students with unique and exciting opportunities to explore the world of health care through lectures, skills clinics, hands-on activities, group projects, career panels and interactive discussions. Designed for students who are interested in healthcare as a career, this program will cover everything from medicine and nursing to pharmacy and social work.
This hospital also offers a larger program than others on this list, and includes weekend-academy options if you are unable to commit to the entire academy. Each of these programs have different topics and appeal to different medical careers. Some of these weekend programs include: Working as a Physician’s Assistant, Becoming a Professional Nurse, and Mental Health Matters in Medicine.
Fees: $3,000, which covers all course, lab, and program materials; t-shirts and scrub pants; and daily lunch
Registration: Application due date will be published in Fall 2023.
Eligibility: Sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school
Location: Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California
Dates: June 17-28 and July 8-19, 2024
The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital hosts an eight-week internship for incoming college first-years every summer. What sets this program apart from others on this list is that it is a paid internship, rather than a pre-college summer program. As a participant, you will dedicate about 20 hours a week to this program under a hospital mentor. You must also live in the Cincinnati area, and be a graduating high school senior to apply.
The program itself is a very competitive, exciting opportunity for highly motivated students interested in pursuing higher education (MD, PhD, or MD / PhD) to learn more about careers in Biomedical Sciences. And while this is a paid internship, this program is still structured the same as the other pre-med programs on this list as it combines learning with experience! As an intern, you will be paid $13 an hour and will spend your time shadowing your primary mentor in the clinic while participating in clinical and research projects.
Fees: No cost
Registration: Applications open November 2023 and close February 1st, 2024.
Eligibility: Applicants must be a resident in the Cincinnati metropolitan area and graduating from high school in spring 2024.
Location: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Dates: Times vary by intern, but the start date is June 4th, 2024 and the program runs for the eight following weeks.
The Rochester Institute of Technology’s pre-med summer program was created with the goal of exposing participants to a potential future in the medical field, while also showing you what college life is like. As a participant you will attend medical demonstrations, participate in group activities and discussions, be part of hands-on demonstrations in biology, exercise science, medical laboratory science, microbiology, nursing, nutrition and earn a a CPR/First Aid certification. All students participating in the program stay at Rochester Institute of Technology in the Mark Ellingson Residence Hall, and will be served all meals in the Grace Watson Dining Hall, which means you will get to experience campus life while narrowing down your future career. This program is also unique in that it is geared towards deaf, or hard of hearing, students. It provides a special learning environment for those wanting to pursue a career in the medical realm who may not have had a chance to do a summer program otherwise.
Fees: $700
Registration: April 30, 2024
Eligibility: Deaf and hard-of-hearing students who are entering 10th, 11th or 12th grade in fall of 2024
Location: Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
Dates: July 20 – 25, 2024
Nova Southeastern University’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine offers this unique five-day medical immersion day camp for high school students. Achieve in Medicine (AIM) High was created with the goal of supporting and educating high-achieving high school students in what pursuing a career in the health professions may look like. The AIM-High pre-med day camp will provide you with a wide range of hands-on medical experiences in various disciplines, while exploring the role of technology in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.
As a participant, you will have the opportunity to explore different areas of medical practice in numerous specialties, including: preventative medicine, pediatrics, neuroscience, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and public health. Through 7+ hours of daily informational meetings and classes, you will learn and apply innovative and emerging technologies that impact medical education and practice, such as 3-D modeling, processing language and augmented reality. This program also applies learning experiences through medical procedure practice, like suturing and dissections. This program is not limited to Florida or U.S. residents.
Fees: $1,600
Registration: Deadline for application is May 1, 2024.
Eligibility: High school students.
Location: NSU Tampa Bay Regional Campus in Clearwater, Florida.
Dates: Session 1: July 8-12, 2024. Session 2: July 15-19, 2024
At the Wake Forest University Summer Medical Immersion Program, you will engage with on-site visits to healthcare facilities and hands-on experiences in the medical field while gaining insight into the many career opportunities available within the various disciplines of medicine. You’ll visit healthcare facilities in surrounding areas, participate in simulations and labs all while learning basic skills like taking blood pressure and suturing. During these exercises and experiences, you will experience what it would be like to pursue a career in the medical field by learning all about Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Pulmonology, Neurology, Ultrasound, Cancer Care, and Surgery.
Fees: $3,000
Registration: The application opens on November 1st and students are accepted on a rolling basis until all programs are filled. There is no hard deadline to apply, though students are encouraged to apply early as popular institutes begin to implement waitlists in January.
Eligibility: Current 9th-12th grade students
Location: Wake Forest University’s campus in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Dates: June 9-14 and July 14-19 2024
Split into two sections: Biology & Chemistry and Human Anatomy & Physiology, Harvard University’s Pre-Med Academies offer you the opportunity to learn key clinical skills from speakers and Harvard Medical School students, develop a deep understanding of what it is like to study Medicine, and explore medical specialties from cardiology to immunotherapy. If you apply to the Biology & Chemistry course, you will study Genetics, Immunology, & Organic Chemistry while gaining an important medical background and taking a deep dive into various diseases. If you apply to the Human Anatomy & Physiology course, you will study the various systems of the body, learn about blood work, how to read medical images (including X-rays and MRIs) and prepare for a case study analysis. Both courses are taught by Harvard pre-med students, meaning you will not only learn from the best and brightest, but you will gain real-world insight from current Harvard students.
Fees: Fees vary, see here.
Registration: December 31st, 2023 is the final deadline (though there are early bird options).
Eligibility: High school students (9th-12th grade)
Location: Harvard University’s campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Dates: Dates vary, see here.
UCLA, one of the top public universities in America, hosts an annual Summer Springboard program for high school students, with an Emergency Medicine academic track. As a member of SSB, you will get to live on UCLA’s beautiful Los Angeles campus, while studying under some of the best professors in the United States. At the center of your Summer Springboard program is the academic track you choose, with their Emergency Medicine track, you will take a course that is designed to give you a taste of the real-world college experience at a competitive university while learning basic medical skills and getting training on how to handle situations when medical care is not immediately available. UCLA’s simulations are designed to help you learn and practice medical techniques, including positioning and extraction, wound care, control of bleeding, stitches and sutures, usage of splints and slings, and other useful potentially life-saving skills. You will also, in small groups, learn how to research a simulated patient’s history and symptoms, create a diagnosis based on your findings, and develop a treatment plan. This study is meant to teach you how to respond to a patient just like a medical professional, by assessing information and applying your medical knowledge in high-pressure environments.
Fees: $5,898
Registration: May 10th, 2024 is the final submission deadline
Eligibility: 9th-12th grades
Location: UCLA’s campus in Los Angeles, California
Dates: June 23, 2024-July 5, 2024 and July 7, 2024-July 19, 2024
Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you are interested in carrying out independent research medicine and other STEM subjects, you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here
Mandy Brenner is a current junior at Harvard University. She is concentrating in History and Literature and loves to read and write in her free time.
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