Best Physics Research Opportunities for High School Students (2026)
Updated: Sep 20
Updated September 1, 2026
TL;DR
Physics research programs for high schoolers split into three real categories: fully remote mentorship you can do from anywhere, paid internships at national labs like Fermilab and NASA, and residential university programs that mostly require you to already be a rising junior or senior. Nine of the ten programs below are still running and verified against their own sites as of September 2026 (two programs from older versions of this list, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's internship and Perimeter Institute's ISSYP, are currently paused or discontinued, so we dropped them). If you're a freshman or sophomore, live outside the US, or just want to skip the wait for junior year, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you 1:1 with a PhD mentor on an independent physics research project you can start now, no matter your grade or country.
Physics can be tough to explore beyond the classroom, especially for high school students with limited access to labs, mentors, or advanced coursework. Research programs can help bridge that gap by giving you the chance to work on real problems, learn from researchers, and build skills that schoolwork alone may not cover.
How we selected these physics research opportunities
Verified every program against its own official page for current deadlines, cost, and eligibility as of September 2026, and cut anything paused, discontinued, or at capacity for years running
Included only programs where you do real research work, meaning data collection, lab work, or an original project with a paper, poster, or presentation at the end, not a lecture series or a general STEM camp
Sorted programs by whether they pay you, whether they're open outside the US, and how early in high school you can apply, since those are the three things that actually decide whether a program is worth your time
Cross-checked against what's currently ranking for physics research searches, including official lab and university pages and competitor guides, to catch anything a purely internal list would have missed
For more options, see our guides to physics internships for high school students, physics competitions, and physics research topics and project ideas. If you're weighing options across every subject, not just physics, see our best research opportunities for high school students (2026).
Does physics research help with college applications?
Yes, they do! Admissions officers read a research project differently than a class or a camp. It shows you can hold onto a question for weeks or months, not just a single afternoon.
A finished paper, poster, or presentation gives you something concrete to describe in an application essay, instead of a generic "I learned a lot" summary
Working with a mentor, whether at a national lab or through remote 1:1 mentorship, gets you a specific, detailed letter of recommendation instead of a generic one
Physics research signals depth in a subject that's hard to fake with grades alone, since it shows you sought out work beyond what your school offers
Lumiere itself is a useful data point on how competitive research access has gotten: last year, more than 4,000 students applied for around 500 spots across all Lumiere subject tracks, and alumni have gone on to more than 215 universities worldwide. You can view our admission report to learn more.
How to get into physics research as a high schooler
Get physics and precalculus on your transcript before you apply, not while you apply. Programs like the Summer Science Program require you to complete the coursework for a grade by June of the application year. Self-study doesn't count.
If you're a freshman or sophomore, start remote. Nearly every campus and lab program on this list is closed to anyone younger than a rising junior. Lumiere and UPenn's Experimental Physics Research Academy (grades 9 to 11) are the exceptions.
Apply in the fall and winter, not the spring. Deadlines for next summer cluster from December through late February. Clark Scholars, COSMOS, and the Summer Science Program all close before most students start thinking about summer plans.
If you want to get paid, target national labs over universities. Fermilab's QuarkNet, NASA's high school internships, and Texas Tech's Clark Scholars Program all pay a stipend. Most university residential academies charge tuition instead.
Check citizenship rules before you fall in love with a program. The Summer Science Program, MIT's Research Science Institute, and NASA all require US citizenship or permanent residency. The Lumiere Research Scholar Program and Yale's YSPA are the two here that explicitly welcome international students.
Ask your school to nominate you where nomination is required. The Simons Summer Research Program caps nominations at two students per school, so talk to a science teacher or research coordinator well before the January deadline, not the week of.
How to choose
If you... | Recommended program(s) |
Are a freshman or sophomore | Lumiere Research Scholar Program, UPenn Experimental Physics Research Academy |
Live outside the US | |
Want to get paid, not pay tuition | |
Want the most selective, most recognized name on your application | |
Live in California and want a low-cost in-state option | |
Are focused on astrophysics specifically | |
Want a finished research paper, not just a poster session | |
Need a free or need-blind option with no tuition at all |
National lab and government physics internships
RSI brings 100 students to MIT for a week of intensive STEM seminars, followed by five weeks of independent research with a scientist mentor, and closes with a written and oral presentation. The Center for Excellence in Education runs it, not MIT itself, though it's held on MIT's campus.
Application deadline: Early-to-mid December (the 2026 cycle closed December 10, 2025)
Duration: 6 weeks, late June to early August
Location: MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, residential
Eligibility: Current high school juniors only; seniors cannot apply. You must turn 16 by July 1 of the program year
Cost: Free, including tuition, housing, and meals; $75 non-refundable application fee, with waivers available
Selectivity: Very high, under 5%, with roughly 1,600 applicants for 100 spots
Who it's right for: Juniors with a strong STEM record who want the single most recognized research credential on this list and don't mind a tough, test-adjacent application. Our full guide to getting into RSI covers the essays and recommendation strategy in detail.
Clark Scholars places just twelve students a year in Texas Tech labs across STEM, social science, and humanities departments for seven weeks of faculty-mentored research, plus weekly seminars and social activities.
Application deadline: Mid-February (the 2026 cycle closed February 16, 2026)
Duration: 7 weeks, late June to early August
Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, residential
Eligibility: At least 17 by the program start date; graduating this year or next (rising seniors or recent graduates); US citizens and permanent residents
Cost: Free, including tuition, housing, and meals; a $750 tax-free stipend is paid after you complete your research report
Selectivity: Very high, around 2 to 3%, with 12 spots for roughly 700 applicants
Who it's right for: Rising seniors who want small-cohort, faculty-level mentorship and don't mind Texas Tech being a less famous name than MIT or Yale. The stipend and full funding make this one of the most accessible high-selectivity options here. You can view our full guide here.
Remote and virtual physics research
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you 1:1 with a PhD mentor to design and carry out an independent physics research project, ending in a university-level paper. Because the mentorship is one-on-one rather than a shared cohort, you set the topic. Past students have researched everything from astrophysics and engineering to computational physics.
Application deadline: Rolling, with spring, summer, fall, and winter cohorts
Duration: 12 weeks to 1 year
Location: Fully remote, open worldwide
Eligibility: Currently enrolled in high school with a strong academic record
Cost: Tuition-based; full financial aid available
Selectivity: Selective, roughly 4,000 applicants for about 500 spots across all Lumiere subjects
Who it's right for: Freshmen and sophomores locked out of junior-and-up campus programs, international students, and anyone who wants a finished paper instead of a poster session. See the application details here.
University-based summer physics research programs
This residential academy covers mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum dynamics, and astrophysics through lectures, labs, and projects, with Penn faculty giving talks on their own research along the way.
Application deadline: Opens in the fall; the 2026 cohort reached capacity before summer, so apply as early as possible
Duration: 3 weeks in July
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, residential only, no commuter or online option
Eligibility: Current 9th through 11th graders; previous physics coursework is encouraged but not required
Cost: $10,050 for 2026, covering tuition and housing; scholarships available for Philadelphia public and charter school students
Selectivity: High, and capacity-limited rather than purely merit-ranked
Who it's right for: Freshmen and sophomores who want a residential college experience and can afford it, or Philadelphia students eligible for the scholarship. This is coursework and guided projects, not an independent mentored research placement, despite the name.
COSMOS places you in a research cluster, including astrophysics, biophysics, and computation tracks, at one of six UC campuses for four weeks of hands-on work using university labs and facilities.
Application deadline: Early February (2026 applications closed February 6)
Duration: 4 weeks in July
Location: UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz, or UC San Diego, residential
Eligibility: California residents attending California high schools only, rising 9th through 12th graders
Cost: $5,518 for 2026, plus a $46 application fee; financial aid available and awarded by need
Selectivity: High
Who it's right for: California students who want research-cluster access at a UC campus without leaving the state. Not an option if you live elsewhere, since eligibility is restricted to California residents.
NASA's Office of STEM Engagement runs paid internships at centers across the country, matching you with a NASA mentor on projects in physics-adjacent fields like engineering and planetary science. Some placements are virtual.
Application deadline: Three sessions a year (spring, summer, fall), each with a deadline months ahead of the session start
Duration: Typically 8 to 10 weeks in summer; shorter sessions available during the school year
Location: NASA centers nationwide, including Alabama, California, Florida, Maryland, Texas, and Virginia; some virtual roles available
Eligibility: US citizens, at least 16, minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale, enrolled in grades 9 through 12
Cost: Free; paid, with a stipend based on academic level and session length
Selectivity: Extremely competitive; NASA's internship program overall selects roughly 1.6% of applicants across all levels
Who it's right for: US students near a NASA center, or those open to a virtual placement, who want a federal research credential and a paycheck rather than tuition.
YSPA combines two weeks of online self-study in Python and observational astronomy with four weeks in residence at Yale's Leitner Observatory, where you collect and analyze your own telescope data for an original research project.
Application deadline: Late February (the 2026 cycle closed February 28); the application period opens in December
Duration: 6 weeks total (2 weeks online, 4 weeks residential)
Location: Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Eligibility: Rising seniors (current juniors at the time of application); international students welcome
Cost: $8,000 tuition, covering academic costs, room, board, and materials; financial aid available, with a typical award around 50% and up to 80% for demonstrated need
Selectivity: Highly selective, with 32 to 36 students admitted per cohort
Who it's right for: Rising seniors set on astrophysics specifically, including international students, who want telescope time and a genuine data-analysis project. Our full breakdown of whether YSPA is worth it covers the application in more depth.
SSP puts teams of three students on near-Earth asteroid research using real observational data and university telescopes, at one of several partner campuses that rotate the astrophysics track each year.
Application deadline: Domestic deadline in mid-to-late February (2026: February 19); international deadline in late January (2026: January 29)
Duration: 39 days, roughly late June through late July or early August depending on campus
Location: Rotates among partner campuses; 2026 astrophysics sites include Albion College, Georgia College & State University, Linfield University, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Colby College, Lehigh University, and Knox College, all residential
Eligibility: Current high school juniors only, ages 15 to 19; sophomores and seniors are not eligible, per SSP's own current policy. You need physics and precalculus completed for a grade by June, or calculus if you haven't taken physics
Cost: Up to $11,800 sticker price; admissions is need-blind and SSP meets 100% of demonstrated financial need, so many students attend at reduced cost or free
Selectivity: Highly selective, roughly 5 to 10% depending on the year
Who it's right for: Juniors focused on astrophysics who want genuine observational research and can't or don't want to pay full tuition, given the need-blind aid model. Our guide on whether SSP is worth doing walks through the application in detail.
QuarkNet places students in particle physics research at Fermilab and roughly 50 partner centers at universities and labs nationwide, working alongside physicists on live experiments in high-energy physics, detector technology, and data analysis.
Application deadline: Varies by local center; QuarkNet is decentralized, so check your nearest center for its specific timeline
Duration: About 6 to 7 weeks in summer
Location: Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois, and other partner centers nationwide
Eligibility: Strong interest and demonstrated aptitude in science and math; a work authorization is required if you're under 16
Cost: Paid; stipends vary by center (one Illinois-based center reported an hourly rate around $17)
Selectivity: Competitive, varying by center
Who it's right for: Students near a QuarkNet center who want hands-on particle physics research and a paycheck over a big-name university label. Our deep dive on QuarkNet explains how the center-by-center structure works.
Simons Fellows join a Stony Brook faculty lab in science, math, or engineering, take on a real project inside that group, and close the six weeks with a written research abstract and a poster at a closing symposium.
Application deadline: School nomination by late January (2026: January 30), full application by early February (2026: February 5)
Duration: 6 weeks, late June to early August
Location: Stony Brook University, New York; commuter or residential options available
Eligibility: Current high school juniors only; US citizens or permanent residents; requires a school nomination, capped at two students per school
Cost: Free, no tuition; a stipend is awarded at the closing symposium
Selectivity: Highly competitive, around 5%
Who it's right for: Juniors near enough to commute or willing to live on campus, whose school will nominate them, and who want lab access across any STEM field rather than physics specifically.
Frequently asked questions
Are there free physics research programs for high school students?
Yes. Fermilab's QuarkNet, NASA's high school internships, and the Simons Summer Research Program all charge no tuition and pay you. The Summer Science Program and MIT's RSI charge a sticker price but are need-blind or fully funded, so cost shouldn't rule them out before you apply. Only UPenn's academy and Yale's YSPA charge real tuition without a need-blind guarantee, though both offer financial aid.
Can freshmen or sophomores do physics research?
Only two programs here take you before junior year: the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, open to any enrolled high schooler, and UPenn's Experimental Physics Research Academy, open to grades 9 through 11. Every other program on this list requires you to be a rising junior or senior, and the Summer Science Program specifically now excludes sophomores.
Is the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory internship still running?
No, not for now. PPPL's own site confirms the High School Internship Program is not being offered for summer 2026. If plasma physics is specifically what draws you, Fermilab's QuarkNet is the closest active alternative on this list.
Are there physics research programs open to international students?
Two: the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, which is fully remote and open worldwide with financial aid, and Yale's YSPA, which explicitly welcomes international applicants for its residential program. MIT RSI, the Summer Science Program, NASA, Clark Scholars, and COSMOS all require US citizenship, permanent residency, or California residency.
What's the difference between a physics research program and a physics internship?
Research programs, the ones on this list, place you inside an original project with a mentor and a paper, poster, or presentation as the output. Internships can look similar but sometimes emphasize shadowing, coursework, or rotational exposure over an independent project. If you're weighing both, our physics internships guide covers programs built more around workplace exposure.
Do you need advanced physics knowledge before you apply?
It depends on the program. The Summer Science Program requires physics and precalculus completed for a grade beforehand, with no exceptions for self-study. UPenn's academy explicitly says prior physics experience helps but isn't required. Remote mentorship programs like Lumiere set the bar lowest, since your PhD mentor helps build the background you need as the project develops.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.