Updated October 2026

TL;DR

ARISE (Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering) is a free, 10-week summer research program at NYU Tandon School of Engineering in Brooklyn. It's open to New York City residents who attend NYC schools and are current 10th or 11th graders. You spend four weeks in remote evening workshops, then six weeks working full-time in an NYU research lab, and you earn a $2,000 stipend when you finish. The program wraps up with a colloquium at NYU and a poster symposium at the American Museum of Natural History. If you don't live in NYC or want to research your own question with a PhD mentor, you can apply to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program.

If you're a New York City high schooler who loves science or engineering, you don't have to wait until college to work in a real research lab. NYU's ARISE puts high school students inside NYU labs for the summer, working next to faculty and graduate researchers on actual projects. Robotics, machine learning, materials science, biology, urban engineering, and even anthropology are all on the table.

ARISE is free and pays you a stipend. That combination makes it one of the most competitive summer programs in the city, so a careful application really matters. In this guide, we'll walk through how ARISE works, who can apply, and 10 tips to help you put together a stronger application. If you're looking at other options too, check out our list of research opportunities for high school students in New York City.

What is NYU ARISE?

ARISE stands for Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering. It's run by NYU Tandon's Center for K12 STEM Education and funded by the Pinkerton Foundation, which is why it costs nothing to attend.

The program's goal is to give NYC students who don't have easy access to high-quality STEM experiences a chance to do advanced research. Students from groups historically excluded from STEM are strongly encouraged to apply.

During the summer, you're placed in an NYU lab and directed by graduate researchers and faculty. You build technical skills, learn how research actually gets done, and contribute to your lab's ongoing projects. At the end, you present what you found to NYU faculty, researchers, your fellow ARISE students, and your family.

How is ARISE structured?

ARISE runs for 10 weeks and has two parts. Here's how the last program was set up:

• Orientation and safety training (May 29): Your official start.

• Remote workshops (June 1 to 25): Four weeks of online workshops during evening hours, covering safety training, college writing, and research skills.

• In-person lab work (July 6 to August 13): Six weeks in your assigned lab, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. That adds up to about 150 hours of lab experience.

• Workshops along the way: Public speaking sessions with ARISE's partners at the Irondale Ensemble Project, a college readiness workshop, and research resource sessions.

• AMNH Poster Symposium (August 13): You present a poster at the American Museum of Natural History.

• Colloquium (August 14): The final day, where you present your research to the NYU community.

Along the way, you also get group and one-on-one help with college applications. After the program, you join an alumni network that shares jobs, internships, and research opportunities.

NYU ARISE at a glance

What kind of research can you do at ARISE?

ARISE partners with dozens of NYU labs, and the list changes each year. In the most recent cohort, around 50 labs took part, spread across NYU Tandon, the College of Arts and Science, and other NYU schools. A few examples from that list:

• Engineering: the Mechatronics Lab, the Machines in Motion Laboratory, the Dynamical Systems Lab, and the Composite Materials and Mechanics Lab

• Computer and data science: the Responsible Data Science Lab, the ECE Machine Learning Laboratory, the Machine Learning for Good Laboratory, and the Immersive Lab

• Cybersecurity and telecom: the Cybersecurity for Democracy team at the NYU Center for Cybersecurity and the Center for Advanced Technology in Telecommunications (CATT)

• Life sciences: the Chromatin Genomics Lab, the Chromosome Inheritance Lab, and the Protein Engineering & Molecular Design Lab

• Urban and environmental: the Environmental Engineering and Water Treatment Lab, the Urban Mobility and Intelligent Transportation Systems Laboratory, and the Climate, Energy, and Risk Analytics Lab

• Anthropology: the African Paleosciences Lab and the Hominin Skeletal Morphology Lab

You can see the full partner list on the ARISE page. It's worth reading carefully, since knowing the labs helps a lot during interviews.

Pros and cons of NYU ARISE

Pros

You get real lab experience. You spend six weeks working inside an NYU lab with faculty and graduate researchers. That's the closest you can get to college research while still in high school.

It's free, and you get paid. ARISE costs nothing, and you receive a $2,000 stipend when you complete the program.

You build skills beyond research. Public speaking workshops, college writing sessions, and one-on-one college application help come built in.

You present your work twice. Once at the AMNH Poster Symposium and once at the NYU colloquium. Explaining your research to a room of scientists is a skill most people don't practice until college.

You get a lot of fields to choose from. From robotics to genetics to anthropology, there's likely a lab that matches what you're curious about.

The connections keep going. Alumni can tap into continued mentorship, research collaborations, and an alumni network with job and internship opportunities.

Cons

It's very competitive. Spots are limited, and the application has several rounds, including group interviews and one-on-one interviews.

It takes your whole summer. Remote workshops run in June, and lab work is full-time, Monday to Friday, through mid-August. That leaves little room for other programs or jobs.

Only NYC students can apply. You need to be a full-time NYC resident attending an NYC school. If you live outside the five boroughs, you're not eligible.

There's no college credit. ARISE is a non-credit program.

Who is eligible for ARISE?

To apply to ARISE, you need to:

• Be a current 10th or 11th grader (a rising junior or senior next fall)

• Be a full-time New York City resident attending a New York City school

• Have a strong academic record and a demonstrated interest in STEM

The program is especially looking for students who haven't had access to strong STEM opportunities, and it encourages students from groups historically excluded from STEM to apply.

How to apply to ARISE

The upcoming dates haven't been posted yet. Here's what the last timeline looked like:

• Applications opened: January 15

• Committee review started: February 23

• Applications closed: February 27

• Group interviews started: March 22

• One-on-one interviews: Scheduled after group interviews

• Lab placement notifications: April 6 to 10

The process has several steps. First, you fill out an online application with information about yourself, your academic record, and the research areas you're interested in. A recommendation is optional. Next, selected applicants are invited to group interviews and lab tours, followed by one-on-one interviews. Finally, you're matched with a lab placement.

10 Tips to Help You Get Into NYU's ARISE

1. Start early

Applications open in January and close at the end of February, which goes by fast during the school year. Start thinking about your essay and research interests in the fall. Make a list of STEM classes, projects, and activities so you're not scrambling later.

2. Keep your grades strong.

ARISE looks for students with strong academic records. Your math and science classes matter a lot here. If you're struggling in one, it's worth getting help now, since your grades will be part of your application.

3. Pick research areas you actually care about

The application asks which areas you're interested in. Choose based on what genuinely excites you. If you spent last summer messing around with Arduino kits, robotics or mechatronics makes sense. If you love biology class, a genetics lab might be a better fit.

4. Read through the partner labs.

Go through the full lab list on the ARISE page and look up a few that interest you. Many lab websites explain their current projects in plain language. Knowing what the Responsible Data Science Lab or the Machines in Motion Lab actually works on makes you way more prepared for interviews.

5. Write about your STEM story.

Use your written responses to show what got you into STEM. Maybe you fixed your family's Wi-Fi router and got curious about how networks work, or you watched a documentary about early humans and couldn't stop thinking about it. Specific details make your application easier to remember.

6. Talk about what you'd bring to a lab.

Labs want students who are curious and reliable. If you've coded, built something, done a science fair project, or helped run a club, mention it. Show how those experiences would help you contribute.

7. Ask for a recommendation, even though it's optional

In 2026, the recommendation was optional. A strong one from a teacher, counselor, or mentor who knows your work can still help your application. Ask early and give them a few talking points about your interests.

8. Prepare for group interviews.

Group interviews and lab tours are where researchers start to get to know you. Practice explaining why you're interested in research in a sentence or two. Listen to other students, ask thoughtful questions, and show you can work well with others.

9. Get ready for one-on-one interviews.

If you move on to one-on-one interviews, review the labs you're meeting with. Think about a couple of questions to ask, like what a typical day looks like or what skills you'd learn. These conversations help match you with the right lab.

10. Be yourself

ARISE is looking for students who are genuinely excited about STEM. You don't need to have done research before. Being honest about what you know, what you want to learn, and why it matters to you goes a long way.

Is NYU ARISE prestigious?

Yes. ARISE is a selective, multi-round program that puts high school students in real NYU research labs, and only NYC students can apply. NYU doesn't publish an acceptance rate, but spots are limited, and the interview process is intense.

What makes it stand out is the work itself. You spend about 150 hours in a lab, learn from graduate researchers and faculty, and present your findings at both NYU and the American Museum of Natural History. That's the kind of experience you can talk about in depth in college essays and interviews.

How does ARISE compare with other NYC research programs?

If you're building a list, here's how ARISE compares with two other selective programs.

If you're in NYC and love neuroscience, BRAINYAC's deadline is coming up fast. If you're a junior aiming for a national program, RSI's deadline is in December, so you could apply to RSI and ARISE in the same cycle.

If you're more into computing, take a look at our top summer computer science research programs for high school students.

If you're looking for a similar research experience in STEM or engineering, especially if you don't live in NYC, you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. 

What students often ask about NYU ARISE

1. Do I need lab experience before applying?

No. Lab experience isn't listed as a requirement, and the first four weeks of the program cover safety training and research skills before you start lab work. What matters more is a strong academic record and a real interest in STEM.

2. Can I choose which lab I work in?

Partly. You share your preferred research areas on the application, and your placement is decided through lab tours and interviews. The program then matches you with a lab based on those conversations.

3. Can I do another program or job during ARISE?

It's tough. Remote workshops run on weekday evenings in June, and lab work runs Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., through mid-August. If you're still figuring out your summer, our guide to summer research programs vs. summer internships can help you decide.

4. Do I get college credit for ARISE?

No. ARISE is a non-credit program, though you do earn a stipend and present your research at NYU and the American Museum of Natural History. If credit matters to you, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program lets you earn 3 post-baccalaureate credits through UC San Diego Extended Studies when you complete your research paper online.