STEM Summer Research Opportunities for High School Students in 2027
Updated: Sep 20
Updated September 2, 2026
TL;DR
Every program below puts you inside a real research project with an actual mentor, not a lecture hall. Most also come with strict rules, like local residency, a school nomination, or a narrow application window. The Lumiere Research Scholar Program skips those restrictions entirely. It pairs you 1-on-1 with a PhD mentor from anywhere in the world, on a schedule that works for you. Ten of the fifteen programs below are free, and a few even pay you, but deadlines run December through mid-March, so start early if you want a real shot at summer 2027.
Want more options? Our guides to free STEM programs for high school students, STEM extracurricular activities, and STEM research topics and project ideas cover more ground than we could fit here.
Why do research in STEM?
You could spend another summer doing a general STEM camp. Plenty of students do. But admissions officers read hundreds of "I went to a cool science camp" essays every cycle, and it's hard to make that essay stand out. A real research project is a different story, mostly because it's genuinely hard to fake.
Here's what it actually gets you:
Proof, not just interest. Colleges want evidence you've already done the kind of independent work you're claiming you want to do in college. A finished project is that evidence.
A recommendation letter that means something. A mentor who watched you debug a failed experiment for three weeks writes a very different letter than a teacher who mostly remembers your test average.
A real answer to "why this major." Not "I've always liked science," but something specific you actually did.
An easy way to find out if you even like it. Research is a lot of failed attempts and rewriting, not just the poster at the end. Better to learn that at 16 than as a college sophomore who picked the wrong major.
Lumiere's own PhD-mentored research program has taken 492 Scholars through this exact process, and Lumiere alumni get into selective universities at roughly four times the rate of the general applicant pool.
How to get into a STEM research program
Apply a year before you actually want to attend. These deadlines land between December and mid-March, months before most students start thinking about "summer plans."
If a program needs a school nomination, like the Simons Summer Research Program, talk to your science teacher in the fall. Don't wait until two weeks before the deadline.
Ask for recommendation letters from someone who can talk about a specific project you did, not just your grade in their class. RSI, Clark Scholars, and Rockefeller all weigh this heavily.
Freshman or sophomore? You're not stuck waiting. SPINWIP, NYU ARISE, and SUMaC all take 9th and 10th graders, even though most of this list only opens up once you're a rising junior. The Lumiere Research Scholar Program and the Veritas AI Fellowship skip the grade requirement entirely, so they're worth a look too.
Prestigious lab-based summer research opportunities
These are about as close as you'll get to an actual university research job. You're placed with a faculty mentor or a lab team, and you work on a real project for the whole program.
Application deadline: Late February 2027 (the portal typically opens in mid-December)
Duration: 8 weeks. Summer 2027 dates are tentatively June 7 to July 29
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA. In person only
Eligibility: Current juniors or seniors (class of 2027 or 2028), at least 16 by the program start date, and a US citizen or permanent resident currently living in and attending high school in the US
Cost: No cost to attend. Stanford recently changed its stipend policy: SIMR no longer guarantees a stipend to everyone. A very limited number of need-based grants are available instead
Selectivity: Around 50 students admitted each year, with an acceptance rate under 3%
Who it's right for: Bay Area students, or anyone with their own housing plan, who wants the single most recognized biomedical research credential on this list. Stanford's own materials say the selection process favors local applicants, so if you're not from the Bay Area, go in with realistic expectations. Read our full SIMR guide before you apply.
Application deadline: Applications typically open in the fall with a deadline in early January. RSI 2026 applications are already closed, so check cee.org for the 2027 date
Duration: 6 weeks: one week of coursework, then 5 weeks of mentored research at MIT
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. Residential
Eligibility: Current high school juniors only. Seniors can't apply, no exceptions. International students go through their home country's own selection process, if one exists
Cost: Completely free, including housing and meals. Recommended scores are 740+ on PSAT Math, 700+ on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, 33+ on ACT Math, and 34+ on ACT Verbal
Selectivity: 100 students admitted each year from a large national and international applicant pool
Who it's right for: Top-tier juniors with strong test scores who apply the year before senior year, since RSI is one of the few programs here that closes the door once you're a senior. Our full RSI guide walks through the application in detail.
Application deadline: January 25, 2027 at 5:00 p.m. ET (2027 applications open in November)
Duration: 10 weeks
Location: Bar Harbor, Maine, or Farmington, Connecticut. Residential
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors and undergraduates. Competitive, need-blind selection open to students nationwide
Cost: No cost. The stipend recently jumped to $7,500, and now includes room, board, and travel on top of that
Who it's right for: Seniors serious about genetics and genomics who want one of the highest-paying, most fully-supported research fellowships on this whole list. See our full JAX Summer Student Program guide for more.
Application deadline: Mid-February. The 2026 cycle closed February 16, 2026; the 2027 date gets posted each fall
Duration: 7 weeks. The 2026 program ran June 21 to August 6
Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX. Residential
Eligibility: At least 17 by the program start date and graduating high school in 2026 or 2027, US citizen or permanent resident only. No exceptions
Cost: No program fee beyond a $25 application fee. On-campus meals, room and board, and weekend activities are all covered. Scholars who finish a research report get a $750 stipend
Selectivity: Only 12 scholars admitted per year out of several hundred applicants, one of the tightest programs on this list
Who it's right for: Students heading into senior year, or recent grads, who want an extremely small, high-touch research cohort and don't mind spending seven weeks in Texas. Our full Clark Scholars guide covers the essays and interview.
Application deadline: Your school has to nominate you first, usually by late January (the 2026 nomination deadline was January 30). Your individual application follows the nomination
Duration: 7 weeks, late June to early August
Location: Stony Brook University, NY. Commuter and residential options
Eligibility: Current juniors, at least 16 by the program start date, US citizen or permanent resident. A school nomination is required before you can even apply, something a lot of older guides on this program leave out
Cost: No tuition. Students cover their own transportation and, if residential, housing. A stipend is handed out at the closing symposium
Selectivity: Around 40 spots, acceptance rate under 5%
Who it's right for: Juniors whose school will nominate them and who want a single-mentor lab placement without needing to already live near Stony Brook. More detail in our full Simons guide.
Application deadline: March 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET, no exceptions. The window opens February 15
Duration: 5 to 6 weeks over the summer, depending on the lab's own schedule
Location: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. Commuter program only, no housing provided
Eligibility: At least 16 by mid-June, currently enrolled in high school. This is mainly an outreach program for students who live close enough to commute
Cost: Free, but unpaid. No stipend, and you're responsible for your own transportation and any housing you need
Selectivity: Around 700 applicants for roughly 40 spots, about a 6% acceptance rate
Who it's right for: Students within commuting distance of Princeton who want genuine, unpaid lab research without needing campus housing. Full breakdown in our Princeton LLP guide.
Application deadline: Opens mid-October, closes in early January. The 2026 cycle closed January 2, 2026
Duration: 7 weeks, late June to mid-August
Location: The Rockefeller University, Manhattan, NY. In person
Eligibility: Current juniors or seniors only. Sophomores can't apply, even if they'll be juniors by the program start. Must be at least 16 by the start date
Cost: Free, no application fee. RockEDU can't help with transportation, housing, or visas if you're coming from outside the New York area
Selectivity: Around 32 students selected each year from a large applicant pool
Who it's right for: Juniors and seniors from anywhere in the country, not just New York, who want genuine biomedical lab research on a small mentored team. Details in our Rockefeller SSRP guide.
Application deadline: Historically early March. Check the official site, since the exact date shifts every cycle
Duration: 7 weeks. The 2026 program ran June 24 to August 7
Location: Stony Brook University, NY. In person, with an optional residential package
Eligibility: At least 16 by early July, unweighted GPA of 95/100 (3.8/4.0) or higher, at least 3 of English, chemistry, math, physics, or biology, and test scores in the 60th percentile or above
Cost: Not free. There's a $4,000 laboratory usage fee plus a $50 non-refundable registration fee, and room and board are billed separately if you go residential
Who it's right for: Students specifically interested in materials or polymer science who meet the GPA and test-score bar and can cover the fee, or plan to ask about aid directly. Our full Garcia Summer Program review breaks down whether it's worth the cost.
Hybrid and virtual STEM research programs
These trade some in-person immersion for accessibility. A few are free, and some are open to students who wouldn't otherwise qualify because of age or location.
Application deadline: Rolling, across four cohorts a year (winter, spring, summer, fall). Each cohort has its own deadline a few weeks before it starts, so apply at least a month ahead of the cohort you want
Duration: 12 to 15 weeks, with 12 one-on-one sessions with a mentor
Location: Fully online, live over Zoom
Eligibility: High school students and advanced middle schoolers. You need a basic understanding of Python or completion of Veritas AI's own AI Scholars program first
Cost: Listed pricing has ranged from $5,900 to $6,950 depending on the cohort and whether publication support is included. Need-based financial aid can cover up to 100% of tuition for eligible families
Who it's right for: Students set on an AI-specific research project who want the same 1-on-1 mentorship model as Lumiere (Veritas AI is part of the same family of programs), focused entirely on AI, and who already have some Python background going in.
Application deadline: Opens around November 22. Recent cycles have pushed the deadline as late as March 5, so confirm the current date directly with NYU
Duration: 10 weeks: 4 weeks of remote evening workshops in June, then 6 weeks of in-person lab work starting in July
Location: New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY
Eligibility: Current 10th or 11th graders who live in New York City and attend an NYC high school. No citizenship requirement
Cost: Free, with a stipend on completion
Selectivity: Around 80 spots, competitive
Who it's right for: NYC sophomores and juniors without an existing research connection, since ARISE is one of the only fully free, no-nomination lab placements open to 10th graders. Application tips are in our full ARISE guide.
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 strong academic achievement. No grade, citizenship, or location restrictions, which is rare on this list
Cost: Tuition-based, with full financial aid available for students who qualify
Selectivity: Roughly 4,000 applicants for about 500 spots across all subjects, not just STEM
Who it's right for: Students who don't fit the mold most of this list is built around: outside the US, younger than a rising junior, or without a research university nearby. Because the mentorship is 1-on-1, you can shape a STEM research project in almost any subject on this list, from AI to genomics to astrophysics, on your own timeline.
Application deadline: December 1 through March 1
Duration: 8 weeks in person, or 5 weeks virtual
Location: Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology, Baltimore, MD, or fully virtual
Eligibility: Current juniors and seniors. The in-person track requires Baltimore City residency (public school, independent school, or the newer Summer Jobs Program partnership); the virtual track is open more broadly across the US
Cost: Free. In-person interns get an hourly wage plus transportation support; virtual participants get a $500 stipend on completion
Who it's right for: Baltimore-area students for the clinical, in-person track, or any US student who wants one of the only broadly accessible, free virtual neuroscience research programs. Our full JHIBS guide covers both tracks, and if neuroscience is your main interest, our neuroscience research programs guide has more options in that vein.
Application deadline: February 1, tied to CMU's general Pre-College deadline. Decisions go out April 15
Duration: About 6 weeks in person, plus virtual sessions before and after
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Eligibility: Current high school juniors, at least 16 by the program start date. SAMS specifically is limited to US citizens and permanent residents
Cost: Fully funded, no tuition beyond CMU's general $50 pre-college application fee
Selectivity: Estimated acceptance rate of 5 to 10%
Who it's right for: Juniors from underrepresented or lower-income backgrounds who want a fully-funded, structured STEM experience with real college credit attached, even though SAMS leans more toward seminars and coursework than independent lab work. Read our full SAMS guide.
Application deadline: The 2026 cycle closed March 13, with a $65 application fee. Expect something similar for 2027
Duration: Roughly 2.5 to 4 weeks depending on the session, in June and July
Location: Residential at Stanford, CA, or fully online
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors, meaning current 10th or 11th graders, with an exceptional interest in advanced math
Cost: Online sessions cost $3,550; the residential program costs $8,250. Financial aid is available for domestic and international students
Selectivity: Estimated 5 to 7% acceptance rate
Who it's right for: Advanced math students who want proof-based, university-level coursework rather than lab bench research, and who can pay tuition or qualify for aid. See our full SUMaC guide.
Specialized STEM research programs
These don't fit the standard "apply, get placed in a lab" mold. One locks eligibility to a single high school, one funds your own proposal instead of placing you in someone else's lab, and one exists specifically to get more girls and gender minorities into physics.
Application deadline: Applications typically open in the spring, around May, for the following academic year
Duration: September through May, with two weekly 2-hour meetings and monthly advisory sessions
Location: Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA, in person and/or virtual
Eligibility: Must currently attend Cambridge Rindge & Latin School (CRLS), grades 9 through 12. This is the only program on this list with single-school eligibility. CfA has said it would like to broaden access eventually, but hasn't yet
Cost: Free, with a stipend courtesy of the City of Cambridge
Selectivity: 10 to 16 students selected each year, working in teams of 2 or 3 per mentor
Who it's right for: CRLS students specifically. If you don't attend CRLS, this one is mostly useful as a model of what a year-long mentored research program can look like. Our full SRMP guide has more on the application and student experience.
Application deadline: The portal opens in November, with proposals typically due around January 1
Duration: February through June for building the project, plus an all-expenses-paid 4-day trip to MIT in early February for finalists
Location: Virtual mentorship, with the in-person MIT trip reserved for finalists only
Eligibility: Any full-time US high school student with permanent US residency, applying solo or in a team of up to two. International students aren't eligible
Cost: Free. Finalists get up to $1,000 in project funding plus the fully-paid MIT trip
Selectivity: Only 6 finalists chosen each year
Who it's right for: Students who already have a specific STEM project idea and want funding and mentorship to actually build it, rather than a placement in someone else's lab. Full details in our MIT THINK guide.
Application deadline: Around May 1, though this shifts year to year. Sign up for Stanford's mailing list to get notified when the next cycle opens
Duration: 3 weeks in July
Location: Fully virtual, over Zoom
Eligibility: Grades 9 through 11 at the time of application. Built to engage girls and gender minorities in physics, but students of any gender can apply. International students are welcome
Cost: Free, no application fee
Who it's right for: Freshmen and sophomores anywhere in the world who want a genuine, no-cost introduction to physics research without traveling or paying, especially if you're newer to physics or coding. If you're looking for more programs focused on getting girls into STEM, our Women in STEM programs guide has a longer list.
How to choose the right STEM research program
Situation | If you... | Recommended program(s) |
Freshman or sophomore | Aren't a junior or senior yet | |
Outside the US, or can't meet a local rule | Don't live near a qualifying university or can't meet a citizenship/residency requirement | |
Cost is the deciding factor | Need a program that's fully free with no fees | |
Want the strongest, most recognized credential | Are aiming for the most selective option on this list | |
Want a hands-on lab placement, not coursework | Want bench research specifically, not seminars | |
Already have a project idea | Want funding and mentorship for your own proposal | |
Set on a specific subject | Know you want astrophysics, math, or physics specifically | Harvard-Smithsonian SRMP (astrophysics), SUMaC (math), SPINWIP (physics) |
Live in NYC, Baltimore, or Cambridge, MA | Want a program local to one of these cities |
Frequently asked questions: STEM research programs for high school students
Are there free STEM research programs for high school students?
Yes. Ten of the fifteen programs here cost nothing to attend, and several, including the JAX Summer Student Program, Clark Scholars, and JHIBS, pay you a stipend on top of that. The two paid exceptions, SUMaC and the Garcia Summer Scholars Program, both offer financial aid. For a longer list of no-cost options, see our free STEM programs guide.
Can freshmen or sophomores do STEM research programs?
A few, yes. SPINWIP takes grades 9 through 11, NYU ARISE takes 10th and 11th graders, and SUMaC accepts rising juniors (current sophomores). Almost everything else here wants you to be a rising junior or senior, so if you're younger, remote mentorship programs like Lumiere's tend to be the more realistic option since they don't have the same grade restrictions.
How competitive are these programs?
It varies a lot. Clark Scholars accepts just 12 students a year out of several hundred applicants, and RSI and Simons both have acceptance rates under 5%. On the other end, Rockefeller SSRP and JHIBS's virtual track are competitive but a lot more accessible, especially if you don't already have research experience.
What's the difference between a STEM research program and a STEM internship?
Research programs like these usually put you on a specific project with a faculty or lab mentor and expect a final product, like a poster, paper, or presentation. Internships can look similar but sometimes involve more general work experience without an attached independent project. If you're specifically after internship-style listings, our STEM internships guide covers that separately.
When should I start applying?
Earlier than most students expect. Deadlines run from December through mid-March for the following summer, and a few, like Simons, require a school nomination that happens even earlier. Start researching in the fall of the year before you want to attend.
Is a STEM research program worth it if I'm not sure about a science major yet?
It's one of the lower-risk ways to find out. Seven or eight weeks is a real test of whether you like the actual work of research, including the parts that don't make it into the poster, before you commit to a STEM major in college. A few programs here, including SPINWIP and NYU ARISE, are built specifically as entry points for students who haven't done research before.
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.