Top Biomedical Research Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Dec 24, 2024
- 10 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Updated September 2, 2026
TL;DR
This list covers nine biomedical research programs for high school students, from hands-on lab internships at Stanford, the Wistar Institute, the Broad Institute, and City of Hope, to fully remote mentorships and NIH placements. Six of the nine are free and pay a stipend (Wistar, Broad Summer Scholars, City of Hope, NIH's Summer Internship Program, HiSTEP, and Seattle Children's), while Lumiere and Veritas AI are tuition-based with financial aid available. Nearly every in-person program requires you to be a rising junior or senior and at least 16, so if you're a freshman or sophomore, or you live outside the US, your realistic options narrow fast. Look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It pairs you 1:1 with a PhD mentor on an independent project you can start at any grade level.
Biomedical research means bench science: molecular biology, genetics, immunology, cancer biology. It's a different thing from general pre-med shadowing or clinical volunteering. If you want to know what it actually feels like to run an experiment, read a scientific paper, and analyze real data before you commit to a career in medicine, these programs are built for exactly that.
How we selected these programs
Confirmed each program had a running 2026 cycle or already-published 2027 dates
Prioritized hands-on lab or computational research over lecture-only or shadowing formats
Verified every deadline, stipend, and eligibility rule directly against each program's own website
Included a mix of free, paid, and remote options so cost and location aren't automatic dealbreakers
If you want the wider medical field rather than just biomedical bench science, see our guide to Top 12 Summer Medical Research Programs for High School Students. If you already have a placement and need a project idea, our 20+ Medical Research Topics for High School Students guide can help. And if lab-based engineering interests you as much as biology, check out our 13 Biotechnology Research Programs for High School Students.
Biomedical research vs. other research programs, at a glance
"Biomedical" gets used loosely online, so here's how it actually differs from the other research categories you'll run into as you search.
Biomedical research | Medical research | General science research | |
What it means | Bench science: molecular biology, genetics, immunology, cancer biology | The broader umbrella. Also covers clinical research, public health, and pre-med shadowing | Any STEM or non-STEM field, not necessarily health-related |
What you actually do | Lab techniques like PCR, cell culture, gene editing, and microscopy | Clinical rotations, patient case studies, chart review, hospital shadowing | Varies widely: coding, surveys, fieldwork, literature review |
Programs on this list | See our Top 12 Summer Medical Research Programs guide | See our science research opportunities guide | |
Best for | Students who want to run experiments and analyze lab data firsthand | Students weighing a clinical or pre-med path alongside research | Students still deciding on a field, or interested outside the health sciences |
If you're new to research generally and want the basics before picking a category, start with our starter guide to doing research in high school.
University and research institute biomedical programs
These four are lab-based programs run by major research universities or independent biomedical institutes.
Application deadline: Late February. The Summer 2027 application opened December 18, 2026, and closes in late February 2027
Duration: 8 weeks. Summer 2027 dates are tentatively June 7 to July 29
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, California
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors in the graduating class of 2027 or 2028, at least 16 by the program's start date, and US citizens or permanent residents living in and attending high school in the US. Selection strongly favors students within an hour's drive of Stanford
Cost: Free to attend, plus a minimum $500 stipend (need-based stipends of $2,500 or more are available). There's a $40 application fee, waivable by request. Housing and meals aren't provided
Selectivity: Highly selective, about 50 students per cohort and an acceptance rate under 3 percent
SIMR places you on a real biomedical research project with Stanford faculty, postdocs, and graduate students. You rank your interest across eight research areas, including cancer biology, neurobiology, immunology, bioengineering, and genetics and genomics, and spend eight weeks as a mentee in one lab before presenting a poster at the end.
Who it's right for: Strong juniors and seniors in the Bay Area, or those with their own housing plan, who want the single most recognized research credential on this list. Take the housing gap seriously, since it's the reason many admitted students end up unable to attend.
Application deadline: Mid to late March. The 2026 cycle closed March 20
Duration: 4 weeks. The 2026 program ran July 6 to July 30
Location: The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Eligibility: At least 16 by the program's start date, and you must have completed at least one high school science course. The program prioritizes students in the School District of Philadelphia and those with little or no prior research access
Cost: Free, plus a $1,500 stipend on completion and SEPTA passes to cover transportation
Selectivity: Highly selective, only about 15 spots each year
Since 1994, Wistar's program has taught high schoolers hands-on biomedical laboratory techniques while they contribute to active cancer biology, vaccine development, and infectious disease projects in the Institute's training lab. You'll also read scientific literature, explore biomedical career paths, and present your work at the end of the four weeks.
Who it's right for: Philadelphia-area students, especially those with little or no prior lab experience, who want authentic bench work without needing a head start in research. This program is literally named for biomedical research, and it shows in how tightly the curriculum is built around lab technique.
Application deadline: Mid to late January. The 2026 cycle closed January 21
Duration: 6 weeks. The 2026 program ran June 29 to August 7
Location: Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Eligibility: Rising seniors (you apply during junior year) who attend a Massachusetts high school within commuting distance of Cambridge, with a B or better in science and math classes. You must be a US citizen, permanent resident, or non-citizen with employment authorization
Cost: Free, plus a $3,600 stipend and partial transportation reimbursement
Selectivity: Highly selective; recent cohorts have run around 18 to 30 students, though no official acceptance rate is published
BSSP pairs you with a Broad Institute scientist to run an original research project in areas like cancer biology, psychiatric disease, chemical biology, or infectious disease, using both wet-lab and computational methods. You'll also attend scientific talks, build a research poster, and go through college admissions prep sessions alongside your research.
Who it's right for: Massachusetts students within commuting distance of Cambridge, particularly those from underrepresented or under-resourced schools, since the Broad Institute explicitly encourages those applicants. No prior research experience is required.
Application deadline: February 1. Applications for the 2027 cycle open November 1, 2026
Duration: 10 weeks. The 2027 program runs June 1 to August 6
Location: City of Hope, Duarte, California
Eligibility: At least 16 by the program's start, a US citizen or permanent resident, and you must have completed high school courses in chemistry and biology
Cost: Free, plus a $4,500 stipend on completion
Selectivity: Extremely selective, with an acceptance rate below 2 percent
You'll join a City of Hope lab full-time for 10 weeks, designing and running your own project in an area like immunology, cell biology, or genetics under the mentorship of physicians and scientists. Weekly seminars have you present your findings, and workshops cover biomedical ethics and poster design. Some students' names have appeared on published papers or patents that came out of their summer project.
Who it's right for: Students near Los Angeles, or those able to arrange their own housing, who want cancer-focused bench research with one of the higher stipends on this list.
Federal and hospital-based biomedical research programs
Application deadline: Mid-February. The 2027 application opens mid-November 2026 and closes mid-February 2027
Duration: Typically 8 to 12 weeks, depending on the lab
Location: NIH campuses, mainly Bethesda, Maryland. In-person and commuter
Eligibility: US citizen or permanent resident, and either 18 by September 30 of the program year, or a graduating senior turning 17 by June 1 and 18 by September 30 who lives within 40 miles of an NIH campus. You must be enrolled at least half-time as a high school senior at the time you apply and have graduated before the internship starts
Cost: Free, plus a paid stipend that varies by institute, often over $2,000 a month
Selectivity: Highly selective. Individual NIH labs choose their own interns rather than one central committee
SIP places you directly in an NIH research group in Bethesda, working alongside professional scientists on live biomedical projects spanning cancer, immunology, genetics, and more. It's less a single program than a system: you apply centrally through the NIH Application Center, then individual principal investigators select interns for their own labs.
Who it's right for: Graduating seniors who are already 18, or turning 18 soon, and who live close enough to Bethesda to commute. This is the most restrictive eligibility bar on this list, so check your birthday against the cutoffs before applying.
Application deadline: Mid-February, through the same NIH Application Center as SIP, which opens mid-November
Duration: 5 weeks, full-time
Location: NIH main campus, Bethesda, Maryland
Eligibility: Rising 12th graders at a qualifying high school where 30 percent or more of students participate in the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program, and you must live in the greater Washington, DC area
Cost: Free, plus a paid stipend
Selectivity: Highly selective, small cohort each year
HiSTEP is built specifically to widen the pipeline into biomedical careers for students from under-resourced schools. You'll attend lectures, visit active NIH research groups, and work through group projects that introduce you to the breadth of biomedical research and healthcare careers, alongside college readiness and leadership sessions.
Who it's right for: Rising seniors in the DC area from a qualifying school who want NIH exposure but aren't yet ready for the fully independent lab placement that SIP expects.
Application deadline: Early March. The 2026 cycle opened January 5 and closed March 8
Duration: 4 weeks
Location: Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington
Eligibility: Current 10th or 11th graders only. Twelfth graders are no longer eligible. You must live within commuting distance of downtown Seattle and have a Social Security Number
Cost: Free, plus a $2,000 stipend for transportation and meals
Selectivity: Highly competitive, with space limited to about 16 students
You'll spend four weeks learning core lab techniques including PCR, microscopy, gel electrophoresis, and bacterial transformation, while exploring biochemistry, immunotherapy, gene editing, and infectious disease. The program folds in college and career workshops and ends with an independent research project and an oral presentation.
Who it's right for: Sophomores and juniors near Seattle who want a genuine first lab experience early. Note that this program recently dropped seniors from eligibility, so double-check your grade level before you apply.
Remote biomedical research programs
These two are the only programs on this list you can join without living near a specific city or being a rising junior or senior.
Application deadline: Rolling, with spring, summer, fall, and winter cohorts
Duration: 12 weeks to 1 year, depending on the cohort
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 subjects
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you with a PhD mentor for one-on-one work on an independent biomedical research project, ending in a university-level research paper. Because the mentorship is individual rather than cohort-based, you help define the project yourself. Past students have researched topics from cancer cell signaling to antibiotic resistance to public health interventions. Longer cohorts add a publication-support track for students aiming at high school research journals.
Who it's right for: Students outside the US, students without a nearby research university, and anyone who wants a written research paper rather than lab exposure. It's also the realistic option if you're a freshman or sophomore, since almost every campus-based program on this list requires junior or senior standing. See the application details here.
Application deadline: Rolling, with spring, summer, fall, and winter cohorts
Duration: 10 weeks, 25 instructional hours total, held on weekends
Location: Fully virtual
Eligibility: Grades 8 to 12. You need to have completed Veritas AI's AI Scholars program or have prior coding or AI experience
Cost: Tuition-based. Veritas AI's programs overall range from about $2,290 to $7,900, with need-based financial aid covering up to 100 percent
Selectivity: Not publicly disclosed; the program ends in a group project with 3 to 5 other students
Veritas AI is an AI education program for high schoolers, founded and run by Harvard graduate students. In the Deep Dive: AI + Medicine track, you learn how AI models are used to diagnose disease, sharpen medical imaging, and support clinical decisions, then apply that to a group project using real medical data. It's the only program on this list that treats AI, not bench biology, as the primary skill you're building.
Who it's right for: Students who are more drawn to the data and computer science side of medicine than to pipetting in a lab, and who already have some Python or AI background. Here is the program brochure and the application form.
Frequently asked questions: biomedical research programs for high school students
Are there free biomedical research programs for high school students?
Six of the nine programs here are completely free and pay you: Wistar ($1,500), Broad Summer Scholars ($3,600), City of Hope ($4,500), NIH's Summer Internship Program (varies, often over $2,000 a month), HiSTEP, and Seattle Children's ($2,000). Only Lumiere and Veritas AI + Medicine are tuition-based, and both offer financial aid.
Can freshmen or sophomores do biomedical research?
Only two programs on this list will take you before junior year: Lumiere, which accepts any enrolled high school student, and Seattle Children's, which is now restricted to current 10th and 11th graders specifically. Every other in-person program here requires junior or senior standing and a minimum age of 16, so underclassmen are largely limited to remote options until then.
Are there biomedical research programs open to international students?
Only Lumiere and Veritas AI + Medicine. Every other program on this list requires US citizenship or permanent residency, and several add a local residency requirement on top of that.
What's the difference between "biomedical" and "medical" research programs?
See the comparison above. In short, biomedical research means hands-on bench science, while medical research is the broader category that also covers clinical and public health work.
How do you apply to a biomedical research program?
Most ask for an application form, a resume, unofficial transcripts, and one or two letters of recommendation from a science teacher. Deadlines cluster tightly between January and March: Broad closes in January, City of Hope and the NIH programs close in February, and Wistar and Seattle Children's close in March. Lumiere and Veritas AI run rolling admissions with cohorts throughout the year instead.
What do you actually do in a biomedical research program?
It varies more than the names suggest. At Wistar, City of Hope, and Broad, you're running real bench experiments: PCR, cell culture, microscopy, gene editing. At NIH and HiSTEP, you're working inside an active federal research lab. At Veritas AI, the "lab" is a dataset, and you're training models instead of growing cells. In a mentorship model like Lumiere, you design your own question, review literature, and write it up as an independent paper. Almost all of them end in a presentation, a poster, or a paper.