15 Bioengineering Summer Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Nov 2
- 9 min read
If you’re a high school student interested in bioengineering, joining a summer program can be one of the most effective ways to explore how biology and engineering work together in health and technology. Without clashing with your school year, these programs give you exposure to lab research, design projects, and professional guidance.
High schoolers have access to a range of bioengineering summer programs, from university labs focused on biomedical devices to research centers studying genetics and medical technology. Most of the programs in this list are short and focused. You may test experiments, analyze biological data, learn coding for medical applications, or explore how engineering principles are used in healthcare.
With that, here are 15 bioengineering summer programs for high school students!
15 Bioengineering Summer Programs for High School Students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 5% | 80-100 students
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free
Dates: Six weeks, from late June to early August
Application Deadline: December 11
Eligibility: High school juniors
The Research Science Institute is one of the most selective bioengineering summer programs you can apply to. Hosted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this six-week experience combines advanced lectures with mentored research across STEM fields, including bioengineering. You will be paired with a researcher who guides you through an independent project, where you practice skills like data analysis, scientific writing, and presenting results. The program ends with both a written thesis and an oral presentation, giving you experience in communicating science to an academic audience. For high school students who want to understand the full research process from presentation proposal, this program offers a rare chance to experience the rigor of college-level inquiry.
Location: Remote - you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs you with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10-15% | 50 students
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost: $4,000 laboratory usage fee, plus optional room and board ($2,507 for housing, $120 for meals, and $60 for health services)
Dates: June 26 – August 8 (7 weeks; dates may vary slightly year to year)
Application Deadline: February 14
Eligibility: High school students aged 16 and older
The Garcia Summer Research Program offers a deep dive into polymer science and engineering, with many projects directly connected to bioengineering. As a participant, you will join a research group and contribute to ongoing studies in biomaterials, tissue engineering, or related fields. The program combines hands-on lab work with weekly seminars and workshops that introduce you to new techniques. By the end of the seven weeks, you will present your findings, giving you a chance to practice both technical and communication skills.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 26% | 200 students
Location: Remote
Cost: Free for students from low-income backgrounds
Dates: Horizon Seminars (10-12 weeks), Horizon Labs (16 weeks) - varies by cohort (Spring: March; Fall: September; Winter: December)
Application Deadline: November 23 (Winter)
Eligibility: High school students
The Horizon Academic Research Program gives you the chance to design an in-depth project in an area of your choice, including specialized tracks in CRISPR and gene editing. You will be paired with a PhD mentor who guides you one-on-one as you move from literature review to data analysis, to produce a 20–25 page research paper. The program follows a structured curriculum so you can learn each stage of the research process step by step.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 5% | 40 students
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost: Free (stipend provided)
Dates: Six weeks, from June 30 to August 8 (Dates may vary between years)
Application Deadline: February 7
Eligibility: High school juniors
The Simons Summer Research Program at Stony Brook University is a six-week residential experience where high school juniors join active research groups across science, math, and engineering. If you are interested in bioengineering, you can work in labs that study areas like molecular biology, biomedical engineering, and genetics. You gain experience in experimental design, lab safety, and data analysis while being mentored by Stony Brook faculty. Alongside your lab work, you attend weekly faculty lectures, professional development workshops, and lab tours. The program requires you to produce a written abstract and present your findings in a poster session at the end.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 16% | 80 students
Location: UPMC Hillman Cancer Center / University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost: Free (stipend provided)
Dates: Eight weeks, from June 16 to August 1 (Dates may vary between years)
Application Deadline: February 16
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 15 years old.
The Hillman Academy is a summer program where you take part in biomedical and cancer research at a leading cancer center in the United States. You work on a mentored project within a research team and contribute to ongoing studies in disease treatment and biology. During the program, you practice lab techniques, analyze data, and learn how professional labs operate day to day. Mentorship is a central part of the experience, giving you guidance and feedback as your project develops. The program concludes with a symposium where you present your research to the Hillman community.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 5.4% | 40 students
Location: The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME
Cost: Free (stipend provided)
Dates: 10 weeks, from May 30 to August 7 (Dates may vary between years)
Application Deadline: January 26
Eligibility: High school seniors and undergraduate students
The Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program is a ten-week research internship for graduating high school seniors and undergraduates. It focuses on genetics and genomics, with many projects involving bioengineering applications. You will work on independent research under the guidance of experienced mentors, using advanced laboratory techniques and computational tools to analyze genetic data. The program includes professional development sessions, journal clubs, and seminars on science communication and career paths. At the end of the summer, participants present their research to peers, faculty, and family.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10% | 20-30 students
Location: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA
Cost: Free (stipend provided)
Dates: 8 weeks, from June 23 to August 15 (Dates may vary between years)
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors in the Seattle area
The Fred Hutch Summer High School Internship Program is an eight-week, full-time research experience at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle for students entering their senior year of high school. You begin with two weeks of training in lab safety and core techniques, then spend six weeks working on mentored projects in biomedical research labs focused on cancer, immunology, and related diseases. Alongside your research, you take part in seminars, career development workshops, and group activities. The program ends with a formal presentation where you share your findings.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 15% | Varies
Location: National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
Cost: Free (stipend provided)
Dates: A minimum of eight weeks, typically between June and August
Application Deadline: Typically closes on February 1
Eligibility: A high school senior at the time of application, and be 18 years of age or older by June 1 of the internship year.
The NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP) is a full-time research experience for high school seniors and college students who want to explore biomedical science. You work in NIH labs with a principal investigator as your mentor and contribute to active projects in areas like bioengineering, genetics, and computational biology. During the program, you use advanced lab facilities, attend workshops and seminars led by NIH scientists, and gain exposure to research careers. You present your work at a summer poster session and have the chance to join a graduate and professional school fair.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: <3% | 50 students
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost: Free (stipend provided)
Dates: 8 weeks, from June 8 to July 30 (Dates may vary between years)
Application Deadline: February 21
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
The Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) is an eight-week internship for high school juniors and seniors at Stanford University. You join a Stanford lab to carry out original research in biomedical fields, including bioengineering, under the guidance of a faculty mentor and research team. You gain practical experience with lab techniques and learn how research questions are investigated. The program also features weekly lectures from Stanford faculty and ends with a formal symposium where you present your findings.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 15% | 20 students
Location: University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Cost: Free
Dates: 8 weeks, June to August
Application Deadline: Late March
Eligibility: High school students in the San Diego area
The UCSD Research Experience for High School Students (REHS) is an eight-week summer program run by the San Diego Supercomputer Center. You take part in ongoing research projects in areas like engineering, computer science, and bioengineering under the mentorship of UC San Diego faculty and research staff. During the program, you learn how to frame research questions, carry out computational experiments, and analyze data. You also join lab meetings and group discussions, and at the end, you present your work in a scientific poster session.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10-15% | 40 students
Location: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Cost: Free (scholarships available for all students)
Dates: 6 weeks, from June 18 to July 26 (Dates may vary between years)
Application Deadline: February 14
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors
The University of Iowa Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP) is a six-week residential research program for high school students in grades 10 and 11. You join a university lab to carry out original research under the guidance of a faculty mentor, with projects covering many STEM areas, including bioengineering. You work full-time in the lab and earn three semester hours of university credit. Along with your research, you take part in weekly seminars, academic workshops, and organized activities that support your learning and give you a structured environment to grow as a researcher.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 32 students
Location: The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
Cost: Free (stipend provided)
Dates: 7 weeks, from June 23 to August 7
Application Deadline: January 3
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors in the New York City area
The Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program (SSRP) is a seven-week, full-time research experience for high school juniors and seniors held on the Rockefeller campus in New York City. You join team-based biomedical research projects led by scientific trainees from Rockefeller University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Weill Cornell Medicine. Working in RockEDU labs, you learn advanced lab techniques and take part in ongoing research. The program also offers journal clubs, elective courses, and guest lectures, and it concludes with a formal poster symposium where you present your work.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 9.5% | 70 students
Location: City of Hope, Duarte, CA
Cost: Free (stipend provided)
Dates: 10 weeks, from June 2 to August 8 (Dates may vary between years)
Application Deadline: March 12
Eligibility: High school students aged 16 and older
The Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy at City of Hope is a ten-week, full-time research program for high school and undergraduate students. You choose an independent biomedical research project in an area that matches your interests, including bioengineering, and work under the guidance of City of Hope scientists. In the lab, you learn experimental design, practice data analysis, and build skills in scientific communication. The program also includes weekly seminars and workshops on biomedical ethics and poster development. It ends with a presentation where you share your research findings.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 20 students
Location: Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free (stipend provided)
Dates: 6 weeks, from June 30 to August 8 (Dates may vary between years)
Application Deadline: January 22
Eligibility: High school juniors in the Boston area
The Broad Summer Scholars Program is a six-week internship where you study how biology, genetics, and computational science connect. You work with a mentor to carry out a research project that introduces you to current methods in genomics and computational biology. Alongside your project, you take part in weekly seminars and a journal club, and you present your findings at the end of the program. The experience gives you both technical training and practice in scientific communication, with a focus on genomics and its applications in bioengineering.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program in which students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop a research paper.
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