15 Medical Programs for High School Students in Fort Collins, CO
- Lydia Park
- Apr 14
- 9 min read
Medicine is one of those fields where it helps to try before you decide. High school medical programs let you explore health and science in a setting that feels closer to what college or healthcare work actually involves. You get to see how labs operate, how professionals think through problems, and how science connects to patient care and health decisions.
What medical programs are available for high schoolers in Fort Collins, Colorado?
Fort Collins offers a variety of medical learning opportunities through its universities, research labs, health centers, and community organizations. You can find programs that cover biomedical science, basic clinical skills, health systems exploration, or research modules.
Since all of these programs are local, they are more affordable and easier to attend without major travel or housing costs. At the same time, they give you concrete experiences that strengthen college applications and help you write or talk about your interests with clarity.
With that, here are 15 medical programs for high school students in Fort Collins, Colorado!
15 Medical Programs for High School Students in Fort Collins, CO
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Selective
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
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 high school students 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. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Location: 802 W. Drake Road 101, Fort Collins, CO
Cost: Free to participate; no stipend provided
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round program; flexible scheduling
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Ages 16+; background screening required; flu vaccine required October–May; TB test may be required
Columbine Health Systems runs a teen volunteer program focused on assisted living and skilled nursing, not hospital departments. You usually spend your time with residents, which can include companionship visits, helping with recreation, and supporting staff during activities and events. It is a good fit if you want to understand geriatric care, long-term care, and how daily healthcare support works outside an ER setting. Because you are working around a vulnerable population, the program requires a background screening, a flu vaccine from October to May, and, in some cases, a TB test, depending on where you are placed.
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies; Full financial aid is available
Acceptance rate or Cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter
Application Deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November); You can apply to the program here.
Eligibility: High school students who have completed AI Scholars or have a background in coding can apply!
Veritas AI is an AI program for ambitious high school students, founded and run by Harvard graduate students. In the AI + Medicine Deep Dive, students learn how AI is used in the healthcare and medical industry. Students get a chance to work on real-world projects using AI & ML models to diagnose diseases, sharpen medical scans, and explain their outcomes to aid doctors and patients. Here is the program brochure and the application form.
Location: Poudre Valley Hospital, 1024 S Lemay Ave, Fort Collins, CO
Cost: Free to participate; no stipend provided
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Competitive; currently has a waitlist
Dates: Year-round program; 1 hour per week during the school year and summer
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Ages 15+ (can join waitlist at age 14)
UCHealth VolunTeens at Poudre Valley Hospital is a year-round volunteer program that requires a consistent weekly commitment of one hour, one day per week. You work directly in hospital departments supporting patient care, helping with administrative tasks, and learning how different units function. The program accepts teens as young as 15, though placement depends on departmental needs and age restrictions for certain areas. Since demand is high, there is currently a waitlist for this location, so early application is recommended.
Location: Banner Fort Collins Medical Center, Fort Collins, CO
Cost: Free to participate; no stipend provided
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round; flexible scheduling for students
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Ages 16+; background check, flu shot, and standard vaccinations required
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center Teen Volunteer Program requires a 100-hour or 6-month commitment, though the schedule is flexible to accommodate students. You complete a background check and health requirements, including a flu shot and up-to-date vaccinations, before starting. Volunteers assist with a variety of patient support tasks and help hospital staff with non-clinical responsibilities. The program is designed to give you real exposure to hospital operations while maintaining a schedule that works around school.
Location: Medical Center of the Rockies, 2500 Rocky Mountain Avenue, Loveland, CO (15 miles from Fort Collins)
Cost: Free to participate; no stipend provided
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round program; 1 hour per week during the school year and summer
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Ages 15+
UCHealth’s VolunTeens program at Medical Center of the Rockies is a hospital-based volunteer placement where you commit to a consistent schedule during the school year or summer. The time requirement is lighter than some other teen programs, but the point is consistency. You show up regularly, learn how one department functions, and get used to hospital expectations like professionalism, confidentiality, and communication. Because Medical Center of the Rockies is a full-service hospital, your placement could involve helping with visitor support, department tasks, and non-clinical patient support, depending on where volunteers are needed.
Location: Banner North Colorado Medical Center, 1801 16th St, Loveland, CO (15 miles from Fort Collins)
Cost: Free to participate; no stipend provided
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round program; 4-hour weekly shifts
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; informational interview required
Eligibility: Ages 16+; minimum commitment of 6 months or 100 hours
Banner’s Loveland campus volunteer program is built around a serious time commitment, which is what makes it a good option. You are expected to complete 4-hour weekly shifts and commit for six months or 100 hours, so you stay long enough to understand workflows instead of just “visiting” the hospital. Volunteers are placed across many departments and typically help with patient and visitor support, basic operational tasks, and administrative assistance. Before you are placed, you complete an application and go through an informational interview, which is part of how the hospital screens for reliability and fit.
Location: Banner North Colorado Medical Center, 6767 W 29th St, Greeley, CO (25 miles from Fort Collins)
Cost: Free to participate; no stipend provided
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round program; 4-hour weekly shifts
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; parental consent form required for minors
Eligibility: Ages 16+ (under 18 requires parental consent form)
Banner’s Greeley campus follows the same structure as the Loveland site, with 4-hour weekly shifts and the same six-month or 100-hour minimum. That long commitment matters because it helps you build routine and credibility with staff, and it gives you time to actually learn how a hospital department runs day to day. Your tasks depend on the department, but the program generally focuses on support roles that keep the hospital running, including helping staff and assisting with patient and guest services. If you are under 18, the application includes a parental consent form, and the program also uses an interview step before placement.
Location: Loveland HealthCare Nursing & Rehab Center, Loveland, CO (15 miles from Fort Collins)
Cost: Free to participate; no stipend provided
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Year-round program; flexible scheduling
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Ages 14+
Loveland HealthCare Center is a nursing and rehabilitation facility, so the volunteer experience is very different from hospital volunteering. The work is more personal and relationship-based. You spend time with residents who may be recovering from illness, living with disability, or aging with long-term health needs. Volunteers often help with recreation programs, reading aloud, conversation visits, games, special events, and resident activities. Since the minimum age is 14, it is one of the easiest ways for younger high school students to get early healthcare exposure.
Location: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Cost: $1,800 (residential) or $1,200 (commuter); scholarships available
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Cap of 21 students
Dates: June 22–26
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: High school students age 15+ by June 1
SciVet is an immersive summer camp designed for students interested in veterinary medicine and the life sciences. You’ll explore topics like wildlife research, water quality, equine-assisted therapy, and veterinary medicine through hands-on fieldwork, lab sessions, and guest presentations. The program emphasizes real-world scientific investigation, including moderate outdoor activity. With only 21 students accepted, SciVet provides a personalized experience with access to top-tier faculty and researchers.
Location: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
Cost: Free to attend; $4,400 stipend provided
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 1–July 31
Application Deadline: December 1–February 1
Eligibility: High school seniors over age 18 who are Colorado residents; also open to undergraduates, graduate students, and first-year medical students
The University of Colorado Child Health Research Internship is a nine-week paid research internship at the Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado. You work with a mentor on pediatric research and spend your week doing real lab-based work, not shadowing. The program also runs a weekly lecture series focused on child health, so you get a broader view of how research connects to clinical priorities. You finish by presenting your work through a talk or poster, and there is even a possibility of conference travel support depending on your outcome.
Location: CU Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
Cost: $1,075; limited partial scholarships available
Acceptance rate or cohort size: 10 students per session
Dates: June 8–11, June 15–18, or June 22–25
Application Deadline: Scholarships due February 15; registration begins in January
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10–12
Bioengineering Opportunities and Leadership Training (BOLT) is a four-day biomedical design camp at CU Anschutz that is built around prototyping. You work on a clinical problem, learn tools like 3D printing, basic circuitry, and hands-on building, then present your solution at the end. The small cohort size matters here. With 10 students per session, you get direct feedback and real-time help while building. The program also includes tours of anatomy labs and research spaces, which help you understand where biomedical devices and design ideas actually get tested.
Location: University of Colorado Boulder or CU Anschutz Medical Campus, CO
Cost: $2,400; limited scholarships available
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Selective admission; specific size not disclosed
Dates: June 3–July 31 (no programming June 29–July 3)
Application Deadline: March 2
Eligibility: Students must be at least 16 years old by June 3
STEM Research Experience (CU Boulder or CU Anschutz) is a seven-week commuter research program where you are matched with a mentor and work 15 to 20 hours per week. The structure is closer to a real research placement than a summer class. You spend time reading scientific papers, helping with data collection and visualization, and building toward a final research poster that you present at the end. Since you cannot fully pre-select your topic, the program works best for students who are flexible and more interested in getting real research practice than chasing one specific subfield.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Open enrollment; may prioritize underserved students if space is limited
Dates: June 23–August 8
Application Deadline: Not listed; apply as early as possible
Eligibility: Open to high school students; preference given to upperclassmen from underrepresented backgrounds or those with limited access to other opportunities
The sci MI Neuroscience Mentorship Program (NMP) is a free, five-week virtual research mentorship program focused on neuroscience. You work on an independent project with guidance from volunteer mentors, and you also attend weekly lectures and journal clubs. The work is mostly reading, thinking, and writing rather than lab experiments, but it still teaches you the mechanics of research, like how to frame a question, use evidence, and present results clearly. By the end, you leave with a presentation and a paper-style write-up that you can use for future applications.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free to attend
Acceptance rate or cohort size: Not disclosed; selective admissions
Dates: June 15–July 23
Application Deadline: February 9
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors interested in neuroscience
This six-week virtual program introduces you to neuroscience with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. You’ll participate in live seminars, journal clubs, virtual lab activities, and neurology grand rounds while engaging with UCLA researchers and clinicians. A final project allows you to explore a neuroscience topic of interest and present your findings to peers and faculty. The program emphasizes accessibility and encourages applications from students with limited prior exposure to neuroscience.
Lydia is an alumna of Harvard University and studied Molecular and Cellular Biology & Economics. In high school, she was the captain of her high school’s Academic Decathlon team and attended the Governor's School of Engineering and Technology. She is working as a life sciences consultant after graduation.
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