15 Pre-Med Summer Programs for High School Students in California
- Stephen Turban
- Aug 7
- 9 min read
Updated: Oct 14
If you're a high schooler based in California planning to study medicine ahead, consider a local pre-med summer program! Pre-med programs can give you a chance to observe how hospitals, clinics, and research labs work. You spend time with professionals in fields like pediatrics, neuroscience, or public health and learn how different parts of healthcare come together.
You also start picking up skills that will be useful later, like how to read scientific material, write short research summaries, or understand how doctors approach diagnosis and treatment. By the end, you’ll know if this path is for you, and it’ll also help later when you apply to college and want to show that you already took the first step. Also, choosing a local program can help you engage with a field without having to spend a ton of money on traveling to another state or city for a pre-college program in medicine.
With that, here are 15 pre-med summer programs for high school students in California!
15 Pre-Med Summer Programs for High School Students in California
Location: Remote /Virtual
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Program Dates: Vary by cohort, offered in summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Eligibility: You must be a high school student with a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3, but no prior experience in your field of interest is required.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a 12-week online research program where you work one-on-one with a PhD mentor from universities like Harvard, Oxford, Yale, and MIT. You choose a topic in the pre-med track, such as medical sciences, pediatrics, cancer biology, CRISPR, neurobiology, or public health.
You meet weekly to design a research question, plan your project, and write a full-length academic paper. You get support from a writing coach and program manager throughout. If you choose the extended Premium Research track, you also get help submitting your paper to a journal. UC San Diego Extension credit is available as an option. Apply here!
Location: Virtual
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November). You can apply here.
Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility: Open to high school students who have prior experience with AI/ML or have completed a Veritas AI program
The Veritas AI Program is an online research program for high school students, founded and run by Harvard graduate students. In the AI + Medicine Deep Dive, you explore how artificial intelligence is used in healthcare and medical research. You work on projects where you apply machine learning models to tasks like diagnosing diseases, enhancing medical scans, or explaining AI decisions to help doctors and patients understand the results. You can also check out some examples of past projects here.
Location: Institutes of Medicine at Stanford University
Cost/Stipend: No cost apart from a $40 application fee. However, participants will receive $500 to $1500, depending on the awarding of grants
Application Deadline: February 22
Program Dates: June 9- July 31
Eligibility: All applicants must be rising high school juniors and/or seniors
The Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) is an eight-week research program where you work in a Stanford lab under the guidance of faculty, postdocs, and researchers. You choose from tracks like cancer biology, immunology, neurobiology, genetics, cardiovascular biology, stem cell and regenerative medicine, bioengineering, or bioinformatics. You assist with experiments, analyze data, attend lectures, and present your work at the end.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $850 + $40 application fee
Application Deadline: December 9 – February 28
Program Dates: June 16 – June 27
Eligibility: U.S.-based high school students aged 14+
The Stanford AIMI Summer Research Internship is a two-week virtual program for high school students interested in artificial intelligence, computer science, and healthcare. You join coding workshops, attend lectures, and work on research projects led by Stanford researchers from the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI). You also participate in “Career Lunch & Learns” with professionals from healthcare, academia, and technology. The program ends with a final presentation where you share your project and findings with peers and mentors.
Location: Stanford University Medical
Cost: No cost; students receive a stipend of $500
Application Deadline: February - March
Dates: June 16 – July 25
Eligibility: Students must currently be a rising junior or senior in high school and be at least 16 years old by the start of the program.
The Pediatrics Internship Program at Stanford (PIPS) is a 6-week in-person program for rising high school juniors and seniors with limited or no research experience. You work with Stanford faculty, postdocs, students, and researchers on a basic research project in science or medicine. You learn how research is done in real labs, attend workshops, and explore topics in biology and healthcare. The program is designed to build early interest in medicine and scientific research, especially for students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free to attend; $1,250 stipend provided
Application Deadline: March 17
Program Dates: June 23 to July 25
Eligibility: Current high school juniors from Northern California who are low-income and first-generation college-bound students
The Stanford Medical Youth Science Program (SMYSP) is a five-week residential program for high school juniors from Northern California. Hosted at Stanford University, the program introduces you to careers in medicine and public health through clinical shadowing, public health research, and seminars led by Stanford faculty. You’ll explore topics like human anatomy and epidemiology by working on a group project focused on a public health issue. You’ll also get practical guidance on how to navigate the college admissions process and explore different career paths in health and medicine.
Location: Stanford University
Cost: Program fee is $4,500 and a $95 application fee
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates: Program 1: June 23 to July 4; Program 2: July 14 - July 25
Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 16 years of age on the first day of the program. The only exception we make for students below 16 years of age is if they are a junior in high school.
The Cardiothoracic Surgical Skills and Education Center's Stanford Summer Internship is an in-person program where you get hands-on training in cardiothoracic surgery. You learn directly from Stanford faculty, surgical residents, and medical staff through lectures, labs, and guided surgical practice. You study cardiac and thoracic anatomy, disease mechanisms, and surgical techniques like knot tying, suturing, dissection, coronary artery bypass grafting, and valve replacement. You also explore the ethics of surgery and learn how to navigate a surgical career path.
Location: Virtual or in-person at various LA Pediatric Society facilities
Cost: None. One stipend of $500 stipend scholarship is awarded at the end of the program
Program Dates: Session I: July 7 – 17 | Session II: July 21 – 31
Application Deadline: February 14
Eligibility: Qualified 11-12 grade students from Los Angeles and its adjacent counties. Some facilities may have additional age restrictions and LA County residency restrictions.
The Eve and Gene Black Summer Medical Career Program is a free summer program in California that gives high school students early exposure to medical careers. You attend daily sessions, take part in hospital-based learning, and interact with healthcare professionals like surgeons, pharmacists, nurses, dieticians, therapists, ophthalmologists, and radiologists. Started in 1969, it’s one of the oldest programs of its kind and runs as a medical mentorship experience. You also join presentations and workshops that introduce different medical fields and career paths.
Location: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, the Center for Health Sciences, and the Rosenfeld Hall at the UCLA campus
Cost: $1450. Scholarships are available, based on need.
Application Deadline: March 15
Dates: Session 1: June 23-27; Session 2: July 7-11
Eligibility: The application is open to US citizens in high school. Students must be at least 16 years old and not yet attending college.
The Pre-Med Summer Scholar Program at California Northstate University College of Medicine is a hands-on learning experience for high school students interested in healthcare careers. You take part in CPR training, learn surgical skills like suturing and robotic or laparoscopic techniques, and work in pathology labs and medical imaging sessions. You also visit basic science research labs and join Q&A panels with doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
Location: Stanford University
Cost: Online: $1,595 and In person: $2,895
Application Deadline: March 1
Dates: CNV-X (Virtual via Zoom) June 16 – June 27; CNI-X Session 1 (In-person on campus) July 7 – July 18; CNI-X Session 2 (In-person on campus): July 21 – August 1
Eligibility: All sophomores, juniors, or seniors in high school are eligible to apply
The Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience (CNI-X) is a two-week summer program at Stanford University for high school students interested in neuroscience, psychology, or medicine. You attend seminars led by Stanford faculty on topics like neuropsychiatry, psychiatric epidemiology, behavioral science, and neuroscience research.
You work in small teams on a capstone project where you design a solution to a real-world mental health problem and present it to researchers and clinicians. The program also includes lab exposure, brain imaging sessions, and sessions on sports psychiatry, sleep science, and mindfulness.
Location: Stanford University
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Feb 28
Dates: June 16- August 7
Eligibility: Open to students residing in one of the following counties: Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, or Santa Cruz counties, must be 16 or older by start date, and must have an unweighted GPA of at least 3.0 with some prior knowledge of biology and chemistry
The Genomics Research Internship Program at Stanford (GRIPS) is an eight-week hybrid summer program for high school students in the Bay Area. You work about 20 hours per week in a Stanford lab, focusing on computational genetics and genomics under the guidance of a faculty-assigned mentor.
You build skills in genomics methods, data analysis, and scientific writing. Alongside your lab work, you attend weekly seminars, cohort meetings, and career panels focused on biomedical research. The program ends with a research presentation where you share your work with peers and mentors.
Location: Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California
Cost: $3,000, which covers all course, lab, and program materials; t-shirts and scrub pants; and daily lunch
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates: June 17-28 and July 8-19
Eligibility: Sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school
The Rady Children’s Hospital Summer Medical Academy in San Diego is a hands-on program for high school students interested in healthcare careers. You take part in lectures, clinical skills workshops, group projects, and career panels covering fields like medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work.
The program includes full-week academies as well as shorter weekend sessions if you can’t attend the full version. Weekend options focus on specific career paths, with themes like Working as a Physician’s Assistant, Becoming a Professional Nurse, and Mental Health Matters in Medicine.
Location: Stanford University, but virtual options as well
Cost: Summer Application fee - $95; Summer On Campus Program fee - $6,380; Summer Virtual Program fee - $4,380
Application Deadline: Feb 24
Dates: Session 1 (In person): July 14 - 25; Session 2 (Virtual): July 28 - Aug 8
Eligibility: This program is open to rising high school juniors, seniors, and undergraduate pre-medical students
The Clinical Science, Technology, and Medicine Summer Internship (CSI) at Stanford University is a two-week pre-med program where you learn clinical skills through hands-on training. You dissect human organs, practice suturing, give injections, conduct patient interviews, and handle simulated trauma cases.
The program is taught by Stanford medical students, residents, and faculty. You join live lectures, simulations, and mentorship sessions focused on clinical decision-making and communication. It ends with a final clinical exercise where you apply what you’ve learned in a team setting.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,499 Program Fee* + a $10 Application Fee
Application Deadline: May 26
Dates: July 14-30
Eligibility: This program is open to rising high school juniors or seniors interested in a future career in healthcare
The High School Summer Program in Lifestyle Medicine is a three-week remote program offered by Stanford Lifestyle Medicine. You study the seven core pillars of lifestyle medicine: nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, social connection, gratitude and purpose, and cognitive enhancement.
You take part in expert-led sessions, analyze case studies, and build skills in health planning and science communication. You also complete a capstone project that promotes evidence-based wellness strategies, with the chance to have your work featured on Stanford’s platform.
Location: Stanford School of Medicine
Cost: Program Tuition: $2,999 + Application Fee: $35
Dates: June 16 - 27; July 7 - 18
Eligibility: Open to high schoolers beginning from rising 9th graders onwards
The Art & Anatomy Program at the Stanford School of Medicine is a two-week in-person summer course where you combine human anatomy study with medical illustration and visual storytelling. You attend lectures from anatomists, physicians, and artists who work at the intersection of science and art. You take part in guided drawing sessions, learn to observe and depict anatomical structures, and create a final illustration project. The program ends with a formal presentation of your work to a panel of medical and art professionals.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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