17 Summer Research Opportunities in India for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Oct 21, 2022
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 3
Participating in a research program in high school can help you build skills like critical thinking and improve your profile for U.S. college admissions. Finding research opportunities in India that are open for high school students can be challenging. We have you covered—make the most of your summer with this curated list of opportunities across India and the U.S. We have both on-campus and virtual opportunities ranging from highly selective to fairly welcoming across various subjects.
If you are open to traveling outside India, take a look at some of the other opportunities we’ve curated in psychology research, medical research, biology research, summer research programs, and virtual research. Be sure to visit the websites to check whether the program is open for international students!
17 Summer Research Opportunities in India for High School Students
Note that the following information is based on the most recent program, with dates subject to change but generally similar from year to year.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring.
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
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.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: In-person @ Ashoka University's Campus in Sonipat, Haryana
Cost: Ashoka's YSP program costs INR 25,500 (inclusive of taxes). Yes, need-based financial aid is available.
Application deadline: Tentatively April
Program dates: May
Program selectivity: Moderately selective
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12 in May of the intake year.
This 1-week program is a pre-college experience of a liberal arts education. You will have the chance to explore 10 different disciplines through hands-on learning. The program includes a range of activities, including lectures, workshops, discussion groups, project work, presentations, and performances.
3. Veritas AI - AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase
Location: Virtual
Cost: $5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase
Application deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program dates: Varies according to the cohort: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Veritas AI focuses on providing high school students who are passionate about the field of AI with a suitable environment in which to explore their interests. The programs include collaborative learning, project development, and 1-on-1 mentorship. Students are expected to have a basic understanding of Python or are recommended to complete the AI scholars program before pursuing the fellowship. The AI Fellowship program will allow students to pursue independent AI research projects. Students work on their research projects over 15 weeks and can opt to combine AI with any other field of interest.You can find examples of previous projects here.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: FLAME University Campus (Pune, Maharashtra)
Cost: INR 50,000 (inclusive of service tax).
Application deadline: Batch 1: 9th May, Batch 2: 20th June
Program dates: Batch I - 15th May to 28th May and Batch II - 26th June to 9th July
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12. At least 14 years of age as of 15th March of the intake year.
This 12-day program offers high school students a first-hand understanding of liberal arts education through academic and non-academic courses that provide a strong foundation to succeed in future academic pursuits.
Subject areas: Biology, medicine, health
Location: Virtual
Cost: None
Application deadline: April
Program dates: To be announced.
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10 to 12 who have not yet applied to college.
In this 1-week program, students become familiar with the key fundamentals of research and gain knowledge of global health. They also participate in workshops on college readiness and career exploration.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary but focused on social development
Location: Virtual
Cost: INR 20,000 plus taxes
Application deadline: TBA
Program dates: 2 programs running between June and July
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students from grades 10 to 12 (recent graduates included). No more than 18 years of age.
Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) organizes this 1-month program to introduce high school students to live research projects with partner organizations such as Our Democracy, Teach for India, Indian School of Democracy, Lung Care Foundation, and World Resources Institute (to name a few). You will work on issues across environment, gender, education, global health, and governance.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: Amity University Campus (Noida, Uttar Pradesh)
Cost: Rs. 10,000/- (Fees subsidized by Amity Youth Foundation). Hostel Fees : Rs. 4,000/-
(Including Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner).
Application deadline: June 5-16
Program dates: June-July
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 to 12.
This 2-week program provides students with a structured pre-college experience across liberal arts along with guided career exploration. Students get to interact with different college departments and experience life on an Amity campus.
Subject areas: STEM
Location: Plaksha University Campus (Mohali, Punjab)
Cost: Fees: INR 75,000 (Early Bird) / INR 90,000. Need-based scholarships are available.
Application deadline: April
Program dates: June and July
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12.
This 2-week intensive STEM summer program exposes students to real-world engineering and problem-solving through activities and interdisciplinary coursework.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary across liberal arts/sciences
Location: The Symbiosis Centre of International Education (Pune, Maharashtra)
Cost: Not available.
Application deadline: Rolling.
Program dates: June-July
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 to 12.
This 2-week program helps students explore the choices they can make after graduating from school. This program introduces its participants to the academic programs, disciplines, and careers available to them through pre-college course work and seminars.
Subject areas: Mathematics
Location: Virtual
Cost: INR 1,16,000 (approx.) / $1400. Scholarships available.
Application deadline: TBA
Program dates: To be announced.
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students who are between 13 and 19 years old.
This 6-week program presents students with math problems that have never been solved before. Within a circle of fellow scholars, students spend time understanding, solving, and applying complex math problems.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: Both programs are available virtually.
Cost:
Accelerated semester: Per credit cost - INR 57,000 (approx.) / $695 plus INR 2,800 (approx.) / $35 (application fee). Financial aid and discounts are not available for Accelerated Semester Online courses.
Pre-College Online: Noncredit course - INR 2,00,000 (approx.) / $2,500. 3 credits - INR 2,47,000 (approx.) / $2985. Scholarships and financial aid are available. Other variations of courses have different charges, available here.
Application deadline: Dates for the accelerated semester are session-dependent and available here.
Program dates: Differ based on program and course.
Program selectivity: Accelerated semester: Moderate. Pre-College Online: Open enrollment
Eligibility:
Accelerated semester: must be of current junior or senior status or a high school graduate. Have good academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Some courses may have additional requirements.
Pre-College Online: Students in grades 9 to 12.
High school students can take the pre-college or accelerated semester courses depending on their academic goals. Courses are offered across disciplines, and some offer college credit.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary across liberal arts/sciences
Location: Jindal Global University (Delhi NCR) or available online.
Cost: The on-campus program scheduled for 10 days at the JGU campus will have the participating fee as Rs. 50,000/- (all-inclusive). The online mode scheduled for 10 days will have the participating fee as Rs. 30,000/- (all-inclusive).
Application deadline: May 15 is the priority deadline. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until May 31
Program dates: June-July
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12. This 10-day program is for students studying in schools within India. AISP aims to create opportunities for high school students to experience the diversity of academic programs, disciplines, and campus environments available to them and enable informed transitions from high school to university within India and abroad.
Subject areas: Biology, psychology, behavioral science
Location: Virtual
Cost: INR 1,07,000 (approx.) / $1,295. Scholarships are available for students in need of financial aid.
Application deadline: Applications for summer will open in mid-December.
Program dates: Session 1: July; Session 2: July to August.
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 to 12.
This 10-day program provides introductory exposure to neuroscience, psychiatry, and psychology, plus an opportunity to complete a collaborative capstone project. Through seminars with Stanford faculty and researchers, students learn about the principles of neuroscience, clinical neuropsychiatry, neuroscience research, psychiatric epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, and more.
Subject areas: Sustainability, clean energy
Location: Virtual
Cost: None.
Application deadline: Applications for summer will open in mid-December.
Program dates: Rolling - Half-time internships (2-8 weeks, 20 hours per week) or quarter-time internships (1-9 months, 8 hours per week)
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 to 12. At least one honors science or honors English class, although we will make exceptions in appropriate cases GPA over 3.25.
EnergyMag is a blog focused on sustainable and clean energy. It offers virtual research internships to high school and college students looking to gain experience in the renewable energy sector. Students gain analytical skills by researching specific companies, technologies, and markets.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: Virtual
Cost: INR 47,000 (approx.) / $570, an INR 42,000 (approx.) $513 admin charge and INR 33,000 / $400 as international service fee.
Application deadline: June
Program dates: June-August
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Students who have completed grades 10 or 11, are between 16 and 18 years old, and have an overall B average (3.0, weighted or unweighted) in all of their high school coursework.
This pre-college program can span between 3-10 weeks, and students can choose from various courses across disciplines and pursue their academic goals while earning college credit.
Subject areas: Mathematics
Location: Virtual
Cost: INR 2,74,000 (approx.) / $3,315. Financial aid is available. An additional cost of up to INR 8,000 (approx.) / $100 may be incurred for course material.
Application deadline: March 15
Program dates: June
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 or 11.
This 3-week program is for students who have a proven record of excellence in mathematics and an aptitude for advanced mathematics. Students will undertake coursework, attend online lectures, and work on projects. SUMaC students are selected based on their grades in math courses, recommendation letters, and performance in the admission exam. This program does not offer college credit.
Subject areas: Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, or Nanotechnology
Location: Virtual
Cost: INR 1,24,000 (approx.) / $1,500. No financial aid is available, but students can reach out to partner organizations seeking a scholarship.
Application deadline: June
Program dates: July
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12.
This 6-week summer program selects 25 students to work on research individually with a UCSD faculty researcher in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, or Nanotechnology.
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.
