UCSF High School Intern Program (HIP) 2027: Eligibility, Stipend and How to Apply
Updated: 15th October, 2026
TL;DR
The UCSF High School Intern Program is a paid, 8-week summer research internship at UC San Francisco. It is open only to students at SFUSD high schools and San Francisco public charter schools. You work 35 hours a week in a lab with a scientist mentor and earn a $4,500 stipend. UCSF takes about 25 interns and doesn't use grades to pick them. The 2027 application isn't open yet. If you live outside San Francisco, look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It pairs you 1-on-1 with a researcher for an independent project.
What is the UCSF High School Intern Program?
It is a paid summer research internship run by UCSF's Science and Health Education Partnership, known as SEP. You spend 8 weeks in a working biomedical lab and build your own research project with a scientist mentor. You also get science communication training, time to network with UCSF scientists, and college counseling. Research areas include neuroscience, immunology, cancer, molecular biology, and stem cell research. Here are the quick facts, all from the official UCSF Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP) page.
Application deadline: 2027 dates aren't posted yet. The 2026 deadline was Sunday, February 8 at 11:59 pm.
Duration: 8 weeks over the summer, at 35 hours a week.
Location: UCSF, 654 Minnesota St., San Francisco, CA 94107.
Eligibility: Current juniors (rising seniors) at an SFUSD high school or a San Francisco public charter school.
Cost: Paid. You earn a $4,500 stipend after you finish the program.
Selectivity: UCSF doesn't publish an acceptance rate. It typically interviews about 50 students for 25 spots.
Who can apply to the UCSF High School Intern Program?
Only students at an SFUSD high school or a San Francisco public charter school can apply. UCSF says there are no exceptions. The program is built for current juniors, who intern the summer before senior year. UCSF also says it recruits and encourages students who are low-income and first generation to college. Your grades don't decide the outcome. The program looks for maturity, responsibility, persistence, interest in science, and motivation. You don't need lab experience to apply.
What do UCSF high school interns do in the lab?
You work in a biomedical lab and build an individual research project with a scientist mentor. Each intern has a day-to-day mentor who also teaches you. The week runs about 35 hours. Program coordinators make the final lab placements, so you usually can't pick your project. They base placements on your interests, your schedule, and where the labs are. Outside the lab, SEP adds science communication training and college counseling. Counseling includes resume and personal statement workshops, one-on-one meetings with a counselor, a family financial aid event, and a day-long college tour.
How much do UCSF high school interns earn?
Interns earn a $4,500 stipend, and UCSF pays it after you complete the full program. That works out to 8 weeks at 35 hours a week. The money comes at the end, not in weekly checks, so plan your summer budget around that. UCSF also discourages other summer commitments during the internship. It reviews requests for summer school, a job, or heavy family duties case by case. For a wider view of paid options, read our guide to research opportunities for high school students in California.
How hard is it to get into the UCSF High School Intern Program?
UCSF doesn't publish an acceptance rate, so the exact number is unknown. It does say it typically interviews about 50 students for 25 positions, which means about 1 in 2 interviewees gets an offer. The total number of applicants isn't listed. Our estimate: the overall rate is well under 50 percent, because only a share of applicants reach the interview. That is an estimate, not an official figure. The program also reports that 99 percent of its alumni enrolled in a 2- or 4-year college the fall after high school graduation, per the official program page.
How do you apply to the UCSF High School Intern Program?
You apply with one electronic form on the SEP website. The 2026 application is closed, and the deadline was Sunday, February 8 at 11:59 pm. For 2027, UCSF asks you to join its interest form so you get an alert when applications open. The application asks you to tell UCSF why it should select you. SEP then interviews about 50 students. UCSF emails students in April.
How can you strengthen your application?
Grades aren't used to judge you, so your answers and your interview matter most. Use these steps.
Join the interest form now. You'll hear when the 2027 application opens.
Answer "why you" with a real story. Describe one science question that stuck with you and what you did about it, even if it was small.
Show persistence. UCSF looks for students who keep going after setbacks, so share a time you did.
Show you can handle the schedule. Plan to keep your summer open for 35 hours a week.
Submit early. The form closed at 11:59 pm on deadline day last cycle.
Is the UCSF High School Intern Program worth it?
Yes, if you meet the SFUSD or charter school rule. It pays, it places you in a working lab, and it doesn't screen on grades. Here is the balance.
Pros -
It pays a $4,500 stipend for 8 weeks of work.
It places you in a UCSF lab with a day-to-day scientist mentor.
It doesn't use grades to pick interns, and it encourages low-income and first-generation students to apply.
It includes college counseling, with resume and personal statement workshops and a college tour.
Cons -
Only SFUSD and San Francisco public charter school students can apply.
It takes only about 25 interns, and UCSF doesn't publish its acceptance rate.
You usually can't choose your lab or project, since coordinators make placements.
The stipend comes only after you finish, and the 35-hour weeks limit other summer plans.
What can you do if you aren't eligible for UCSF HIP?
You still have options if you live outside San Francisco or miss the cycle. A good next read is our breakdown of UCSF's CURE research internship, which has its own rules. If medicine is your goal, see the Stanford Medical Youth Science Program. You can also browse Stanford research programs for high school students.
Frequently asked questions: UCSF High School Intern Program
Is the UCSF High School Intern Program paid?
Yes. Interns earn a $4,500 stipend, and UCSF pays it after you complete the full program. The schedule runs 35 hours a week for 8 weeks. You don't get weekly paychecks, so plan ahead.
Do you need lab experience to apply?
No. UCSF doesn't list prior lab experience as a requirement. It looks for maturity, responsibility, persistence, interest in science, and motivation instead. Your mentor teaches you the lab work. A curious student with no lab background can be a strong applicant.
Can you get college credit?
No, UCSF doesn't list college credit for this internship. The program focuses on paid research, a scientist mentor, and college counseling. If credit matters to you, ask your school counselor how an outside internship might count. You can also check with the SEP team at UCSF before you apply.
How long is the internship?
The internship lasts 8 weeks over the summer. You work 35 hours a week in a UCSF lab. UCSF pays the $4,500 stipend after you finish the whole program.
Can you apply if you don't live in San Francisco?
No, unless you attend an SFUSD high school or a San Francisco public charter school. UCSF says the program is only open to students from those schools, with no exceptions. Where you live matters less than where you go to school. If you don't qualify, other paid research programs may fit better.
When does the 2027 application open?
UCSF hasn't posted a 2027 opening date yet. The 2026 deadline was Sunday, February 8 at 11:59 pm, and the 2026 application is closed. Join the interest form on the SEP page to get an alert. Check that page often, since dates can change.
Can't apply because you don't attend an SFUSD or San Francisco charter school, or want research that isn't tied to a single summer? Look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It pairs you 1-on-1 with a researcher from a top university to produce an independent research project, with no school-district rule. Apply here.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.