If you are a high school student interested in conducting research in any tech field, chances are that you are looking for guided research programs in your area that will be a valuable addition to your application. In this post, we have curated a list of 20 research programs for high school students that will enable you to experience university-level research and gain guidance from professionals in the field. Note that some programs are internships, but they will also allow you to conduct research in your field!
1. RISE Research
Location: Virtual
Application Date: Rolling applications with multiple start windows across the year.
Program Dates: Flexible timelines depending on the research track. Most students complete their research in 10–16 weeks.
Eligibility: Open to motivated high school students globally. No strict GPA cutoff, and students from 8th–12th grade can apply. Prior research experience is not required.
RISE offers a structured and highly personalized research pathway designed for high school students interested in building academic experience and research credentials. Students can choose from subject areas such as psychology, engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, economics, business, humanities, environmental science, biology, and more. Once enrolled, students are matched one-on-one with a mentor from a top global university who guides them through every stage of the research process.
Throughout the mentorship, students learn how to refine a topic, conduct literature reviews, apply methodology, and develop an academic writing structure. At the end of the program, students produce a polished research paper that can be submitted to journals, conferences, and competitions. RISE also supports students with publication pathways, competition recommendations, presentation opportunities, and portfolio building. Students receive a mentor evaluation and detailed feedback that can be used for future college applications and academic work.
2. Horizon Academic Research Program
Location: Virtual
Application Date: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer and Fall cohorts.
Program Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September).
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and more! It is one of the very few research programs for high school students that offers a choice between quantitative and qualitative research! Once you select a particular subject track and type of research you’ll be paired with a professor or Ph.D. scholar (from a top university) who will mentor you throughout your research journey. You’ll work to create a 20-page, university-level research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student. This program is a solid opportunity for you to pursue a research program in highly specialized fields, under the guidance of a top scholar. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student, as well as detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects and on college applications.
3. MIT’s Research Science Institute
Cost: No Cost
Location: MIT Campus, Cambridge MA
Application Deadline (based on previous year’s dates):
January 15th, 2024 (U.S. Citizens)
March 15th, 2024 (International Students)
Program Dates: June 25th to August 5th, 2024 (based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility: Students who are rising seniors (you will have to apply in the middle of your junior year). High school seniors are not eligible to apply.
It is recommended that PSAT Math Scores be at least 740 (or higher) and Evidence-Based Reading/ Writing Scores be 700 (or higher). ACT math scores should be at least 33, and verbal scores should be at least 34. However, you can offset lower scores through recommendations, high school grades, and science activities.
Note. There are different application processes for U.S. Citizens/Permanent Residents and International Applicants. You can look here for specific details!
The Research Science Institute (RSI) is a research-based summer program sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) and hosted by MIT every summer. RSI invites 80 highly talented high school juniors from all over the world to attend this program. Throughout the 6-week, fully-funded program, you can conduct independent research in computer science (or other STEM subjects) and take college-level coursework. However, RSI is an extremely selective program, with an acceptance rate of under 5%.
Within the first week, you will have the opportunity to experience extensive STEM Classes by accomplished faculty. However, the main section of RSI is the 5-week research internship, where you can choose to pursue projects in computer science under the mentorship of experienced scientists and researchers. The program culminates with delivering your research in conference-style oral and written reports.
If you are interested in learning about the types of research conducted by RSI students, you can look at the projects from 2022. An example for robotics enthusiasts is Michelle Hua’s 3D Acoustic Simulation and Optimization for Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Delivered with Stereotactic Robotics.
4. Anson L.Clark Scholars Program
Cost: No Cost
Location: Texas Tech University
Application Deadline: February 13 (tentatively, based on previous years)
Program Dates: 6 weeks, June 18 - August 3 (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 17 years of age by the program start date and should graduate in 2023 or 2024 (U.S. and International)
The Anson L. Clark Scholars Program was established in 1963 in honor of Anson L. Clark, a former Texas A&M student and World War II veteran who proceeded to create a successful business career. This 7-week comprehensive research program will allow you to gain hands-on research under the mentorship of Texas Tech faculty. Apart from one-on-one research with faculty, you can participate in weekly seminars, discussions, and field visits! One of the research areas available for students is the computer science track. Scholars from the 2022 cohort, like Akaash Kolluri, have conducted research in predicting GPU energy consumption using machine learning algorithms. You can view past projects from other scholars here!
The Clark Scholars program is one of the most prestigious and selective programs, with an acceptance rate of less than 3% and only 12 students in each cohort. Therefore, having the title of an Anson L. Clark Scholar will be a valuable add-on to any college application. An additional benefit is the $750 tax-free stipend that is provided!
5. The University of Chicago’s Data Science Institute Summer Lab
Cost: No cost; stipend provided ($6,000)
Location: University of Chicago Campus, IL
Application Deadline: While the application deadline has not been specified, you can check their website for updates.
Program Dates: June 12th - August 18th, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility: Open to all high school students.
Familiarity with at least one programming language and relevant coursework (e.g., computer science, statistics, and math) is preferred. The DSI Summer Lab by the University of Chicago is a 10-week, paid summer research opportunity for high school and undergraduate students that focuses on applied, interdisciplinary data science research.
In this program, you will be paired with a data science mentor in various domains, including - data science, computer science, climate and energy policy, and more! Your research mentor will engage and hone your skills in research methodologies, practices, and teamwork. You will develop an understanding of fundamental data science methodologies and be given specialized training within the application areas.The program culminates with a presentation of your final videos - a video created by you that outlines your research findings throughout the summer. These videos will be presented in a professional conference format where you can interact with your peers and field questions on their projects and vice versa!
Note: International students are welcome to apply but are responsible for gaining authorization to work in the U.S. and providing all the necessary documentation to earn their stipend.
6. UCSDs and SDSCs Annual Research Experience for High School Students (REHS)
Cost:
Program with research project - $1,500
Program without research project - Free.
Location: On Campus (UC San Diego, California) & Virtual
Application Deadline: March 15, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s deadline)
Program Dates: June 19 - August 11, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s deadline)
Eligibility: Rising 10th grader
Note. The program is focused on students from San Diego county but if you have summer housing accommodations, your application will be accepted.
UC San Diego and the San Diego Supercomputer Center collaborate on this 8-week research program. Students work closely with mentors on a research project of their choice (including computer science & AI!) where they learn how to formulate and test hypotheses, conduct computational experiments, and derive conclusions from those experiments. This program offers an excellent opportunity for students to apply their computer science knowledge to real-world projects and gain practical experience in the field.
Since the program is an 8-week research opportunity, you should consider applying if you wish to work on a research project on a crisp timeline, under mentorship of UC San Diego faculty. Note that this program does serve as an advantage to students who aren’t fully comfortable with conducting research on their own, or need some guidance on how to approach research. As part of the program, you will be expected to engage in software instruction, practical readings and discussions with your mentor and your graduate student team members.
7. NYU’s ARISE Program
Cost: No cost.
Location: New York University Campus, NY (Specific Area depends on subject area/ lab choice)
Application Deadline: March 5th (tentatively, based on previous years)
Program Dates: June 28th - August 11th (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility:Rising juniors and rising seniors.
Must be based in New York City.
ARISE at NYU is a free seven-week summer program for 10th and 11th graders residing in New York City. Throughout the program, you will work under the guidance of NYU’s top research faculty to gain hands-on research experience in disciplines such as computer science, machine learning, robotics, and more!
The program has two components: your first 2 weeks are spent in workshops, while the latter 5 weeks are spent in the lab alongside your mentor. Through ARISE, you can train in college-level research, professional development, and colloquium and contribute substantially to their laboratories. You can view the subject areas for 2023 over here!
8. MITES Semester
Cost: No Cost
Location: Remote
Application Deadline: February (tentatively, based on previous years)
Program Dates: June - December (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility: All high school juniors who are U.S. Citizens or permanent residents.
Strong academic record.While they have not specified a cutoff, you should expect PSAT math scores to be at least 740 (or higher) and evidence-based reading/ writing scores to be 700 (or higher). ACT math scores should be at least 33, and verbal scores should be at least 34.
Passion for science, technology, engineering, and math - which is demonstrated through extracurricular activities, essays, and letters of recommendation.
MITES Semester is a program by MIT and is a 6-month hybrid STEM program where you can deep dive into science and engineering disciplines. In this program, you will choose one project-based course, followed by a supplemental core course, which can either be in computer science, calculus, physics, science writing, or communication.Through this program, you can delve into interdisciplinary subjects that involve computer science. For instance, past projects have included computational biology, embedded systems, machine learning, robotics, thermodynamics, climate change, and more. At the end of the MITES program, you will receive a written evaluation from your instructor outlining your strengths and growth areas and highlighting your contributions to the class. This is a valuable supplement for any college application!
Note: MIT strongly encourages students from underrepresented and low socioeconomic backgrounds to apply.
9. Northeastern University’s Young Scholars Program
Cost: No cost
Location: Northeastern University, Boston
Application Deadline: Not specified, but applications open January 2024!
Program Dates: June 26, 2024 - August 3, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility: Students must be permanent Massachusetts residents (live and go to school in MA throughout the year).
Must enter 12th grade in the fall (current juniors when applying).
Must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.
This program is a unique opportunity for you to work with research laboratories within Northeastern’s Colleges of Engineering, Science and Health Sciences, where you will assist a professor with hands-on research.
One example of a possible research project is Marvin Onabajo from the 2023 cohort, where he looked at the ‘Programmable Signal Acquisition and Calibration of Temperature Sensors for Detection of Power Dissipation on Chips’. You can look at other 2023 presentations here!
Apart from your research, you will attend a seminar series ‘Introduction to Engineering’, which covers topics in robotics, chemical analysis, microwave materials and more. You will also get field trips and career counseling from the Department of Cooperative Education.
10. Stony Brook University’s Computer Science and Informatics Summer Research Experience Program (CSIRE)
Cost: $2,800. Financial aid is available.
Location: Stony Brook University, New York and virtual. There is no residential option; you must commute to and from Stony Brook University if you select the in-person program.
Application Deadline: To be announced
Program Dates: June-August (tentatively, based on previous years dates)
Eligibility: Applicants must be high school students studying and residing in the United States.
The intensive six-week-long CSIRE program at Stony Brook University is designed to provide high school students with research experience in computer science and informatics.
Students work in a lab mentored by a faculty or a Ph.D. student on a hands-on research project in various computer science and informatics areas, such as artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, software engineering, and human-computer interaction.
In addition to this research experience, CSIRE allows you to contribute to ongoing research at the university, offers a combination of research seminars, career seminars, networking opportunities, on-campus lab tours, and allows students to present their research findings at conferences or symposiums at the conclusion of the program.intention.
If you are a high school student pushing yourself to stand out in college applications, RISE Research offers a unique opportunity to work one-on-one with mentors from top universities around the world.
Through personalized guidance and independent research projects that can lead to prestigious publications, RISE helps you build a standout academic profile and develop skills that set you apart. With flexible program dates and global accessibility, ambitious students can apply year-round. To learn more about eligibility, costs, and how to get started, visit RISE Research’s official website and take your college preparation to the next level!
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