Mentored research with U.S. professors and labs across STEM, humanities, and social sciences — for serious 10th, 11th, and 12th graders.
Research programs for high school students come in three forms: structured summer programs (RSI, SSP, Garcia, SIMR, Clark Scholars), university-run lab placements (Simons at Stony Brook, Pioneer Academics, Lumiere), and direct outreach to a local professor.
Structured programs are the most selective but the most prestigious. Direct outreach is harder but more flexible — emailing 20 professors in your field with a clear, specific question often works.
For competitive STEM colleges and Regeneron/ISEF, a real research project under a mentor signals more than a paid summer class.
The most selective free U.S. programs include MIT RSI, SSP (Summer Science Program), Clark Scholars at Texas Tech, the Garcia Program at Stony Brook, SIMR at Stanford, and the Simons Summer Research Program. All require rising seniors and pay a stipend.
Apply to structured summer research programs, look for university outreach programs in your area, or email 15–25 professors at nearby universities with a specific research interest and what you can contribute. Local outreach has a higher hit rate than you'd think.
Most top free programs (RSI, SSP, Clark, Garcia, SIMR, Simons) pay a stipend covering travel and incidentals. Paid programs like Pioneer Academics and Lumiere charge tuition.
Most structured programs require rising 11th or 12th graders. Underclassmen can start with local lab outreach, online research mentorship (Polygence, Lumiere), or science fair projects.