35+ Research Mentorship Programs for High School Students
Most people view research as something you begin in college and only do if you are planning to go on to higher studies. However, research is incredibly useful in practically every degree and can be pursued as early as high school. In this blog post, we are sharing 35+ research mentorship programs for high school students.
Why Participate in a Research Mentorship Program in High School?
Participating in research while you are still in high school strengthens your college application, allows you to explore a potential subject, and furthers your experience in that subject.
Partaking in research in high school allows colleges to see you as a strong student that will perform well within their curriculum. According to CollegeXpress, students who did research in high school were 26% more likely to be accepted to an Ivy League school.
Additionally, doing research in high school allows you to explore a potential field of study. After all, you never truly know how you will like doing something until you try it.
Furthermore, the process of research can be highly intensive and will inevitably strengthen your knowledge about your choice of topic.
However, participating in research in high school is often a daunting task. To make that transition easier, there are several research mentorship programs offered for high school students.
In a research mentorship program, students are guided through their own research by an experienced scholar in the subject. This allows students to gain experience in research without the overwhelming feeling of not knowing how to pursue it.
With that being said, I have compiled a list of the best research mentorship programs for high schools. As a note, these research mentorship programs have varying costs, locations, and dates.
List of Best Research Mentorship Programs Open to High Schoolers
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: University of California, Santa Barbara or Virtual
Cost: Residential ($11,000+) Virtual ($4,700)
Dates: June to August
Requirements: 10th or 11th grade, 3.8 GPA minimum, completed at least 12 academic semester courses
Field of study: Varies
INSPIRIT AI RESEARCH MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Location: Virtual
Cost: None
Dates: Summer (options are available)
Requirements: None
Field of study: Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence Intensive
About: “Students complete a mentor-led AI for Social Good project where they apply programming skills.”
SPARK RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM (MAYO CLINIC)
Location: Jacksonville, Florida (Mayo Clinic)
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 8-12 weeks
Requirements: Minimum of 3.5 GPA, student in Duval County of St. John’s County
Field of study: Health
About: Scholars will conduct research with mentors with the focus of discovering new and better ways to “predict, prevent, diagnose, and optimally treat complex neurological diseases and cancer.”
TUFTS RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Tufts University
Cost: Varies
Dates: Summer, 6
Requirements: 11th and 12th
Field of study: Science
STANFORD STEM EDUCATION & OUTREACH RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS
Location: On-campus or virtual
Cost: Varies, but generally around $4,000
Dates: Summer Varies
Requirements: Varies
Field of study: Varies
RESEARCH SCIENCE INSTITUTE (RSI) RESEARCH MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 5 weeks
Requirements: 11th
Field of study: Varies
SIMONS SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM RESEARCH MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Location: Stony Brook University
Cost: None
Dates: June to July
Requirements: 16+
Field of study: Varies
BOSTON UNIVERSITY’S RISE RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Boston University or Virtual
Cost: $8,558 (residential) or $5,570 (virtual)
Dates: Summer, 6 weeks, 40 hours per week
Requirements: Current junior
Field of study: STEM
About: “You will participate in weekly workshops that provide insight into the scientific process, research ethics, reading a research paper, making a poster, and networking in the scientific community.”
BRAINYAC RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Columbia University
Cost: None
Dates: Varies
Requirements: 10th or 11th
Field of study: Biology
ARISE RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: New York University
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 7 weeks
Requirements: 10th or 11th
Field of study: Science and Engineering
CIS INTERN PROGRAM RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: California Academy of Sciences
Cost: None
Dates: Year-Round
Requirements: 9th-12th graders, San Fransico Students from Underrepresented Populations
Field of study: Science and Engineering
About: “Careers in Science is a multi-year, year-round, paid internship and youth development program for San Francisco high school students who come from communities underrepresented in STEM, including girls and students of color.”
MPFI RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Jupiter, Florida
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 6 weeks
Requirements: High School Student
Field of study: Biology
UC SAN DIEGO ACRS RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: UC San Diego
Cost: $4,200
Dates: Summer, 6 weeks
Requirements: Rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders
Field of study: Science
SSTP RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: University of Iowa
Cost: $6,395
Dates: Summer, 5 weeks
Requirements: 11th and 12th
Field of study: Varies
ANSON L. CLARK RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Texas Tech University
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 6 weeks
Requirements: 17+
Field of study: Varies
PROMYS RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Boston University
Cost: $6,000
Dates: Summer, 6 weeks
Requirements: 14+
Field of study: Mathematics
About: “For over three decades, PROMYS has been synonymous with deep exploratory mathematical learning for talented high school students and secondary teachers.”
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: University of Illinois
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 6 weeks
Requirements: 11th and 12th
Field of study: STEM
SSP RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Varies
Cost: $7,450
Dates: Summer, 39 days
Requirements: 10th and 11th
Field of study: Science
SIMR RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Stanford University
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 8 weeks
Requirements: 16+
Field of study: Medicine
About: An eight-week program in which high school students from diverse backgrounds are invited to perform basic research on a medically-oriented project.
MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 8 weeks
Requirements: 14+
Field of study: Medicine
RISE RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: City University of New York
Cost: None
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer
Requirements: 9th to 11th graders living close to the Rockaway peninsula
Field of study: Environment
ISSYP RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Virtual
Cost: $195
Dates: Summer, 11 days
Requirements: 11th and 12th
Field of study: Physics
About: “ISSYP is an exciting and challenging two-week online program for Canadian and international high school students with a keen interest in theoretical physics who intend to pursue physics at the university level.”
SAMS RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Carnegie Mellon University
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 6 weeks
Requirements: 10th and 11th graders from underrepresented groups
Field of study: Math and Science
HS-SIP RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Varies
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 8 weeks
Requirements: 17+
Field of study: Health
About: “High School SIP provides an opportunity to spend a summer working at the NIH side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research.”
FRED HUTCH RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Fred Hutch Training Labs
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 8 weeks
Requirements: 11th graders from underrepresented communities
Field of study: Biomedical Sciences
UT AUSTIN RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Austin, Texas
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 5 weeks
Requirements: High School Student
Field of study: Natural Sciences
SSRP RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Rockefeller University
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 6 weeks
Requirements: 16+
Field of study: Science
CORIELL INSTITUTE RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Coriell Institute
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 4 weeks
Requirements: 17+
Field of study: Medicine
CITY OF HOPE CANCER CENTER RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: City of Hope
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 10 weeks
Requirements: 16+
Field of study: Medicine
About: “City of Hope's Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy gives curious and hardworking students the opportunity to learn about science by actually doing science work.”
BIORESEARCH ACADEMY RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Emmanuel College in Boston
Cost: $5,500
Dates: Summer, 2 weeks
Requirements: High School Students
Field of study: Biology
FEINSTEIN INSTITUTES FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM
Location: Varies
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 8 weeks
Requirements: High School Students
Field of study: Medicine
MDI BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: MDI
Cost: $100
Dates: Summer, 1 week
Requirements: 16+
Field of study: Science
THE WISTAR INSTITUTE RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 4 weeks
Requirements: 16+
Field of study: Biomedicine
SRMP RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: American Museum of Natural History
Cost: None
Dates: Varies
Requirements: 10th and 11th
Field of study: Science
HOWARD HUGHES RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: University of Maryland and Virtual
Cost: $250
Dates: Summer, 1 week
Requirements: 11th and 12th
Field of study: Medicine
UCHICAGO RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: University of Chicago
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 10 weeks
Requirements: High School Student
Field of study: Data Analytics
QUARKNET RESEARCH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Location: Chicago
Cost: None
Dates: Summer, 7 weeks
Requirements: High School Student
Field of study: STEM
FIND YOUR OWN MENTOR!
You can always reach out to local colleges to see if they would be interested in having you participate in their research by sending an email.
While you continue on your journey, good luck!
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
