13 Free Biology Summer Programs for High School Students
If you are a high school student who wants to explore biology beyond the classroom, summer programs provide a valuable opportunity to expand your knowledge and even engage in research. These programs offer experience in labs and field projects, allowing you to work with experts and explore areas such as genetics, bioengineering, global health, and marine science. Through biology summer programs, you can develop skills in problem-solving, data analysis, and communication while connecting with researchers and peers.
Free programs are a particularly good choice because they tend to be more competitive than paid programs, making them a useful addition to your college application profile. This blog presents a list of 13 free biology summer programs for high school students. These programs can give you practical experience and allow you to prepare for future studies or careers in science.
1. MIT’s Research Science Institute (RSI)
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA Cost: None (fully funded) Program Dates: June 22 – August 2 Application Deadline: Not specified Eligibility: High school juniors
This six-week program brings together about 80 of the world’s top high school students each year. As a student, you’ll work closely with a researcher on an independent project and share your work with the community at the end of the program. RSI is also one of the most selective STEM programs in the world. In 2019, around 1600 students sent in their applications, and only about 80 were selected, which means the acceptance rate was close to 5 percent. To have a good chance, you should already have a strong academic record and prior research experience, along with skills in problem solving, data analysis, and writing. If you are an international student, you need to check if RSI is open to students from your country.
2. Ladder Internship Program
Cost: Full financial aid available.
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average, raising over a million dollars. Interns work closely with their manager at the startup on real-world projects and present their work to the company. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
3. Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Virtual Research Training Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Stipend of $2,000
Program Dates: Typically 1-3 weeks in July, but vary depending on the program
Application Deadline: April
Eligibility: Current 10th-grade (rising junior) high school students
This summer program is for high school students who want to learn about research and global health. In this program, you will learn research skills such as asking questions, collecting information, and analyzing health challenges around the world. You will also join workshops on writing, public speaking, and college/career planning, helping you build soft skills that will serve you well in the future. The program takes place in a hybrid mode, giving you the option to learn in different ways while connecting with other students and mentors.
4. Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: The program is fully funded!
Application Deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Vary based on yearly cohort. Multiple 12-week cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: You must be enrolled in high school or plan to enroll as a freshman in college in the fall and must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
The Lumiere Breakthrough Scholar Program is the equivalent of the Individual Research Scholar Program at Lumiere Education. In the flagship program, talented high-school students are paired with world-class Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll develop an independent research paper. You can choose topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. This program is a solid option if you are interested in interdisciplinary research and want to create an individual research paper. You can apply here!
5. Carnegie Mellon’s Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS)
Location: Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)
Cost: Fully funded
Program Dates: July 21 - August 2
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Applicants must be sophomores or juniors in high school from underrepresented communities
The Carnegie Mellon Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS) is a free program for high school students from underrepresented backgrounds who want to challenge themselves academically. In this program, you can earn college credit while exploring advanced math and science topics. You will build skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork through classroom learning, research projects, and workshops. Faculty mentors at Carnegie Mellon University will guide you in writing, making presentations, and preparing for your academic and professional future.
6. The Rockefeller University’s Summer Science Research Program
Location: RockEDU Science Outreach Laboratory at The Rockefeller University, NY
Cost: No cost
Program Dates: June 23 — August 7
Application Deadline: January 3
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors
The Summer Science Research Program (SSRP) at Rockefeller University is one of the most unique free biology summer programs for high school students, offering an opportunity to explore science through hands-on research in a team setting. Each team has about eight students and is guided by a trainee with support from scientist mentors. You will work in the RockEDU lab, where you will have your own space to practice research skills such as planning experiments, testing ideas, and recording data. Your project will connect to your team lead’s area of work but will also reflect your own scientific interests. The program starts with an orientation week, where you’ll build skills in lab safety, basic techniques, and good research practices. From the second week, you will choose and design a research question with your team and begin studying it in detail. Along the way, you’ll also attend science classes, guest talks, and social events that give you a taste of both research and life at Rockefeller University.
7. Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program
Location: Depends on where you live. Thanks to its network of mentors, Hutton can place students within a 45-minute commute of the intern’s home
Cost: No cost. $3,000 stipend
Program Dates: June — August (8 weeks)
Application Deadline: January 19
Eligibility: Current high school students who are at least 16 and live and are residents of the US, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program is an eight-week paid summer internship run by the American Fisheries Society. It is designed for high school students interested in fisheries and aquatic science, allowing you to explore both lab and field research on freshwater and marine environments. As a Hutton Scholar, you will be paired with a fisheries professional in your area and gain hands-on experience in conservation and resource management. You will take part in activities including electrofishing, studying specimens, organizing data, planting aquatic vegetation, and creating fish habitats. Beyond fieldwork, the program also helps you explore career paths in fisheries science and offers guidance on courses that can prepare you for the future.
8. Stanford’s Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
Location: Stanford University campus (Stanford, CA)
Cost: $40 application fee, with a need-based waiver. $500 stipend.
Program Dates: 8 weeks, June 13 - August 4
Application Deadline: December 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who will be at least 16 years old when the program begins, are living in the U.S., and are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a green card.
The Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) is an eight-week internship for high school juniors and seniors who want to contribute to medical research. You will be placed in one of Stanford’s institutes based on your chosen field of interest. As a SIMR intern, you will work one-on-one with a Stanford mentor in a research lab, gaining hands-on research experience in any of the eight available areas of research. You will also acquire research skills such as collecting data, analyzing results, writing, and making presentations. Moreover, you will learn how to work with researchers and faculty, giving you an inside look into how medical discoveries are made.
9. The Broad Summer Scholars Program
Location: The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA
Cost: No cost. $3,600 stipend
Program Dates: June 29 - August 7
Application Deadline: Late-January next year
Eligibility: Rising seniors in high school who attend a high school in Massachusetts within commuting distance of the Broad Institute may apply. Applicants can be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or non-U.S. citizens with employment authorization (DACA). They must have earned a B or better in science and math classes
The Broad Summer Scholars Program is a six-week research program at the Broad Institute for high school students interested in exploring how biology connects with medicine. As a Broads scholar, you will be matched with a scientist and work on your own research project in areas such as chemical biology and computational biology. Along the way, you will build skills in data analysis, lab work, problem solving, and teamwork. Beyond research, you will attend lectures, learn about careers in science, join a college fair, and connect with other students and researchers. You will share your research in a final presentation at the end of the program, and leave with valuable experience in both computational and experimental methods, giving you a complete view of scientific research.
10. Texas Tech University’s Anson L. Clark Scholars Program
Location: Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX)
Cost: A $750 stipend is provided. $25 application fee
Program Dates: June 22 - August 7
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: To apply, you need to be at least 17 years old by the time the program begins, and you should be graduating either this year or next year, whether you are in the U.S. or abroad
Texas Tech University’s Anson L. Clark Scholars Program is a good fit for high school students curious about research and global health. You will undertake research and understand health challenges around the world by asking research questions, collecting relevant information, and analyzing and organizing the data. Beyond research, you will join workshops in writing, public speaking, and college/career planning, helping you to grow both academically and personally. The program takes place in a hybrid format – online and in person – giving you the flexibility to learn in different ways, while connecting with friends and mentors.
11. Biorocket Research Internship Program at Genspace
Location: Genspace, Brooklyn, NY
Cost: No cost. $2,000 stipend
Program Dates: February 27 - May 22 (Spring session) and June 30 - August 15 (Summer session)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: You must be at least 16 years old by the orientation date. You should live in New York City or attend a public or charter school within 45 minutes of Genspace. You also need to commit to taking part in the program from February through August.
The Genspace Biorocket Research Internship Program is a six-month paid internship for students interested in biotechnology and genetic engineering. In this program, you will work in a lab on projects that may include DNA sequencing, genetic engineering, and bioinformatics while learning how to design and run experiments, analyze data, and use advanced lab tools. In addition to your lab work, you will receive guidance from scientists, go on field trips, and take part in training to improve your science communication. Past interns have studied microbiomes in Red Oak trees and explored how algae can be used to clean water, building both technical expertise and problem-solving skills.
12. Summer Student Program at the Jackson Laboratory
Location: The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine
Cost: No cost. $7,000, plus room, board, and travel
Program Dates: May 30 – August 7
Application Deadline: January 26
Eligibility: High school seniors can apply. To take part in the program, you must have finished Grade 12, be at least 18 years old, and be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
The Jackson Laboratory is a nonprofit research center that offers a Summer Student Program for high school and college students passionate about genetics and genomics. Each year, about 40 students from across the country are chosen to participate in real research. In this program, you will work with scientists on a research project, building skills in designing experiments, analyzing data, and solving problems. You will also create your own project, practice scientific writing and presentations, and share your results at the end of the summer with an audience of researchers, students, and families.
13. Biotech Summer Experience at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
Location: Edward Teller Education Center, Greenville Rd, Livermore
Cost: No cost
Program Dates: July 15 – 26
Application Deadline: March 14
Eligibility: You can apply if you are at least 16 years old by the start of the workshop and have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.
This two-week program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is for high school students interested in molecular biology and bioinformatics. You will study the genetics of a freshwater plant called duckweed, while practicing key lab skills such as isolating and purifying plasmid DNA, running PCR, performing restriction digests, and using gel electrophoresis. On the computational side, you will build skills in bioinformatics, using computer tools to analyze gene sequences and compare your results with global research data. An exciting part of the program is that you will submit DNA sequences to GenBank, allowing you to contribute to the international scientific community.
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