12 Free Biomedical Engineering Summer Programs for High School Students
If you're curious about the intersection of medicine, biology, and engineering, biomedical engineering summer programs are a fantastic way to gain insight. Hosted by universities and research institutions, many of these programs let you work on real design challenges, use advanced lab tools, and collaborate with mentors.
Whether you're passionate about medical devices, biomechanics, tissue engineering, or bioinformatics, these experiences help you build technical skills and explore whether this exciting field could be your future.
We’ve shortlisted 12 free biomedical engineering summer programs for high school students that offer strong learning and valuable hands-on experience.
1. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research (SIMR) Program – Bioengineering Internship
Location: Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free; stipend of $500 – $1,500
Dates: June 9 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 22
Eligibility: U.S.-based high school juniors or seniors (16+), U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
In the SIMR Bioengineering Internship, you’ll spend three days each week working in student teams to design real medical solutions using biodesign principles. You’ll attend lectures on bioengineering topics, brainstorm medical challenges, build prototypes, and test ideas using Stanford’s maker spaces and labs. Graduate student mentors guide you through the design process and help at weekly reviews. The program ends with a poster session where you present your prototype to faculty and peers, making it one of the top free biomedical engineering summer programs for high school students.
2. Ladder Internships – Healthcare and Medicine Track
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type (100% financial aid available)
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year
Eligibility: High school students who can contribute 5-15 hours/week for 8-16 weeks
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. In the Healthcare & Medicine Track, you intern virtually with startups and nonprofits focused on medicine, health tech, or patient care. You’ll tackle real projects, like designing health tools or improving patient workflows, and present your results at the end of the program. You get hands-on work with support from two mentors: one at the organization and a ladder coach who guides your professional growth. Peer sessions enhance skills such as communication and time management. With flexible hours, you can balance this work with your school commitments.
3. Duke Research in Engineering Program (DukeREP)
Location: Duke University, Durham, NC
Cost/Stipend: No cost; students receive a stipend
Dates: June 16 – August 1
Application Deadline: February 16
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old
In DukeREP, you'll work full-time in Duke’s biomedical engineering labs, contributing to research under the guidance of graduate student mentors. You’ll participate in meaningful projects and attend weekly seminars on college preparation, workplace skills, and engineering topics. The program also fosters a sense of community through social events and professional development workshops. Participants receive a stipend, lunch, and a commuter pass, making the program both practical and accessible. Designed to support students from diverse backgrounds, including first-generation and underserved youth, this is another free biomedical engineering summer program for high school students.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program – Medicine track
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies according to program type; full financial aid is available
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer (June - August), Fall (September - December), Winter (December - February), and Spring (March - June)
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: High school students
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program that offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students. In the Medicine track of the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, you work one-on-one with a PhD mentor from top universities to explore a biomedical or clinical research topic of your choice. Over 12 weeks, you define a research question, conduct a literature review, draft a college-level paper, and receive writing coaching. The program culminates in a virtual research symposium where you present your findings. Many participants receive UCSD college credit, strengthening their resumes. You can find more details about the application here.
5. Tufts University’s Biomedical Engineering Research (TUBERS) Program
Location: Tufts University, Medford, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: July 1 – August 15
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: High school students who are 16 years of age by the start of the program are eligible to apply. Applicants must be residing in one of the following cities or towns in MA: Medford, Somerville, Arlington, Cambridge, Malden, Everett, Melrose, Revere, Chelsea, Winchester, Boston, and Quincy
In TUBERS, you engage in a six-week biomedical engineering research program at Tufts. You become part of a lab team, learn experimental procedures, test hypotheses, and follow the entire scientific method. Mentors such as faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates provide hands-on guidance throughout your experience. You explore real scientific questions and build projects that you can submit to science competitions like the Siemens or Intel Science Talent Search. Your findings are shared through a formal presentation, helping you strengthen both lab skills and communication.
6. Massachusetts Life Sciences Center – Apprenticeship Challenge
Location: Life sciences companies, incubators, and research institutions across Massachusetts, with special training sites in Brockton, New Bedford, Worcester, and Greater Boston
Cost/Stipend: $17/hour
Dates: May 1 – April 30
Application Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Students who are at least 16 years old, currently in high school or recent graduates (within the past two years and not yet in college), and who attend or have graduated from a qualifying Massachusetts school — such as a vocational school, Gateway City public school, low-income designated school, tuition-free private school for underrepresented students, or are homeschooled in an eligible city. METCO students also qualify.
The High School Apprenticeship Challenge offers paid, hands-on experience at life sciences labs or companies throughout Massachusetts. Participants develop real-world lab skills, understand workplace expectations, and work under the guidance of a mentor in this free summer biomedical engineering program for high school students. Many placements include lab training beforehand, ensuring you’re prepared from day one.
7. The Wistar Institute Summer High School Program in Biomedical Research
Location: The Wistar Institute, West Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: Stipend of $1,500
Dates: July 7 – July 31
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Students who are at least 16 years of age by the program start date and have completed at least one high school science course. Applicants from the School District of Philadelphia are prioritized.
The Wistar Institute's Summer High School Program in Biomedical Research is a four-week paid fellowship offering hands-on laboratory experience to 15 high school students. Participants develop essential research skills, review scientific literature, and contribute to real biomedical projects with guidance from Wistar scientists. They learn best practices in lab techniques, working with DNA, RNA, proteins, and cells. The program concludes with students presenting their research findings. Accessible to Philadelphia students through SEPTA passes, the stipend also rewards your dedication.
8. Rowan University “BEAM” Virtual Bioengineering Summer Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: August 11 – August 22
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students
In BEAM, you explore biomedical engineering through virtual workshops, professor-led talks, and interactive Q&A sessions. You’ll see live lab demos, join small-group activities, and learn how emerging research areas connect to real-world medicine. You foster community through small-group breakout activities, challenge their knowledge with Kahoot! Trivia (offering chances to win BEAM-branded T-shirts and hats), and explore current research trends in Rowan’s BME department. The program connects you to faculty and BME students at Rowan, sparking mentorship and inspiration
9. Johns Hopkins University’s The Immersive Summer Program for Education, Enrichment, and Distinction (ISPEED) in Biomedical Engineering
Location: Johns Hopkins University campus, Baltimore, MD
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: June 29 – July 26
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: High-school sophomores or juniors (10th or 11th grades). Applicants must be at least 15 years of age on move-in day and not yet 18 years of age on the last day of the program.
In ISPEED, you’ll spend four immersive weeks living on campus and taking a three-credit biomedical engineering course. You will participate in design projects that challenge you to solve real-world problems, such as developing diagnostic tools. You’ll brainstorm, test ideas, and build solutions together with BME faculty and your peers. This practical approach enhances your problem-solving, research, and engineering design skills. The program concludes with students presenting their projects, highlighting their innovative efforts and teamwork. ISPEED offers a creative, focused, and supported pathway into biomedical engineering for motivated students.
10. Forsyth Institute Student Scholars Summer Internship Program
Location: Forsyth Institute building and research facilities in Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: Paid internship: Interns earn at least minimum wage for 35 hours/week
Dates: July 7– August 15
Application Deadline: May 19
Eligibility: Students in grades 9–11 at a school in the Eastern Massachusetts/Boston area
This six-week, free biomedical engineering summer program for high school students offers the opportunity to work in advanced Forsyth labs alongside renowned researchers. Participants learn various lab techniques, contribute to ongoing research projects, and develop their own mini-study with mentorship. Weekly lectures cover topics like oral health, immunology, and microbiology. Students share their progress through regular updates and present a final scientific poster to peers, mentors, and local scientists in Boston. You also earn a stipend and receive a transit pass.
11. BioSTAR: Bioengineering, Science, Technology and Research at Harvard University
Location: Science and Engineering Complex (SEC), Harvard University, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Dates: July 8 – July 12
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in April
Eligibility: Local high school students at least 16 years old
BioSTAR is a free biomedical engineering summer program for high school students, offering a week of hands-on bioengineering work at Harvard. Guided by faculty, participants engage in authentic lab activities such as growing 2D and 3D cancer cell cultures, fabricating microfluidic devices, testing drug delivery methods, and using fluorescence and electron microscopy, along with conducting cell viability assays. You develop hands-on technical skills and scientific reasoning as you produce drug nanoparticles and visualize cellular responses. Your work culminates in a showcase of your experiments.
12. Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Youth Neurology Education and Research Program
Location: Massachusetts General Hospital lab in Boston, Cambridge, or Somerville, MA
Cost/Stipend: No cost; stipend provided
Dates: June 30 – August 8
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors or recent graduates living or studying in Massachusetts
In this full-time, paid internship, you partner with MGH neurology faculty and work on real research projects in labs. You start with a bootcamp that includes lab safety, research training, and orientation, followed by several weeks of working on active projects under hands-on mentorship. Weekly lectures by neurologists and scientists expand your knowledge, while field trips and informal social events help broaden your outlook. The program concludes with a final presentation of your work, and provides ongoing support through alumni career advising, resume assistance, funding opportunities, and networking long after summer finishes.
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