Updated November 2026
TL;DR
The Garcia Summer Scholars Program (officially the Garcia Research Scholars Program) is a seven-week, in-person research program at Stony Brook University's Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces, where high school students design original projects with faculty and graduate students. Past students have won recognition at LISEF, NYSSEF and ISEF, published in refereed journals and earned patents. The 2026 program ran June 24 to August 7 and charged a $4,000 laboratory usage fee plus a $50 registration fee, with housing extra. You must be at least 16 by July 4 and have an unweighted 3.8 GPA.
If you're serious about STEM, there's a big difference between learning how science works and doing it. What sets the Garcia Summer Scholars Program apart is that you don't follow a lab manual: you design your own project in polymer and materials science, inside a real research group, and work toward results you could submit to competitions or a conference. And "polymer" is broader than it sounds: Garcia projects reach into medicine, tissue engineering, energy storage and computation.
Looking at other research options? See our guides to paid research internships for high school students and the best science summer programs for high school students.
How much does the Garcia Summer Scholars Program cost, and when is it?
For 2026, Garcia charged a $50 non-refundable registration fee and a $4,000 laboratory usage fee, and the program ran June 24 to August 7. Housing is optional and extra: a double room in Cardozo cost $2,599 for the session, plus a mandatory $66 health services fee and an optional meal plan. Garcia hasn't posted 2027 details yet, so expect a similar late-June to early-August window.
|
Detail |
What you need to know |
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Host |
Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces, Stony Brook University, Long Island, New York |
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Length |
Seven weeks, in person |
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2026 dates |
June 24 to August 7, 2026 (2027 not yet posted) |
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Cost (2026) |
$4,000 laboratory usage fee + $50 registration fee |
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Housing (2026) |
Optional: $2,599 double room + $66 health fee; meal plan extra; commuting allowed |
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Aid or stipend |
Not listed on Garcia's apply page |
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Eligibility |
16 by July 4; unweighted 3.8 GPA (95/100); tests at or above the 60th percentile |
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Acceptance rate |
Not published |
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2027 deadline |
Not yet posted |
Who can apply to the Garcia Summer Scholars Program?
You must be at least 16 by July 4 of the program year, with no exceptions, and have an unweighted GPA of 95/100 or 3.8/4.0. Garcia's eligibility page also asks for standardized test scores (PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP, IB or Regents) at or above the 60th percentile, and at least three of these subjects: English, chemistry, math or calculus, physics and biology. Honors, AP or IB courses are a plus, and leadership or volunteer work gets "special consideration."
You don't need prior research experience. International students can apply if they already have documents to stay in the U.S. legally for the program, since Garcia can't support visa applications. Garcia doesn't publish an acceptance rate. If you're younger than 16 or outside the U.S., Ladder Internships accepts high school students in grades 9 to 12 worldwide for remote start-up internships, including in healthcare, biotech and engineering.
What research areas does the Garcia Summer Scholars Program cover?
Garcia's research spans medicine, pharmacology, dentistry, tissue engineering, materials design, energy generation and storage, mathematical modeling and computation. Polymers are long-chain molecules found in everything from plastics and coatings to biomedical materials, so you might study how a material could repair tissue or store energy.
Each summer, Garcia aims to develop projects far enough that students can submit abstracts to the Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting, which Garcia calls "one of the world's premier scientific conferences." The program description explains how instruction and research fit together.
6 reasons the Garcia Summer Scholars Program is worth applying to
1. You work inside a real Garcia research group
Garcia high schoolers work alongside faculty, graduate students, postdocs, undergraduates and teachers. You see how a research group actually runs, including the experiments, troubleshooting and decisions that happen long before results appear in a paper.
2. The Garcia Summer Scholars Program has you design your own project
Garcia combines formal instruction with independent research, and students design original projects with guidance from the center. You choose what to investigate, how to test it and what your results mean, instead of repeating the same experiment as everyone else.
3. Garcia students have a strong science competition record
Garcia high schoolers have won recognition at LISEF, NYCSEF, NYSSEF and ISEF. No project goes to ISEF automatically, since you still have to meet each fair's rules and qualify, but you're working in an environment built around that possibility.
4. Garcia projects can lead to publications, patents and conferences
Garcia students' work has been published in refereed journals, led to patents and earned induction into the National Young Inventor's Hall of Fame. The MRS Fall Meeting goal gives your summer a concrete target beyond a final presentation.
5. The Garcia Summer Scholars Program opens up materials science
Most high school research lands in biology, chemistry or computer science, while Garcia gives you a way into materials research tied to medicine, energy and engineering. That exposure is especially useful if you're considering materials science, chemical or biomedical engineering, or nanotechnology in college.
6. Garcia research can continue after the summer
Through Garcia's academic-year Mentor Program, you can keep researching with a faculty mentor, and more than a thousand high school students have taken part since it began. That continuity is unusual for a summer program and lets you keep building on your project.
Is the Garcia Summer Scholars Program worth it for college applications?
Yes, especially if your project keeps going: an original research question, a competition entry or an MRS abstract gives you far more to discuss than "I attended a summer program." What matters most is what you did with the research and whether you continued it.
The trade-off is cost and location: $4,000 in lab fees plus housing, seven weeks on Long Island, and no aid listed on the apply page. If that doesn't work for your family, Ladder Internships places high school students in remote, eight-week start-up internships, where they work on a real project with a company coach, with full financial aid available.
How do you apply to the Garcia Summer Scholars Program?
The application has two parts, plus a school-sent transcript, three letters of recommendation (one from a science teacher) and the $50 non-refundable registration fee. Garcia's apply page still shows the 2026 cycle as closed; 2027 dates and the deadline haven't been posted.
|
Step |
Last cycle (2026) |
2027 |
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Application |
Parts 1 and 2, transcript, 3 recommendations, $50 fee |
Not yet posted |
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Program dates |
June 24 to August 7, 2026 |
Usually late June to early August |
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Housing check-in |
June 23, 2026 (optional Cardozo package) |
Not yet posted |
Ask your recommenders early, especially your science teacher, so you're ready when the 2027 application opens.
Common questions about the Garcia Summer Scholars Program
Do you need research experience for the Garcia Summer Scholars Program?
No. Garcia doesn't require previous research experience, but it does expect a strong GPA, test scores at or above the 60th percentile and at least three core science, math or English courses.
Is there a stipend at the Garcia Summer Scholars Program?
Garcia's apply page lists fees, not a stipend. In 2026, students paid a $50 registration fee and a $4,000 laboratory usage fee, with housing and meals extra.
What do Garcia Scholars do during the seven weeks?
You start with formal instruction, then spend most of the program on an original research project in a Garcia lab group. Students present their findings, and strong projects are developed toward an MRS Fall Meeting abstract.
Is housing included at the Garcia Summer Scholars Program?
No. Housing is an optional package through Stony Brook's Campus Residences, and you can commute instead. If travel isn't possible, Ladder Internships runs remote, eight-week start-up internships for high school students worldwide, at 5 to 10 hours a week, with a company coach and full financial aid available. The next deadline is November 15, 2026, for the Winter I cohort starting December 7, 2026.
Contact us at contact@ladderinternships.com if you have any questions!