If you're a high school student, a great way to showcase your academic abilities is to get accepted into a prestigious summer program. Here's why.

The reality is that most pre-college summer programs or online courses do not guarantee admission to your dream school. Prestigious summer programs for high school students, given their selectivity, are valued highly by admission officers because of the rigor of their selection process. If the program has a clear and impactful output, such as a research paper or publication, it makes it easier to demonstrate your experience and make a case for yourself.

How did we choose the 10 most prestigious and competitive summer programs for high school students?

We first collated 100 of the most popular summer programs in the United States for high school students. From there, we researched the acceptance rate. While the acceptance rate isn’t a one-to-one indicator of competitiveness (e.g., 1 in a million people win the lottery, that doesn’t mean it’s competitive), we thought it was the most valuable metric to assess. Where we have made a decision to include a program that may have a higher selection rate, we have indicated why it's on the list.

When the acceptance rate is low, it means the caliber of applicants is likely high. This means that getting accepted to the program clearly signals your ability as a student. Where admission statistics are not publicly available, we have made estimates.

We’ve had to curb the nerd in us and strictly exclude any program that doesn’t run in the summer (bummer!). Great programs like MIT’s THINK Scholar Program have been left out simply because they overlap with the school term - but do check it out if you are looking for competitive programs!

We’ve also curated other lists of excellent research opportunities to help you identify your interests while enhancing your scholar profile - check out opportunities in computer science and AI, or psychology and medicine. Be sure to check out the best research mentorship programs and free summer programs to understand what’s out there.

Let's explore the 10 most competitive and prestigious summer programs for high school students!

1. Texas Tech University’s Anson L. Clark Scholars Program | Acceptance rate: < 3%

If selected for this 6-week program, you will join a small cohort of 12 students to conduct research across a wide array of fields under mentorship from scholars. You will also attend discussions, seminars, and field visits. This program recreates an intensive college application experience, taking into account the applicant’s test scores, grades, and activity list. Selected students usually have SAT scores in the 99th percentile! This program provides a stipend of $750.

Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

Application deadline: February 13

Program dates: June 18 - August 3

Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 17 years of age by the program start date and should graduate this or the next year (U.S. and International)

2. Rockefeller University’s Summer Science Research Program | Acceptance rate: <3%

If you're selected for this program, you will spend about 35 hours per week for 6-7 weeks at the RockEDU Laboratory at Rockefeller University, working on research in the field of biomedicine. The is an excellent learning opportunity since Rockefeller is the oldest biomedical research institute in the United States and attracts top talent for research. This program provides need-based stipends.

Location: The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

Application deadline: January 6

Program dates: June 26 – August 10

Eligibility: Juniors and seniors in high school who are at least 17 years of age.

3. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) | Acceptance Rate: <3%

This 8-week program is hosted on the Stanford Campus. This program provides research opportunities across various medical disciplines, ranging from immunology and neurobiology to cancer biology. You will be assigned a particular field of study based on your preference and spend two months as a mentee. You will be mentored by scholars, researchers, and Ph.D. fellows in the field of medicine. Each field has a slightly different internship structure to help you get the best exposure, so read through the structures carefully. The program provides a $500 stipend.

Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Application deadline: December 16

Program dates: June 13 - August 4

Eligibility: Open to juniors and seniors residing in the US with a permanent American residency

4. MIT’s Research Science Institute (RSI) | Acceptance Rate: <5%

RSI invites 100 of the world's brightest students to participate in a 6-week, fully funded program, where you conduct independent research and engage in college-level course work. To make the most of this program, you are expected to keep abreast of the latest literature in your interest, design a research plan from scratch, and work on oral and written presentations of your findings. You will work under the guidance of scholars from MIT.

Location: MIT Campus

Cost: Free of cost, stipend provided

Application deadline: January 15 for US citizens, and March 15 for international students

Program dates: June 26 to August 6

Eligibility: All high school juniors can apply

5. Harvard-MIT’s Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP) | Acceptance Rate: <5%

A program that offers the best of Harvard and MIT's mentorship and research opportunities, the SRMP is open to all high school students who want to conduct independent research in the fields of astrophysics and climate science. The selection is highly competitive, with only 10-15 students forming the final cohort. The program offers all the resources you may need to carry out research. Students are split into 5-6 research groups and expected to attend weekly discussion sessions, meetings, and guest lectures. At the end of your program, you will present your research efforts at the annual Harvard Symposium.

Location: Harvard or MIT, Cambridge, MA

Cost: Free; stipend paid by City of Cambridge

Application deadline: May

Program dates: September - May

Eligibility: Local high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (both international and US citizens).

6. Spark’s Summer Internship Program (Spark SIP) | Acceptance rate: < 5%

A program open to all high schoolers interested in computer science and related disciplines, the Spark SIP program allows students to explore research opportunities in the field, learn from scholars and leaders, and gain experience through a full-time summer internship. This program provides a $500 stipend.

Location: Greater Seattle Area or remote

Application deadline: May 1

Program dates: 8 weeks, June to August

Eligibility: High school students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents

7. Telluride Association's Summer Seminar | Acceptance rate: 3% to 5%

TASS is one of the country’s most selective summer programs for high schoolers, with a 6-week schedule focused on creative thinking, problem-solving, community building, and academic enrichment. As a TASS participant, you will attend lectures, discussion sessions, team-building activities, and work on group projects. The program expects you to dedicate 3 hours to college-level classes a day and engages you in activities such as planning community service projects.

Location: University of Maryland, Cornell University, and University of Michigan

Cost: Free of cost

Application Deadline: January 4

Program Dates: June 25-August 5

Eligibility: Open to all high school sophomores and juniors. TASS also encourages applications from students of color and underrepresented ethnic groups to help promote diversity and support underrepresented communities in each year’s cohort

8. Boys/Girls State

*The acceptance statistics are not available and vary from state to state, but you can expect it to be between 3-6%

The American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary support young leaders from around the country through Boys and Girls State. The summer programs are aimed at fostering leadership and community-building skills. The program is highly coveted, with a rigorous selection process that shortlists about 40,000 boys and girls annually. If you are selected for Boys/Girls Nationals, you will travel to Washington, D.C., to engage with young leaders from across the U.S. As part of the program, students will be divided into two parties and expected to participate in subsequent program elections, propose bills, carry out motions, and familiarize themselves with basic governmental procedures. If you want to pursue a degree in Political Science, Law, Public Policy, etc., this program should be on your radar!

Location: State-wise list of locations for Girls State and Boys State

Cost: 10 scholarships of $20,000 scholarships and 88 scholarships of $1,000 are offered

Application deadline: Varies from state to state

Program dates: Varies from state to state

Eligibility: Open to juniors and seniors residing in the US with a permanent American residency

9. Bank of America Student Leaders Program| Acceptance rate: 4% to 5%

The Bank of America Student Leaders is a prestigious program for high schoolers who want to be community leaders. This program gives high school students an eight-week summer internship at a local nonprofit, where they gain firsthand experience in community service. Through leadership training and a week-long leadership summit in Washington, D.C., you will develop essential skills, increase your understanding of social issues, and work to create positive change. We have covered this program in greater detail here!

Location: Internship locations vary

Dates: 8 weeks

Registration: January 17th

Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors

10. High School Scientific Training and Enrichment Program (HiSTEP) | Acceptance rate: <10%

If you are interested in learning more about biomedicine and healthcare, HiSTEP should be on your radar. You will explore multiple fields of research and engage in workshops, lectures, and activities, earning a $2,150 stipend at the end of this 5-week program.

Location: National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

Application deadline: February 1

Program dates: June 12 to August 4

Eligibility: High school seniors are eligible to apply

Other great programs that we did not make it to the list (but are still highly selective!) include Ross Mathematics Program, Beaver Works Summer Institute, Simons Summer Research Program by Stony Brook University, Pomona College Academy for Youth Success (PAYS), and Cornell's Summer College, to name a few.

One other option – Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you are looking to start your own research journey with 1-1 mentorship from a top PhD, check out the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. You can find the application form here.

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.