10 Research Opportunities for High Schoolers in New York City (NYC)
If you’re looking for research opportunities for high school students in New York City, you’ve come to the right place. Many research programs are available, from university-led pre-college programs to internships hosted by research institutions. Each comes with benefits—exposure to college-level academics, learning practical lab skills, connecting with industry experts, and more. In fact, for many of these research opportunities for high school students in New York City, you don’t have to worry about financial costs either!
The research programs on this list have been carefully selected. Each program is fully funded and/or offers a stipend, has a low acceptance rate, and is hosted by a prestigious college or institution. These three factors indicate that these are highly reputed programs with a lot to offer, and getting into any of them could give your resume a solid boost.
Here are the 10 best research opportunities for high school students in New York City:
NYU’s ARISE is a free program that offers the opportunity to work in a STEM research laboratory. There are several labs on subjects like mechatronics, cellular biology, machine learning, and electrochemical engineering. You will spend the first 4 weeks attending remote evening workshops and the following 6 weeks attending the in-person program. The workshops will teach you about scientific ethics, data collection, data analysis techniques, and research practices. In the latter half of the program, you will work under the mentorship of a professor and contribute to their lab’s research. To learn more about this program, check out our complete guide here.
Acceptance rate: 6% (as of 2023)
Cohort size: 80 students
Location in NYC: New York University
Program dates: June 2–August 8
Application deadline: February 21
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors who are residents of New York
Stipend: $1,000
The Simons Summer Research Program is a prestigious program where you will be matched with a mentor and join a research group. You will then work on a specific project and develop a research abstract and poster, which you will present during a symposium. Available research areas include biochemistry, engineering, computer science, geoscience, medicine, physics, and more. The program also includes faculty research talks, workshops, and tours, which will enhance your knowledge and allow you to explore different career pathways. Keep in mind that you need to be nominated by your high school to apply to this program. To learn more about this program, check out our complete guide here.
Acceptance rate: 8%
Cohort size: The program reportedly accepts about 40 students
Location in NYC: Stony Brook University
Program dates: June 30–August 8
Application deadline: February 7
Eligibility: High school juniors who are US citizens or permanent residents and at least 16 years of age
Cost: Free; however, if you choose the residential track, you will need to pay $2,360.25 as residential fees
The City University of New York’s STEM Research Academy is a valuable opportunity for high school students in New York City. The program consists of a spring-time pre-college course on scientific research, including formulating research questions, performing literature reviews, designing experiments, and more. This is followed by a six-week summer internship where you will work in a CUNY research lab. You can expect plenty of lab work and opportunities to learn from faculty mentors. Various research areas are available such as biology, chemistry, engineering, space science, and more. At the end of the program, you get to present your research at an exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History.
Cohort size: 25 students are generally accepted to the spring session, of which 10 are accepted for the summer internship
Location in NYC: You will be matched with one of City University of New York’s campuses
Program dates: Depends on your assigned campus
Application deadline: January 16
Eligibility: New York City Public High School sophomores and juniors
Stipend: A stipend is offered but the amount varies depending on the assigned campus
This is a research program for high schoolers interested in biomedical sciences. The program aims to help students in two areas—independent research and professional development. It does so by assigning you to a biomedical or computational lab-based internship and pairing you with a mentor. You will then work on an independent research project that supports your mentor’s research objectives. Areas of research include cancer biology, chemical biology, computer science, genomics, pharmacology, and more. You will explore healthcare careers outside of the lab through events. As a highly competitive program at one of the world’s leading cancer research centers, this internship is a prestigious opportunity to have on your resume. To learn more about this opportunity, check out our complete guide here.
Acceptance rate: 2%
Cohort size: 20
Location in NYC: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Canter
Program dates: June 30-August 22
Application deadline: February 7
Eligibility: High school juniors who are at least 14 years old, have a minimum GPA of 3.5, and live in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut
Stipend: $2,100
Organized by Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute, BRAINYAC is a research opportunity for high school students in New York City that focuses on neuroscience. The program begins with training sessions during the spring, where you will learn about neuroscience concepts, lab techniques, computer code, scientific reading, dissections, and more. This is followed by a summer internship during which you will be paired with a neuroscientist mentor to work on a research project. Previous students have worked on topics like cuttlefish camouflage behavior, the molecular bases of neurodegenerative diseases, and effects of stress on brain development. You will develop a research poster and present it at the program’s concluding symposium.
Acceptance rate: Not available
Cohort size: No up-to-date information is available, although previous cohorts have had 19 students
Location in NYC: Columbia University
Program dates: 7 weeks during the summer
Application deadline: Applications open in October
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors who live in New York City and are enrolled in one of the Zuckerman Institute’s New York City-based partner programs (S-PREP, BioBus, Lang Youth Medical, Columbia Secondary School, or Double Discovery Center).
Stipend: A stipend is provided but the amount is not specified. Previous cohorts have received $1,000 stipends
Rockefeller University’s Jumpstart is a research program that takes place in two phases. The first involves after-school sessions where you learn about scientific research, develop research skills, and read scientific literature. You will be paired with a Jumpstart Advocate, a scientist who will offer guidance. The second phase is the Summer Science Research Program, where you will join a research team and work on a project. You will go through the entire research process, from developing research questions to designing a poster and presenting it at the program’s concluding symposium. Previous students have worked on topics like silkworm biomaterials, RNA virus discovery, nanobody binding patterns, evolutionary behavior in fruit flies, and more. To learn more about this program, check out our complete guide here.
Acceptance rate: Unknown, however, the Summer Science Research Program is known to have an acceptance rate of less than 3%
Cohort size: 16
Location in NYC: The Rockefeller University
Program dates: After-school sessions from February 27-June 12, Summer Science Research Program from June 23-August 7
Application deadline: January 3
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old and attend an NYC high school
Stipend: The program is free and stipends are awarded to students facing financial hardship
Hosted by the non-profit organization RISE, this internship offers high schoolers the opportunity to engage in environmental research and conduct significant fieldwork. As a participant, you will be paired with a scientist mentor and work on an individual project that focuses on the Jamaica Bay and Rockaway shoreline. Previous students have worked on projects around sea turtle stranding, dolphin morphology, air quality monitoring, and more. In addition to the mentorship and research work, the program involves sessions on CPR training, water safety, kayaking, and surfing.
Acceptance rate: Not available
Cohort size: 12-15
Location in NYC: RISE Center, Far Rockaway
Program dates: June 5-August 5
Application deadline: Applications generally open in March and close in May (tentative)
Eligibility: Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who live or attend school in or near the Rockaway peninsula
Stipend: Up to $1,200
The Urban Barcode Research Program offers the opportunity to use DNA technology to explore and learn about biodiversity. You will start the program with a training session on basic concepts in biodiversity and conservation while learning research methods in a lab. You will then work on a DNA barcoding project in groups of 2-4 along with the guidance of a mentor. The project requires 55 hours of research in the academic year. In the process, you will learn about DNA isolation, amplification of DNA barcoding regions, and analysis of DNA sequences. You will participate in the entire research process, from writing a proposal to conducting fieldwork to presenting your project at a symposium. Previous cohorts have worked on topics like investigating antibiotic resistant bacteria in NYC parks or metabarcoding water samples on Staten Island.
Acceptance rate: Not available
Cohort size: 36
Location in NYC: DNALC NYC, Brooklyn
Program dates: Training session from August 26-30, followed by 55 hours of research in the academic year, culminating in a symposium on May 29 of the following year
Application deadline: May 27
Eligibility: High school students who reside in as well as attend a public or private school in New York City
Stipend: $500
Genspace is a non-profit organization and a community biology lab in Brooklyn that offers an internship for high school students interested in biotechnology and synthetic biology. As a participant, you will work in a professional biology lab and learn practical lab skills as well as genetic engineering techniques. You will learn about concepts like bioinformatics and engage in activities like DNA extraction. Along with your peers and scientist mentors, you will work on a summer research project, examples of which you can find here. The program includes lab tours, field trips to other biotech companies, and sessions on career guidance.
Acceptance rate: 15-20%
Cohort size: 13
Location in NYC: Genspace, Brooklyn
Program dates: Spring session from February 27-May 22; Summer session from June 30-August 15 (students need to attend both sessions)
Application deadline: January 8
Eligibility: High school students aged 16+ who attend a New York City public or charter high school
Stipend: $2,000
NASA’s Climate Change Research Initiative is a year-long program where educators and graduate students work on interdisciplinary research projects. The summer component of this program invites applications from high school students. As an intern, you will join the research team and contribute to one of the program’s projects. Research opportunities include climate change in the Hudson Estuary, studying lakes from space, and extreme climate events. You will aid the team in delivering presentations, creating scientific posters, and developing research papers. You will receive guidance from a NASA mentor, and you will submit a final report.
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: No information available. The GISS offers about 20 summer intern positions in all (including high school and undergrad students) and many of these go to the CCRI
Location in NYC: NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies or CUNY City College of Technology
Program dates: June 30-August 8
Application deadline: February 28
Eligibility: All high school students
Stipend: $2,400
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
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.