15 Best High School Research Opportunities in New York
Finding a great summer opportunity can be difficult, particularly in a place as competitive as New York. Because we're a group of research nerds, we wanted to compile opportunities for students looking for research opportunities in the state!
In this article, we list 15 of the best research-oriented programs in (and around) New York that provide an immersive learning experience and enrich you as a scholar. The opportunities range from highly selective to fairly welcoming, and while some have a fee associated with them, others provide a stipend. There is something here for everyone.
Not seeing something you like? You can also look at the opportunities we’ve curated in psychology research, medical research, biology research, and virtual research. You can also check out our research program – Lumiere – which had 2100 students apply this past year!
15 Best high school research opportunities in New York
Subject areas: Biology, medicine
Location: Multiple locations where Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centers are located, at Weill Cornell Medicine or Rockefeller University.
Stipend: $1,200
Application deadline: Applications for the 2023 program will open on December 5, 2022.
Program dates: end of June to mid-August (based on previous year’s schedule)
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Applicants should have completed their junior year at high school by June 2023, be at least 14 years old and be eligible to work in the United States. They should have a genuine interest in science and laboratory research with at least a 3.5 grade point average in science subjects.
This 8-week summer program exposes students to fundamentals of research by mentoring them through independent research projects. Students are guided by postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, or research technicians and present their projects at a poster symposium.
Subject areas: STEM
Location: New York University Campus
Stipend: The program offers a stipend of at least $750.
Application deadline: Applications open in November 2022 for the 2023 intake (based on previous year's schedule)
Program dates: June 28, 2023 to August 12, 2023 (tentative, based on previous year's schedule)
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Applicants must be New York City residents who are completing sophomore junior years in high school in June 2023, are academically prepared and highly motivated with a passion for science, technology, engineering and math.
This 7-week program combines college-level workshops and lab research in subjects such as civil and urban engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, and robotics. Students get supervision from graduate or postdoctoral students at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: New York University Campus. Some courses are available virtually.
Cost / stipend: None
Application deadline: April 2023 (based on previous year's schedule)
Program dates: Typically, in July but may vary depending on the program.
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: This program is open to all high school students.
These programs range from 1-12 weeks and span an array of subject areas. The programs offer immersive academic experiences for high school students to understand fundamental concepts and strengthen their research skills through such learning.
Subject areas: STEM
Location: Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, NY)
Cost / stipend: The program offers a stipend, but the amount is not known.
Application deadline: February 2023 (based on previous year's schedule)
Program dates: June 26, 2023 - August 11, 2023
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Applicants must belong to high schools which are enrolled onto the partner database and must be nominated by their schools. Applicants should be at least 16 years of age, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
This 7-week program gives high school students the opportunity to undertake hands-on research in a variety of disciplines, ranging from science and math to engineering. Students can join research teams, collaborate with faculty members, learn about laboratory equipment and methodologies, and get to fully experience life at a research university.
Subject areas: Business and leadership
Location: Mercy College (students will be directed to Hudson Falls, NY)
Cost / stipend: Fee - $495 to cover cost of food and activities.
Application deadline: Applications are on a rolling basis and open for 2023.
Program dates: Students can attend 1 of 3 sessions in 2023: June 25 – July 1, July 9 – July 15, or July 23 – July 29.
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: For High School Juniors with a cumulative, weighted GPA above 90, a demonstrated leadership and public speaking skills along with a passion for business.
This program gives students the opportunity to learn about leadership and business careers from the Executive Faculty at Mercy College who have worked at top global companies.
Subject areas: STEM
Location: Baruch College (Manhattan, NY)
Cost / stipend: The program offers a stipend of $750.
Application deadline: December 2, 2022. Apply here.
Program dates: January - May 2023 followed by July - August 2023 (tentatively, based on last year’s schedule) and a spring course prior to that.
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Applicants must be a junior at an NYC public high school with PSAT/ SAT Verbal (Min. 480) OR English Language Arts Regents (Min. 75), Math Regents (Min. 80) and Living Environment Regent (min. 75). Must have an overall 80+ average. Must have an overall 80+ English average, 80+ Math average and 80+ Science average. Sophomores who meet the above criteria may also be considered.
This STEM research program is designed to provide students with an opportunity to build their science knowledge and skills by engaging in ‘authentic inquiry’ activities.
Selected students will be enrolled in courses to strengthen basic skills such as formulating researchable questions, designing testable experiments, performing literature searches and reading scientific literature. The courses will be conducted in spring and upon successful completion of the spring course, students interested in conducting research over the summer will be matched with CUNY research faculty and participate in a structured 6-week internship program.
Subject areas: Ecology
Location: Wave Hill (Bronx, NY)
Cost / stipend: Total compensation for the 14-month program is at least $3,900. Other benefits include earning 9 college credits and 30 hours of community service.
Application deadline: Applications for 2023 are not yet open.
Program dates: June 2023 - August 2024 (tentatively, based on last year’s schedule)
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: High school students, 16 years old by June 15, 2023 and a New York City resident eligible to work in the United States.
This 14-month program offers motivated high school students a unique opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of ecology and participate in hands-on fieldwork and authentic science research.
Subject areas: Neuroscience, Optics, Biology, Plant Biology, Behavioral Neuroscience
Location: BioBase, Harlem (Manhattan, NY)
Cost / stipend: The program offers a stipend, but the amount is not known.
Application deadline: Rolling basis and depending on requirement for interns
Program dates: June 2023 - May 2024 (tentatively, based on last year’s schedule)
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Applicants must be NYC high school students with a genuine interest in science and working with younger students on research.
This is a 14-month paid science research internship program where students with a passion for science exploration gain mentored research and teaching experience. During the first summer students participate in a summer camp boot camp to gain valuable scientific skills. Students utilize their training and gain teaching experience as camp counselors during the BioBus summer camp program. During the academic year interns receive training and mentorship from Ph.D. scientists while developing their own independent projects using research-grade microscopes and equipment.
Subject areas: STEM
Location: Advanced Science Research Center facilities
Cost / stipend: Students earn a generous stipend, but the amount is not known.
Application deadline: Not available (to get notified, please join the mailing list)
Program dates: (tentatively, based on last year’s schedule)
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: High school students with a demonstrated aptitude for STEM.
This 8-week program exposes students to research projects in ASRC facilities and provides professional development workshops. This program has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office, the American Chemical Society Project SEED, and the Nellie Mae Educational Foundation.
Subject areas: STEM
Location: Jerome L. Greene Science Center (Columbia, NY)
Cost / stipend: Students earn a generous stipend, but the amount is not known.
Application deadline: Applications are open through Fall
Program dates: January - August 2023 (tentatively, based on last year’s schedule)
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: A sophomore or junior in high school, 16 years of age or older by the start of the summer session. Enrolled in one of the partner programs and schools that serve students in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. (Please see the website for an updated list of partner programs).
The Zuckerman Institute’s Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia (BRAINYAC) program is an immersive 6-week science research experience, where scientists mentor high school students in neuroscience research. This includes weekend training sessions in the winter and spring and a full-time internship during the summer.
11. Parsons School of Design’s New York Summer Intensive Studies Subject areas: Art Location: Parsons School of Design (New York City) Cost / stipend: Fee - $4,675 plus course-specific fee Application deadline: Session 1 - May 15, 2023, Session 2 - June 8, 2023 Program dates: Session 1- June 12, 2023 - June 30, 2023; Session 2 - July 10, 2023 - July 28, 2023 Program selectivity: Open enrollment Eligibility: High school students who are between 16 to 18 years old at the start of the program.
This program has 3-week courses across various areas within art and design. Students learn from the faculty at Parsons, work on their portfolios and explore future prospects in the field of art and design. Some courses even offer college credit.
Subject areas: Biology, medicine
Location: Coriell Institute for Medical Research (Camden, NJ)
Cost / stipend: Students earn a stipend, but the amount is not known.
Application deadline: May 2023.
Program dates: July 6 - August 3, 2023 (tentatively, based on last year’s schedule)
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 17 years old by July 1, 2023, have a strong interest in science (advanced science classes are preferred) and must be a U.S resident.
This 4-week program provides high school and college students the opportunity to work alongside renowned scientists and researchers, getting the exclusive opportunity to experience and be part of the day-to-day research activities in dynamic research and biobanking environments, and to experience biobank operations.
Subject areas: STEM
Location: Rockefeller University (Manhattan, NY) along with virtual components.
Cost / stipend: Stipends may be awarded to students experiencing financial hardship.
Application deadline: January 2023.
Program dates: June 27 - August 11, 2023 (tentatively, based on last year’s schedule)
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Students must be 16 years old at time of application to be eligible and must be a current high school junior or senior.
This 7-week program provides high school students the opportunity to design and conduct their own research project as part of a themed research track. Each research track is modeled after a Rockefeller research topic and/or technique and includes a team of scientist mentors from the Rockefeller community.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: Adelphi University (Garden City, NY)
Cost / stipend: Fee - $3,000 for commuter students and $5,200 for residential students.
Application deadline: Applications open in January 2023
Program dates: July 9-29, 2023
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old at the start of the program.
Students can opt for a variety of courses across numerous areas such as business, communication, art and computer science. The pre-college programs offer college credit.
15. Syracuse University Pre-College Summer program Subject areas: Multidisciplinary Location: Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY) Cost: Pre-College Online: Noncredit course $2,500. 3 credits course $2985. Scholarships and financial aid is available. Other variations of courses have different charges, available here.
Application deadline: Opens in December 2023. Program dates: Between July - August 2023 (depending on the course) Program selectivity: Open enrollment Eligibility: This program is open to high school students.
Students can pick from an array of courses (different durations) to understand fundamentals across subject areas. Some courses offer college credit.
If you're looking for a real-world internship that can help boost your resume while applying to college, we recommend Ladder Internships!
Ladder Internships is a selective program equipping students with virtual internship experiences at startups and nonprofits around the world!
The startups range across a variety of industries, and each student can select which field they would most love to deep dive into. This is also a great opportunity for students to explore areas they think they might be interested in, and better understand professional career opportunities in those areas. The startups are based all across the world, with the majority being in the United States, Asia and then Europe and the UK.
The fields include technology, machine learning and AI, finance, environmental science and sustainability, business and marketing, healthcare and medicine, media and journalism and more.
You can explore all the options here on their application form. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship - the Ladder Coach serves as a second mentor and a sounding board, guiding you through the internship and helping you navigate the startup environment.
Cost: $1490 (Financial Aid Available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application deadline: April 16 and May 14
Program dates: 8 weeks, June to August
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates and gap year students!
Additionally, you can also work on independent research in AI, through Veritas AI's Fellowship Program!
Veritas AI focuses on providing high school students who are passionate about the field of AI a suitable environment to explore their interests. The programs include collaborative learning, project development, and 1-on-1 mentorship. These programs are designed and run by Harvard graduate students and alumni and you can expect a great, fulfilling educational experience. Students are expected to have a basic understanding of Python or are recommended to complete the AI scholars program before pursuing the fellowship.
The AI Fellowship program will have students pursue their own independent AI research project. Students work on their own individual research projects over a period of 12-15 weeks and can opt to combine AI with any other field of interest. In the past, students have worked on research papers in the field of AI & medicine, AI & finance, AI & environmental science, AI & education, and more! You can find examples of previous projects here.
Location: Virtual
Cost:
$1,790 for the 10-week AI Scholars program
$4,900 for the 12-15 week AI Fellowship
$4,700 for both
Need-based financial aid is available. You can apply here.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Applications for fall cohort have closed September 3, 2023.
Program dates: Various according to the cohort
Program selectivity: Moderately selective
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit past experience with AI concepts or Python.
Application Requirements: Online application form, answers to a few questions pertaining to the students background & coding experience, math courses, and areas of interest.
One other option – Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you are passionate about research, you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 2100 students apply for 500 spots in the program! 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.