23 Best Research Opportunities for High School Students in California
Finding a great research opportunity can be difficult, particularly in a place as competitive as California. 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 23 of California's best research opportunities for high school students, including research internships, research immersions, and research mentorship programs. 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.
23 Best Summer Research Opportunities for High School Students in California
Subject areas: STEM
Location: At the host institution's campus. COSMOS is available across 4 campuses: UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Cruz.
Cost/stipend: Fee - $4,550. Financial aid is available.
Application deadline: Tentatively January
Program dates: June - August
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: California resident (although it allows 20 out-of-state students to participate). Demonstrated academic excellence.
This is an intensive, 4-week summer residential program for students who have demonstrated an aptitude in STEM. A typical COSMOS student has a GPA of 3.5 or above and other credentials that demonstrate academic excellence.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring.
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
Subject areas: Biology, chemistry, medicine
Location: Stanford University campus (Stanford, CA)
Cost/stipend: The program provides a $500 stipend.
Fee: $40 for application. Need-based refund available.
Application deadline: Tentatively December 15
Program dates: June - August
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Juniors and Seniors. At least 16 years old when the program begins. Living in the U.S. and U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a green card.
During this 8-week program, students collaborate with Stanford faculty and researchers to conduct medical research. Students select one of eight study fields and are then allocated to a lab to be mentored one-on-one.
Veritas AI - AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase
Location: Virtual
Cost: $5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase
Application deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program dates: Vary according to the cohort: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Veritas AI focuses on providing high school students who are passionate about the field of AI with a suitable environment in which to explore their interests. The programs include collaborative learning, project development, and 1-on-1 mentorship. 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 allow students to pursue independent AI research projects. Students work on their research projects over 15 weeks and can opt to combine AI with any other field of interest.You can find examples of previous projects here.
Application deadline: Applications typically close in February.
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or above are eligible.
Program dates: The start dates are determined by the student’s coordinating center and research mentor; however, high school students must begin the program no later than June 6. All students are expected to have a minimum of eight weeks of research experience and a maximum of 10 weeks.
Location: Students choose where to research – local colleges, hospitals, schools, and private research labs. Students work with their coordinating center to identify and secure a research institution and research mentor.
Fee: Free
If you’re interested in researching biomedicine and related subjects, this program might be for you. This federally funded program allows students from diverse backgrounds to engage in research. At STEP-UP, you will be paired with mentors and work on research projects at an institution of your choice. You will gain practical laboratory skills and learn about cutting-edge research techniques in fields such as biology, genetics, neuroscience, and more. You can access the program's mentorship for up to 9 months after you have completed your research.
Subject: Biomedicine
Application deadline: March 13
Eligibility: Students who are at least 16 years of age and have completed high school courses in chemistry and biology
Program dates: June 3 – August 9
Location: City of Hope
Stipend: $4,000
This prestigious internship occurs at City of Hope, a cancer treatment and research center. It offers an opportunity to engage in biomedical research under the mentorship of scientists at the center. A highlight of this program is that you get to design your own research project in an area of interest. The internship includes laboratory work, seminars, field trips, and lectures on neural stem cells, plant signaling pathways, DNA repair, and more. The program culminates in a poster session where you will present your research findings. This program is highly competitive, with an acceptance rate of less than 5%.
Application deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Current 9th and 10th grade students from SFUSD schools who have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and a grade C or above in science and math
Program dates: Multi-year with attendance required after school, on Saturdays, and on weekdays during the summer
Location: California Academy of Sciences
Stipend: Above minimum wage
The California Academy of Science is a scientific institution that includes a museum, aquarium, and planetarium. The CiS program is the academy’s internship and youth development program aimed at students from underrepresented communities in STEM fields. This program spans multiple years until you graduate high school. The internship involves a combination of gaining STEM knowledge, enhancing leadership, and receiving guidance on college applications. You will attend training sessions, conduct fieldwork, network with professionals, help with the Academy’s experiences for the public, and work on a group research project led by an Academy researcher. The previous cohort had only 44 students.
Application deadline: April 15
Eligibility: High school students from the Bay Area
Program dates: June 1 – August 24 for the summer research program; the school year research has cohorts during the fall term and spring term
Location: ASDRP research and development campus, Fremont
Fee: $1,070 for the summer research program, $995 for the school year research program
Financial assistance: Several scholarships are available for students from underrepresented backgrounds
The ASDRP is a non-profit research and development institution consisting of expert scientists, engineers, and researchers. The research program will pair you with a mentor to work on a research project that focuses on expanding current scientific knowledge. You can choose from several different departments, including biology, chemistry, computer science, and astrophysics. Through the program, you will improve your critical thinking and analytical skills while learning about scientific inquiry and academic writing. A highlight of the ASDRP is that you present your work at a poster session, and your paper gets published in the online ASDRP journal! You will also receive support in submitting your paper to external publications.
Application deadline: April 5
Eligibility: San Diego County residents who are at least 16 years of age, have a minimum GPA of 2.75, and have completed at least one year each of high school level chemistry and biology (exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis)
Program dates: June 17 - August 9 (30-40 hours per week)
Location: Salk Institute, La Jolla
Stipend: $17 per hour. Financial assistance is available.
The Salk Institute is a non-profit research organization, and the Heithoff-Brody program offers high school students the chance to work on a research project while being mentored by one of the organization’s scientists. You will spend most of your time conducting research in the institute’s labs and learning about wet lab techniques, bioinformatics, data analysis, and more. The program also includes seminars, workshops, and biotech site visits. At the end of the program, you will present your research at a symposium, either as an oral or poster presentation.
Subject areas: Biology, chemistry, medicine
Location: Scripps Research California campus (La Jolla, CA)
Cost/stipend: This program provides a $4,060 stipend.
Application deadline: Tentatively April
Program dates: June to August
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: San Diego County resident. At least 16 years of age when the program begins. Demonstrated competency in high school level chemistry and biology (minimum 3.0 GPA).
This 8-week program provides exposure to contemporary issues in biomedical research, laboratory experience, and mentorship from graduate students.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: Stanford University campus (Stanford, CA)
Cost/stipend: Fee - Commuter, taking minimum of 3 units: starts at $4,926. Living on campus, taking a minimum of 8 units: starts at $15,875.
Application deadline: Tentatively November
Program dates: June - August
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Current sophomores, juniors, or seniors. At least 16 years of age when the program begins. Must not be matriculating into Stanford as a first year.
These 8-week programs offer an array of research opportunities ranging from behavioral sciences, animation, anthropology to computer science. All Stanford Summer Session courses carry Stanford University credit.
Subject areas: Biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, synthetic biology and biofuels.
Location: UC Berkeley Campus or other partner institutions.
Cost/stipend: The program provides a $1,800 stipend plus a $200 stipend for supplies and transportation.
Application deadline: Tentatively March
Program dates: June - July
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Sophomores or juniors at a high school in Alameda, Contra Costa, or San Francisco County. At least 15 years old. US citizens, permanent residents or DACA recipients. Contingent on maximum annual household income (here).
Hosted by the Joint BioEnergy Institute (U.S. Department of Energy) and other prestigious partner organizations, the Introductory College Level Experience in Microbiology (iCLEM) is a 5-week, paid summer science intensive for economically disadvantaged high school sophomores and juniors. Students work on a research project and get guidance on career exploration and college applications.
Subject areas: Computer science and related fields
Location: UC San Diego campus (San Diego, CA)
Cost/stipend: Fee - Program with research project: $1,500. Program without research project: free.
Application deadline: Tentatively March
Program dates: June to August
Program selectivity: Fairly welcoming
Eligibility: Open to high school students generally. May have course-specific eligibility requirements.
Hosted by UC San Diego and the San Diego Supercomputer Center, this 8-week program allows students to work closely with mentors on a research project. Students learn how to formulate and test hypotheses, conduct computational experiments, and draw conclusions from those experiments.
Subject areas: Chemistry, physics, nanoscience
Location: UCLA campus (Los Angeles, CA). Living on campus is optional.
Cost/stipend: Fee - $2,961 + $1,521 (optional housing fee). Need and merit-based scholarships are available.
Application deadline: Tentatively April
Program dates: July
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Anyone enrolled in high school (freshman to senior). Strong science foundation in chemistry, physics, and biology.
During this 2-week program, students propose and conduct their own experimental research project. Students will explore a few important applications of nanoscience while also learning the basics of reviewing existing scientific literature, design-thinking, and entrepreneurship.
Location: UC San Francisco campus (San Francisco, CA)
Cost/stipend: The program provides a $1500 stipend.
Application deadline: Tentatively January
Program dates: June - August
Program selectivity: Moderately selective
Eligibility: Juniors or seniors. At least 16 years old when the program begins. At least one completed year in math and biology. Have a background considered under-represented in the sciences.
This 9-week research program is integrated with the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland and organized by the Rheumatology and Immunology Laboratories. Students work 40 hours per week in either basic laboratory research or clinical epidemiological/translational (patient-focused) research.
Subject areas: Liberal arts, law and policy
Location: UC Irvine campus (Irvine, CA)
Cost/stipend: Fee - $1,110
Application deadline: TBA
Program dates: July - August
Program selectivity: Fairly welcoming
Eligibility: Open to all high school students.
This 1-week program hosted by UC Irvine helps students hone a variety of skills foundational for research and any professional career: analytical reasoning, public speaking, persuasion & argumentation, writing, and negotiation.
Subject areas: Medicine, surgery
Location: Stanford University campus (Stanford, CA)
Cost/stipend: Fee - $4,095 for the current program (virtual). Scholarships are available.
Application deadline: Tentatively January
Program dates: Program 1: June 29 -July 9; Program 2: July 19 - July 30
Program selectivity: Fairly welcoming
Eligibility: Juniors or seniors. At least 16 years old when the program begins. No grade requirement.
This 2-week course is geared towards providing high school students with exposure to basic and advanced cardiothoracic surgery and technical skills (e.g., knot tying, dissection, suturing, coronary artery bypass graft, and cardiac valve replacement).
Subject areas: Chemistry, biochemical chemistry, material science, and related fields
Location: UC Berkeley campus (Berkeley, CA) for a four-week on-site internship. This is following a 9-month remote coaching.
Cost/stipend: Fee - $14,825 (including room and board)
Application deadline: Tentatively May
Program dates: Remote coaching: October - June. On-site internship: July - August.
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Rising students entering grades 9-12. Good to have taken general or AP chemistry. Successful applicants will be among the top 10% of their respective classes.
This one-year program exposes students to research through group meetings, research seminars, and data analysis.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary (For example, music, sociology, engineering, or creative writing)
Location: UC San Diego (San Diego, CA)
Cost/stipend: Fee - $1,500 - online course tuition. $3,000 - commuter course tuition (in person). Need-based scholarships are available.
Application deadline: Tentatively May
Program dates: Commuter Program: July 11 - July 29. Online Program: July 5 - July 29.
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Anyone enrolled in high school (freshman to senior). At least 14 years old before the program starts. Cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher. Recommendation from a teacher or counselor.
25 students are selected to work individually with a UCSD Faculty researcher during this 6-week-long program.
Subject areas: Biology, Mathematics
Location: UC Irvine campus (Irvine, CA)
Cost/stipend: None.
Deadline to apply: Tentatively March
Program dates: June - July
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Released with the new application.
Math ExpLR is a 6-week mathematical biology program. Students will be paired with undergraduates and collaborate with a principal investigator on a computational biology research project. There will also be weekly skill development events, such as how to deliver presentations or how to write math on the computer.
Subject area: Art, history, sociology
Location: Asia Art Museum (San Francisco, CA), and partly virtual.
Cost/stipend: This program provides a stipend (amount unknown).
Application deadline: TBA. Please join the mailing list to remain updated on applications.
Program dates: August-May
Program selectivity: Fairly welcoming
Eligibility: Released with the new application.
This year-long internship provides opportunities and career training for public high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Interns discover Asian art and cultural traditions, learn from local artists and arts organizations, and engage in social justice and youth activism. Students conduct informational interviews with museum staff to explore careers in the arts and develop their leadership skills by facilitating art activities.
Subject area: Multidisciplinary
Location: UCLA Campus (Los Angeles, California). Also available online.
Cost/stipend: Fee - Per unit: $1440, further fixed fee: $461. Financial aid is available. The number of units a student opts for can vary.
Application deadline: Tentatively June - August, on a rolling basis depending on the courses selected
Program dates: June-August
Program selectivity: Fairly welcoming
Eligibility: Open to high school students generally. May have course-specific eligibility requirements.
Students can choose from over 800, 6 to 10-week courses that represent UCLA’s academic breadth. Courses range from liberal arts and foreign language to sciences.
Location: University of California, Santa Barbara, CA.
Cost: $4,975 (commuter option) | $11,874 (residential option)
Application Deadline: March 18
Program Dates: June 17 - August 2
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 and 11 (outstanding 9th graders may be accepted on a case-by-case basis) with a minimum weighted GPA of 3.80.
The Research Mentorship Program (RMP) is a prestigious 6-week summer initiative that pairs high school students with UCSB faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and advanced graduate students for an interdisciplinary research experience. Participants work on their research projects for 35-50 hours a week both virtually and on campus. Students also earn 8 university credits through two courses focused on research techniques and presentation skills. The program concludes with a formal academic symposium where students present their findings.
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.