15 Summer Research Opportunities in India for High School Students
Finding research opportunities in India which are open for high school students can be challenging.
We have you covered - make the most out of your summer with this curated list of opportunities across India and the U.S. We have both on-campus and virtual opportunities that range from highly selective to fairly welcoming, across a wide array of subjects.
If you are open to traveling outside India, take a look at some of the other opportunities we’ve curated in psychology research, medical research, biology research, summer research programs and virtual research. Be sure to visit the websites to check whether the program is open for international students!
15 Summer Research Opportunities in India for High School Students
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: In-person @Ashoka University's Campus in Sonipat, Haryana
Cost: Ashoka's YSP program costs INR 25,500 (inclusive of taxes). Yes, need-based financial aid is available.
Application deadline: Tentatively April 2023 (based on previous year’s application)
Program dates: May 2023
Program selectivity: Moderately selective
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12 in May of the intake year.
This 1-week program is a pre-college experience for a liberal arts education. Students get a chance to explore 10 different disciplines through experiential and hands-on learning. The program includes a range of activities including lectures, workshops, discussion groups, project-work, presentations and performances.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: FLAME University Campus (Pune, Maharashtra)
Cost: INR 50,000 (inclusive of service tax).
Application deadline: Tentatively Batch 1: 9th May, Batch 2: 20th June (based on previous year’s application)
Program dates: Tentatively Batch I - 15th May 2022 to 28th May 2022 and Batch II - 26th June 2022 to 09th July 2022
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12. At least 14 years of age as on 15th March of the intake year.
This 12-day program offers high school students to gain first-hand understanding of liberal arts education through a mix of exciting academic and non-academic courses which provide a strong foundation to succeed in future academic pursuits.
Subject areas: Biology, medicine, health
Location: Virtual
Cost: None
Application deadline: Tentatively April for 2023 (based on previous year’s application)
Program dates: To be announced.
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10 to 12 who have not yet applied to college.
This 1-week program students become familiar with key fundamentals of research and gain hands-on experience and knowledge of global health. They also participate in workshops on college readiness and career exploration.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary but focused on social development
Location: Virtual
Cost: INR 20,000 plus taxes
Application deadline: To be announced for 2023
Program dates: 2 programs running between June and July (tentative)
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students from grades 10 to 12 (recent graduates included). No more than 18 years of age.
Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) organizes this 1-month program to immerse high school students in live research projects with partner organizations such as Our Democracy, Teach for India, Indian School of Democracy, Lung Care Foundation, World Resources Institute (to name a few). Students work on issues across environment, gender, education, global health and governance.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: Amity University Campus (Noida, Uttar Pradesh)
Cost: Rs. 10,000/- (Fees subsidized by Amity Youth Foundation). Hostel Fees : Rs. 4,000/-
(Including Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner).
Application deadline: June 5-16, 2023 (based on previous year’s application).
Program dates: Tentatively June-July for 2023
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 to 12.
This 2-week program provides students with a structured pre-college experience across liberal arts along with guided career exploration. Students get to interact with different education departments and have the option to experience life on an Amity campus.
Subject areas: STEM
Location: Plaksha University Campu (Mohali, Punjab)
Cost: Fees: INR 75,000 (Early Bird) / INR 90,000 Read more about the summer Young Technology Scholars (YTS) summer program. Need-based scholarships are available.
Application deadline: Tentatively April for 2023 (based on previous year’s application).
Program dates: Tentatively June and July, 2023
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12.
This 2-week intensive STEM summer program exposes students to real-world engineering and problem-solving through hands-on learning and interdisciplinary coursework.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary across liberal arts/sciences
Location: The Symbiosis Centre of International Education (Pune, Maharashtra)
Cost: Not available.
Application deadline: Rolling.
Program dates: Tentatively June-July for 2023.
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility:Students in grades 10 to 12.
This 2-week program helps students an opportunity to cut through the confusion associated with choices students make after graduating from school. This program introduces its participants to the academic program, disciplines, and careers available to them through a mix of pre-college course work and seminars.
Subject areas: Mathematics
Location: Virtual
Cost: Cost: INR 1,16,000 (approx.) / $1400. Scholarships available.
Application deadline: To be announced. The program was on hiatus for 2022 but will resume in 2023.
Program dates: To be announced.
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students who are between 13 and 19 years old.
This 6-week program presents students with math problems which have never been solved before. Within a circle of fellow scholars, students spend time on understanding, solving, and applying complex math problems.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: Both programs are available virtually.
Cost:
Accelerated semester: Per credit cost - INR 57,000 (approx.) / $695 plus INR 2,800 (approx.) / $35 (application fee). Financial aid and discounts are not available for Accelerated Semester Online courses.
Pre-College Online: Noncredit course - INR 2,00,000 (approx.) / $2,500. 3 credits - INR 2,47,000 (approx.) / $2985. Scholarships and financial aid is available. Other variations of courses have different charges, available here.
Application deadline: Dates for the accelerated semester are session dependent and available here.
Program dates: Differ based on program and course.
Program selectivity: Accelerated semester: Moderate. Pre-College Online: Open enrollment
Eligibility:
Accelerated semester: must be of current junior or senior status or a 2023 high school graduate. Have good academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Some courses may have additional requirements.
Pre-College Online: Students in grades 9 to 12.
High school students can take the pre-college or accelerated semester courses depending on the academic goals. Courses are offered across disciplines and some offer college credit.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary across liberal arts/sciences
Location: Jindal Global University (Delhi NCR) or available online.
Cost: On-campus program scheduled for 10 days at JGU campus will have the participating fee as Rs. 50,000/- (all inclusive). Online mode scheduled for 10 days will have the participating fee as Rs. 30,000/- (all inclusive).
Application deadline: May 15, 2023 is the priority deadline. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until May 31, 2023 (based on previous year’s application).
Program dates: Tentatively June-July for 2023.
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to12. This 10-day program is designed for students studying in schools within India. The objective of AISP is to create opportunities for high school students to experience the diversity of academic program, disciplines and campus environment that are available to them and enable informed transitions from high school to university within India and abroad.
Subject areas: Biology, psychology, behavioral science
Location: Virtual
Cost: INR 1,07,000 (approx.) / $1,295. Scholarships are available for students in need of financial aid.
Application deadline: Applications for summer 2023 will open in mid-December 2022.
Program dates: Tentatively Session 1: July; Session 2: July to August.
Program selectivity: Open enrollment
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 to 12.
This 10-day program provides introductory exposure in neuroscience, psychiatry and psychology plus an opportunity to complete a collaborative capstone project. Through interactive seminars with Stanford faculty and researchers, students learn about principles of neuroscience, clinical neuropsychiatry, neuroscience research, psychiatric epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, and more.
Subject areas: Sustainability, clean energy
Location: Virtual
Cost: None.
Application deadline: Applications for summer 2023 will open in mid-December 2022.
Program dates: Rolling - Half-time internships (2-8 weeks, 20 hours per week) or quarter-time internships (1-9 months, 8 hours per week)
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 to 12. At least one honors science or honors English class, although we will make exceptions in appropriate cases GPA over 3.25.
EnergyMag is a blog focused on sustainable and clean energy and offers virtual research internships to high school and college students looking to gain experience working in the renewable energy sector. Students gain research and analytical skills, alongside work experience, by researching specific companies, technologies, and markets.
Subject areas: Multidisciplinary
Location: Virtual
Cost: INR 47,000 (approx.) / $570, an INR 42,000 (approx.) $513 admin charge and INR 33,000 / $400 as international service fee.
Application deadline: June, 2023 (based on previous year’s application)
Program dates: Tentatively June-August, 2023
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Students who have completed grades 10 or 11, are between 16 and 18 years old and have an overall B average (3.0, weighted or unweighted) in all of their high school coursework.
This is a pre-college program which can span between 3-10 weeks and students can choose from a variety of courses across disciplines and deep-dive into their academic goals while earning college credit.
Subject areas: Mathematics
Location: Virtual
Cost: INR 2,74,000 (approx.) / $3,315. Financial aid is available. An additional cost of upto INR 8,000 (approx.) / $100 may be incurred for course material.
Application deadline: March 15, 2023 (based on previous year’s application).
Program dates: Tentatively June, 2023
Program selectivity: High
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 or 11.
This 3-week program is for students who have a proven record of excellence in mathematics and an aptitude for advanced mathematics. Students will undertake coursework, attend online lectures and work on projects. SUMaC students are selected based on their grades in math courses, recommendation letters and performance in the admission exam. This program does not offer college credit.
Subject areas: Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, or Nanotechnology
Location: Virtual (an on-campus option will likely resume from 2023)
Cost: INR 1,24,000 (approx.) / $1,500. No financial aid is available, but students can reach out to partner organizations seeking a scholarship.
Application deadline: June, 2023 (based on previous year’s application)
Program dates: Tentatively July, 2023.
Program selectivity: Moderate
Eligibility: Students in grades 9 to 12.
This 6-week summer program selects 25 students to work on research, individually with a UCSD faculty researcher, in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, or Nanotechnology.
Bonus - 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.
The AI Fellowship program will have students pursue their own independent AI research project. In the past, students have worked on research papers in the field of AI & medicine, AI & finance, AI & environmental science, AI & education, and more!
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. 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.
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 4000 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.