9 Research Programs for High School Students in Boston, Massachusetts
For high school students, research programs provide an excellent chance to explore specific topics and gain hands-on experience before college. These programs allow you to work on real-world projects, use advanced tools, and learn from university faculty or industry experts. Whether you’re interested in biology, engineering, or computer science, research programs can help you explore subjects you’re interested in while building problem-solving and analytical skills.
Participating in research programs can also strengthen your college application, especially for competitive undergraduate programs. By showing curiosity, initiative, and the ability to handle advanced work, you’ll stand out as a driven student.
To get you started, here’s a list of 9 research programs in Boston, Massachusetts, designed for high school students like you.
Northeastern University’s Young Scholar Program is a free research opportunity for rising high school seniors in Massachusetts. Hosted across the Science, Engineering, and Health Sciences departments, the program combines laboratory research with career exploration and mentorship. You will collaborate with faculty on ongoing projects such as agent-based modeling, battery chemistry optimization, and cancer therapy research. Seminars will introduce various engineering disciplines, while career counseling sessions will help you navigate college preparation and career pathways. You will also gain exposure to the industry through site visits to leading labs and companies.
Location: Northeastern University
Cost: No cost
Dates: June 23 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 20
Eligibility: Students entering 12th grade in the fall following the program. Students must be permanent Massachusetts residents. Check more details here.
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.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
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
Students must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)
No previous knowledge of your field of interest is required!
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer (June - August), Fall (September - December), Winter (December - February), and Spring (March - June).
The Wolfram High School Summer Research Program allows high school students to develop programming and problem-solving skills. You will work on independent projects with mentors, collaborating with Stephen Wolfram to address cutting-edge challenges. You will gain hands-on experience in computational thinking and the Wolfram Language, producing a computational essay and an interactive research paper. The program includes workshops, creative minors, and social activities. It prepares you for advanced research opportunities, STEM competitions, and internships within the Wolfram ecosystem.
Location: Bentley University
Cost: $4,500Dates: June 25 – July 12
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines. January 15 for the Early Decision deadline, April 15 for the Regular Decision deadline, and the waitlist will remain open until May 30.
Eligibility: Students aged 14 to 17
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, and more! Horizon is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers you the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research.
Once you select a particular subject track, Horizon pairs you with a professor/PhD scholar who acts as a mentor throughout your research journey. As a participant, you will be expected to develop a 20-page research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student.
The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects.
Location: Virtual
Application Date: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer and Fall cohorts.
Program Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September).
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
The Boston Leadership Institute's Neurosurgery Research Program is a three-week summer program for high school students. It explores brain functions through lectures, dissections, and case studies, illustrating how brain injuries or disorders like Alzheimer's affect behavior and perception. You will also learn about neuroimaging techniques, including EEG, fMRI, and PET/SPECT, which are used to study brain activity. The program offers a hands-on approach to understanding neurosurgery and neurological research.
Location: The Newman School, Boston, MA
Cost: Tuition: $2,500 | Residential Fee: $2,097
Dates: June 23 – July 11
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students
The Massachusetts General Hospital Youth Neurology Education and Research Program provides paid internships for Massachusetts high school students, particularly those from underrepresented communities. You will engage in mentored research, attend boot camps for lab training, and join weekly sessions with neurologists and neuroscientists. The program offers networking opportunities and culminates in final research presentations. Long-term support, including career advising, continues after program completion to advance your academic and professional growth.
Location: MGH Main Campus, Charlestown Navy Yard, Assembly Row in Somerville, MA, or another lab location within Boston, Cambridge, or Somerville
Cost: No cost; stipend provided
Dates: June 30 – August 8
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: The applicant must be a rising high school senior or graduate
The Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center’s CURE Program offers high school students from underrepresented populations a paid summer research internship in cancer research. You will contribute to real research projects under mentorship. You will also participate in training, networking, and professional development events. The program aims to inspire future careers in biosciences by enhancing your scientific knowledge and skills. At the end of the program, you will present your work and receive ongoing career support.
Location: Harvard Cancer Center
Cost: No cost; stipend provided
Dates: Program start date: June 18
Application Deadline: February 3
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, as well as college freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Participants must be 16 years old at the start of the program. You can check more information here.
Project Success by Harvard Medical School is a paid research internship for high school students in Boston and Cambridge, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds in medicine. The program places you in Harvard Medical School or affiliated labs, where you will receive mentorship and hands-on research experience. You will attend seminars by faculty, visit hospitals and biotech companies, and participate in workshops on writing, speaking, and computer skills. The goal is to help you assess your interest in biomedical careers. The program aims to build your technical skills and provide guidance for future academic and professional development.
Location: Harvard Medical School
Cost: No cost; stipend provided
Dates: June 30 – August 15
Application Deadline: February 3
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors from Boston and Cambridge who are at least 16 years old and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.7
The Boston Leadership Institute's Biomedical Engineering Program offers high school students a hands-on understanding of medical technologies. You will study biochemistry and materials chemistry through DNA extraction and transformation, as well as 3D design and printing. The program explores biophysics, biotechnology, and medical device development. For the final project, you will research a medical need and propose a technological solution, which you will demonstrate with an experiment and present to the class. Examples include prosthetics, medical devices, and bioplastics.
Location: Olin College, Greater Wellesley, MA (Session 1) and The Newman School, Boston, MA (Session 2)
Cost:
Three-Week Tuition: $2,500Three-Week Residential Fee: $2,097
One-Week Tuition: $699One-Week Residential Fee: $699
Dates: Session 1: June 23 – July 11 | Session 2: July 14 – August 1
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basisEligibility: High school students in 10th grade and above who reside in the Longwood Medical Area
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.