TL;DR
The Regeneron Science Talent Search is a national research competition for high school seniors with original research in science, mathematics, engineering, and related fields. You’ll find a free application, a rigorous research review process, 300 Scholar spots, and 40 Finalist spots, with awards reaching $250,000. The competition looks closely at your research, scientific thinking, academic background, recommendations, and potential as a future researcher. If you want to build an independent research project with 1:1 mentorship, explore the Horizon Academic Research Program.
Finding a serious research opportunity in high school can be difficult, especially when you want to move beyond short-term programs and work on a question that you can investigate in depth. You may find summer research programs, university labs, science fairs, and competitions, but they can offer very different kinds of experiences. If you already have research experience and want to put your work through a national scientific review process, the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) is one of the most competitive opportunities you can pursue as a high school senior.
What is the Regeneron Science Talent Search?
The Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) is a national research competition for high school seniors, run by Society for Science. It has a long history of recognizing young researchers in science, mathematics, and engineering, and it is one of the most competitive research competitions available to high school students in the United States.
You enter a research project you have already completed and submit an application explaining the work, your background, your academic interests, and your contribution to the research. Your project can come from fields such as biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, engineering, environmental science, medicine, physics, and other STEM areas. The official eligibility requirements explain the current rules around who can enter and what kinds of research qualify.
The competition has several stages. Scientists review the applications and select 300 Scholars. From that group, 40 Finalists are selected and invited to Washington, DC, for the Regeneron Science Talent Institute.
For the current competition, applications open June 1 and close November 5. The Top 300 are announced January 7, the 40 Finalists are announced January 21, and Finals Week is scheduled for March 11 through March 17.
How competitive is Regeneron Science Talent Search?
Regeneron STS is highly selective.
In the most recent competition, 2,612 people entered. Of those applicants, 300 were named Scholars and 40 became Finalists. That means approximately 11.5% of entrants reached the Scholar stage, while about 1.5% reached the Finalist stage.
| Stage | Number | Approximate share of entrants |
| 2026 Entrants | 2,612 | 100% |
| Scholars | 300 | 11.5% |
| Finalists | 40 | 1.5% |
| Finalists from the Scholar pool | 40 of 300 | 13.3% |
STS is a research competition, so no college-style acceptance rate tells you whether an applicant is likely to get in. The competition also does not publish a single GPA cutoff or test score that guarantees a place in the Top 300. Your research, application, recommendations, academic record, activities, and other parts of your background are reviewed together.
The best way to read the numbers is simple: reaching the Top 300 is already a significant achievement, and reaching the Top 40 is considerably more selective.
How much does Regeneron STS cost?
Nothing. There is no application fee for Regeneron STS. You can enter the competition without paying to submit your application.
The competition also awards substantial prize money. Each Scholar receives $2,000, with another $2,000 going to the Scholar’s school. Each Finalist receives at least $25,000, while the top 10 receive larger awards. The first place winner receives $250,000.
Finalists also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, for the Regeneron Science Talent Institute.
The cost of completing your research can be different. STS does not require you to conduct your project through one particular laboratory, university, or research program. Your research environment depends on the project you choose and the resources available to you.
If you are looking for research opportunities that can help you develop a project before applying to competitions like STS, you can also explore this guide to research programs for high school students.
Who is eligible for Regeneron Science Talent Search?
Regeneron STS is designed for high school seniors in the United States and its territories. U.S. citizens attending school abroad can also be eligible.
You need to meet the competition’s citizenship, residency, enrollment, and research requirements. You also need to submit an individual research project that meets the current STS rules.
You can work with a mentor, professor, teacher, researcher, or research group. Your research does not have to be completed completely on your own. What matters is that you can clearly explain your contribution and understand the work you submit.
If your project was completed with a research group, you will need to provide information about the support you received and your role in the project. The official eligibility requirements should be your final reference before you begin an application because eligibility rules can change between competition years.
What does the Regeneron STS application require?
The application asks you to explain both your research and who you are as a researcher.
The major components include:
| Application component | What you submit |
| Research Report | A detailed report of up to 20 pages describing your research |
| Recommendations | Recommendations from people familiar with your academic and research work |
| Essays and questions | Responses about your research, interests, experiences, and background |
| Transcript | Your high school academic record |
| Test scores | Optional information |
| Research disclosures | Information about support, mentors, research environments, and other relevant details |
For the current competition, applications and required materials are due by 8 PM ET on November 5.
Your Research Report is especially important. It gives the judges a clear view of how you approached your question, designed your research, handled evidence, and interpreted your results.
That means you should not leave the report until the final weeks before the deadline. A strong research paper usually takes several rounds of analysis, revision, checking, and feedback.
What makes a Regeneron STS research project competitive?
A competitive project needs a clear question and enough depth to show how you think as a researcher.
Your research should give you something meaningful to investigate. You should understand why the question matters, what has already been studied, what gap or problem you are addressing, and how your approach can produce useful evidence.
Your methodology matters too. You should understand why you chose a particular experiment, dataset, model, statistical method, computational approach, or research design.
Your results do not have to confirm your original hypothesis.
If your experiment produces an unexpected result, that can become an important part of the research. You should be able to explain what happened, consider possible reasons, identify limitations, and describe what you would investigate next.
Your own contribution also needs to be clear. If you worked in a university laboratory, for example, the judges should be able to understand which parts of the project you worked on and how much responsibility you had.
A useful place to start if you have an interest but have not yet settled on a question is this guide on how to choose a research topic as a high school student.
How does Regeneron STS judging work?
The judging process begins with the submitted application and research.
According to the Society for Science’s judging information, entries are reviewed by scientists with relevant expertise. The Research Report receives the greatest weight, while other parts of the application help judges understand your academic record, research experience, leadership, and potential.
The initial judging produces the Top 300 Scholars.
Those applications receive additional review, after which 40 Finalists are selected.
The Finalists then travel to Washington, DC, for the Regeneron Science Talent Institute. During Finals Week, you present your work and participate in additional judging and interviews.
At that stage, the judges can ask you detailed questions about your project. You need to understand your methods, results, assumptions, limitations, and the scientific ideas behind your work.
This is one reason deep understanding matters so much. Memorizing your research paper will not prepare you for a question that takes your project in a direction you did not expect.
How do you get into Regeneron STS?
There is no formula that guarantees a place in the Top 300. You can, however, make your preparation much stronger by focusing on the parts of the process you control.
Start early enough to do real research
Research takes time. You may need to learn a new technique, collect more data, change your experimental design, rewrite code, or repeat an experiment. Give yourself enough time for the project to develop.
Choose a question you actually care about
A question you genuinely want to investigate is easier to stay with when the research becomes difficult. You should also make sure the question is narrow enough to investigate with the time, equipment, data, and expertise available to you.
Understand every important research decision.
Know why you selected your methodology.
Know where your data came from.
Know why you used a particular statistical test or computational method.
Know what your controls do.
Know what your limitations are.
If you cannot explain those decisions, your mentor may understand the project better than you do.
Keep detailed research records
Save your experimental results, code, datasets, calculations, notes, revisions, and failed attempts. Those records can help you reconstruct how the project developed when you begin writing your Research Report.
Take your analysis seriously
Do not stop after producing a result. Look for patterns. Test alternative explanations. Check whether your analysis actually supports your conclusion.
A strong research project should make it clear how you moved from evidence to conclusion.
Be honest about what you contributed
Working with an experienced researcher can be valuable. It can also make your application harder to explain if your role is unclear.
Be specific about what you designed, tested, analyzed, wrote, coded, built, or discovered.
Write for an expert who does not know your project
The judges understand science, but they were not sitting beside you during your research.
Your report needs to give them enough context to understand the problem and enough evidence to follow your reasoning.
Treat failed experiments as part of the story
Research rarely moves in a straight line.
If an experiment failed and you changed your approach, document what you learned from that process. The important thing is that you can explain the decision and its effect on the project.
If you are looking for a structured way to build research experience before taking on a competition like STS, Horizon also has a guide to 35 summer research programs for high school students.
What happens if you become a Regeneron STS Finalist?
The 40 Finalists are invited to Washington, DC, for the Regeneron Science Talent Institute.
For the current cycle, Finals Week is scheduled for March 11 through March 17.
You present your research during the public exhibition and take part in additional judging. You also meet the other Finalists, scientists, and members of the broader scientific community.
The experience gives you a chance to discuss your work outside the setting where you originally conducted it. You may be asked to explain a technical decision, defend an interpretation, or discuss what you would do next.
The financial awards are also significant. Every Finalist receives at least $25,000, and the top 10 receive larger awards. The first-place winner receives $250,000.
You can find the current details on the Society for Science’s official judging and awards page.
Does Regeneron STS help with college admissions?
Being named a Regeneron STS Scholar or Finalist can give you a significant research achievement to discuss in a college application. More importantly, the research behind the recognition can give you something concrete to talk about.
You can explain the question you investigated, the problems you faced, the decisions you made, and what changed in your understanding of the subject.
The award itself does not guarantee admission to a particular college.
Your research experience can also matter even if you do not become a Scholar or Finalist. A serious project can give you experience with scientific writing, data analysis, problem-solving, and communicating technical ideas.
If you want to understand how research experiences fit into the wider college application process, this guide to summer research and college admissions is a useful next read.
What should you do if you want to compete in STS?
Start with the research, not the application.
If you are still looking for a topic, spend time reading papers and identifying questions that interest you. If you already have a project, look closely at the question, methodology, data, and conclusions.
Ask yourself whether you understand every major decision in the project.
Then look at the current STS rules, eligibility requirements, and application requirements before preparing your submission.
If you are working with a mentor or research program, make sure you understand what belongs to you and what belongs to the larger research group.
And give yourself enough time to write the Research Report properly.
The strongest application is one where you can talk about your research naturally because you actually understand the work behind every page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Research conducted earlier in high school can be eligible if it meets the current competition rules and you satisfy the eligibility requirements. Your application should also make your own contribution to the research clear.
Yes. You can conduct research with a mentor, professor, university laboratory, or research organization. You need to disclose the support you received and explain your individual contribution to the project.
Yes. Research does not have to produce the result you expected. What matters is whether you can explain the evidence, analyze what happened, discuss limitations, and show what you learned from the work.
There are specific rules governing AI use in the application process. The current STS application requirements include guidance on permitted AI use, so check those rules before using an AI tool to help with your research or application materials.
If you have a subject you want to explore but need help turning that interest into a focused research question, the Horizon Academic Research Program allows you to work with an expert mentor and develop a structured research project.
If you have a subject you want to explore but need help turning that interest into a focused research question, the Horizon Academic Research Program allows you to work with an expert mentor and develop a structured research project.
Image source: Regeneron Science Talent Search