Physics Research Programs for High School Students

TL;DR

Below are 19 physics research programs for high school students, each with its location, cost, cohort size, dates, application deadline, and eligibility. Most summer deadlines land between December and March, so find your group now and get those dates on your calendar before winter break. Too young for the big-name programs, can’t travel, or want full ownership of the project? With Horizon, you work one-on-one with a PhD mentor on a physics question you choose and finish with a research paper. It’s fully online, open to grades 9 to 12, and cohorts start several times a year, so you can start your own physics research project with Horizon.

Physics research in high school mostly means working with data. You might sort radio telescope signals looking for a new pulsar, check whether a star’s light dips when a planet crosses in front of it, or write code that models how air flows around a wing. A few programs put you in front of lasers, detectors, or a nuclear beam line. But most of the work happens on a laptop, and most of it happens in Python.

What does physics research look like in high school?

“Physics research” covers a lot of ground. Before you compare programs, it helps to know which kind of physics you’d actually want to spend six weeks on. Here’s what students work on in the programs on this page.

Area	What you might do	Programs on this page
Astronomy and exoplanets	Measure a planet’s transit in TESS data, study JWST spectra, find an asteroid’s orbit	YSPA, SSP, CIERA REACH, GMU NASA Data Science, NASA SEES, AMNH SRMP, UCSC SIP
Radio astronomy	Sort real telescope plots to find new pulsars	Pulsar Science Collaboratory
Nuclear and particle physics	Analyze detector data from CERN’s CMS experiment, study rare isotopes	PING, QuarkNet at Notre Dame, UIUC Young Scholars
Fluids, materials and quantum	Model fluid flow, test quantum materials for gravity sensing	Horizon, NASA SEES, UIUC Young Scholars
Space and atmospheric physics	Read solar spectra from satellites, use gravity data to track water	ASSIP, NASA SEES

Not sure yet? That’s completely normal. Pick the area whose questions you’d happily read about on a Saturday, then look for programs in that row. Our list of 20 physics research topics is a good place to find a question worth chasing, and if space is your thing, try these 25 astrophysics research topics. If you’d like to mix physics with another field, browse the interdisciplinary project ideas or the bigger list of 200 STEM research topics.

Summer program or school-year research?

Most of this list runs in summer. But a few programs keep going all year, and the difference matters more than it sounds.

	Summer programs	School-year programs
Time	2 to 8 weeks, often full-time	A few hours a week for months
Where	Usually on a campus, often residential	After school, online, or both
What you get	A big push inside a working lab	Time to finish one project properly
Examples here	RSI, Simons, YSPA, SSP, BU RISE	AMNH SRMP, ASDRP, Pulsar Science Collaboratory, Horizon

A summer program is intense, and that’s the point. You’ll learn fast, meet people who love physics as much as you do, and usually end with a poster. A school-year program is slower, but it gives you enough time to take one question all the way to a finished result. Plenty of students do both: a summer program to find what they like, then a longer project to go deep. If a year-long commitment sounds right, see our list of year-long physics programs or these research opportunities during the school year.

Does a physics research program help your college application?

It can, but not because of the name on the certificate. Admissions readers see plenty of program names every year. What stands out is a project you can explain in detail: the question you asked, what you tried, what went wrong, and what you found.

A few things carry real weight:

• A finished product. A paper, a poster, or a result like a newly identified pulsar gives you something concrete for your activities list and essays.
• A mentor who knows your work. A scientist who watched you work for six weeks, or a whole year, can write a letter that says far more than a grade.
• A through-line. A physics project that connects to your classes, your competitions and what you plan to study reads as a real interest, not a box you checked.
• Selectivity, in moderation. Getting into RSI or Simons says something, since both admit under 5% of applicants. A strong project from a program with no application at all still counts.

Pick the program where you’ll actually finish something. For a longer take, read our breakdown of whether summer research programs help with college admissions and these 8 reasons research experience helps your application.

How to choose the right physics research program

Start with the one row that describes you, then jump straight to that group.

If you…	Look at
Want a free, selective program and can travel for it	Free physics research programs open to students anywhere
Live in the Midwest or New York City	Local physics research programs in the Midwest and New York City
Can pay tuition or qualify for aid, and want a campus lab	Physics summer research programs that charge tuition
Want to start from home, or keep research going all year	Online and year-round physics research programs

Looking for something a little different? We also cover physics internships, astrophysics programs, online physics programs and courses, and physics summer programs.

Free physics research programs open to students anywhere

1. Pulsar Science Collaboratory

Location: Online, with an optional summer camp at Green Bank Observatory, West Virginia

Cost: Free online training. The 2026 summer camp cost $400 for room and board, plus travel, with scholarships for campers with financial need.

Cohort size: Not published

Dates: The online course runs as a live workshop twice a year and is also available self-paced at about 2 to 3 hours a week. The 2026 camp ran July 5 to 11.

Application Deadline: None for the online program; students sign up and begin the course. The camp takes applications (June 5 in 2026) and requires applicants to have analyzed a set number of data plots first.

Eligibility: Age 13 and up. No residency or citizenship requirement is published.

The Pulsar Science Collaboratory trains students through a six-week online course, then gives them real data from the Green Bank Telescope to search for signs of pulsars. It is run by West Virginia University, Green Bank Observatory and the NANOGrav collaboration, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Participants have discovered seven pulsars and one rotating radio transient, and some have become published authors before finishing high school. Juniors and seniors can register for 3 college credits from West Virginia University, and a Discord community and journal club keep participants connected between sessions.

Who is it right for? A 9th or 10th grader who wants to start real physics data work this month, for free, from home.

2. PING: Physicists Inspiring the Next Generation

Location: Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (residential)

Cost: Free. Housing and meals are covered, as are flights for students coming from out of state.

Cohort size: About 20 to 24 students

Dates: July 12 to 25, 2026 (two weeks). No 2027 dates are posted yet.

Application Deadline: March 15 for the 2026 cycle, which opened January 15. No 2027 cycle has been posted.

Eligibility: Grades 9 to 11 at a US high school, including US territories. Applicants need a reference from a teacher or coach.

PING is run by FRIB with the National Society of Black Physicists and funded by the National Science Foundation. Participants work on nuclear physics with the MoNA Collaboration, paired with undergraduate mentors. Students can continue after the two weeks, turning the experience into a year-long research project and presenting at national physics conferences. The small cohort means every student gets close contact with the research team.

Who is it right for? A freshman or sophomore curious about nuclear physics who wants a fully funded first taste of a real lab.

3. NASA SEES (STEM Enhancement in Earth Science)

Location: Online, with an optional two weeks on site at the University of Texas at Austin

Cost: Free for the virtual track. The on-site track costs $2,000 plus travel, or is free with a scholarship that covers tuition, housing and meals.

Cohort size: 215 accepted in 2024, from about 2,000 applicants

Dates: For 2026, online modules ran May 15 to July 1, the on-site session ran July 5 to 18, and a virtual symposium ran July 20 to 21.

Application Deadline: February 22 for the 2026 cycle, with recommendations due March 1. No 2027 cycle is posted yet.

Eligibility: Current sophomores or juniors who are 16 by the program start and are US citizens. Past SEES participants cannot reapply.

Every participant starts with NASA Earth and space science modules online, then joins a mentored team project and presents it at the end. The 2026 projects included exoplanet transits, the age of a star cluster, gravity data from NASA’s GRACE satellites, and quantum materials for sensing gravity. With roughly one in ten applicants admitted, SEES is competitive, but the virtual track makes it one of the few free NASA research experiences open to students nationwide.

Who is it right for? A sophomore or junior US citizen who wants to work with NASA data without paying anything.

4. Simons Summer Research Program

Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY (residential or commuter)

Cost: No tuition. Living on campus was estimated at $2,450 for 2026, covering housing and a meal plan. Participants receive a stipend at the end, but the amount isn’t published.

Cohort size: Not published (under 5% of applicants are admitted)

Dates: June 29 to August 7, 2026. No 2027 dates are posted yet.

Application Deadline: February 5 for the 2026 cycle. School nominations were due January 30 and teacher recommendations were due February 13. Simons says the 2027 application will post in late November.

Eligibility: Current juniors who are 16 by the start of the program and are US citizens or permanent residents. Applicants must be nominated by their school.

Simons places students in a Stony Brook faculty research group for six weeks, where they work on a project with a mentor, write an abstract, and present a poster at the closing symposium. Fewer than 5% of applicants get in, which puts Simons among the most selective programs on this list. The program describes its research areas as science, math, and engineering rather than naming departments, so applicants should check the mentor list when it posts to see which physics projects are on offer.

Who is it right for? A junior with strong grades and a school that’s willing to nominate them.

5. Anson L. Clark Scholars Program

Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX (residential)

Cost: Free, including room and meals. There’s a $25 application fee, and scholars earn a $750 stipend on completing their research report.

Cohort size: 12 students

Dates: June 21 to August 6, 2026 (seven weeks)

Application Deadline: February 16 for the 2026 cycle. No 2027 cycle is posted yet.

Eligibility: At least 17 by the start date, with no exceptions. Juniors and seniors who are US citizens or permanent residents.

Clark takes just 12 students a year. Each scholar works on a research project with a Texas Tech professor, and physics was one of the 2026 research areas. With a cohort that small, scholars get far more time with their mentor than they would in a program of a hundred. Weekly seminars run alongside the research, and the summer ends with a written report. Our full review of the Clark Scholars Program covers the application in more detail.

Who is it right for? A junior or senior who’ll be 17 by June and wants a small, fully paid research summer.

6. Research Science Institute (RSI)

Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA (residential). A second site opens at Stanford in summer 2027.

Cost: Free, including housing and meals. The application fee is $75, and it can be waived for students who need it.

Cohort size: 100 students at MIT plus 50 at Stanford from 2027

Dates: June 28 to August 8, 2026 (six weeks). 2027 dates aren’t posted yet.

Application Deadline: December 10, 2025 for the 2026 cycle. It usually falls in mid-December, and the 2027 date isn’t posted yet.

Eligibility: Applicants need one year of high school left, so most apply in the middle of junior year. They must be 16 by July 1. US and international students can both apply.

RSI opens with a week of advanced STEM classes, then gives each student five weeks on an individual research project with a scientist mentor. The program ends with a written paper and a talk. RSI accepts under 2.5% of more than 3,100 applicants, making it one of the hardest programs on this list to get into. It recommends high math scores (PSAT Math 740+ or ACT Math 33+), but the review is holistic. For a full breakdown, read our complete guide to RSI.

Who is it right for? A junior with standout math and science who’s ready to apply by mid-December.

Local physics research programs in the Midwest and New York City

7. UIUC Young Scholars Summer STEMM Research Program

Location: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL. Housing is provided for selected students who don’t live nearby.

Cost: Free. Meals and a fellowship payment are included, but the payment amount isn’t published.

Cohort size: About 30 lab spots

Dates: For 2026, move-in was June 14, research began June 17, and the final symposium was July 31 (six weeks).

Application Deadline: A priority deadline of March 31 for the 2026 cycle. No 2027 cycle is posted yet.

Eligibility: Rising 10th to 12th graders from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa or Wisconsin.

Young Scholars spend six weeks in a UIUC lab and present their work at a closing symposium. The GEnYuS track includes nuclear and quantum physics, alongside engineering fields like aerospace and materials science. In both 2022 and 2023, the program received more than 600 applications for only 30 lab spots. It focuses on groups that have been left out of STEM, but anyone who meets the grade and state requirements can apply.

Who is it right for? A 9th or 10th grader in the Midwest who wants a funded lab summer close to home.

8. AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP)

Location: American Museum of Natural History, New York City

Cost: Free. Students earn a $2,500 stipend on completion, plus one free college credit from CUNY Lehman College.

Cohort size: About 60 students

Dates: A full year, August to June. It opens with a Summer Institute in August, then meets Tuesdays and Thursdays after school for about four hours a week. Dates for the next year aren’t posted yet.

Application Deadline: March 1, 2026 for the 2026-27 year. Applications for the next class are expected to open in winter 2027.

Eligibility: 10th or 11th graders who live and attend school in New York City and have passed their classes for the last three semesters. Applicants must also have taken an AMNH course or attend one of its partner schools. US citizenship is not required.

SRMP pairs each student with a Museum scientist to work on that scientist’s research for a full school year, ending with a poster at the end-of-year colloquium. Astrophysics is one of the research areas, with past projects on JWST spectra of giant exoplanets and young M dwarf stars. If you’re in NYC, our list of research programs in New York City has more local options.

Who is it right for? A New York City sophomore who wants a paid, year-long research project at a world-famous museum.

9. QuarkNet at the University of Notre Dame

Location: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN (commuter)

Cost: Not published

Cohort size: Not published

Dates: June 15 to July 24, 2026. Research days ran roughly 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., depending on the project.

Application Deadline: Not published. Students apply directly through a form linked on the program page.

Eligibility: High school students. No further requirements are published.

Students rotate through physics labs, tell the team which projects interest them, then work with a mentor for the rest of the summer. Projects include particle physics data from the CMS experiment at CERN, as well as astrophysics. The summer ends with a poster at the closing symposium. The program page doesn’t mention housing, so students should plan on getting to campus each day.

Who is it right for? A student near South Bend who wants to try particle physics without leaving home.

Physics summer research programs that charge tuition (most offer aid)

10. Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics (YSPA)

Location: Online for two weeks, then four weeks residential at Yale’s Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium, New Haven, CT

Cost: $7,800 for 2026, covering tuition, room, board, trips and materials. The typical financial aid award is 50% off, and some students receive up to 80% off.

Cohort size: 32 students

Dates: For 2026, the online portion ran June 22 to July 3 and the residential portion ran July 5 to August 2.

Application Deadline: March 6 for the 2026 cycle. Applications are usually due the first weekend of March, and no 2027 cycle is posted yet.

Eligibility: Rising seniors, so students apply as juniors. Applicants must be at least 15.5 by the start of the residential session and submit a transcript and two teacher letters. No test scores are required, and international students can apply.

With only 32 students, YSPA is one of the smallest programs here. Participants collect data with telescopes, learn to code so they can analyze it, and write a scientific paper that they present at the YSPA mini-conference. Every student leaves with a full research paper built from their own observations, not just a poster. If astrophysics is your thing, our page of astrophysics programs has more options.

Who is it right for? A junior who loves astronomy and wants to write a real paper from their own telescope data.

11. Summer Science Program (SSP) in Astrophysics

Location: Residential on a host campus. The 2026 astrophysics sites were Albion College (MI), Georgia College & State University (GA), Linfield University (OR), University of Wisconsin-River Falls (WI), Colby College (ME), Lehigh University (PA) and Knox College (IL).

Cost: $11,800 for 2026. SSP says it’s free for lower-income families and discounted for families earning up to about $140,000. It’s free to apply.

Cohort size: About 700 students across all SSP programs in 2026

Dates: Five weeks. The 2026 sessions ran between June 8 and August 1, depending on the campus.

Application Deadline: February 19 for US applicants in the 2026 cycle (January 29 for international students). SSP lists February 2027 for the next cycle, without an exact date yet.

Eligibility: Current juniors who are 15 to 18 for the whole program. Applicants need some high school physics and precalculus, taken or in progress by June.

Students work in teams of three to take telescope images and calculate the orbit of a real near-Earth asteroid. Each team’s results go to the Minor Planet Center, which tracks asteroids for the whole world. SSP teaches Python during the program, so no prior coding is required.

Who is it right for? A junior who’s taking physics and precalculus and wants to do real orbital mechanics.

12. Boston University RISE, Internship Track

Location: Boston University, Boston, MA (residential or commuter)

Cost: For 2026, $6,415 to commute or $10,735 to live on campus, plus a $75 application fee. Limited need-based aid is available. BU will post 2027 rates on December 17, 2026.

Cohort size: About 190 students in 2026

Dates: June 27 to August 6, 2027 (listed as pending approval)

Application Deadline: February 3, 2027. Applications open December 17, 2026.

Eligibility: Rising seniors who are US citizens or legal permanent residents

For six weeks, RISE interns work about 40 hours a week in a BU faculty lab with a mentor, and physics and astronomy are among the research fields. Weekly workshops cover reading papers and making posters, and the program ends at a poster symposium. With about 190 participants, RISE is bigger and less exclusive than most programs here. If you’re in the area, our list of lab opportunities in Boston has more.

Who is it right for? A junior who wants a full-time lab summer and can cover tuition or qualify for aid.

13. UCSB Research Mentorship Program (RMP)

Location: UC Santa Barbara, CA. It starts with three virtual days, then moves to campus (residential or commuter).

Cost: For 2026, $5,600 tuition plus a $75 application fee, or about $13,274 for students living on campus. A limited number of need-based scholarships are available, with priority for California residents.

Cohort size: Not published

Dates: June 14 to July 31, 2027

Application Deadline: Applications run December 15, 2026 to March 8, 2027, with rolling decisions starting in January.

Eligibility: 10th or 11th graders, with exceptional 9th graders considered. Applicants need at least a 3.80 weighted GPA. International students are welcome.

RMP students spend about 35 to 50 hours a week on a research project with a grad student, postdoc or professor, and physics is on the list of research fields. Participants finish with a technical research paper, a poster and 8 UC college credits. Decisions roll from January, so applying early improves the odds of a spot.

Who is it right for? A 10th or 11th grader with high grades who wants to write a research paper over the summer.

14. UC Santa Cruz Scholar Immersion Program (SIP)

Location: UC Santa Cruz, CA. One week online, then seven weeks on campus. Housing is optional.

Cost: Tuition for 2027 isn’t published yet, and UCSC says it will be by December 2026. The application fee is $68, with waivers available. Need-based aid covers 25% to 100% of tuition and fees.

Cohort size: Not published

Dates: June 14 to August 7, 2027

Application Deadline: February 26, 2027 at noon Pacific time. The portal opens January 15, 2027, and references are due March 5.

Eligibility: Ages 14 to 17 for the whole program, with some projects requiring students to be 16. Students graduating high school before the summer generally can’t apply.

This program was called the Science Internship Program until it was renamed in August 2026. Each student completes a mentored project and presents it at a final symposium. In 2026 there were six astronomy and astrophysics projects, including one studying distant galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope. The program doesn’t list projects under a physics department, so astronomy is the natural way in for physics-minded students.

Who is it right for? A 14 to 16-year-old who wants a long summer project in astronomy.

15. CIERA REACH

Location: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (commuter only, no housing)

Cost: $2,500 for the Core program, and REACH Further costs $1,500 more. Aid comes from The Brinson Foundation, and every admitted student who applied for aid has received at least partial help.

Cohort size: About 50 students in Core

Dates: For 2027, Core runs June 14 to July 2 or July 5 to 23. REACH Further runs July 5 to 23 or July 26 to August 13.

Application Deadline: Early March 2027. Applications are expected to open in January 2027.

Eligibility: Grades 10 to 12 at the time of application. No coding or astronomy experience is required. Out-of-area and international students can apply, but spots are limited.

REACH is run by Northwestern’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics. In Core, students learn Python and work on small research projects designed by CIERA scientists, then present their findings. Students who continue to REACH Further get a one-on-one research project with a CIERA mentor.

Who is it right for? A Chicago-area sophomore or junior who’s never coded and wants to start with astronomy data.

16. Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)

Location: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, or remote. Each mentor decides whether their project is in person, remote or hybrid.

Cost: $1,299 tuition, which covers 3 GMU college credits, plus a $25 application fee. Both are waived for students who receive free or reduced-price lunch or a Pell Grant.

Cohort size: Not published

Dates: June 18 to August 12, 2026 (eight weeks, full-time)

Application Deadline: February 15 for the 2026 cycle, which opened December 8, 2025. No 2027 cycle is posted yet.

Eligibility: Age 15 by the start date for remote or computer projects, or 16 for wet labs. There’s no GPA minimum. Students who aren’t US citizens can apply, though some labs aren’t open to them. Campus housing is only for students 18 and older.

ASSIP interns join a Mason faculty lab for eight weeks, complete a real project and present a poster. In 2026, the physics and astronomy mentors covered solar spectroscopy from satellites, atmospheric and space science, and exoplanets. Some past interns have had abstracts published in Mason’s Journal of Student Scientists’ Research, and the remote projects open the program to students anywhere.

Who is it right for? A 15 or 16-year-old who wants a full-time physics or astronomy project they can do remotely.

Online and year-round physics research programs

17. NASA Data Science Analysis and Scholarly Research Paper Writing (George Mason University)

Location: Online, with an optional in-person site visit to George Mason, the Carnegie Institution for Science and NASA Goddard

Cost: Not published. The program asks families to email [email protected] for fees. Need-based scholarships are offered, and strong research work can earn awards of up to $2,000.

Cohort size: Capped at 50 students

Dates: June 13 to August 29, 2026. Seven weeks of Saturday sessions, then several weeks of paper revision.

Application Deadline: Not published on the program page. George Mason’s Young Scholars applications open the first week of February, and most spots fill by late April.

Eligibility: Grades 9 to 12

Students learn to analyze exoplanet candidates from NASA’s TESS mission and data from the James Webb Space Telescope, and they observe with George Mason’s 32-inch telescope. The program uses Python, Jupyter and AstroImageJ, taught by a GMU physics and astronomy professor. Each student finishes with a scholarly research paper that is posted on the university’s publication pages.

Who is it right for? A student in any grade who wants to write an astronomy paper from home on Saturdays.

18. Horizon Academic Research Program: Fluid Dynamics and Physics

Location: Online

Cost: $6,950. Families earning under $75,000 a year can apply for need-based aid.

Cohort size: One-on-one with a PhD mentor

Dates: The next cohort starts December 14, 2026. Labs usually take 12 to 16 weeks, at about 8 to 10 hours a week.

Application Deadline: November 22, 2026 for the winter cohort. Cohorts run several times a year.

Eligibility: Grades 9 to 12, with a 3.67 unweighted GPA or equivalent. The Fluid Dynamics and Physics lab asks for a year of calculus and a year of physics.

Horizon is a one-on-one research program. Each student is paired with a PhD mentor, chooses a research question and writes an original paper, most often about 5,000 words. The Fluid Dynamics and Physics lab runs as a one-on-one PhD lab, and its topics include astrophysics and particle collisions as well as fluid flow. Students drawn to biology and physics together can apply to the Protein Biophysics lab instead, which asks for AP or IB HL Chemistry. Horizon accepted 26% of 6,539 applications.

Who is it right for? A student with calculus and physics under their belt who wants to own a research question from start to finish.

19. ASDRP (Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program)

Location: Research labs in Fremont, CA. Students outside the Bay Area can work remotely.

Cost: $1,070 per term. ASDRP awards partial and full scholarships each year to students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Cohort size: Not published

Dates: Three terms a year: summer (June 1 to August 30), fall (September 1 to January 15) and spring (January 15 to May 30).

Application Deadline: For the spring term, the priority deadline is November 15 and the final deadline is December 15. Summer and fall have their own deadlines.

Eligibility: Students in or entering grades 9 to 12. There’s no residency requirement, international students are accepted, and no research experience is needed.

ASDRP is a nonprofit research institute where students join an existing research group. Physics sits inside its Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics department, and there’s a separate astrophysics research group. Students work toward papers and conference presentations, and the three-term calendar lets them keep one project going all year. The fall and spring terms run on evenings and weekends, which makes the program easy to fit around school.

Who is it right for? A Bay Area student, or a remote one, who wants low-cost research that doesn’t stop when summer ends.

How to get into a physics research program

The programs above take a small share of applicants, but a lot of rejections come down to timing and paperwork, not ability. Here’s how to avoid the mistakes that knock good students out.

• Work backward from December. RSI usually closes in mid-December, and Simons posts its application in late November. Most of the rest close between February and March. Put every deadline on your calendar in September.
• Check your age against the start date, not today. SEES wants you 16 by the first day, RSI wants 16 by July 1, and Clark wants 17 by its start date with no exceptions.
• Check citizenship before you write a single essay. SEES takes US citizens only. Simons, Clark and BU RISE take citizens and permanent residents. RSI, YSPA, UCSB, ASSIP and ASDRP accept international students.
• Ask for recommendations six weeks early. YSPA wants two teacher letters and Clark wants three. Simons also needs your school to nominate you by late January.
• Get your math in order. SSP wants physics and precalculus by June, and Horizon’s physics lab wants a year of calculus. Some basic Python helps everywhere, even at programs like REACH and SSP that teach it.
• Name a specific question in your essay. “I want to know why some stars flicker” beats “I love physics.” It shows you’ve thought like a researcher before you arrive.
• Apply to a spread. Pick one long shot like RSI, two or three free national programs, and one sure start like the Pulsar Science Collaboratory, which has no application at all.
• Ask about aid when you apply. BU RISE wants your aid request with your application, and YSPA gives you two weeks after your offer. Miss the window and the full price stands.

For more on standing out, read how to get into a top high school research program and our 10 best ways to get research opportunities in high school. If you’d rather find a professor yourself, here’s how to find a research lab.

Frequently asked questions

Resources- More from Horizon

Find a physics research question

• 20 Physics Research Topics for High School Students
• 25 Astrophysics Research Topics for High School Students
• 200 STEM Research Topics for High School Students
• 49 Research Topics for High School Students
• 30 Interdisciplinary Projects High School Students Can Explore
• 8 Tips on How to Do Physics Research in High School

Get into a program

• How to Get Into a Top High School Research Program
• The Most Competitive Research Programs for High School Students
• Most Prestigious Summer Research Programs with Low Acceptance Rates
• 15 Prestigious STEM Programs for High School Students
• 20 Competitive Summer Research Programs for High School Students
• 14 Research Programs for Complete Beginners

Write and share your research

• What Are the Key Components of a High School Research Paper?
• How Long Does It Take to Write a Research Paper?
• What Can You Actually Do With a High School Research Paper?
• 12 Research Paper Programs for High School Students
• 15 Research Journals for High School Students
• 15 Physics Competitions for High School Students

Official sources

• NASA TESS mission
• NASA James Webb Space Telescope
• NANOGrav Physics Frontiers Center
• Green Bank Observatory
• Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB)
• CERN CMS experiment
• IAU Minor Planet Center

Image source: Boston University