Biotech programs give you an early look into how modern biology is studied, analyzed, and applied in real research and clinical settings. These programs span areas like molecular and cell biology, genetics, neuroscience, bioinformatics, biostatistics, cancer biology, personalized medicine, and genome engineering. Depending on the program, you might read through research literature, analyze biological data, learn experimental design, explore gene expression and sequencing workflows, or study how lab discoveries translate into medical treatments. Some programs emphasize computational skills such as data analysis and basic programming for biology, while others focus on lab-based methods, microscopy, or research communication.
Why choose a winter program?
Winter biotech programs are typically short, structured, and time-bound, making them easier to fit alongside school work while still offering insight into a focused subject area. Many of these programs run fully online during winter, while others are hybrid, in-person, or part of longer academic-year research tracks that continue through the winter months. Along the way, you get guided exposure to biotech tools, research methods, and scientific thinking through university-level, faculty-led coursework, labs, or independent research projects.
Overall, biotech winter programs are designed to help you test your interest in biotech-related fields and build foundational skills that are useful for future college coursework, research, or professional applications. Keep reading to discover 15 biotech winter programs for high school students.
If you’re instead looking for pre-med internships for high school students, check out this blog here!
15 Biotech Winter Programs for High School Students
1. Argonne National Laboratory’s Exemplary Student Research Program (ESRP)
Location: Most of the program occurs at the participating school, with at least two required visits to Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, IL, during the year
Cost/Stipend: None
Cohort Size: One team (one high school science teacher and 4-8 high school students) per school
Program Dates: The program runs year-round: August workshops for teachers, fall and winter research phases, and a spring team poster presentation
Application Deadline: July 3 (tentative)
Who is Eligible: High school teachers with a valid state certification for grades 9-12 and current employment can select a team of 4-8 students aged 16+ from their school to participate in hands-on work at Argonne.
ESRP is a year-long school-based research program that allows you to work with Argonne National Laboratory scientists on authentic STEM research projects in areas like biosciences and nanoscience. As part of a teacher-led team, you will help develop a research proposal, design experiments, collect and analyze data, and derive conclusions with the help of Argonne facilities such as the Advanced Photon Source or the Center for Nanoscale Materials. Biotech-related projects may span areas like structural biology, computational biology, environmental microbiology, or molecular and systems biology, depending on the mentor and project focus. Throughout the program, you will gain experience with research planning, data analysis, scientific collaboration, and professional poster presentation at a real national research laboratory.
2. Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research Winter Break Workshops
Location: Virtual or in-person at Alameda, CA, or Berkeley, CA
Cost: $670 (Online Workshops); $1,690 (Commuter Workshops); Full and partial scholarships available
Cohort Size: Varies by workshop
Program Dates: Biomedical Research and Cancer Research Commuter Workshops: December 26 – 31; Medical Bioinformatics and Medicinal Chemistry Online Workshops: December 26 – 30 (tentative)
Application Deadline: Rolling basis; the earlier you apply, the better chances you have of getting accepted into your preferred workshop
Who is Eligible: Middle and high school students aged 11-18
Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research Winter Break Workshops are short, intensive biotech courses for high-achieving high school students interested in molecular medicine and biomedical research. During winter break, you can choose from focused tracks such as Biomedical Research, Cancer Research, Medical Bioinformatics, or Medicinal Chemistry, offered in online or commuter-based formats. Depending on the workshop, you will study core molecular and cellular biology concepts and apply them to areas like disease mechanisms, drug discovery, genomics, or pharmacogenomics, while practicing skills such as experimental design, data analysis, and use of research tools or lab techniques. Instruction is led by Ph. D.-level researchers and combines lectures with hands-on labs or applied computational exercises. Each workshop concludes with an independent research project centered on a gene, pathway, or molecular process of your choice.
3. UCSD Research Scholars – Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,000
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: January 5 – March 12
Application Deadline: January 1
Who is Eligible: High school students who are familiar with basic biological concepts
Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics is a 10-week synchronous online winter course that introduces you to the computational study of genes and proteins. During the program, you will explore topics such as genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, phylogenetics, and high-throughput sequencing technologies, while also learning core ideas in experimental design and biostatistics. You will work with real biological datasets and use tools and platforms like the NCBI database and the R programming language to analyze and visualize data. The course also involves reading primary research papers and completing a final presentation on a bioinformatics topic, making it a practical option for students who want structured exposure to data-driven biomedical research.
4. UC San Diego’s Bioengineering Broad Overview and Techniques (BE-BOAT) – BioImaging & 3D Printing (BI3DP)
Location: Online
Cost: $2,700
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: January 10 – March 1
Application Deadline: December 18
Who is Eligible: High school students who are at least 14 years old; Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
Offered by UC San Diego, the BI3DP course introduces you to bioengineering tools commonly used in biotechnology and biomedical research. You will study how two-dimensional and three-dimensional biological images are acquired, stored, visualized, and analyzed, and how this data can be converted into 3D-printable models. Through live online lectures, guided lab exercises, and data analysis work, you will explore topics like image manipulation, experimental planning, and interpretation of biological imaging data. The course also emphasizes scientific communication through post-lab discussions and presentations, linking engineering techniques to biological and medical applications.
5. Research Internships and Observation for High School Students at Penn State College of Medicine
Location: Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
Cost/Stipend: Free; Internships might be paid or unpaid
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Varies based on lab availability
Program Dates: Opportunities available throughout the year, including winter, depending on the lab schedule and availability
Application Deadline: Not applicable; Acceptance depends on the supervisor and lab capacity
Who is Eligible: U.S. high school students who have found a Penn State College of Medicine faculty member to sponsor them; Accepted students must complete all required training modules before the internship or shadowing session (see here for more information)
Through Penn State College of Medicine’s Research Internships and Observation program, you can gain supervised exposure to biomedical and biotechnology-focused research labs. You will work with a faculty sponsor in areas such as molecular and precision medicine, cancer biology, neuroscience, or pharmaceutical research, depending on the lab you join. The program allows you to participate in short-term shadowing sessions or longer research internship experiences, introducing you to lab safety, research ethics, and day-to-day scientific workflows. However, it is the responsibility of the student to identify a prospective research supervisor before they apply. You can click here to find out the research interests of the Penn State College of Medicine faculty by entering biotech-related keywords in the search bar or browsing by researcher name or department.
6. Columbia University’s Academic Year Weekend Program – Cell and Molecular Biology of Medicine
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,810 + $80 application fee
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: January 23 – March 29
Application Deadline: Early Registration Deadline: October 9; General Application Deadline: December 15
Who is Eligible: High school students who have completed at least one year of high school biology and one year of high school chemistry
Columbia University’s Academic Year Weekend Program offers a Cell and Molecular Biology of Medicine course that runs during the spring term, with sessions beginning in January and extending through early spring. In this course, you will study how drugs interact with cells and molecular targets, tracing the path from drug discovery and design to metabolism and therapeutic effect. The curriculum also covers biotech-related topics such as molecular drug mechanisms, drug toxicity, and emerging treatments like CAR T-cell therapy through case studies and problem-solving sessions. You will also work on a team-based final project that applies molecular and cellular biology concepts to a specific disease and its treatment, building analytical and applied biology skills used in biomedical research.
7. UCSD Research Scholars – Neurogenomics of a Developing Brain Under Heat and Nutrient Stress
Location: Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute, La Jolla, CA (Hybrid)
Cost: $3,000
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: January 5 – March 14
Application Deadline: January 1
Who is Eligible: High school students familiar with basic biological concepts; Must have access to a personal computer capable of running free bioinformatics software and accessing publicly available data resources
Neurogenomics of a Developing Brain Under Heat and Nutrient Stress is a 10-week hybrid winter research course that uses Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) as a model system to study how environmental stress affects brain function and gene expression. In this program, you may work with female and male fruit flies to examine sex-specific behavioral and physiological responses to changes in temperature and diet. You will be introduced to molecular and computational biology methods such as DNA and RNA extraction, metagenomic sequencing using nanopore technology, basic bioinformatics analysis, and statistical work in R. The course also emphasizes experimental design, data interpretation, and reading primary literature, and typically concludes with an in-person research presentation of your team’s findings.
8. Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute Independent Research Opportunity
Location: Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Varies by lab
Program Dates: Year-round, including in the winter
Application Deadline: Rolling; Based on lab availability
Who is Eligible: High school students who are at least 16 years old
Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute Independent Research Opportunity allows high school students to arrange supervised research experiences directly with faculty investigators in biomedical research labs. If you want to gain research experience at a Cleaveland Clinic lab, you can contact a Principal Investigator from a lab of your interest. If accepted, you may work in areas such as cancer biology, genomic medicine, immunotherapy, neuroscience, microbiome research, or systems biology. Depending on the lab, you may gain exposure to various experimental techniques, data analysis, and the day-to-day workflows of translational or clinical research environments.
9. BEYOND ALBERT (Bronx Einstein Youth Oncology Network Dedicated to Academic Learning, Biomedical Education and Research Training)
Location: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free; $2,500 stipend
Cohort Size: Up to 15 students
Program Dates: 8-week Summer Research Experience, followed by an Academic Year program spanning fall, winter, and spring terms (September – May)
Application Deadline: November 1 – January 12
Who is Eligible: Rising high school juniors and seniors (16+) who live and attend school in the Bronx
BEYOND ALBERT is a paid research and academic-year enrichment program for Bronx high school students hosted by Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center. While the program includes a full-time summer research component, the academic-year portion runs from September through May, with weekly biomedical seminars and mentorship sessions that extend through the winter months. As a participant, you may engage with biomedical topics such as cancer biology, stem cell research, cancer therapeutics, biostatistics, or genomics. The program emphasizes hypothesis-based research, scientific communication, and data interpretation, alongside structured exposure to how biomedical research is conducted in an academic medical center.
10. Columbia University’s Academic Year Weekend Program – Brainwaves to Breakthroughs: Translating Neuroscience Research Methods into Biomedical Careers
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,810 + $80 application fee
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: January 23 – March 29
Application Deadline: Early: October 9; General: December 15
Who is Eligible: High school students
Columbia University’s Academic Year Weekend Program offers Brainwaves to Breakthroughs: Translating Neuroscience Research Methods into Biomedical Careers, a pre-college course focused on the tools and techniques used in modern neuroscience research. In this course, you will study methods such as neuroimaging, electrophysiology, molecular neuroscience, and computational modeling, with an emphasis on how these approaches translate to biomedical and clinical settings. Through guided activities, you may design simple experiments, analyze neuroimaging data, and examine how neuropharmacological agents affect neural activity. The curriculum also introduces topics like neuroprosthetics and the ethical use of animal models, linking research methods to real-world biomedical applications.
11. NYU Precollege
Location: Virtual or in-person at New York University, New York, NY
Cost: $6,006 (3-Credit courses); $8,008 (4-Credit courses); $50 application fee
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: January 20 – May 5
Application Deadline: November 1 – January 5
Who is Eligible: Rising high school juniors or seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0
NYU Precollege allows you to take undergraduate-level courses taught by NYU faculty, either online or on campus, while earning college credit. If you’re interested in biotechnology or life sciences, you can choose STEM-focused courses such as Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Human Biology, Darwin to DNA: An Overview of Evolution, Basic Statistics, or introductory programming and data-oriented classes that support biomedical research. Through these courses, you will engage with college-style lectures, labs, and assignments that build foundational skills in biological concepts, experimental thinking, and quantitative analysis. Alongside academics, you will gain exposure to university resources like academic advising and research libraries, offering a realistic view of how life sciences and biotech-related subjects are studied at the college level.
12. Rice University Pre-College Online Program – Genome Engineering: Changing the Future of Medicine
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,795 (scholarships available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: Various multi-length sessions available throughout the year, including winter
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Who is Eligible: High school students aged 13 and up
Genome Engineering: Changing the Future of Medicine is an online course for high school students interested in molecular biology and biotechnology. The program combines video lectures, guided activities, and mentored assignments to introduce you to genomic structure, genetic variation, and genome-editing tools such as CRISPR/Cas9. The curriculum draws on real biomedical case studies, including genetic blood disorders, to examine how gene editing is applied in clinical research and why ethical constraints matter. As part of the course, you will also complete a capstone project that involves proposing and explaining a genome-editing strategy for a specific condition.
13. Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program (ASDRP)
Location: ASDRP Labs, Fremont, CA
Cost: $1,070 (full financial aid available)
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
Program Dates: January 16 – May 30
Application Deadline: August 15 – December 30 (Priority Deadline: November 15)
Who is Eligible: High school students
ASDRP is a nonprofit research program where you’ll work on original, mentor-guided research alongside scientists and engineers. As a participant, you may explore biotech-related areas such as cancer biology, molecular neuroscience, microbiology, environmental genomics, or molecular medicine, using both experimental and computational approaches. You may spend time designing experiments, working with lab equipment or datasets, reading primary literature, and learning scientific writing and data analysis skills. The program also emphasizes research communication, with opportunities to publish your work in an online journal, undergo mock peer reviews, and present your findings via poster presentation.
14. Rochester Pre-College Online Medicine Courses for High School Students – Personalized Medicine: Customizing Care Through Genetics
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,595 (scholarships available)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: Multiple sessions throughout the year, including during winter
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Who is Eligible: High school students aged 13 and above
Personalized Medicine: Customizing Care Through Genetics is an online course for high school students that introduces the core ideas behind human genetics and biotechnology. During the program, you will study how the genetic code works, how sequence variation affects human traits and disease susceptibility, and how genomic sequencing data is interpreted in medical contexts. The curriculum also looks at current approaches to gene editing and stem cell-based therapies, alongside the ethical questions they raise. You will practice communicating scientific ideas by synthesizing what you’ve learned into written, visual, or video-based formats. For the final capstone project, you will look at a particular disease from a genetic standpoint and discuss how personalized medicine could be used to treat it.
15. Georgetown University Pre-College Online Program – Biology: The Science of Cells and Innovation
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,895 (Enrichment Course); $3,995 (College Credit Course); Need-based scholarships available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: Multiple multi-length sessions throughout the year, including during winter
Application Deadline: Varies based on session
Who is Eligible: High school students aged 13 and above
Biology: The Science of Cells and Innovation is an online course that introduces you to how modern cell biology research informs biomedical research. In this program, you may study cell structure and function, gene expression, microscopy techniques, and emerging concepts like biomolecular condensates, with an emphasis on how physical and chemical principles shape cellular behavior. You may analyze real microscopy data, examine how disruptions in gene expression and cell signaling relate to disease, and explore how these insights lead to cutting-edge treatments. The course also includes a capstone project, where you synthesize what you’ve learned into a final presentation.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source: UC San Diego