February 3, 2025

Top 19 Research Opportunities for High School Students in California

If you’re wondering how to get started on academic research as a high school student in California, here’s a list of 19 research opportunities that you should check out!

Key Takeaways

California has more research opportunities for high school students than any other state, concentrated across the nine UC campuses, Stanford, and Berkeley’s national labs.
Seven of the 19 programs on this list are free or pay a stipend, including Stanford SMYSP, Berkeley BAIR, Navy SEAP, and the Air Force Research Laboratory Scholars Program.
Most university programs require you to be in grade 10 or 11 with a GPA around 3.5 or higher, and several set a hard minimum age of 16 on the program start date.
Three programs are restricted to California residents or specific school districts, so check eligibility before you spend time on an application.
Deadlines cluster between November and April, which means the work of choosing programs and asking for recommendations happens in the autumn, not the spring. Horizon’s trimester research program runs cohorts throughout the year, so it is the one option here you can start without waiting for a single annual deadline.

Wondering how to actually start doing research as a high school student in California? Below are 19 opportunities worth your time, from free lab placements to selective residential programs at Stanford and the UC campuses.

Costs and deadlines reflect each program’s most recently published cycle. Confirm current figures on the program page before you apply, since university programs adjust fees and dates every year.

What counts as a research opportunity for a high school student?

A research opportunity is any structured program where you produce original work rather than just take classes. That distinction matters, because a lot of programs marketed to high school students are enrichment courses with a research-sounding name.

The formats worth knowing:

Lab placements, where you join an existing research team and contribute to a live project. Competitive, often free or paid, usually age-gated at 16.
Mentored research programs, where you work one to one or in a small group with a mentor to produce your own paper. Accessible from anywhere if virtual.
Residential summer academies, which mix coursework with a capstone project. The most expensive category, and the least likely to produce publishable work.

If you want a wider view of the lab-specific options in the state, we have a separate breakdown of lab opportunities in California for high school students.

Why should you do research in high school?

Research teaches you the one skill that classroom work rarely does: how to work on a question nobody has already answered for you. You learn to build a hypothesis, gather data, notice when the data disagrees with you, and write up what you found in a way another person can check.

That has a compounding effect on later applications. Selective summer programs weigh prior research experience heavily, so an early project makes the next one easier to get into. Some students go further and submit their work to journals that accept high school authors, which we wrote about in publishing a research paper.

19 research opportunities for high school students in California

1. Horizon Academic Research Program

Horizon runs trimester-long research programs that pair you one to one with a professor or PhD scholar from a top university. You choose a subject track, choose whether you want to do quantitative or qualitative work, and produce a 20-page university-level research paper by the end.

The qualitative option is unusual and worth noting, because most high school research programs are STEM-only. Tracks span data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, ancient history, international relations, and more. Every student receives a letter of recommendation and detailed written feedback on the project.

Subject areas: STEM and humanities, across roughly 30 seminar and lab tracks
Location: Virtual, so open to you anywhere in California
Format: Small-group professor seminars or one-to-one PhD labs
Cost: Confirm current pricing on the programs page
Application deadline: Rolling, with spring, summer, and fall cohorts. The fall 2026 cohort deadline is 30 August 2026
Program dates: 15 weeks for spring and fall, 10 weeks for summer
Eligibility: High school students in good academic standing, above a 3.67 GPA. Most accepted students are in grades 10 and 11

Apply to Horizon here, or join an info session first if you want to ask questions before committing.

2. Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)

SUMaC is a four-week program for students who want to work on mathematics well beyond the school curriculum. It combines lectures, guided research, and collaborative problem solving, and the workload is genuinely college level.

It runs both virtually and in person, which makes it one of the more accessible Stanford options. If you are looking at Stanford more broadly, we have a fuller list of Stanford summer research programs for high school students.

Subject areas: Mathematics
Location: Virtual, or Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Format: Four-week camp
Cost: Most recently published at $3,550 online and $8,250 residential, with need-based aid available
Application deadline: Not published for 2027 at the time of writing. Check the program page
Program dates: Not published for 2027 at the time of writing
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors

3. Veritas AI, AI Fellowship

Veritas AI runs a fellowship for students who want to build an independent AI research project rather than take an AI course. Mentorship comes from Harvard graduate students and alumni, and the fellowship runs 12 to 15 weeks.

Python proficiency is preferred, and if you do not have it yet there is an AI Scholars program you can complete first. Students frequently apply AI to another field they care about, so medicine, finance, and environmental science projects are common.

Subject areas: Artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, computer science
Location: Virtual
Format: 10-week AI Scholars program, or 12 to 15-week AI Fellowship
Cost: Most recently published at $1,790 for AI Scholars, $4,900 for the AI Fellowship, $4,700 for both. Need-based aid available
Application deadline: Rolling
Program dates: Vary by cohort
Eligibility: High school students anywhere. Fellowship applicants need AI Scholars or prior Python experience

4. California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS)

COSMOS is the state’s flagship STEM summer program and it is built around a research project, not just coursework. You use university teaching labs and libraries to pursue an individual project alongside faculty and researchers.

It runs across several UC campuses, which is worth knowing because the subject clusters differ by campus. The residential format also gives you a realistic preview of college academic life.

Subject areas: Biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and other STEM disciplines
Location: Multiple UC campuses, residential
Format: Four-week residential
Cost: Most recently published at a $42 application fee plus roughly $5,007 residential, including housing and meals. Financial aid available for California residents
Application deadline: Not published for 2027 at the time of writing
Program dates: Not published for 2027 at the time of writing
Eligibility: Grades 8 to 12, attending a California high school, strong record in maths and science

5. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)

SIMR is an eight-week residential internship and one of the most competitive research placements open to high school students in the country. You are matched with an individual mentor inside a Stanford institute and work on real research in that institute’s area.

Because acceptance rates are low, the application itself needs preparation. We wrote a full walkthrough on how to apply to SIMR as a high schooler covering what the essays actually look for.

Subject areas: Immunology, neurobiology, stem cell and regenerative medicine, cancer biology, bioengineering, cardiovascular biology, bioinformatics, genetics and genomics
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Format: Eight-week residential internship
Cost: $40 application fee with need-based refund. Stipend provided, higher for need-based students
Application deadline: Not published for 2027 at the time of writing
Program dates: Eight weeks over the summer
Eligibility: Juniors and seniors, at least 16 at the program start, US citizens or permanent residents living in the US

6. Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR) High School Summer Program

This is a free week-long program inside UC Berkeley’s BAIR Lab, which makes it one of the best value AI opportunities in the state. You work with Berkeley researchers across computer vision, machine learning, natural language processing, planning, control, and robotics.

The catch is geography: it is open to Bay Area students only. Daily guest lectures, researcher-led activities, and lab visits are included, along with campus dining and a tour.

Subject areas: AI, machine learning, programming, robotics
Location: BAIR Lab, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Format: Week-long, in person
Cost: Free
Application deadline: Typically closes in April
Program dates: One week in July
Eligibility: Bay Area high school students entering grades 10 to 12

7. Sally Ride Science Academy at UC San Diego

Sally Ride Science runs short workshops across a wide subject range, which makes it a low-commitment way to test whether a field interests you. Workshops are led by instructors and working scientists and involve collaborative projects rather than lectures alone.

Because courses are only four days, you can stack more than one without the dates clashing. This is the most accessible entry on the list if you are in grade 9 or 10 and not yet eligible for lab placements.

Subject areas: Astronomy, biology, engineering, computer science, robotics, coding, data science, digital design, psychology, environmental science, biotechnology
Location: UC San Diego, with some online options
Format: Four-day workshops
Cost: Most recently published at $175 to $450 per course, scholarships available
Application deadline: Typically late May
Program dates: Four-day workshops running July into August
Eligibility: Open to all high school students

If San Diego is your area, we have a fuller list of research programs for high school students in San Diego.

8. UCLA Applications of Nanoscience Summer Institute

The Applications of Nanoscience Summer Institute is unusual because it pairs laboratory science with the commercial side of technology. You review scientific literature, apply design thinking, propose a nanotechnology-based product, and validate the science behind it.

The programme ends with a team pitch to potential investors, so you get writing and presentation practice alongside the science. Chemistry background is expected going in. For other options on the same campus, see our list of UCLA summer programs for high school students.

Subject areas: Chemistry, physics, nanoscience
Location: UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. On-campus housing optional
Format: Two weeks, residential or commuter
Cost: Most recently published at $4,281 residential. Need and merit scholarships available
Application deadline: Typically early June
Program dates: Two weeks in July
Eligibility: Any high school student with a foundation in chemistry, physics, and biology

9. UC Santa Cruz Science Internship Program (SIP)

UCSC SIP pairs you with a mentor for a computer science research project matched to your interest and current skill level. Projects cover software development, computational modelling, data analysis, and algorithm design.

You take part in lab meetings and work as part of a research team, which is closer to a real research environment than most summer programs manage. The program ends in a symposium where you present your findings.

Subject areas: Computer science
Location: UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
Format: Mentored summer research project
Cost: Most recently published at $4,000
Application deadline: Typically late March
Program dates: Late June to mid-August
Eligibility: At least 14 years old on the program start date

If the computing side is what draws you, we also cover technology internships for high school students in California.

10. SHTEM Summer Internships at Stanford

SHTEM is free, virtual, and covers an unusually wide subject range for a Stanford program. Projects span information science, engineering, arts, linguistics, psychology, biology, neuroscience, computer science, philosophy, and design.

Mentorship comes from the Stanford Compression Forum’s students, faculty, and staff, with a focus on research, analysis, and writing. The virtual format means location is not a barrier anywhere in California.

Subject areas: STEM and humanities
Location: Virtual
Format: Eight-week summer internship
Cost: Free. A stipend may be provided
Application deadline: Typically closes in January
Program dates: Roughly mid-June to early August
Eligibility: Students entering grades 11 to 12 at the time of application, or full-time community college students in their first three years

11. UC Irvine Math ExpLR Summer Research Program

Math ExpLR [VERIFY: add program page link once the live URL is confirmed, the previous one points at a 2024 path] teams you with UC Irvine undergraduates on a computational biology research project supervised by a principal investigator. You also attend workshops on mathematical modelling, presentation delivery, and research paper writing.

It is free and six weeks long, which is a strong combination for a mathematical biology placement. Confirm the program is still running before you plan around it, since the last published cycle information is several years old.

Subject areas: Mathematical biology, computational biology
Location: UC Irvine, Irvine, CA
Format: Six-week research project
Cost: Free
Application deadline: Typically closes in April
Program dates: Roughly six weeks across June and July
Eligibility: Current high school students not graduating that spring

12. UC Santa Barbara Research Mentorship Program (RMP)

UCSB RMP is one of the most established interdisciplinary research programs in the state and it is genuinely project-driven. You choose a project across STEM fields and work closely with a mentor through the summer.

It suits students who want to work at the intersection of STEM and another discipline rather than inside a single field. For more on this campus, see our list of UCSB summer research programs.

Subject areas: STEM, interdisciplinary
Location: UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
Format: Roughly six weeks, commuter or residential
Cost: Most recently published at $4,700 commuter and $6,599 with housing
Application deadline: Typically mid-March
Program dates: Mid-June to early August
Eligibility: Grades 10 and 11, minimum 3.80 weighted GPA. Exceptional 9th graders considered case by case

13. Department of the Navy Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)

SEAP is a paid apprenticeship inside a Navy research lab, and several of the participating labs are in California. You work on practical projects across cybersecurity, software development, algorithm design, and data analysis.

Eight weeks in a professional research environment with a mentor is closer to an actual job than a summer program, which is the appeal. It suits students drawn to applied science and defence-adjacent research careers.

Subject areas: STEM, cybersecurity, software, data analysis
Location: Multiple labs nationally, several in California
Format: Eight-week paid apprenticeship
Cost: Free. Stipend most recently published at $4,000 for new participants and $4,500 for returning
Application deadline: Typically 1 November each year
Program dates: Eight weeks in summer, varying by lab
Eligibility: Completed at least grade 9, at least 16 when the internship begins

14. Stanford Medical Youth Science Program (SMYSP)

SMYSP is a free five-week program in science and medicine built specifically for low-income, first-generation students in Northern California. You attend faculty lectures, join Stanford Medicine networking events, and work on a public health disparities research project.

The support does not stop when the program ends, which sets it apart. Participants continue to receive research mentorship from faculty, healthcare professionals, and college students, along with help navigating college applications.

Subject areas: Science, medicine, public health
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Commuter, Monday to Friday
Format: Five-week full-time summer program
Cost: Free
Application deadline: Typically closes in March
Program dates: Roughly five weeks across June and July
Eligibility: Current juniors in Northern California. Aimed at low-income and first-generation students

15. Berkeley Business Academy for Youth (B-BAY)

B-BAY takes 50 students a year for an intensive business program taught by Berkeley Haas professors. You do independent research, computer lab assignments, and team projects, and build a full business plan that you present at the end of the session.

It also runs college admissions sessions with Berkeley undergraduates and admissions advisors, including guidance on UC personal statements. This is the strongest option on the list if your interest is business rather than science.

Subject areas: Business, entrepreneurship
Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Format: Two-week session, two sessions offered
Cost: Most recently published at $6,050 for California residents and $7,050 out of state, plus an $80 application fee
Application deadline: Typically February. Applications are first come, first served
Program dates: Two sessions across July and early August
Eligibility: All high school students

16. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program

AFRL Scholars is a paid internship where you are mentored by full-time AFRL scientists and engineers with access to their laboratories. You apply to specific research topics rather than a general pool, and you can choose up to three topics per site.

For California students, Edwards Air Force Base is the closest site, roughly 90 miles north of Los Angeles. Past topics have covered advanced carbon-based conductors for aerospace applications and robot controller design.

Subject areas: Computer science, robotics, aerospace engineering, materials science
Location: Multiple US sites. Edwards AFB is the California option
Format: Typically 10 to 12 weeks, minimum eight
Cost: Free. Most recently published pay was $492.40 per week
Application deadline: Varies by site
Program dates: Mainly summer, with limited fall and spring positions
Eligibility: High school students at least 16 years old

17. Stanford Center for AI in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) Summer Research Internship

AIMI runs a short virtual internship focused on how AI is applied in healthcare, and it takes roughly 50 students a year. The program includes lectures, mentoring sessions, collaborative research projects, and career sessions with guest speakers.

It is open to freshmen, which is rare for a Stanford research program. If you are early in high school and interested in the overlap of medicine and computing, this is one of the few doors actually open to you.

Subject areas: Artificial intelligence, machine learning, medical imaging
Location: Virtual
Format: Two-week internship
Cost: Free, unpaid. Certificate on completion, with possible extension
Application deadline: Typically late March
Program dates: Two weeks in June
Eligibility: US high school students over 14 with strong maths or programming skills, or prior healthcare project experience

18. California Academy of Sciences Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program

CiS is a multi-year, year-round paid internship for students from communities underrepresented in STEM, and nothing else on this list offers that length of commitment. You start as a rising sophomore or junior and continue through high school, taking on more responsibility as you progress.

Interns work directly with scientists, researchers, and educators at the Academy on science research or environmental action projects. Sessions also cover science communication, STEM career paths, and practical skills including financial literacy.

Subject areas: STEM, environmental science, science communication
Location: California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
Format: Multi-year, year-round, after school and Saturdays in term time, weekdays in summer
Cost: Free, stipend provided. You arrange your own commute
Application deadline: Typically early April
Program dates: Year-round, multi-year
Eligibility: Grade 9 or 10 students enrolled full time in an SFUSD school, GPA 2.5 or above with C or higher in science and maths, able to obtain a work permit and commit for two to three years

19. UC San Diego Academic Connections

Academic Connections offers subject-deep summer courses across an unusually wide STEM range, each ending in a final project. Options run from ocean ecosystem dynamics to introductory structural engineering.

It is course-led rather than lab-led, so treat it as preparation for research rather than research itself. The online tier is considerably cheaper than residential if cost is the deciding factor.

Subject areas: Engineering, ecology, programming, marine science, health, language
Location: UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA. Residential or online
Format: Three to four-week courses
Cost: Most recently published at $1,500 online and $5,950 residential tuition. Scholarships available
Application deadline: Typically late May for residential, early June for online
Program dates: July for residential, June for online
Eligibility: All high school students

Which California research programs are free or paid?

Seven of the 19 programs here cost nothing, and four of those pay you. The free list is Berkeley BAIR, SHTEM, UC Irvine Math ExpLR, Stanford SMYSP, and Stanford AIMI. The paid list is Stanford SIMR, Navy SEAP, AFRL Scholars, and the California Academy CiS internship.

The pattern is worth understanding: the free and paid programs are the competitive ones. Programs that charge $4,000 to $8,000 are largely selling access to a campus experience, while the ones that pay you are selecting for students they want on a research team. If cost is a constraint, that works in your favour, because the free options are often the better research experience.

For options beyond California, we keep a list of free research mentorship programs for high school students.

Do you need to live in California to apply?

Three programs on this list have geographic restrictions and the rest do not. COSMOS requires you to attend a California high school. Berkeley BAIR is limited to Bay Area students. Stanford SMYSP is for juniors in Northern California, and the Cal Academy CiS internship narrows further to SFUSD schools.

Everything else is open regardless of where you live, and four options are fully virtual: Horizon, Veritas AI, SHTEM, and Stanford AIMI. If you live in California, the virtual programs are still worth considering, because they are the only ones you can do during term time rather than competing for a single summer slot.

Students in specific metros may also want our lists for Los Angeles and San Diego.

What GPA and age do California research programs require?

The common bar is grade 10 or 11 standing with a GPA around 3.5 or higher. UCSB RMP sets the highest published threshold on this list at a 3.80 weighted GPA. Horizon requires above 3.67. The Cal Academy CiS internship is the most accessible at 2.5, with a C or better in science and maths.

Age matters more than GPA for lab placements. Stanford SIMR, Navy SEAP, and AFRL Scholars all require you to be 16 by the program start date, which is a legal and insurance constraint rather than an academic one, so there is no appealing it. If you are in grade 9 or 10, your realistic entry points are Sally Ride Science, Stanford AIMI, UC San Diego Academic Connections, COSMOS from grade 8, or a virtual mentored program like Horizon.

When do 2027 applications open?

Deadlines cluster between November and April, which means autumn is when the real work happens. Navy SEAP is the earliest at around 1 November. February and March hold the heaviest concentration, including B-BAY, UCSB RMP, UCSC SIP, SMYSP, and Stanford AIMI. April and May cover Berkeley BAIR, Math ExpLR, Cal Academy CiS, Sally Ride Science, and UCSD Academic Connections. SHTEM sits early, closing in January.

Build backwards from the earliest deadline you care about and allow six weeks. Recommendation letters, transcripts, and essays all take longer than students expect, and asking a teacher for a letter in the same week as the deadline rarely ends well.

What should you do if you do not get into a university research program?

Assume you will not get into your first choice, because the acceptance rates here are low and the eligibility rules exclude most applicants before merit is even assessed. SIMR, COSMOS, and UCSB RMP each take a small cohort from a very large pool. SMYSP, BAIR, and CiS rule you out entirely on residency or district. SIMR, SEAP, and AFRL rule you out on age if you are under 16.

That is the gap Horizon exists to fill. Instead of competing for one seat in a program that runs once a year in one location, you work one to one with a professor or PhD scholar and produce a 20-page research paper of your own. Cohorts run in spring, summer, and fall, so you are not waiting twelve months for a single deadline, and because it is virtual your postcode is irrelevant. You choose your subject, you choose quantitative or qualitative, and you finish with a paper you can submit to journals that publish high school authors, plus a letter of recommendation and written feedback on the work.

For students in grade 9 or 10 who are locked out of most lab placements by the age-16 rule, it is one of very few routes to real mentored research. The fall 2026 cohort closes on 30 August 2026. Apply here, browse the subject tracks, or join an info session if you want to talk it through first.

Frequently asked questions: research opportunities in California for high school students

Are there free research programs for high school students in California?

Yes, seven of the 19 programs on this list are free. Berkeley BAIR, SHTEM at Stanford, UC Irvine Math ExpLR, Stanford SMYSP, and Stanford AIMI charge nothing. Stanford SIMR, Navy SEAP, AFRL Scholars, and the California Academy CiS internship go further and pay a stipend. The free programs tend to be more competitive than the paid-tuition ones, so apply to several.

Can 9th and 10th graders apply to research programs in California?

Grade 9 and 10 students are eligible for fewer programs, mainly because lab placements set a minimum age of 16. Your realistic options are COSMOS, which accepts from grade 8, Sally Ride Science and UCSD Academic Connections, which are open to all high schoolers, Stanford AIMI, which accepts freshmen, and virtual mentored programs like Horizon. UCSB RMP will consider exceptional 9th graders case by case.

Do you have to live in California to apply?

Only three programs on this list have residency restrictions. COSMOS requires attendance at a California high school, Berkeley BAIR is Bay Area only, and Stanford SMYSP is limited to Northern California juniors, with the Cal Academy CiS internship narrowing to SFUSD schools. Everything else accepts applicants from anywhere, and four programs run entirely online.

Which California research programs pay a stipend?

Four programs pay you: Stanford SIMR, Navy SEAP, the AFRL Scholars Program, and the California Academy CiS internship. SEAP and AFRL publish the highest figures, in the region of $4,000 for a summer and roughly $492 a week respectively. Confirm current rates on each program page, since stipends are adjusted annually.

How competitive is Stanford SIMR?

SIMR is among the most competitive high school research placements in the United States, drawing a very large applicant pool for a small cohort. Beyond the academic record, applicants need to be at least 16 at the program start and must be US citizens or permanent residents living in the US. Our SIMR application guide covers what the essays are actually assessing.

Can you do a research program online instead of in person?

Yes, and four options here are fully virtual: Horizon, Veritas AI, SHTEM, and Stanford AIMI. SUMaC offers an online track alongside its residential one, and UCSD Academic Connections runs online courses at a lower cost than residential. Virtual mentored programs have a practical advantage over summer residentials, since they can run during term time rather than competing for one summer slot.

Does a high school research program actually help with college applications?

It helps most when the work is genuinely yours and you can talk about it in detail. Admissions readers can tell the difference between a student who sat in on a lab and a student who framed a question, hit a problem, and worked through it. A finished paper, a specific methodological choice you can defend, and a mentor who can write about your work in concrete terms carry more weight than the name of the institution on the certificate.

Resources

Bridget Carl

Bridget is a Program Director at Horizon Academic. She holds a BS in Public Health and Economics from The George Washington University, where she earned special distinction from her research on the Affordable Care Act individual mandate and open healthcare markets in the US. She also holds a MS in Data Analytics and Policy from Johns Hopkins University where she continued her research focus on public policy and social services, fueled with data science, machine learning and modeling, and cloud computing.

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