11 Research Programs for High School Students in Massachusetts
If you are a high school student interested in research, a structured research program can help you explore an academic subject in greater depth while learning how new knowledge is produced and evaluated. Many programs allow you to work with faculty, researchers, or graduate mentors on ongoing projects, while others focus on developing an independent research paper or investigation. These experiences can help you build skills in critical thinking, data analysis, scientific writing, and academic communication.
Why should you pursue a research program in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts is home to institutions such as MIT, Northeastern University, the Broad Institute, Tufts University, and Harvard-affiliated research centers that offer research opportunities for high school students. Depending on the program, you will contribute to laboratory research, investigate mathematical or computational problems, analyze scientific data, or complete an independent project under the guidance of researchers and mentors. Whether you are interested in STEM research, interdisciplinary scholarship, or preparing for future academic study, these programs offer several ways to engage with research in a structured setting.
To help you get started, we have compiled a list of 11 research programs in Massachusetts for high school students!
If you’re looking for online summer programs, check out our blog here.
1. Research Science Institute (RSI)
RSI is a six-week residential STEM program hosted at MIT and run by the Center for Excellence in Education. You will begin with a week of intensive lectures delivered by faculty across mathematics, science, and engineering, followed by five weeks of individual research conducted under the direct supervision of a scientist or engineer at MIT or a Boston-area research institution. You will go through the full research cycle: developing a literature review, executing a research plan, and presenting your findings in both a written paper and an oral presentation to an external panel of scientists during the final week. Projects span mathematics, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, computer science, robotics, and physics, and five papers and five oral presentations are selected each year for special commendation.
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
Cost: Fully funded
Application deadline: Mid-December
Program dates: Late June – early August (6 weeks)
Eligibility: Current high school juniors; U.S. citizens nominated through a state-based process; international students nominated through partner organizations abroad
2. Veritas AI Fellowship Program
Veritas AI focuses on providing a supportive environment for high school students passionate about AI to explore their interests. The programs include collaborative learning, project development, and 1-on-1 mentorship. Students are expected to have a basic understanding of Python or are recommended to complete the AI Scholars program before pursuing the fellowship. The AI Fellowship program will allow students to pursue independent AI research projects. Students work on their research projects over 15 weeks and can opt to combine AI with any other field of interest. You can find examples of previous projects here and read about a student’s experience in the program here.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available
Application deadline: Rolling. You can apply here.
Program dates: Varies according to the cohort: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
3. Northeastern University’s Young Scholar Program (YSP)
Rising seniors accepted into YSP spend six weeks working in faculty-led research labs across Northeastern's Colleges of Engineering, Science, and Health Sciences. Students are matched with a faculty mentor and embedded in an active research group for the full duration of the program, contributing to ongoing projects in computational modeling, hardware optimization, battery chemistry, and cancer therapeutics. Past mentors have included faculty working on agent-based simulations of active particles, FPGA model compression algorithms, and multi-drug resistance in cancer therapy. The program concludes with presentations of student research findings to the broader program community.
Location: Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: Free
Application Deadline: March 2
Program Dates: June 22 – July 30
Eligibility: Massachusetts residents who live and attend school in MA; rising seniors only; U.S. citizens or permanent residents; must be within commuting distance of Northeastern
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Application Deadlines: Applications are open year-round for the four cohorts ; they are due in February, May, September, and December. Apply here.
Program Dates: Four cohorts run throughout the year: spring, summer, winter, and fall.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
5. Broad Institute Summer Scholars Program
BSSP places high school juniors in active research labs at the Broad Institute for a six-week research experience. Students are matched with Broad scientists and contribute to ongoing projects in areas including cancer biology, psychiatric disease, chemical biology, computational biology, and infectious disease. The program includes training in scientific poster design and presentation, exposure to both computational and experimental techniques, and attendance at scientific talks from Broad researchers. Students present their completed research to the broader Broad community at a closing poster session.
Location: Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA
Cost: No cost to apply or attend, $3,600 stipend is provided, as well as partial reimbursement for transportation costs.
Application Deadline: January 21
Program Dates: June 29 – August 7
Eligibility: Rising seniors attending a Massachusetts high school within commuting distance of the Broad; minimum B in science and math; U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or non-citizens with employment authorization
6. Horizon Academic Research Program
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Financial aid available.
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer, and Fall cohorts.
Program Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September).
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th- or 11th-graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites; more details are available here.
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and more! It is one of the very few research programs for high school students that offers a choice between quantitative and qualitative research. Once you select a particular subject track and type of research, you’ll be paired with a professor or Ph.D. scholar (from a top university) who will mentor you throughout your research journey. You’ll work to create a 20-page, university-level research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student. This program is a solid opportunity for you to pursue a research program in highly specialized fields under the guidance of a top scholar. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student, along with detailed project feedback you can use to work on future projects and college applications.
7. University of Massachusetts Research Intensives
Research Intensives places high school students in professional working labs alongside UMass faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers for six weeks. Students apply to one of ten available labs spanning biology, biochemistry, chemistry, microbiology, food science, and psychological and brain sciences, with past and current placements including avian eco-physiology, neural stem cell development using zebrafish models, fungal genomics, nucleic acid engineering, and mycobacterial biochemistry. Each placement is tied to an active faculty research group, and students contribute to ongoing projects throughout the program. The program is part of UMass Amherst's broader residential pre-college offering, with students living on campus and having access to campus facilities throughout the six weeks.
Location: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Cost: $12,813 (residential); $7,247 (commuter); scholarships available
Application Deadline: Rolling
Program Dates: June 28 – August 8
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors; students indicate their top three lab choices on the application
8. MIT Program for Research in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (PRIMES)
MIT PRIMES is a tuition-free, year-long initiative in which high school students engage in both individual and collaborative research projects and contribute to reading groups under the mentorship of academic guides, typically graduate students or postdoctoral scholars. The program comprises three distinct sections: Mathematics, Computer Science, and Computational and Physical Biology. PRIMES works in 4 phases:
Phase I (January 1 — Pi Day): Reading period, admission decisions, mentor assignment, and preparation for potential projects through recommended readings. Successful completion requires a 5-page reading report by early March.
Phase II (Pi+0.01 Day — June 15): Active research period with mentor guidance, occasional consultations, and submission of an interim report on research progress by the end of June.
Phase III (June 1 5— August 31): Independent study period, allowing students to continue project work with flexible scheduling and email contact with mentors.
Phase IV (September 1 — December 31): Students write a final paper for publication on the PRIMES website and potential submission to science competitions or research journals.
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: December 1
Program Dates: Year-long program, divided into 4 phases
Eligibility: High school juniors and sophomores (including home-schooled) residing in the United States
9. Tufts University Summer Research Experience
Students rank their preferred research methodology on their applications and are placed in small cohorts to work on a six-week project under the guidance of a Teaching Fellow. Methodology options include experimental lab-based research, fieldwork and observational research, survey design and case study methods, behavioral experimental research, prototyping and iterative design, and creative or ethnographic research. Afternoons feature workshops on data visualization, scholarly articles, and research ethics, as well as field trips to research institutions in the Boston area and shadowing opportunities with active Tufts researchers. The program concludes with a poster session where students present their completed research to peers, faculty, and family.
Location: Tufts University, Medford/Somerville, MA
Cost: $9,196 (commuter); $11,790 (residential); need-based scholarships available
Application Deadline: May 1
Program Dates: July 5 – August 14
Eligibility: Current 11th and 12th graders; ages 16+
10. CURE Summer Only Program – Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
CURE places students in mentored cancer research projects at Harvard-affiliated institutions in the Longwood Medical Area, with each student paired one-on-one with a research scientist for the full duration of the program. Students gain hands-on experience in cutting-edge cancer research while also attending scientific seminars, journal clubs, and responsible-conduct-of-research training. Professional development runs alongside the research, covering resume building, career exploration, and networking roundtables with scientists across academia and clinical research. Students write an abstract summarizing their work and present their findings at a closing presentation event.
Location: Longwood Medical Area, Boston, MA
Cost: No cost, weekly stipend provided
Application Deadline: February 6
Program Dates: 7 to 11 weeks in the summer
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors; ages 16+; must reside or attend school in Massachusetts
11. Forsyth Student Scholars Summer Program
Student Scholars places Boston-area high school students in active research labs at the ADA Forsyth Institute, a leading oral health research institution, where they work alongside scientists on independent hands-on research projects. Students attend weekly presentations with fellow scholars and mentors, as well as college-level lectures by Forsyth scientists on topics including oral health research, immunology, and microbiology. The program concludes with a scientific poster presentation to the broader Boston-area scientific community.
Location: ADA Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free; paid at minimum wage for 35 hours per week
Application Deadline: April 1
Program Dates: June 29 – August 21
Eligibility: Current 9th, 10th, or 11th graders in the Eastern Massachusetts/Boston area