This guide covers nine research programs for Massachusetts high schoolers, organized into three categories: highly selective, fully funded programs; university-based research and pre-college programs; and industry or nonprofit research opportunities.
Each entry breaks down what the program offers, who qualifies to apply, how competitive the admissions process is, and what the day-to-day experience looks like. The guide also includes a month-by-month application timeline for the Summer 2027 cycle, along with information about national research competitions open to students across Massachusetts.
1. MIT Research Science Institute (RSI)
MIT’s Research Science Institute (RSI) is widely regarded as highly selective compared to other summer research programs for high school students in the United States. Organized by the Center for Excellence in Education and hosted on MIT’s campus, RSI brings together a small group of exceptional rising seniors for a free, six-week research experience spanning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
RSI accepts 100 students every year, drawing both domestic and international applicants. Getting in requires strong academic preparation, particularly in mathematics and STEM subjects. Competitive applicants typically show real research experience, independent projects, advanced coursework, or other clear evidence of sustained pursuit in their field, rather than just interest.
Eligibility: The program accepts only high school juniors (typically, students apply in the middle of junior year). High school seniors are not eligible to apply.
2027 application deadline: 11:59 pm ET in early- to mid-December of 2026, typically on Wednesday of the second full week in December.
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2. MIT PRIMES
MIT PRIMES asks high schoolers to work on problems without known solutions, which sets it apart from nearly every other research program on this list. It is free and runs for a full academic year. Gives students the opportunity to work on advanced problems in mathematics and computational biology under the guidance of MIT researchers and mentors.
One of PRIMES’ most distinctive aspects is its research-first admissions philosophy. Participants work on unsolved problems in mathematics under academic mentorship, not simplified versions designed for teaching. Juniors move on to individual or group projects, while sophomores work exclusively in group settings.
Eligibility: High school juniors and sophomores from Greater Boston
Application Timeline: September-December 2026.
3. Northeastern Young Scholars Program (YSP)
Northeastern Young Scholars Program (YSP) puts high schoolers directly into university labs for a free, six-week summer research experience. Students interested in STEM work alongside Northeastern University faculty and researchers, gaining hands-on lab experience and a real sense of what a university research environment demands.
The program stands out for students who want hands-on exposure to STEM research without the barrier that usually comes with university-level opportunities. Because the program is free, it ranks among the most accessible research opportunities for eligible Massachusetts students, opening doors that would otherwise require significant financial resources.
Eligibility: High school juniors who are permanent Massachusetts residents
Application Timeline: Applications open in mid-December, with a projected deadline of March 2027. Results are posted in late April 2027.
4. Boston University RISE
BU RISE (Research in Science & Engineering) has two tracks, and picking the right one matters more than most applicants realize. The Internship track places you in a one-on-one mentored research position, and the Practicum track involves group research in areas like computational neurobiology.
Internship: Students are placed in a one-on-one mentored work position, working 40 hours per week on an individual research project under the supervision of BU faculty, postdoctoral fellows, or graduate students. Research areas span biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, neuroscience, physics, psychology, and more, giving students flexibility to find a fit for their interests. The track concludes with students presenting their findings at the program’s Poster Symposium.
Practicum: Students conduct group research in either Computational Neurobiology or Data Science, combining lectures with hands-on work under a BU instructor’s guidance. This track suits students who prefer a more structured research environment, and it includes workshops and interactions with local biotech and pharmaceutical companies, connections that rarely come this early in a student’s academic career.
Both tracks include weekly academic and professional development workshops and culminate in the same Poster Symposium, where students present their research to the wider program community.
Eligibility: Current high school juniors who are U.S citizens or permanent residents studying in the U.S.
Application Timeline: The application deadline is February 2027.
5. Harvard Secondary School Program (SSP)
Harvard Secondary School Program (SSP) takes a different approach than most entries on this list. It doesn’t put students in a lab; it puts them in an actual Harvard classroom, giving rising high school juniors and seniors a firsthand look at college-level academics through Harvard coursework.
Students take Harvard courses alongside college students, working through advanced subjects at university pace and under university expectations, building academic skills that go well beyond what a typical high school curriculum covers.
Programs like RSI or PRIMES focus on laboratory or independent research, but SSP takes a different path, built around academic coursework rather than hands-on investigation. This makes it a strong fit for students who want a genuinely challenging academic experience and a real preview of what college-level learning demands.
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Application Deadline: December 2026 – February 2027
6. UMass Amherst Pre-College Research Intensives
UMass Amherst Pre-College Research Intensives puts rising high school juniors and seniors directly into a working research lab for a competitive six-week summer program, where they work alongside UMass faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers on ongoing research projects.
Available research spans biology, biochemistry, chemistry, microbiology, psychology, and food science, with individual projects ranging from neuroscience and zebrafish research to genomics, molecular biology, and quantum chemistry. Students leave with genuine hands-on experience with university-level research methods, and the program concludes with each student creating and presenting a research poster summarizing their work.
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors. Applicants should have grades of B or above in mathematics and science courses and select their top three lab choices in the application.
Application Timeline: March-April 2027.
7. Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) High School Apprenticeship
The MLSC High School Apprenticeship connects eligible high school students with paid internships at Massachusetts life sciences companies and research institutions, an unusual feature among high school research programs, most of which offer prestige rather than a paycheck. The program supports 150+ new internship opportunities each year, giving students hands-on exposure to biotechnology, biomedical research, and other life sciences fields.
Student applicants must be at least 16 years old and meet specific eligibility requirements designed to expand access for underrepresented and low-income students. That includes students attending a vocational school, a qualifying Massachusetts public high school, a tuition-free private school serving primarily low-income populations, or those participating in METCO.
Eligibility: Massachusetts high school students age 16+ who meet the program’s school or socioeconomic eligibility requirements
Application: Rolling; applications may close once available funding is allocated
Program Year: May 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027
Pay: Based on $17/hour for six weeks of full-time work
8. Museum of Science Boston
The Museum of Science Boston pays students ages 14–19 for internships that skip the lab bench entirely, focusing instead on STEM education, museum programs, and public outreach.
Applications for these positions typically open in February or March. The work leans toward STEM education, communication, and community engagement rather than formal research, but it still lets students develop professional skills and gain experience working inside a major science institution.
This makes a solid option for students weighing STEM careers, science communication, education, or museum work, particularly those looking for a first professional experience that doesn’t require a research background to get started.
Eligibility: Students ages 14–19
Application: Opportunities typically posted in February or March
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9. LEAH Project
The LEAH Project runs year-round instead of compressing everything into a single summer, offering paid STEM mentorship to Boston-area high school students of color. Mentors help participants explore STEM careers, develop professional skills, and take on long-term projects that develop over months rather than weeks.
LEAH emphasizes sustained mentorship and career development, setting it apart from most programs on this list and allowing students to build relationships with STEM professionals over time. Participants can earn approximately $2,000–$2,250 through the program, adding a financial incentive that many mentorship opportunities don’t offer.
Eligibility: Boston-area youth of color interested in STEM
Compensation: Approximately $2,000–$2,250
Application: Rolling
Website: LEAH Project
How to Improve Your Research Program Application
Depth Over Breadth
Admissions committees can spot a resume padded with surface-level extracurriculars from a mile away, and a single focused, long-term research project will always outweigh a scattered list of activities. Programs like RSI and PRIMES want evidence that an applicant has spent months, sometimes years, deeply engaged with a single problem or field. Exploring different directions early on is normal and expected, but committing to a single path as soon as possible and going deep matters far more than staying broad.
Read Prerequisites and Residency Rules Carefully
Eligibility requirements leave no room for interpretation. Northeastern YSP, for instance, requires Massachusetts residency and the ability to commute to the Boston campus, while BU RISE is limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Applying to a program that doesn’t fit wastes time better spent elsewhere, so reading the eligibility section in full before starting any application saves considerable frustration later.
Show Your Work on Problem Sets
Programs like MIT PRIMES evaluate applicants through a challenging entrance problem set. Committees value your reasoning process behind an answer just as much as whether it is correct. Write out your thinking clearly, explaining which approaches you tried, and show what partial progress was made. A well-reasoned incomplete answer demonstrates more mathematical maturity than a lucky guess with no visible work behind it.
Aim for a Concrete Output
Admissions officers and competition judges respond to tangible evidence, not vague claims of involvement. Finish each research experience with something tangible: a poster, a written paper, a conference presentation, or a Regeneron STS submission. A finished output, backed by a recommendation letter from the researcher who supervised you, carries more weight than a program listed on an application with nothing to show for it.
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