Research Programs for High School Freshmen 2026 | 9th Grade

Research experience is one of the strongest signals a high school student can show selective colleges. Working on a real project — in a university lab, a structured mentorship, or an independent study — demonstrates intellectual initiative that grades and test scores cannot. Ninth grade is for exploration. Try several activities, join a club or two, and start building habits — depth can come later once you have found what genuinely interests you.

Well-known options include the Research Science Institute (RSI), Stanford's SIMR, the Summer Science Program (SSP), Pioneer Academics, and Polygence, alongside hundreds of university and hospital lab placements.

Admissions officers value research because it shows you can ask a question, stay with a hard problem for months, and clearly communicate what you found.

How to get started with research programs

1. Pick a field you'd happily read about on a Saturday — biology, economics, machine learning — and narrow it to one specific question.
2. Build a shortlist: structured mentorships (Polygence, Pioneer), free selective programs (RSI, SSP), and 8–10 professors whose recent papers you actually skimmed.
3. Email professors a short, specific note — what you read, one question it raised, and how you'd help — rather than a generic 'can I join your lab.'
4. Apply to 2–3 structured programs as a backup and track every deadline in the free Activities Tracker.
5. Once you have results, share them: submit to a journal like JEI, present at a science fair (ISEF), or turn your project into a Common App essay.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• Yau Science Awards (Asia) — Tsinghua University / Harvard University: Showcase your scientific research skills in this prestigious high school competition. Gain hands-on experience, boost college applications, and connec
• PROMYS at Boston University — Boston University: Explore number theory in a 6-week immersive summer program for high schoolers. Build research skills, enhance college applications, and dive into hand
• Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF) — Summit Education: The Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF) is a virtual summer program for top STEM students around the world. Students learn from mentors at Harvard, Stanford,
• International Crisis Group - Youth Engagement Program — International Crisis Group: Access conflict analysis and peacebuilding resources from one of the world's leading organizations focused on preventing deadly conflict. Free educati
• Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) Civics & Global Affairs Programs — Foreign Policy Research Institute: Philadelphia-based think tank offering students access to foreign policy analysis, teacher workshops, and global affairs educational resources. Free p
• MIT Women in Stem Research Program Pre-College Summer Program — MIT Women in Stem Research Program: Pre-college program at MIT Women in Stem Research Program for high school students focusing on stem.
• Johns Hopkins Pre-College Program — Johns Hopkins University: Pre-college programs at Johns Hopkins University for high school students in Baltimore.
• Global Youth Economics Congress — Youth Economics Initiative: International congress for young economists presenting research. Networking with peers globally. Demonstrates economics research and international col
• Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award — Society for Neuroscience: Recognizes exceptional high school students conducting neuroscience research. Winners present at annual neuroscience conferences.
• Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) — National Science Teaching Association & U.S. Armed Services: Research presentation competition with regional and national symposia.
• Stockholm Junior Water Prize — Stockholm International Water Institute: International competition for water-related science and environmental projects.
• BioGENEius Challenge — Biotechnology Innovation Organization: National biotechnology research competition. Present original biotech research for prizes and recognition.
• iGEM High School Synthetic Biology Competition — iGEM Foundation: Premier synthetic biology competition; teams design biological systems
• National History Day Kenneth E. Behring National Contest Winner — National History Day: National winners in documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website categories. Over 500,000 students compete annually. Top prizes include colleg
• International Tournament of Young Mathematicians (ITYM) — ITYM Committee: Elite team math competition where students solve open-ended problems and defend solutions. Combines research, presentation, and debate skills. Highly
• MIT PRIMES-USA Math Research Program — Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT's online math research program for students outside Boston. Year-long mentorship conducting original mathematics research.
• Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association Essay Competition — Harvard College: International essay competition on economics topics. Winners published in Harvard Economic Review and receive prizes.
• CERN Beamline for Schools Competition — CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research): Winning teams conduct actual experiments at CERN particle accelerator. One of world's most prestigious high school physics opportunities. Full expense
• Polygence Research Program — Polygence: 1-on-1 research mentorship program; opportunity to publish or present research
• National Geographic Young Explorers Program — National Geographic Society: Grants up to $5,000 for student-led exploration and research projects
• Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program (ASDRP) — ASDRP: Free year-round research program. Students publish papers and present at conferences.
• Lumiere Research Scholar Program — Lumiere Education: 1-on-1 research mentorship with Harvard/Oxford PhD researchers; publication opportunity
• International Young Physicists' Tournament — International Young Physicists' Tournament Association: A global team-based physics research and debate competition for high school students.
• International Physicists' Tournament (IPT) — International Physicists' Tournament Association: Team-based international physics tournament where students solve open-ended research problems and debate their solutions.
• Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge — Discovery Education & 3M: A national science competition where U.S. middle school students pitch innovation ideas for a chance to be named America’s Top Young Scientist.
• DARPA Prize Competitions — Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA): Open prize challenges from DARPA that fund and reward breakthrough solutions in science, engineering, and national security technology.
• Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) — Youth Science Canada: Canada’s national youth science fair where top student projects compete after qualifying at regional fairs across the country.
• European Union Contest for Young Scientists — European Commission: Prestigious EU-wide science competition showcasing outstanding research by young scientists aged 14–20 from across Europe.
• BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition — BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Ltd.: Ireland’s premier STEM competition where second-level students present original science and technology projects.
• Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science — Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS): A statewide science research competition where Pennsylvania students present independent projects at regional and state meetings.

Frequently asked questions