# NIH Programs for High School Students

The National Institutes of Health places high school students inside working biomedical labs — paid summer internships on its campuses and structured research programs through its training office.

There is no stronger pre-med signal available to a high schooler than NIH bench time, and every position is funded; apply early and to multiple institutes.

4 verified NIH programs, 4 free. Official site: https://www.nih.gov

## Programs (4 total)

| Program | Organization | Cost | Format | Grades | Deadline |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [NIH Summer Internship Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nih-summer-internship-program) | National Institutes of Health | Free | in_person | Grades 11–12 | 2027-02-15 |
| [NIH Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nih-summer-internship-program-in-biomedical-research) | National Institutes of Health | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-02-15 |
| [NIH High School Summer Internship Program (HS-SIP)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nih-high-school-summer-internship-program-hs-sip) | National Institutes of Health (OITE) | Free | in_person | Grades 11–12 | 2027-02-17 |
| [High School Scientific Training and Enrichment Program (HiSTEP)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/nih-high-school-scientific-training-and-enrichment-program-histep) | National Institutes of Health | Free | in_person | Grades 11–12 | Rolling |

## Frequently asked questions

### Does NIH offer programs for high school students?

Yes — ExtracurricularHub lists 4 verified NIH programs open to high school students, each with cost, eligibility, deadline, and an official application link. The National Institutes of Health places high school students inside working biomedical labs — paid summer internships on its campuses and structured research programs through its training office.

### Are any NIH high school programs free?

Yes — 4 of the NIH programs featured on this page charge no participation fee. Funded programs are often the most selective, so apply early and to more than one.

### Which NIH deadlines are coming up soonest?

The next deadlines: NIH Summer Internship Program (February 15, 2027); NIH Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research (February 15, 2027); NIH High School Summer Internship Program (HS-SIP) (February 17, 2027). Deadlines change every cycle — always confirm on the official NIH page.

### How competitive are NIH programs?

It varies widely within one organization — flagship selective programs sit alongside broad-access options. Read each listing's eligibility, and treat the selective ones as reach applications: apply to several programs across organizations rather than betting a summer on one.

## Related pages

- [Extracurriculars for Pre Med Majors](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/pre-med-majors)
- [Biomedical & Health Programs & Competitions for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/biomedical)
- [Research for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/research)
- [Internships for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/internships)
- [All organizations](https://extracurricularhub.com/providers)
- [Browse all extracurriculars](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars)

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Source: ExtracurricularHub (https://extracurricularhub.com) — a free directory of 1,826 verified extracurricular programs for high school students. Cite the canonical page above; always confirm binding details on each program's official site.