| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Cost | Last year's cycle (2026): $1,299; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Financial aid | Last year's cycle (2026): Application-fee and tuition waiver: $1,324. For 2026, 100% waivers were available with free/reduced-price lunch or Pell Grant documentation; Mason considered alternative hardship documentation case by case.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Expenses and aid conditions | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 ASSIP application processing fee: $25. Nonrefundable historical fee; full waiver available for documented financial need.; Application-fee and tuition waiver: $1,324. For 2026, 100% waivers were available with free/reduced-price lunch or Pell Grant documentation; Mason considered alternative hardship documentation case by case.; Commuting and local transportation: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. Students were responsible for transportation; Mason shuttles between Fairfax and Manassas were free, and low-cost general parking was usually available to non-Mason interns.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Stipend or pay | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 Summer I or Summer II fellowship: $4,000; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Eligibility | Grade 9 and above; Grade timing: Unconfirmed — check official site | Grades 10–12 when applying; check the provider's rules for graduating seniors |
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| Additional eligibility | Minimum age 15; Requirement: Be a high-school or undergraduate student and not have graduated from university before or during the internship; Requirement: Be at least 15 by the first program day for remote and computer-lab internships; Requirement: Be at least 16 by the first program day for any wet-lab placement involving chemical, biological, mechanical, or electrical hazards; Requirement: Commit to the full eight-week, 30-hour-per-week internship, required orientation, training, mentor schedule, and final symposium; Requirement: Select one to three prospective mentors whose research, format, campus, and preferred skills fit the applicant; Exclusion: Wet-lab age 16 is a safety requirement with no exceptions; Exclusion: Students may participate for at most two summer sessions; Exclusion: Minors cannot use Mason-arranged campus housing; Exclusion: Preferred mentor skills are not universal prerequisites, and the program has no universal minimum GPA; Exclusion: Admission does not guarantee a patent, publication, award, paid position, or continued research role | Residency: Must be able to participate at an available Project SEED site or eligible virtual project; in-person site selection considers a safe daily commute; Requirement: Document household annual income at or below 300% of applicable Federal Poverty Guidelines; Requirement: Provide an accepted tax, free/reduced-lunch, SNAP/WIC, TRIO, or SAT/ACT fee-waiver eligibility document; Requirement: Preferably be a current high-school sophomore, junior, or senior; the 2026 cycle also allowed graduating seniors; Requirement: Have completed at least one high-school chemistry course and demonstrate interest in science or chemistry; Requirement: Obtain parent/guardian permission if under 18; Requirement: Be available for the full project, normally at least eight weeks and about 40 hours weekly for in-person research; Requirement: Meet the local site's commute, safety, lab, onboarding, and schedule requirements; Exclusion: Applicants who cannot document the financial-eligibility requirement; Exclusion: Applicants without completed high-school chemistry; Exclusion: Applicants unable to commit to the selected site's full schedule or safely commute for an in-person placement; Exclusion: Assuming prior lab experience is required or guarantees selection; Exclusion: Assuming application guarantees a placement, preferred lab, virtual option, $4,000 next-cycle amount, conference trip, publication, college credit, recommendation, scholarship, admission advantage, or job |
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| Session dates or duration | Catalog terms: 8 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 8–10 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Format | In person / Online / Hybrid | Hybrid |
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| Housing and supervision | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
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| Location | Fairfax, Manassas, Woodbridge, Virginia; mentor-specific remote and collaborating-institution placements | Participating university, government, and industry research sites; virtual projects may also be offered |
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| Selection and application | Selection: Competitive and mentor-matched. Review considers STEM coursework, GPA, experience, statements, mentor fit, and project needs; highly qualified applicants may be interviewed. No minimum GPA or overall acceptance rate is published. Application materials: Personal statements describing research interest, preparation, goals, and mentor fit; Possible mentor interview for highly qualified candidates | Selection: Local coordinators select among financially and academically eligible applicants based on performance, science interest, full-summer availability, site capacity/budget, safe commute, and mentor/project fit. ACS publishes no single current acceptance rate. |
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| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-21Source 2 · checked 2026-08-21Source 3 · checked 2026-08-21Source 4 · checked 2026-08-21 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-20Source 2 · checked 2026-08-20Source 3 · checked 2026-08-20 |
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