| Application deadline | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Cost | Unconfirmed — check official site | Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Financial aid | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Need-based fee and participant-travel assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. SSP committed to cover 100% of demonstrated need; exact award depends on family circumstances and may include participant airfare or other required travel.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Expenses and aid conditions | Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): 2026 application fee: $0. Completely free to apply.; Need-based fee and participant-travel assistance: Amount: Unconfirmed — check official site. SSP committed to cover 100% of demonstrated need; exact award depends on family circumstances and may include participant airfare or other required travel.; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Stipend or pay | Catalog terms: Summer 2027 NIH SIP stipend: Unconfirmed — check official site; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site | Last year's cycle (2026): Lost-wages stipend: $3,000; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Eligibility | Grade 12 when applying; check the provider's rules for graduating seniors | Grade 11 when applying; summer rising grade is one higher |
|---|
| Additional eligibility | Minimum age 17; Citizenship: U.S. citizen; Citizenship: U.S. permanent resident; Residency: A graduating senior who is 17 on June 1, 2027 and turns 18 by September 30 must have a permanent home address within 40 miles of an NIH campus; Residency: Permanent residents must attend or be accepted by a U.S. educational institution; Requirement: Be enrolled at least half-time as a high-school senior when applying; Requirement: Graduate high school before the internship begins; Requirement: Be 18 by September 30, 2027 and satisfy the special local-residence rule if still 17 on June 1; Requirement: Provide proof of health insurance; Requirement: Be available for a full-time research position during work hours; Exclusion: Students in grades 9-11 are not eligible through this SIP rule; Exclusion: The program is unavailable to applicants who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents; Exclusion: Summer classes or other daytime responsibilities are incompatible with the full-time position; Exclusion: Family employment at NIH may trigger nepotism restrictions; Exclusion: Application does not guarantee PI contact, interview, funding or placement | Ages 15–18; Requirement: Be a current high-school junior; Requirement: Be at least 15 and not yet 19 during all program dates; Requirement: Complete for credit and a grade by June any high-school physics plus precalculus; Requirement: If the school does not offer physics, complete calculus for credit and a grade by June instead; Requirement: Commit exclusively to the entire assigned residential session; Exclusion: Current freshmen, sophomores and seniors; Exclusion: Self-study used in place of the required graded coursework; Exclusion: Applicants unable to attend the complete assigned session; Exclusion: Applying to more than one SSP project in the same cycle |
|---|
| Session dates or duration | Unconfirmed — check official site | Catalog terms: 5 weeks; 2027: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Format | In person | In person |
|---|
| Housing and supervision | Non-residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site | Residential. Supervision and housing details: Unconfirmed — check official site |
|---|
| Location | Bethesda, NIH campuses; exact campus and research group vary by placement | Albion, Milledgeville, McMinnville, River Falls, Waterville, Bethlehem, Galesburg, 2026 campus assigned after admission; campus list can change by cycle |
|---|
| Selection and application | Selection: There is no centralized selection. Individual NIH PIs search applications, interview candidates, choose interns and supply funding; satisfying minimum eligibility does not guarantee a match. Application materials: Personal statement describing research experience, interests, goals and SIP fit | Selection: Admission is limited and holistic. SSP reported about 700 participants admitted across every 2026 track, but did not publish Astrophysics application totals or a track-specific acceptance rate. Application materials: One required recommendation from a current school math or science educator; Optional second recommendation, preferably from a math or science educator |
|---|
| Official sources | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22 | Source 1 · checked 2026-08-22Source 2 · checked 2026-08-22Source 3 · checked 2026-08-22Source 4 · checked 2026-08-22Source 5 · checked 2026-08-20 |
|---|
