Maintained directory

Research programmes for high school students, with the real numbers

Every figure on this page comes from the provider's own public pages, with the date we checked it. The free selective programmes come first, because that is the honest order. One of the paid programmes is ours, and it is labelled.

Last updated 2026-08-25 · Download as CSV · Corrections: [email protected]

Free and fully funded (selective)

The programmes worth trying for first. All are competitive, most are summer-only, and eligibility is narrow, but the price is zero or close to it, and a place at any of them is a serious credential in its own right.

Research Science Institute (RSI)

Center for Excellence in Education, hosted at MIT · STEM

Format: Six-week residential summer research programme: coursework week, then five weeks of mentored research ending in written and oral presentations.
Cost: Free: tuition, room and board are covered. A $65 application fee applies.
Who can enter: Rising seniors (students in their third year of high school), aged 16 or older by 1 July. International applicants accepted through partner processes.
Selectivity: One of the most selective programmes in the world; cohort of roughly 100.

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-08-25

Simons Summer Research Program

Stony Brook University · STEM

Format: Seven-week summer placement in a Stony Brook research group, ending in a poster symposium; participants receive a stipend award.
Cost: No tuition or fees. Commuters cover their own transport and meals; residential participants pay their own dorm and meal costs, roughly $2,360 in the 2026 round.
Who can enter: High school juniors at the time of application; US citizens or permanent residents only.
Selectivity: Highly selective.

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-08-25

Anson L. Clark Scholars Program

Texas Tech University · STEM, Social sciences, Humanities

Format: Seven-week residential faculty-mentored research programme, one of the few free ones that includes humanities and social science tracks.
Cost: Free: housing, meals and activities covered. A $750 stipend on successful completion of the research project.
Who can enter: Highly qualified high school juniors and seniors; check the current round's rules.
Selectivity: Very small cohort (around a dozen); highly selective.

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-08-25

Summer Science Program (SSP)

SSP International · Astrophysics, Biochemistry, Genomics, Synthetic chemistry

Format: 39-day residential programme where teams carry out a complete research project in their track.
Cost: All-inclusive maximum fee of $11,800 in 2026, but 100% of demonstrated need is met: free below roughly $75,000 family income, discounted below roughly $140,000, with lost-wages stipends available.
Who can enter: Completed junior year (or exceptional sophomores); age rules on the site.
Selectivity: Highly selective.

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-08-25

Rise (Schmidt Futures / Rhodes Trust)

Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust · Any field

Format: Global talent programme for roughly ages 15 to 17 built around a self-directed project; winners join a lifelong fellowship.
Cost: Free. Selected fellows may receive need-based four-year university scholarships and other support.
Who can enter: Roughly ages 15 to 17, worldwide.
Selectivity: Global cohort of 100 from tens of thousands of applicants. Not to be confused with RISE Research (a paid mentorship company) or BU RISE (a Boston University summer programme).

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-07-29

Paid, with a published price

Commercial programmes that state a figure on their own pages. The figures below are theirs, quoted with the date we checked them.

ScholarBridge

This is us

ScholarBridge · Any field, 1-to-1 mentorship, Small-group seminars

Format: 1-to-1 research mentorship with doctoral-level mentors (Research Scholar), small-group Field Seminars, and Academic Essentials. Rolling admissions with monthly start windows.
Cost: The fee is scoped at a free consultation and confirmed in writing before any payment; there is no obligation after the call. Merit scholarships of 10 to 100 percent of the fee, plus need-based financial aid.
Who can enter: University-bound students, worldwide. Admission by consultation.
Selectivity: Selective by fit: the consultation ends in a recommendation against enrolling when that is the honest answer.

Our pricing page · details checked 2026-08-25

Polygence

Polygence · Any field

Format: Core is ten one-hour 1-to-1 sessions over roughly three to six months. Pods are six weekly small-group meetings.
Cost: Programmes start at about $3,000; Pods from $495. Launchpad and Premium Showcasing are add-ons with no published price; paying in six instalments adds an 8% fee.
Who can enter: High school students, worldwide.
Selectivity: Open enrolment.

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-07-27

Pioneer Academics

Pioneer Academics · Any field

Format: Research with a professor ending in an original paper, with four transferable college credits on an Oberlin College transcript.
Cost: Tuition $7,465, stated as all-inclusive; a lab materials fee of up to 2% may apply in some cases. Need-based scholarships exist.
Who can enter: High school students, worldwide; selective admission process.
Selectivity: Selective.

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-07-27

Horizon Academic

Horizon Academic · Any field

Format: Professor-led small-group Seminars, or 1-to-1 Labs with a PhD or postdoctoral scholar.
Cost: $6,450 for either format, according to Horizon. The same figure covers two different formats, so compare contact hours and group size.
Who can enter: High school students, worldwide.
Selectivity: Application required.

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-07-27

Paid, with no published price

Providers whose sites state no figure. That absence is itself the sourced fact: the only way to learn the fee is to ask. Get the all-inclusive total in writing before paying anything.

Lumiere Education

Lumiere Education · Any field

Format: Twelve-week 1-to-1 research arc from mentor match to final paper, with an optional university credit pathway.
Cost: No price published on its own programme pages. Ask for the all-inclusive total in writing, and whether the credit pathway carries a separate fee.
Who can enter: High school students, worldwide.
Selectivity: Application required.

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-07-27

Veritas AI

Veritas AI · AI, Machine learning

Format: AI Scholars in groups of three to five; AI Fellowship 1-to-1 building an original AI model; Deep Dive tracks; a middle school programme.
Cost: No price published on its own site. Need-based aid of up to 100% is stated; ask whether the UC San Diego credit pathway carries a separate fee.
Who can enter: High school students (and a middle school track), worldwide.
Selectivity: Application required.

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-07-27

Ladder Internships

Ladder · Internships at startups

Format: Placement-based virtual internships with startups rather than mentored research.
Cost: No price published on its own site. Ask what is included and whether the placement is guaranteed before paying.
Who can enter: High school students, worldwide.
Selectivity: Application required.

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-07-29

RISE Research (Rise Global Education)

RISE Research · Any field

Format: Paid 1-to-1 research mentorship marketed around a ten-week path to publication.
Cost: No price published on its own site. Ask what happens if publication is not achieved within the ten weeks.
Who can enter: High school students, worldwide.
Selectivity: Open enrolment. Not the free Rise by Schmidt Futures programme, and not BU RISE.

Provider's own page · details checked 2026-07-29

Common questions

Which research programmes are actually free?

The genuinely free, fully funded programmes are the selective ones: RSI, the Simons Summer Research Program, the Clark Scholars Program, Rise by Schmidt Futures, and SSP (free below roughly $75,000 family income, with 100% of demonstrated need met). They are also the hardest to get into, and most have US-only or age-specific eligibility. A student who can win a place at one of these should take it.

How much do paid research programmes cost in 2026?

Published figures run from about $3,000 (Polygence Core; Pods from $495) through $6,450 (Horizon) to $7,465 (Pioneer Academics, including four college credits). Several providers, including Lumiere, Veritas AI, Ladder and RISE Research, publish no price at all, so the only way to learn their fee is to enquire. Ask for the all-inclusive total in writing.

Why do so many providers hide their price?

The defensible reason is that programmes are scoped per student. The practical effect is that families cannot compare on price without making several enquiries. Whatever the reason, treat an unpublished price as a question to ask in writing before any application fee or deposit, together with what is included and what costs extra.

Is a paid programme worth it if free ones exist?

The free selective programmes reject most applicants, run only in summer, and mostly require US citizenship or specific ages, so for many students they are not available. A paid programme is worth considering when the student wants sustained 1-to-1 mentorship on their own timeline. Judge it on contact hours, mentor level, and what the student owns at the end, not on the brand.

Who maintains this directory and why?

ScholarBridge, a research mentorship provider listed in the paid section above and labelled as ours. Prices and claims come from each provider's own public pages with the verification date shown, and the free programmes are listed first because that is the honest order. Corrections are welcome at [email protected].

No obligation

What would this actually cost for your child?

Every programme on this page is priced per student, which is why none of the published figures tell you much. A ScholarBridge consultation ends with a written, all-inclusive number for your child specifically.

A written fee, not a "starting at" figure
All-inclusive: no per-session charges, no paid add-ons to reach the final work
The programme and project scope confirmed before you are asked for anything
No obligation and no payment until that figure is in front of you

Request a consultation How our pricing works

Sources and methodology

Last reviewed 2026-08-25. We compare current public programme information and avoid inferring admissions outcomes or institutional endorsement. Fees, formats, and availability can change; confirm them directly with each provider before enrolling.

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