A curated repository of 66 elite programs across 6 fields — vetted for Grades 9–12 through two decades of Ivysion college admissions consulting.
The Directory
National Institutes of Health
Work side-by-side with world-leading NIH scientists on real biomedical and behavioral research projects. Culminates in a poster presentation at the NIH Summer Poster Day.
Stanford University
8-week immersive biomedical research internship. Students work in a Stanford lab alongside grad students and postdocs, then present at a campus-wide event.
Stanford Center for AI in Medicine
Only ~25 students admitted per year. Intensive 2-week program exploring AI applications in healthcare and medicine.
NASA
Hands-on research and engineering at NASA centers across the country. Students contribute to actual NASA missions and projects.
Broad Institute (MIT/Harvard)
Work inside the Broad Institute on original genomics/biomedical research, attend scientific talks, and present at a poster session.
Center for Excellence in Education / MIT
The most prestigious high school STEM research program in the world. ~80 students globally complete an original mentored research project with MIT and Harvard faculty.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT's flagship STEM enrichment program for rising seniors from underrepresented or underserved backgrounds. Rigorous coursework + research project + admissions mentoring.
Stony Brook University
Mentored, hands-on research with Stony Brook faculty culminating in a written abstract and poster presentation at the Simons Symposium.
Stony Brook University (Garcia Center)
Original polymer/materials-science research with Garcia Center faculty. Many projects continue into senior-year competitions.
Texas Tech University
Only 12 students selected nationally per year for an intensive cross-disciplinary research experience with Texas Tech faculty across STEM and humanities.
Princeton University
Direct placement in a Princeton research lab under faculty mentorship. Original project work; very small cohort.
National Youth Science Foundation
Two delegates selected per U.S. state annually for an immersive STEM, outdoor, and leadership experience with Nobel laureates and leading scientists.
Society for Science / Regeneron
America's oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition. Submit original independent research; finalists compete in DC for $250K top prize.
Society for Science / Regeneron
World's largest pre-college STEM competition. ~1,800 finalists from 75+ countries across 22 categories. Project judged on originality, methodology, and impact.
Davidson Institute
Recognizes ~20 students annually for significant original work in STEM, literature, music, philosophy, or interdisciplinary categories.
USACO
Tiered algorithmic programming competition: Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → US Open → IOI training camp. Promotion is based on performance per contest.
University of California, Santa Cruz
Students lead their own research projects across STEM and humanities disciplines under UCSC faculty mentorship.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Work in cancer research labs at one of the world's premier cancer centers. Hands-on bench science plus professional development.
U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory
Research alongside AFRL scientists and engineers on defense-related STEM projects. Security clearance pathway for some roles.
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Conduct research alongside scientists at a U.S. Department of Energy national lab across energy, computing, and physical sciences.
Carnegie Mellon University
CMU's free, residential pre-college program in computing and AI for high-achieving students from underrepresented backgrounds.
University of California system
Residential STEM program with university faculty teaching specialized clusters (e.g., quantum computing, marine biology, biomedical engineering).
Girls Who Code
Free intensive coding program for high school girls and nonbinary students, taught with industry partners (Google, MetLife, etc.).
U.S. House of Representatives
Build an original app in any platform/language. Each Congressional district selects a winner; winning apps are displayed at the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. Army / University Partners
Pairs students with researchers at top universities and U.S. Army research facilities for STEM-focused project work (SEAP, REAP, HSAP).
Boston University
Six-week intensive in number theory and mathematical reasoning. Students explore deep problems through guided discovery alongside faculty and counselors.
Ohio State University / USC / Indiana
Legendary number-theory immersion founded in 1957. Students 'think deeply of simple things' through original problem exploration.
Hampshire College
Intensive, idiosyncratic math immersion known for its 'Yellow Pigs' culture and Workshop problem-solving sessions.
Mathematics Foundation of America
Five weeks of advanced mathematics with grad-level topics chosen by students. Highly collaborative, problem-solving culture.
Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
The canonical US math competition pathway. AMC 10/12 → AIME → USAMO/USAJMO. USAMO qualification (~270 students/yr) is the threshold credential for elite math.
United States Senate
One of the most prestigious high school internships in existence. Pages serve on the Senate floor, deliver correspondence, and witness legislative history firsthand.
U.S. Department of State
U.S. State Department-funded immersion in critical languages (Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Russian, Hindi, Persian, Turkish).
CHCI
Leadership and civic education program in D.C. for Latino students. Includes policy seminars, site visits, and networking with officials.
Yale University
Yale's flagship pre-college program. Interdisciplinary seminars, lectures, and capstone projects with international cohort.
Dallas Bar Association / Dallas ISD
Direct immersion in law firms and corporate legal departments. Students shadow attorneys and work on real legal research tasks.
U.S. Department of Education
Interns explore educational policy, project management, data analysis, and federal agency operations. Open to diverse academic interests.
Bank of America
Flagship business + civic program. Students intern at a local nonprofit for 8 weeks, then attend a week-long Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C.
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Teams build investment portfolios for a hypothetical client using real-time market data. Top teams advance to Global Finale at Wharton.
Brown Advisory
High school girls shadow Brown Advisory investment professionals, attend portfolio construction sessions, and complete a hands-on research project.
Foundation for Teaching Economics
Week-long economics + leadership institute hosted on top university campuses. Combines microeconomic theory with leadership simulations.
Council for Economic Education
The flagship US HS economics competition. Tests microeconomics, macroeconomics, international economics, and current events through team and individual rounds.
Federal Reserve System
Teams of 3–8 research economic themes and submit podcast-style policy analyses. 2025–26 theme: 'Economics of Music.' Top entries published in the Federal Reserve's Journal of Future Economists.
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship
Students develop real business plans and pitch to panels. Winners advance to regional and national competitions with cash prizes.
Princeton University
Juniors cover local news, publish in The Princeton Summer Journal, tour NYT and Bloomberg, and receive 1:1 college advising through senior year. First-gen students prioritized.
Telluride Association (Yale & U-Michigan hosts)
Free, intellectually demanding seminar in critical theory, race, and democratic citizenship. Two papers, daily discussion, dorm-style community.
University of Iowa
Workshop-style program at the home of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the most prestigious MFA program in the country.
Asian American Journalists Association
Multicultural journalism training camp for ~36 HS students. Reporting, writing, broadcast, and multimedia instruction from top journalists.
Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (Princeton)
Tuition-free leadership institute for high-achieving public-school students from underrepresented or low-income backgrounds. Includes year-round college counseling.
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
The most prestigious K–12 arts and writing recognition in the US. 28 categories. Regional Gold Keys advance to national judging.
John Locke Institute (Oxford)
International humanities essay competition with 7 subject categories. Essays graded by Oxford academics; finalists invited to Oxford for awards ceremony.
The Concord Review, Inc.
The only quarterly journal publishing original academic history papers by HS students. Publishes ~44 essays per year from a global submission pool.
National Speech & Debate Association
The flagship US speech and debate championship. ~6,000 qualifiers across 13 events including Lincoln-Douglas, Policy, PF, Congress, and individual speech.
Smithsonian Institution
Work within the world's largest museum and research complex. Placements span art history, science, anthropology, and more.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Paid internship for tri-state area rising juniors/seniors at one of the world's greatest art museums. Professional networking in the creative field.
Kenyon College
Two-week intensive workshop for serious writers, taught by Kenyon Review editors and award-winning faculty.
Water Environment Federation / SIWI
International research competition for water-related projects. State winners advance to US nationals; US winner competes in Sweden during World Water Week.
UT Center for Space Research / NASA
Students work with NASA, academics, and industry experts on Earth science research. Culminates in the SEES Virtual Science Symposium.
Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust / King County
Paid internship focused on clean water education and community advocacy for environmental causes.
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Work on cutting-edge research at NIST labs in one of several specialized tracks including manufacturing, cybersecurity, and measurement science.
The Perry Initiative
Hands-on surgical simulation day taught by women orthopedic surgeons and engineers. Students perform mock fracture fixation, suturing, and use real surgical instruments.
Stanford University
Covers AI fundamentals applied to healthcare, clinical AI tools, and tech ethics. Mentored by Stanford student leads and researchers.
Wake Forest University
Hands-on clinical simulations including suturing, vital signs, ultrasound, and patient interaction at Wake Forest School of Medicine facilities.
Georgetown University
One-week intensive covering anatomy, surgical basics, physiology, and clinical simulations at Georgetown's medical campus.
Tufts University
Tracks include Mini-Med School (clinical exposure, simulation labs) and Health Sciences research seminars taught by Tufts faculty.
Johns Hopkins University
College-level coursework in medicine, neuroscience, and public health taught by Hopkins instructors. Some tracks include lab simulation and case-based learning.
National Student Leadership Conference
Open-enrollment leadership conference with simulated clinical scenarios, hospital visits, and exposure to medical specialties.
Adapts to your selected program tier and current grade. Progress saves automatically.
Prioritize accessible programs (AEOP, NFTE, UCSC SIP, virtual options). Goal: discover genuine interest, not chase prestige.
Target NIH SIP, NASA, Stanford SIMR, or field-specific programs. One elite internship with a research output transforms a college application.
Every internship must fuel at least one essay. Document the work in real time — insights, failures, mentors — to produce authentic narratives.
Three internships in the same field beats six across unrelated ones. Depth of commitment reads far stronger than scattered breadth.
Internship mentors — NIH PIs, university professors, NASA engineers — write the most compelling, differentiated recommendation letters.
Self-arranged hospital shadowing, professor cold-emails, or independently built projects can rival formal programs when documented well.
Program details change yearly. Always verify deadlines and eligibility on official sites. Strategic application planning should be developed with your advisor.