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Research Programs for High School Students in California

Nichable lists 22 research programs for high school students based in California, and 10 of them pay students a wage or stipend. Each one is checked against the organization's own page.

Stanford STaRS Internship Program

Stanford Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Research· Stanford, CA
Opening soon

UCSD Research Experience for High School Students

San Diego Supercomputer Center (UC San Diego)
Research· Costs money· La Jolla, CA
Opening soon

Stanford SHTEM Summer Internships

Stanford Compression Forum
Research· Costs money· Stanford, CA
Opens Dec 7, 2026

Lundquist Institute STAR High School Program

The Lundquist Institute
Research· Paid· Torrance, CA
DeadlineFeb 19, 2027

UCSB Summer Research Academies

UC Santa Barbara Summer Sessions
Research· Costs money· Santa Barbara, CA
Opens Dec 15, 2026

LJIdea Summer Internship

La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Research· Paid· La Jolla, CA
Opening soon

Sanford Burnham Prebys SPARK Regenerative Medicine Internship

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Research· Paid· La Jolla, CA
Opening soon

Loma Linda University Apprenticeship Bridge to College (ABC) Summer Research Program

Loma Linda University Health
Research· Paid· Loma Linda, CA
Opens Jan 1, 2027 · Due Mar 1, 2027

HMRI Year-round Biomedical Research Internship

Huntington Medical Research Institutes
Research· Pasadena, CA
DeadlineRolling

Pediatrics Internship Program at Stanford

Stanford Medicine
Research· Paid· Stanford, CA
Opening soon

Genomics Research Internship Program at Stanford

Stanford Medicine
Research· Costs money· Stanford, CA
Opening soon

LLNL Biotechnology Summer Experience

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Research· Livermore, CA
Opening soon

Scholar Immersion Program

University of California, Santa Cruz
Research· Costs money· Santa Cruz, CA
Opens Jan 15, 2027 · Due Feb 26, 2027

High School Summer Internship Program

Scripps Research
Research· Paid· La Jolla, CA
Opening soon

Heithoff-Brody High School Summer Scholars Program

Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Research· Paid· La Jolla, CA
Opens Dec 1, 2026 · Due Feb 15, 2027

Young Scholars Program

UC Davis School of Education
Research· Davis, CA
Opens Jan 1, 2027 · Due Mar 1, 2027

Research Mentorship Program

UC Santa Barbara Summer Sessions
Research· Santa Barbara, CA
Opens Dec 15, 2026 · Due Mar 8, 2027

Summer Student Research Program

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland
Research· Paid· Oakland, CA
Opening soon

Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy

Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences
Research· Paid· Duarte, CA
DeadlineFeb 1, 2027

Stanford Young Investigators

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Research· Stanford, CA
Opens Feb 1, 2027 · Due Mar 15, 2027

California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science

University of California Office of the President
Research· Costs money· UC Santa Cruz, CA
Opens Jan 6, 2027 · Due Feb 5, 2027

Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program

Stanford University School of Medicine
Research· Paid· Stanford, CA
Opening soon

Common questions

Are there paid research programs for high school students in California?

Yes. 10 of the 22 research programs listed in California pay students a wage or stipend.

How do high school students apply to research programs in California?

Each listing is run by its own organization and you apply on that organization's site. A free Nichable account shows each listing's deadline and how to apply, and lets you save and track them.

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