If you’re a high school student interested in medicine, the field can feel exciting, but also overwhelming. You might be doing well in your science classes, yet still wonder what a future in healthcare actually looks like. After all, medicine goes far beyond textbooks. It’s hands-on, fast-paced, and deeply human. One of the most effective ways to explore and confirm your interest in medicine is through medical summer programs designed specifically for high school students.

Imagine spending your summer learning clinical skills in a university simulation lab, observing how medical professionals approach patient care, or discussing real-world case studies with classmates who share your passion for healthcare. Medical summer programs offer a preview of what studying medicine at university can truly feel like.

These programs combine academic learning with real exposure to the medical field. Along the way, you’ll experience the structure, expectations, and intensity of medical education in a supportive environment.

How to pick the best medical summer programs for high school students?

We know that there are many medical summer programs out there, and not all of them offer the same value. Some can be expensive without providing meaningful academic depth, while others may feel disconnected from real medical practice. That’s why knowing what to look for matters.

You might explore topics like anatomy, physiology, public health, or biomedical research, while also developing practical skills through workshops, simulations, or supervised projects.  You’ll learn from experienced instructors, gain exposure to different medical specialties, and engage in hands-on activities that mirror real-world healthcare settings. 

No matter the program, you’ll be challenged. To make your search easier, we’ve created a list of the 15 Best Medical Summer Programs for High School Students. They’ve been selected for their academic rigor, hands-on learning opportunities, and ability to offer a genuine glimpse into the world of medicine.

15 Best Medical Summer Programs for High School Students

1. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research (SIMR) Program

Location: Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
Cost: All students receive a minimum stipend of $500; students from underrepresented groups will receive at least $1,500
Dates: June 9th – July 31st
Application Deadline: February 21st
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors at least 16 years old, who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents

Known as one of the best medical summer programs for high school students for mentored lab research, SIMR is an eight-week experience where you learn how biomedical scientists design experiments, analyze data, and translate findings into a clinical context. You work alongside graduate students and postdocs, giving you a close view of how research teams operate at a major academic medical centre.

Depending on your lab placement, you could study stem cell biology, cancer genetics, immunology, neurobiology, or bioengineering techniques for medicine. In addition, you participate in weekly faculty lectures and professional development sessions that familiarize you with career options in academic medicine and translational ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌research. By participating in SIMR, you gain experience with real-world lab techniques.

Why it stands out: Its deep connections to Silicon Valley make it easier to transition to interdisciplinary courses such as biomedical entrepreneurship or AI-driven health research.

2. Immerse Education’s Medicine Summer School

Location: Sydney, Boston, Tokyo, London, Cambridge, Toronto, Singapore, and Oxford
Cost: Varies; summer school scholarship available through our bursary programme
Program Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Multiple cohorts with rolling admissions.
Eligibility: Students worldwide aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school

Immerse Education’s Medicine Summer School is a two-week, in-person programme that introduces you to university-level medical science through small-group teaching and case-based learning. You explore core topics such as anatomy, physiology, and clinical reasoning while learning how doctors apply scientific knowledge to diagnose and treat patients.

What makes Immerse Education unique is that Medicine is offered through two distinct pathways, so you can choose the experience that fits your goals.

If you want to experience medicine as a university subject, you join the Academic Insights pathway. This focuses on medical science, academic discussion, and university-style learning, helping you decide whether studying medicine at undergraduate level is right for you.

If you want to explore medicine as a future profession, you choose Career Insights. This pathway connects medical knowledge to real-world practice, showing how medicine operates beyond the lecture hall and helping you understand clinical environments, professional pathways, and day-to-day decision-making.

Why it stands out: It connects you with medical academics and clinicians, helping you understand how medicine is studied and practiced at leading universities.

3. Houston Methodist’s Summer Internship Program

Location: Houston Methodist Hospital, Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX
Cost: None
Dates: June 8th – July 31st
Application Deadline: January 30th
Eligibility: U.S. high school juniors and seniors with a minimum 3.5 GPA who will be at least 16 years old by the start of the program are eligible to apply

The Houston Methodist Summer High School Research Internship provides you with an in-depth, hands-on experience in medical research. Interns work alongside faculty and researchers in a variety of biomedical fields, such as immunology, cellular biology, and disease mechanisms. Over the course of the program, you will conduct laboratory research, learn advanced research techniques, and gain exposure to the daily operations of a major medical center.

You will also be introduced to research methodology, data analysis, and scientific writing, while participating in professional development seminars and networking events. In addition to your lab work, you​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ will also present your research findings at a formal symposium. 

Why it stands out: It places you inside a major hospital research environment, helping you see how clinical research directly informs patient care.

4. Simons Summer Research Program

Location: Stony Brook University, Long Island, New York
Cost: None
Dates: June 29th – August 7th
Application Deadline: February 7th
Eligibility: Open to high school students, and must be US citizens and/or permanent residents

This program pairs you with faculty mentors at partner universities, where you contribute to research in biology, neuroscience, chemistry, or related fields. You participate in lab meetings, where you also practice experimental techniques, and you complete readings to understand the scientific foundations of your project. The program is focused on independent thinking, and it is very open to you coming up with your own research questions and then developing and refining them.

Ultimately, you present your work to peers and faculty, gaining valuable experience in formal scientific communication. Through this mentorship-based structure, you get to understand the flow of academic research from the very first ideas to the final results that are ready for ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌publication.

Why it stands out: Its labs are connected to national research centers, and you’ll contribute to cutting-edge computational and applied math projects.

5. Magee-Womens Research Institute: High School Summer Internship Program

Location: MWRI or Magee-Womens Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost: None, $1,800 stipend
Dates: June 15th – July 24th
Application Deadline: February 9th
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores or juniors; over 16 years old by program start; have primary residence in the local southwest Pennsylvania region (Counties: Greene, Fayette, Somerset, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Washington, Beaver, Lawrence, Mercer, Butler, Armstrong, Indiana, and Cambria)

Through​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ this program, you get acquainted with studies primarily about female health, reproductive biology, and fetal development. You follow the steps of researchers, get involved in lab activities, and see how groups study the biological processes that influence maternal and infant health.

Your understanding is deepened through seminars and discussions, where you learn how research outcomes inform clinical practices and public health measures. By the end of the program, you will have developed a broader perspective on how biomedical research directly impacts patient care. You also gain experience with scientific reading and data interpretation while learning from mentors committed to advancing women’s health research. 

Why it stands out: You’ll work on women’s health research projects, strengthening your understanding of fields like reproductive biology and maternal-fetal medicine.

6. Stanford Medical Youth Science Program

Location: Stanford Campus, Northern California, CA
Cost: None
Dates: June 22nd – July 26th
Application Deadline: March 17th
Eligibility: Open to low-income, first-generation high school juniors from Northern California

SMYSP offers an immersive academic and research experience for students interested in understanding health disparities, community-based research, and clinical science. You take part in hands-on health modules, shadow healthcare professionals, and explore research topics related to public health and medicine.

Faculty​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ and peer mentors work with you to conduct workshops on scientific thinking, data analysis, and college preparation. You also complete a capstone project that introduces you to the structure of research inquiry and the challenges of addressing real-world medical issues. By the end of the program, you will have gained insight into how medicine, research, and community engagement intersect.

Why it stands out: It exposes you to both community health issues and medical research, providing a broader view of how medicine operates beyond the hospital.

7. Boston Medical Center – Junior Summer Volunteer Program

Location: Boston Medical Centre
Cost: No cost
Dates: June 29th – August 21st
Application Deadline: April 3rd or once 100 applications are received (whichever comes first)
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors who can volunteer weekly; preference is given to Boston residents

Boston Medical Center’s Junior Summer Volunteer Program gives you firsthand exposure to patient care and the inner workings of a hospital setting. You’ll take part in consultations and interactive experiences alongside clinical and hospital professionals. The program begins with a volunteer orientation, after which you’ll complete at least one on-campus volunteering shift, each lasting three hours.

In addition, you’ll attend a weekly lecture series led by Boston Medical Center health systems professionals, including surgeons, social workers, healthcare administrators, nurses, and physicians. If you’re looking to closely explore hospital environments and healthcare careers, this program offers a valuable, hands-on introduction.

Why it stands out: It gives you front-line exposure to patient care and hospital operations, helping you clarify your interest in healthcare professions.

8. Broad Summer Scholars Program (BSSP)

Location: Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $3,600 stipend
Dates: June 29th – August 7th
Application Deadline: January 21st
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors attending schools in Massachusetts within commuting distance of the Broad Institute

At the Broad Institute, you join a computational or experimental biology project within a genomics research environment. You’ll use high-throughput data, molecular tools, and computational methods to study complex biological systems. Coding skills, data interpretation, and research communication are some of the things that the workshops teach you, whereas mentors assist you with daily lab workflows.

Additionally, the program features talks from renowned scientists that introduce innovative strategies for human health and disease. Through these experiences, you gain insight into how large-scale biomedical research is conducted and how genomics influences modern medicine.

Why it stands out: It places you in cutting-edge genomics and biomedical research labs, helping you build advanced research skills and connect with world-class scientists.

9. Fred Hutch Summer High School Internship Program

Location: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
Cost: Free; students will receive a stipend at the end of the program
Dates: June 22nd – August 14th
Application Deadline: March 13th
Eligibility: High school students entering their senior year; international students not accepted

This internship places you in a research group investigating cancer biology, immunotherapy, infectious disease, or computational biology. In​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ addition to learning essential laboratory techniques, you get to see how interdisciplinary teams collaborate to solve large scientific problems. Every week, seminars are held which give you the opportunity to relate your experimental work to the wider topics of biomedical research, such as research ethics, patient benefits, and drug discovery.

Furthermore, you get guidance that is aimed at deepening your knowledge of scientific vocations and educational routes. By working in a leading research institute, you gain early exposure to rigorous experimental science and collaborative problem-solving.

Why it stands out: It immerses you in cancer and infectious disease research, helping you build technical skills while learning how large research centers operate.

10. Harvard Medical School’s Project Success 

Location: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Cost: Paid
Dates: June 29th  –  August 14th
Application Deadline: February 4th
Eligibility: Boston/Cambridge high school juniors and seniors who will be over 16 years of age by June 30, are from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds, have a GPA of 2.7+, and have completed courses in biology, algebra, and chemistry

In Project Success, you spend the summer learning how scientists investigate questions in fields such as molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience, immunology, and public health. You assist with observing experiments, preparing materials, and analyzing data, while learning directly from graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty mentors. The​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ program provides a series of seminars on biomedical careers, research ethics, and scientific communication.

You also participate in academic skill-building workshops that introduce you to reading primary literature, forming research questions, and presenting scientific findings. Throughout the program, you see how interdisciplinary teams approach complex medical problems. By the end, you gain a clearer understanding of what studying biomedical science in college entails.

Why it stands out: It supports long-term academic and research development, helping you build confidence and readiness for rigorous biomedical pathways.

11. Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science Summer Research Program

Location: Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science, New Brunswick, NJ
Cost: Free
Dates: Third week of June until the second week of August (8 Weeks)
Application Deadline: February 1st
Eligibility: U.S. high school students entering grades 10-12, aged 16+, with a 3.0 GPA or strong performance in math and science

In this program, you join Rutgers research teams exploring how scientific discoveries progress from the lab to clinical application. You work closely with faculty and research staff while gaining hands-on experience in molecular biology, cell culture, pharmacology, or computational analysis. Daily lab work introduces you to the principles of translational research, from forming hypotheses to evaluating real-world health relevance.

You also attend seminars on topics like cardiovascular medicine, regenerative biology, and immunology. With mentor guidance, you learn to read scientific literature and communicate your research professionally. By the end, you gain a clear understanding of university-level biomedical research and its relevance to pre-med and life science pathways.

Why it stands out: It offers mentored biomedical research experiences, helping you gain early exposure to translational science and lab-based inquiry.

12. Johns Hopkins University: The Immersive Summer Program for Education, Enrichment, and Distinction (ISPEED) in Biomedical Engineering

Location: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Cost: Stipend of $2,400
Dates: June 30th – July 25th
Application Deadline: February 28th
Eligibility: High school sophomores or juniors; must be a US citizen or permanent resident

In the ISPEED program, you spend several weeks at Johns Hopkins University exploring biomedical engineering through hands-on design challenges, lab activities, and guided research experiences. You work closely with faculty and graduate students to learn core BME areas such as biomechanics, medical imaging, device design, and computational modeling.

Through collaborative group projects, you design solutions to real-world health challenges and experience the teamwork central to the field. Seminars introduce you to academic expectations and professional pathways in engineering and medicine. By the end of the program, you will gain a clear understanding of biomedical engineering at a top research university and whether it aligns with your interests.

Why it stands out: It introduces you to biomedical engineering within a top research institution, helping you explore how engineering solutions impact healthcare.

13. Denver Health Medical Career Collaborative

Location: Denver Health and other Children’s Hospital Colorado locations
Cost: Stipend of $14.4/hour (minimum of Colorado Minimum Wage)
Dates: Must complete 100 – 120 hours in the summer
Application Deadline: March 5th
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores while applying; attending school in the Denver metro or Colorado Springs areas

MC² combines clinical exposure with project-based learning to help you understand how healthcare systems operate and how research supports decision-making in clinical settings. You​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ take part in workshops, hands-on training modules, and professional development sessions, which are led by healthcare staff. Based on your placement, you may have an opportunity to observe clinical workflows, get familiar with public health research, or become a contributor to departmental projects.

Mentors assist you in understanding the various healthcare career options and the educational background required for them.By participating, you gain experience with both clinical and research-oriented tasks that help you determine whether medicine aligns with your goals.

Why it stands out: You’ll see how healthcare systems function across different departments, offering practical exposure to real hospital workflows.

14. Summer Student Program – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Location: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, NY
Cost: $1,200 stipend
Dates: June 29th  – August 21st
Application Deadline: February 6th
Eligibility: High school juniors who are 14 years or older by June, have a 3.5 grade point average in science subjects, are legally authorized to work in the U.S., and live within 25 miles of the main campus

If you’re a high school student interested in independent research in the biomedical sciences, the Summer Student Program can be a strong fit for you. You’ll be matched with a mentor and take part in an eight-week lab-based internship in either biomedical or computational research. Your work may span fields such as cancer biology, structural biology, immunology, pharmacology, engineering, optics, and more.

Throughout the program, you’ll collaborate with research professionals, lead a self-directed project, and gain exposure to translational medicine through seminars and special events. Alongside hands-on research in a dynamic lab environment, the program supports your academic growth and personal development, making it one of the best medical summer programs for high school students for mentored cancer research in a real lab environment.

Why it stands out: It immerses you in cancer research under active faculty mentorship, helping you gain lab skills rarely available to high schoolers.

15. Montefiore Einstein High School Research Program in Cancer (BEYOND ALBERT)

Location: Albert Einstein College of Medicine / Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, NY
Cost: Free to apply and participate. Participants receive a stipend (e.g., $2,500), a MetroCard for transportation, and often a daily meal voucher
Dates: Full-time, 8-week summer session
Application Deadline: January 12th
Eligibility: High‑school students aged 16 or older, rising juniors or seniors, residing in the Bronx and attending a Bronx high school

The BEYOND ALBERT program lets you join biomedical research labs, gaining hands‑on experience in cancer biology and related biomedical sciences. You’ll work alongside experienced researchers, participating in lab experiments, data collection, and collaborative projects under faculty mentorship.

The program also provides professional development workshops, seminars, and mentorship sessions with the primary goal of fostering scientific literacy, research skills, and long-term academic planning. If you are eligible, you can also get college credits (via the Lehman College Now ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌Program). You may additionally take part in an academic‑year component: weekly seminars and continued mentoring, further strengthening their preparation for biomedical studies. 

Why it stands out: You could build a foundation for pre-med and biomedical research pathways because of the mentorship by Einstein faculty, and by creating research presentations

Extending Learning Beyond Summer Programs

Hands-on experiences help you understand how medicine works in practice, from clinical reasoning to research methods. They turn curiosity into academic exploration.

Beyond exposure, you also develop analytical thinking, awareness, and clear communication. These skills shape how you learn, question evidence, and engage with healthcare challenges.

Exploring these 15 best medical summer programs for high school students gives you early insight into university expectations and helps you decide whether a medical pathway suits you.

If you want to keep learning independently, our Medicine Top Books Guide offers inspiring, accessible reads to deepen understanding, build confidence, and support your journey into medicine.