Perhaps you are a junior in Massachusetts who loves biology and wants to know what real research feels like before college. You’re in good company. The Broad Summer Scholars Program draws motivated students from across the state each year — and it allows high school students to contribute to working biomedical science at a major research institute, while being paid to garner this experience.
The Broad Summer Scholars Program (BSSP) invites high school students, working alongside Broad Scientists, to conduct original, cutting edge research projects, attend interesting scientific talks, and explore scientific careers.
This guide covers eligibility, selectivity, the application, the stipend, and what students actually do, so you can decide whether BSSP belongs on your list.
BSSP is a respected and competitive opportunity. The Broad Institute is a non-profit biomedical research institute that brings together faculty and scientists from Harvard, MIT, and Boston’s leading hospitals, and BSSP places students inside that environment rather than in a separate classroom track. The cohort is small, the projects are real, and the work is overseen by an institution with verifiable academic standards.
That said, prestige is a signal, not a guarantee. Among biology research programs for high school students, the most impactful experiences are the ones where the student is genuinely involved in rigorous work. Its standing comes from what students do there, not from the name alone.
Students spend six weeks conducting an original research project under the guidance of a Broad scientist. According to the Broad Institute, mentors design the projects in advance so that each one genuinely benefits the lab — this is not a program built on busy work. Students join lab meetings, share space with working scientists, and become part of the research community.
The program runs weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Beyond the research itself, students attend scientific talks, explore career pathways, participate in a college fair, and present their findings in a scientific poster session before the Broad community. An on-staff instructor meets one-on-one with each student weekly, and the first week includes a wet-lab training exercise. Students gain exposure to both experimental and computational techniques.
Eligibility for the Broad Summer Scholars Program is defined by four requirements:
Students must also be available for the entire six-week program. Participants cannot enroll in other courses or programs, or commit to other employment, during program hours. The Broad notes that students with limited exposure to STEM are especially encouraged to apply.
There is no published minimum GPA; however, students must have earned a B or better in previous science and math classes. Beyond that grade threshold, the Broad reviews applications holistically, weighing strength of coursework, extracurricular interests, excitement for science, and teacher recommendations.
No particular course sequence is required. Strong preparation in biology, chemistry, and math will help students get more from the experience, but the program provides academic support — including weekly one-on-one instruction — to bridge gaps between high school coursework and the research itself.
Out-of-state students cannot apply, as admission is restricted to those who attend a Massachusetts high school within commuting distance of the Broad are eligible. Out-of-state students may not participate even if they arrange their own housing.
International students face a related constraint. Non-US Citizens may be able to attend the program, but only if they obtain employment authorization and satisfy the other eligibility requirement. Otherwise, this program is restricted to US citizens and permanent residents. Students outside Massachusetts who want a comparable research experience will need to look toward programs without geographic restrictions.
No past experience in research is required. The Broad states this explicitly, and the program’s design backs it up: the first week includes laboratory training, an on-staff tutor provides weekly academic support, and mentors scope projects to match each student’s background.
What the application does ask for is demonstrated excitement for science. Reviewers want evidence that you engage deeply with your interests — through coursework, clubs, reading, or independent projects — not a résumé of laboratory credentials.
The Broad Institute does not publish an official acceptance rate for BSSP. What is known: the program is small, with 18 scholars listed in the 2025 cohort, according to the Broad Institute’s own alumni pages.
Given the small cohort and the program’s visibility among Massachusetts students, BSSP should be treated as selective. Applicants are evaluated solely on merit through a holistic review of coursework, extracurriculars, enthusiasm for science, teacher recommendations, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to the BSSP community.
Based on previous cycles, the application typically opens in late November and closes in mid-January, with decisions released in mid-to-late March. The program itself runs from late June to early August.
Students should confirm specific current-cycle dates on the Broad Institute’s BSSP page before planning an application.
Applications are submitted online through the Broad’s application portal. The components reward reflection more than polish — most essays run about 200 words. The following criteria are essential to submitting an online application:
A practical tip: the strongest applications connect specific experiences to specific motivations. Reviewers are reading for authentic curiosity, not credentials.
Yes. There is no cost to apply and no cost to attend. BSSP belongs to a small group of fully funded research opportunities.
The program also provides partial reimbursement for transportation costs, which matters for a commuter program drawing students from across Massachusetts.
BSSP pays students a $3,600 stipend for the six-week program. The stipend means students who would otherwise need a summer job can choose research instead — a deliberate piece of the program’s mission to widen access to science.
The names are similar; the audiences are not. BSSP is the Broad Institute high school program — six weeks, for rising seniors at Massachusetts high schools. BSRP is the Broad’s intensive nine-week summer research program for undergraduates committed to biomedical research and interested in genomics.
A high school junior applies to BSSP. A college student applies to BSRP. Students searching for the Broad Institute Summer Scholars Program will sometimes see both acronyms in results — check the audience before you invest time in either application.
The Broad Summer Scholars Program (BSSP) is best suited for high school students who have a strong interest in science, or those looking to learn or review scientific concepts related to their passion. Students will spend six week at the Broad Institute, working on cutting edge research projects, creating scientific posters, and connecting with other students with similar interests at fun social events.
BSSP allows for genuine student involvement in rigorous research, inside an institution with real oversight. Those two criteria — agency and verifiable standards — are the same ones worth applying to any program you consider, and our guide to choosing the best summer research opportunities walks through how to use them. Understanding what makes high school research authentic is equally useful when you compare options.
Some select programs that are similar to BSSP include the following:
Based on a recent survey, 71 percent of Pioneer Research scholars’ acceptances were to the top 20 US colleges and universities. Additionally, our alumni report acceptances to highly-selective institutions at a rate five times higher than the school’s published acceptance rate.
If you’re interested in conducting the highest level of research for high school students, consider joining a Pioneer information session to learn more about the Pioneer Research Institute.
If you are a 9th or 10th grader, we encourage you to also check out the Global Problem-Solving Institute. You’ll have the rare opportunity to take an interdisciplinary approach to complex world programs, while earning college credits from UNC-Chapel Hill.
After a student is admitted, the program will find a mentor that aligns with the student’s interest and has availability to take on a student.
According to the Broad Institute’s website, staff review each student’s skills and background to identify a suitable project for students, taking stated research interests into account where possible. While potentially not aligning with a student’s first-choice area, projects are scoped so any placement offers a genuine research experience.
Projects span the Broad’s active research portfolio, including cancer biology, psychiatric disease, chemical biology, computational biology, infectious disease, or genome sequencing. Students indicate up to four areas of interest on the application, and both experimental (wet-lab) and computational projects are available.
A 2023 investigation by ProPublica and The Chronicle of Higher Education found that some virtual, for-pay research programs charge families thousands of dollars to produce research papers of uneven quality, sometimes with inflated mentor credentials and little independent oversight.
Those findings apply specifically to that corner of the market — online, fee-based research services — not to research programs generally. Still, they sharpen the questions worth asking about any program: who oversees the work, how genuinely involved the student is in rigorous material, and what verifiable standards stand behind the program’s claims. Free, institutionally run programs like BSSP answer those questions through the Broad’s own oversight, and any program that charges tuition should be able to answer them just as clearly.
Students attend daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for all six weeks, with optional evening activities such as public lectures and social events. Additional evening work — background reading and presentation preparation — is expected. The Broad Institute asks students to raise any scheduling conflicts before applying.
Students will spend six week at the Broad Institute, working on cutting edge research projects, creating scientific posters, and connecting with other students with similar interests at fun social events.
Yes. Every participant presents a scientific poster to the Broad community at the end of the program, supported by trainings on poster design and presentation skills. Some students later enter their projects in science competitions.
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