The National Institutes of Health Summer Internship Program (NIH SIP) allows graduating high school seniors to intern alongside NIH research groups.
As a part of the NIH Intramural Research Program, this experience allows incoming college freshmen to garner laboratory experience as they prepare to attend university. Summer interns have the opportunity to work with research from all different NIH departments, from Epidemiology and Immunology, to Genetics and Cancer Biology.
NIH SIP is a research opportunity for high school students later in their high school careers. The previously-sponsored high school-specific program (NIH HS-SIP) was consolidated into this program, meaning it is no longer currently in operation. However, high school students can still apply to SIP, provided they meet the eligibility requirements.
This guide is intended for any high school student looking to evaluate the NIH SIP program for whether it is worth it, what students do, and how hard it is to be accepted. High school students before their senior years are encouraged to check out our comprehensive STEM research opportunities guide to find other programs that may be a good fit.
NIH SIP is considered to be a prestigious program through the experience in practical research methods it provides its interns. The National Institutes of Health is the U.S. government agency in charge of medical research. Within the summer research internship, participants work at the cutting edge of medical research and explore basic laboratory skills.
By virtue of the expert researchers under whose mentorship NIH SIP interns learn, NIH SIP is an academically rigorous and well-respected opportunity for high school students.
Provided that this program is not eligible to the majority of high school students, the benefit of NIH SIP on college admissions is limited. However, this is in no way to say that NIH SIP is an inferior program. On the contrary, an internship within NIH SIP would be largely beneficial by exposing interns to cutting-edge medical and STEM research. An NIH SIP internship could spark a future academic interest and give an intern experience to complete experimental laboratory research in college.
For undergraduate admissions, NIH SIP would probably be restricted to a post-submission application update, which is usually only allowed for students waitlisted from a school. However, an NIH SIP internship could still be markedly beneficial for admission into a college research lab, or even graduate school.
The NIH High School Summer Internship program maintains an acceptance rate between 10-15%,making the program highly selective. Students who are interested in attending should have a clearly-articulatable interest for pursuing research in that field, and identify mentors who match that interest.
To qualify for NIH SIP, prospective applicants must meet the following requirement:
Past the age requirement, applicants must additionally satisfy one of the following criteria:
For high school students applying, the first “high school graduate” criterion will be most applicable.
NIH SIP internships are in-person, meaning that program interns commute to their research labs. Program participants will need to work to secure housing near their program sites, whether it be staying with a relative, renting an apartment, or staying in an extended-stay hotel.
NIH headquarters are in Bethesda, MD, and easily accessible via Washington D.C’s Metrorail/Metrobus service. As such, program interns should either work to secure housing in the DC area once accepted. As NIH SIP interns receive stipends, part of one’s housing costs could be offset by the internship stipends.
For those who are 17 years old when applying, but will be 18 during the program, such students are required to have their permanent address reside within 40 miles of their NIH internship site.
To apply to the Summer Internship Program at NIH, prospective applicants must complete an online application. The NIH SIP application contains the following requirements:
Students within NIH SIP join established research groups to contribute to ongoing work at the forefront of science. These positions are full-time, meaning that participants are expected to work for 40 hours per week under the mentorship of a Principal Investigator (PI).
For laboratory internships like NIH SIP, interns usually work on a small part of the PI’s research question, such as data collection, source gathering, or data analysis. While students do not pursue their own independent research project in this program, they nevertheless gain valuable experience in the research methods of that particular area.
Participants in NIH SIP can come from a wide variety of prior interests, from epidemiology and psychology, to computer science and bioinformatics. These interests lend themselves well to work within different NIH Institutes in cancer research, behavioral research (including related social sciences), and biomedical research.
The NIH Summer Internship Program is paid, with interns receiving a stipend commensurate to education level. Interns must have health insurance to participate in the program.
NIH SIP internships are not processed through a centralized admissions system. Instead, the research group’s Principal Investigator (PI) will review applications and select their own summer interns. As such, successful candidates tend to be ones who follow-up with PIs of interest to ensure applications are reviewed and to demonstrate interest.
Additionally, prospective applicants should complete due diligence in selecting their PIs. By doing so, applicants will identify research groups that naturally align with their interests, which could lend oneself to a successful application.
For anyone with a working interest in STEM or cutting-edge medical research, NIH’s Summer Internship Program is an incredibly worthwhile experience. NIH SIP interns learn under the mentorship of leading scientists, seeing practically how research is conducted in the field. This experience can be a valuable building block for laboratory research in college and beyond.
The National Institutes of Health Summer Internship Program is the perfect fit for high school seniors interested in obtaining STEM research experience prior to heading off to college. Students interested in exploring careers in clinical research, pharmaceutical sciences, or other health related fields are encouraged to apply
Summer interns will have the ability to see how cutting-edge laboratory research takes place first hand, potentially informing future areas of study – perfect for students looking to choose their undergraduate major!
Those looking to learn more about research programs for high school students can check out our article categorizing them here. For medically-inclined research programs open to a wider range of high school students, you should check out the following programs:
For high school students searching for prestigious summer research programs respected and valued by colleges, Pioneer Academics is a great alternative to this featured program.
Based on a recent survey from Pioneer Academics alumni, 71 percent of Pioneer Research scholars’ college admissions records were to the top 20 US colleges and universities. Six percent of Pioneer’s alumni attended university-affiliated summer programs.
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, you should check out the Global Problem-Solving Institute today. You’ll have the rare opportunity to study current world problems in an interdisciplinary approach and earn college credits from UNC-Chapel Hill at a young age.
Historically, the application deadline for HS-SIP is mid-February. However, this program operates off of a rolling admission model, and the research groups themselves select interns. As such, prospective interns should submit their applications as early as possible to maximize space available in the program.
There is not a minimum GPA requirement for the NIH SIP program.
International students cannot apply to NIH SIP, as the program is restricted to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
Students are evaluated for HS-SIP by the researchers to whose lab you apply. While prior research experience is not explicitly a program prerequisite, it may be a useful in identifying strong candidates in the application process and a criterion used to determine research lab fit.
According to online sources, there are ~1,000-1,500 participants in NIH’s summer programs.
Doing research is commonplace. How do you choose the research opportunity that makes a difference?
Join us for a free online info session to learn about Pioneer
Check exclusive sharings From directors of prestigious programs
Signup to receive alerts for upcoming deadlines and other opportunities for high-achieving students.
Thank you for your interest in Pioneer’s Global Problem-Solving Institute (GPSI). The application for the Fall 2025 terms is now available. Please select your country/region below:
