For a high school student in Maryland, the question of what to do with a summer often turns into a question of what kind of person to become. Some students want to spend July at the pool. Others want to spend it in a lab, working through a real question that no one has fully answered yet.
If that second description sounds familiar, you are in an unusually good position. Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland, NIH, NIST, and NASA Goddard all sit within a short drive of most Maryland zip codes, which is why research programs for high school students in Maryland are worth comparing closely before committing a summer to just one.
That density is also what makes choosing hard. This guide covers 15 summer research programs and internship opportunities for ambitious high school students in Maryland, ranging from federal labs to university-sponsored internships to Pioneer’s fully accredited, student-directed research institute. Before the list, it helps to understand what actually separates a strong research program from one that only sounds like one.
The highest quality research programs for high school students fall into two categories:
The strongest pre-college programs in any category tend to share two qualities: a high degree of student agency in shaping the research direction, and meaningful institutional oversight that ensures academic rigor. Programs run by universities, government bodies, and established non-profits typically possess these qualities, giving students the closest approximation to what college-level research actually looks like, making the experience valuable college preparation.
To read more about the different types of research programs available, and how they differ from popular “independent mentor-matching” services, read our comprehensive guide on choosing the best research opportunities.
The programs below were selected based on:
With that framework in mind, here are 15 programs Maryland high school students can pursue.
BRBT places students in Johns Hopkins teaching and research labs to study biophysics, drawing together biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science. Students prepare reagents, learn microbiology techniques, and work through DNA and protein engineering exercises alongside graduate students, postdocs, and university faculty at the Homewood Campus. The experience can also help students explore whether science, medicine, or public health might be a good fit for a future career.
Pioneer Research Institute is a fully accredited, virtual research program in which students develop independent research projects under the guidance of a faculty mentor, rather than joining a project a faculty member has already defined. The roughly nine-hour application includes an essay and, for finalists, an interview, and because the program runs virtually, Maryland students can apply without relocating for the summer.
SARE combines biomedical lab work with coursework in scientific writing, data analysis, and bioethics at Hopkins’ East Baltimore campus. Students participate in hands-on research and academic skill-building, working directly with doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers in Johns Hopkins University research labs.
NIH no longer lists a separate high-school SIP application; eligible graduating seniors now apply through the Summer Internship Program, so eligibility now skews toward graduating seniors rather than juniors. Individual principal investigators review and select their own interns across fields from cancer biology to behavioral science. For a deeper look at eligibility and how to apply, read our full guide to the NIH Summer Internship Program.
RAMP runs across two years rather than a single summer: year one builds foundational lab and clinical research skills, followed by school-year research rotations, while year two places students in a focused five-week research lab internship. Scholars meet about ten times during the school year for hands-on research activities and lunch-and-learn sessions between the two summers.
ASPIRE pairs students with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory staff mentors on live technical projects, giving students exposure to cutting edge research spanning engineering, computer science, AI, physical science, and other STEM fields. The ASPIRE program is structured more like a professional internship than a classroom experience, with real expectations around scientific communication and independence.
IBBR places students in a working biotech lab mentored by an Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research scientist. Students can apply for either a paid summer internship or a full-year option that continues with an academic-year internship for MCPS course credit. Because eligibility is limited to Montgomery County Public Schools, it suits a narrower slice of Maryland students than most programs on this list.
High school students hosted by the Maryland State Archives internship work alongside undergraduate students, graduate students, and professional archivists on research projects spanning historical research, record transcription, digital imaging, and cataloging. This program immerse students with interests outside the sciences in real archival and historical-methods experience.
ESTEEM/SER-Quest has students develop a research proposal, conduct a literature review, and work through a project with University of Maryland research mentors. Because it is limited to rising seniors, it works best as a capstone summer experience for talented high school math students.
SHIP places students in NIST labs to work on a scientific research project alongside scientists and engineers, with topics spanning physics, materials science, and computing. The residency requirement narrows the applicant pool to students who live close enough to commute.
Through the Goddard Space Club Scholars Program, students work alongside NASA scientists and engineers on technical projects at Goddard or Wallops, gaining direct exposure to how space science and engineering teams operate. Research projects vary each summer and can span areas such as spacecraft engineering, software development, robotics, Earth science, and astrophysics.
The 50-mile residency requirement around Goddard makes the Greenbelt placements particularly accessible to students in the surrounding Maryland and D.C. region; Delmarva-situated students could find the Wallops Island placement an intriguing opportunity.
ASSIP pairs students with George Mason faculty across departments from atmospheric science to computational data science as assistants to ongoing faculty research initiatives. While it sits just across the Potomac in Virginia, its mix of in-person and virtual placements makes it a realistic option for DC-metro Maryland students.
For more on cost, acceptance, and what interns actually do in this highly selective program, read our full breakdown of George Mason ASSIP.
JCVI interns are matched with a faculty or senior staff mentor and work on research tied to genomic medicine, synthetic biology, infectious disease, or bioinformatics, depending on placement. The program culminates in a judged poster presentation where interns present their research to JCVI scientists and staff.
The National Archives Voluntary Internship Program is open to current high schoolers, though the 18-and-older requirement means it realistically fits rising or current seniors. Available projects vary each term and can span archival work, records management, information technology, public history, and other areas across NARA.
Individual positions have their own educational requirements, so seniors interested in the program should check each posting carefully to confirm that they are eligible.
Run by the American Fisheries Society, the Hutton Program pairs students with a local fisheries and aquatic science professional for eight weeks of hands-on marine or freshwater research and conservation work.
Placements can be with state or federal agencies, universities, or other aquatic-science organizations, with activities ranging from field sampling and fish tracking to habitat restoration, data analysis, and laboratory work. For Maryland students drawn to environmental or marine science rather than lab-bench biology, it offers a direct way to gain hands on experience in the field.
The strongest options depend on a student’s goals. Students who want to direct their own research topic and earn accredited college credit without leaving home should look at Pioneer Research Institute. Students who want a hands-on research placement should consider like BRBT, SARE, NIH’s Summer Internship Program, or NIST SHIP.
Yes. Several research programs for high schoolers in Maryland have no program fee, including SARE, RAMP, ASPIRE, ESTEEM/SER-Quest, NIST SHIP, and the NIH Summer Internship Program. Some also provide compensation: SARE and NIH SIP pay stipends, while RAMP students can be paid through YouthWorks if they enroll separately.
Many of these research and professional development opportunities are concentrated around Baltimore and the Washington-area research corridor, including Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Greenbelt, and Laurel.
Johns Hopkins hosts several distinct high school programs, including BRBT (biophysics, Homewood campus), SARE (biomedical research, East Baltimore), and ASPIRE (technical mentorship through the Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel). NIH’s Summer Internship Program places students directly in NIH research groups in Bethesda, though eligibility now largely favors graduating seniors.
Each differs in eligibility, pay, and how much independence students are given, so it is worth comparing program dates and residency requirements directly before applying to more than one.
Prior research experience is not a requirement for most of the programs on this list. Programs like BRBT, SARE, ESTEEM/SER-Quest, and NIST SHIP are explicitly designed to introduce students to research methodology rather than assume prior lab exposure.
For students who want more control over topic selection from the outset, an accredited, student-directed option like Pioneer Research Institute allows a student to build research skills with like minded peers without needing prior technical or research background, since the mentor guides the research process rather than assuming existing expertise.
Whether a program is paid, free, or tuition-based says more about its funding structure than its rigor. Federally funded and nonprofit programs, such as NIH SIP, NIST SHIP, and the Goddard Space Club Scholars Program, typically pay a stipend because they are grant-funded and expect a substantial time commitment. University-driven programs that award college credit, such as Pioneer Research Institute or George Mason ASSIP, typically charge tuition because that cost covers the accredited academic credit awarded on completion, but both programs offer generous financial aid to cover 100% of demonstrated financial need.
Neither model is inherently more rigorous; the more useful questions are who is providing academic oversight and how much ownership a student has over the resulting work.
Maryland’s wide range of summer programs give students an unusual amount of choice, but choice is only useful when matched to a clear sense of what a student wants from the experience. A student chasing a specific federal lab or university name should apply broadly and early, since several of these programs remain highly selective.
A student who wants to direct an original research question, rather than assist with someone else’s, is better served by a program built around that kind of ownership from the start. Whichever path a student chooses, the programs that hold up best are the ones with real institutional accountability behind them, not just the ones that use the word “research” most confidently.
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.
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 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 problems, while earning college credits from UNC-Chapel Hill.
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