Navigating Fellowships for High School Students: A Comprehensive Guide
Fellowships offer high school students unparalleled opportunities for academic and personal growth, providing platforms to explore career paths, engage in cutting-edge research, develop leadership skills, and contribute to society. This article explores a range of fellowships available to high school students, detailing their requirements, focus areas, and potential benefits.
Research-Oriented Fellowships
Several fellowships focus on providing high school students with hands-on research experience in various fields.
Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP)
The Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP) is a competitive, eight-week, full-time paid internship designed for students between 11th and 12th grade who haven't had extensive research experience. The program begins with two weeks of hands-on training in laboratory safety and techniques as well as an introduction to the Fred Hutch. For the remaining six weeks, interns are paired and immersed in mentored activities in a Fred Hutch research group in Seattle. Interns also participate in research seminars, attend professional development workshops focused on college and careers, and enjoy social activities with their teams and peers.
Application Requirements:
- The SHIP application has two online components - an applicant section that you complete and a separate online form that your references complete.
- Thoroughly review the application and complete your section well in advance of the deadline.
- Proofread your application and essays carefully.
- Submit your section early so your references have time to complete their form.
- Contact information for your two recommenders, your resume (PDF) and your transcripts (PDF) ready to upload.
- Your most recent transcripts are acceptable, even if they do not have final grades for your current semester.
Stanford Compression Forum’s SHTEM Program
SHTEM is intended to provide early exposure to research transcending traditional disciplinary boundaries. Students will be grouped to multifaceted projects that will benefit from their existing interests and strengths, while exposing them to new areas. Projects will be mentored by students, faculty and staff of the Stanford Compression Forum and its affiliated organizations. Themes will span and combine the science of information and communication, engineering, the arts, linguistics, psychology, biology, neuroscience, computer science, technology, philosophy, and design, among other areas.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Must be currently a high school junior or senior in the 2025-2026 school year (i.e. 11th or 12th grade at the time of application)
- If you are a high school junior or senior, you must be at least 14 by June 21.
- Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident.
Kenan Fellows High School Summer Internship
The Kenan Fellows High School Summer Internship experience runs from June to August at the Wertheim UF Scripps Institute campus in Jupiter, Florida. This full-time, paid opportunity is for students in Palm Beach and Martin counties.
Read also: Summer Fellowships for Undergraduates
Eligibility Requirements:
- citizens or permanent residents who will begin their junior or senior year in a Palm Beach or Martin County high school in the fall of that year.
- All applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
- Students must be at least 14 years old and going into their junior year the following fall.
- Students are required to be available for the entire internship.
The Lundquist Institute’s High School Summer Training in Advanced Research (High School STAR) Program
Since 1978, The Lundquist Institute’s High School Summer Training in Advanced Research (High School STAR) Program in Torrance, California has brought high school students from Los Angeles and Orange Counties to TLI’s campus for 8 weeks.
Application Requirements:
- Applications for the 2026 High School Summer Training in Advanced Research Program opens January 14, 2026.
- Official high school transcript.
- Two letters of recommendation from high school teachers, preferably science teachers.
Research Assistantship for High School Students (RAHSS)
RAHSS is a supplement for PIs with an active grant from the Directorate for Biological Sciences and aims to foster interest in pursuing biological sciences. This grant is generally under $6,000 per student and should be submitted by a PI.
Leadership and Global Awareness Fellowships
Other fellowships focus on developing leadership skills and promoting global awareness among high school students.
Albrecht Fellowship for High School Students
The Albrecht Fellowship for High School Students offers a unique opportunity for driven high school students to take their learning to the next level. This Fellowship is open to any sophomore, junior, or senior considering a career that spans the globe, such as being a diplomat working for a multinational company or joining a nonprofit organization with a global mission. Program participants are called Albrecht Fellows and become part of a robust network of like-minded peers at the high school and college levels.
Program Focus:
- Learn about complex issues such as sustainability and disinformation
- Develop leadership and personal brand-building skills and cross-cultural awareness
- Give back to the community by participating in a day of service
- Build long-lasting working relationships with like-minded peers and mentors
Eligibility and Application:
- Applicants must be curious, engaged, and open to diverse perspectives, interested in finding solutions to local and global challenges, and able to attend all sessions.
- Applications for the 2026 cohort are due by Sunday, November 23rd 2025.
Department of State's Pathways Internship Program
The Department of State's Pathways Internship Program includes both the Internship Temporary Program (ITEP) and the Internship Experience Program (IEP). citizens enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions from high school to graduate school and professional academic levels. embassies and consulates throughout the world, as well as in various bureaus located in Washington, D.C. and at Department offices around the United States.
Read also: Funding for Minority Graduate Students
Virtual Internship Program
Virtual Internship. Real Experience. citizen college students with the needs of federal agencies. Since 2009, more than 10,000 remote interns have advanced the work of the federal government. The time commitment is about 10 hours per week during the school year. There are opportunities for all, from data visualization to political analysis. Internships are paid but may be eligible for course credit.
Colin Powell Leadership Program
The Colin Powell Leadership Program recruits highly motivated individuals from a variety of backgrounds who aspire to and possess the potential to become future civil service leaders in the Department.
Scholarships Recognizing Exceptional Talent
Some programs offer scholarships to exceptionally talented students who have demonstrated significant achievements in various fields.
Davidson Fellows Scholarship
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship awards scholarships to students who have completed a significant piece of work in one of the submission categories.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Be 18 years of age or under as of the application deadline.
- Be a U.S. citizen residing in the United States, or a U.S. citizen living abroad, or a permanent resident of the United States residing in the United States.
- Have completed a significant piece of work in one of the submission categories.
- Be able to demonstrate that the work is his or her own creation.
- Be able to attend an in-person event, with at least one parent or guardian.
Submission Categories:
- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
- Humanities (Music, Literature, Philosophy)
- Outside the Box
Selection Criteria:
- The scope and quality of the work submitted;
- The level of significance of the work submitted, as deemed by experts in the domain area (or a related domain area);
- The applicant’s depth of knowledge and understanding of the work and the related domain area.
Other Opportunities
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
This program provides scholarships, stipends and programmatic support to science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors or professionals who want to become K-12 teachers. For each year a person is on the scholarship, they are required to teach in high-need local school districts for two years within eight years of finishing their bachelor's degree.
Read also: Comprehensive Guide to NMF Scholarships
Advanced Technological Education (ATE)
This grant for students at two-year colleges and high schools supports the education of technicians in high-technology fields. The application for this program should be submitted by a PI and their associated organization.
Summer Scholars Internship Program
This program allows for undergraduate and graduate students to work as an intern for NSF for 10-weeks during the summer to understand science administration and the impacts of federal policies on science and engineering.
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