Biology Programs & Competitions for High School Students

Biology extracurriculars span USABO, summer research in university labs, marine and field programs, and biomedical mentorships.

If you are pre-med-curious or research-oriented, a biology program with real lab time is the strongest early signal you can build.

47 verified programs match this page; 24 of the featured listings are completely free; 4 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF) — Summit Education: The Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF) is a virtual summer program for top STEM students around the world. Students learn from mentors at Harvard, Stanford,
• Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) — Stanford University School of Medicine: Elite 8-week paid research internship at Stanford Medicine. Mentorship from world-class researchers. Highly competitive admission.
• Broad Institute Scientific Internship Program — Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard: Research internship at world-leading genomics research institute.
• University of Chicago Research in the Biological Sciences (RIBS) — University of Chicago: Intensive biology research program at UChicago. Conduct original research in molecular and cellular biology.
• Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) — National Science Teaching Association & U.S. Armed Services: Research presentation competition with regional and national symposia.
• Genes in Space Competition — miniPCR Bio: Winning experiment is conducted aboard the International Space Station
• Whitehead Institute High School Research Program — Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research: Biomedical research program at MIT-affiliated Whitehead Institute. Hands-on experience in cutting-edge life sciences research.
• International Biology Olympiad (IBO) Team USA — Center for Excellence in Education: Only 4 students represent USA at IBO. Extremely prestigious, with team members regularly admitted to Harvard, MIT, Stanford for biology/pre-med.
• Salk Institute High School Research Scholars — Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Research program at iconic Jonas Salk's institute.
• USA Biolympiad (USABO) National Camp — Center for Excellence in Education: Training camp for top 20 USABO finalists. Participants compete for spots on USA team for International Biology Olympiad.
• Yale Young Global Scholars - Biology & Biomedical Sciences — Yale University: 2-week intensive in biology and biomedical sciences at Yale.
• International Young Naturalists Tournament (IYNT) — IYNT: International biology and ecology team competition. Students solve open-ended research problems and defend findings.
• International Brain Bee - USA Finals — International Brain Bee: USA national championship in neuroscience. Winner to international competition.
• Genomics Research Internship Program (GRIP) — Stanford University Department of Genetics: Paid summer research internship in Stanford genetics labs for local high school students underrepresented in biomedical science.
• Summer Cancer Research Experience Program — Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center: Paid 8-week in-person cancer research internship for WNY high school juniors and seniors at Roswell Park.
• USA Biochemistry Olympiad (USABO) — American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: Compete in a national biochemistry competition for high schoolers to test STEM skills, boost college applications, and gain molecular biology expertis
• Thermo Fisher Scientific Antibody Scholarship — Thermo Fisher Scientific: Win a $10,000 scholarship for biology or biochemistry majors. Perfect for high school seniors aiming to boost college applications and pursue STEM car
• GSA High School Research Contest — Genetics Society of America: Showcase your genetics research skills in this hybrid high school competition! Gain hands-on experience, boost your college applications, and present
• WCS High School Internship Program — Wildlife Conservation Society: Explore a paid summer internship at the Bronx Zoo or New York Aquarium! Gain hands-on biology and conservation experience to boost skills and strength
• AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program — American Museum of Natural History: Explore hands-on biology research through a free, year-long high school mentorship program at AMNH. Build STEM skills and boost your college applicati
• USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) — Center for Excellence in Education: Compete in the USA Biology Olympiad to enhance lab skills, deepen biology knowledge, and boost college applications. Open to high school students in g
• National Science Bowl (High School) — U.S. Department of Energy: Compete in the National Science Bowl, a thrilling high school STEM competition. Build expertise in biology, physics, and math while boosting college a
• Stony Brook Simons Summer Research Program — Stony Brook University: Explore STEM fields in this free summer research program for high school juniors. Gain hands-on lab experience and boost your college applications thr
• UCSC Summer Session: Science Internship Program (SIP) — University of California, Santa Cruz: Explore STEM careers with UCSC's free summer internship for high schoolers. Gain hands-on lab experience in astronomy, biology, and bioinformatics. Pe
• Research in the Biological Sciences (RIBS) — University of Chicago Summer Session: Explore a four-week summer program in molecular biology with hands-on lab research at UChicago. Build skills, boost college applications, and dive int
• Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program - High School Application — The Jackson Laboratory: Explore genetics in this competitive high school summer program. Gain hands-on research experience, enhance your skills, and boost your college applic
• Heithoff-Brody High School Summer Scholars — Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Gain hands-on lab experience in biology, genetics, and neuroscience through this free summer program for high school juniors and seniors. Boost your c
• High School Research Academy (HRA) — The University of Texas at Austin College of Natural Sciences: High school research academy offering hands-on STEM experience in biology, physics, and data science. Build skills for college applications in this fr
• Governor's School in the Sciences (NJGSS) — Drew University: Explore advanced STEM topics in this free summer program for NJ high school juniors. Gain hands-on research experience in biology, chemistry, and phys
• Penn Biomedical Research Academy — University of Pennsylvania College of Arts & Sciences: Explore hands-on biomedical research in this summer program for grades 10-12. Gain lab skills, enhance college applications, and dive deep into molecu

Frequently asked questions